Travel

Ampeleia: idea and wine
«Vinnaya Karta» №10 (80) November 2006

What induces people to make new wine?

In case of Elisabetta Foradori, a talented Italian lady-winemaker, it was an idea. An idea to create such a wine that can give a sensation of silk.

Elisabetta Foradori is not a novice in the winemaking world. She lives in Trentino and has worked with a family vineyard for 20 years. Her outstanding interpretation of the northern Italian grape Teroldego has earned scores of praise from critics who had given her a title of the queen of Teroldego a long time ago. Recently Elisabetta decided to expand borders of her kingdom. She set to make a new wine that would reflect her idea of beauty and elegance.

In search of place suitable to realize her dream she came to Maremma that lies in the south of the Tuscan coast. One shouldn’t, though, imagine Maremma as an idyllic place of soft hills and good climate. Its landscapes are quite dramatic — from swampy areas near the sea to challenging vertical rocks several kilometers away from the coast. The wild nature of Maremma is like Mediterranean Scotland, low populated and unwelcoming for strangers. But this was, perhaps, what enchanted Elisabetta and her partners most. After land locked Dolomites they found a place with an amazing combination of Tuscan generosity of the sea and untamed coastal areas.

In 2002 Elisabetta Foradori, Giovanni Podini and Thomas Widmann bought a farm which already kept a winemaking tradition. They cut off unnecessary plots but retained Cabernet Franc vineyards which became a base for new wine. Later three more separate plots were acquired. Together they make Ampeleia estate. The name comes from Greek ‘ampelos’, or vine. It sounds softer and more feminine than generally accepted Tuscan names such as Sassicaia, Solaia, Ornellaia, etc. This is another hint of what to expect from the style of the wine.

Working on idea of a fresh, elegant wine underpinned by nice acidity, Elisabetta and partners also wanted to communicate the Mediterranean spirit of the place. This is why — together with Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese — they chose to cultivate Grenache, Carignan, Mourvedre, Alicante and Marselan. These varieties are common along the southern European coast and are immediately associated with Mediterranean wine.

New vines were planted according to specific features of each variety. The difference between Ampeleia and other estates is that plots are situated on alternating heights above sea level and have various soils structures. Vineyards of the Upper Ampeleia, oldest of all, lie between 450 and 650 metres above sea level. Their volcanic soils are best suited for Cabernet Franc that dominates in the vineyards. The place is special because it is a meeting point of cold and warm air which creates a unique microclimate. Despite high altitude, grapes ripen earlier than in hotter coastal areas.

Two plots at 280-350 metres make up the Middle Ampeleia. This is the domain of Sangiovese where Carignan, Grenache and Alicante are also planted. Vineyards are 20 kilometers apart from each other. They have different expositions and soils which allows the estate to get grapes with individual characteristics.

Finally, the Lower Ampeleia comes in one block at 230 metres and is closest to the sea. It is planted to Mediterranean varieties of Grenache, Alicante, Mourvedre, Marselan and Sangiovese. There is an experimental vineyard with 70 southern varieties, including Caucasian. The estate already started to make research into biological diversity together with the University of Milan.

Ampeleia project is unique for Elisabetta Foradori also because it is built on a different concept of wine. In Trento Foradori works with one grape where vineyards grow approximately in the same conditions. Her aim is to get an ultimate reflection of Teroldego character and terroir. In Maremma she faces a different task — to create one wine which is backed by various grapes, soils, microclimates, vinification methods and yet which comes as a harmonious whole.

After experimental 2002 the first wine released on the market was Ampeleia 2003. It features only two of seven chosen varieties — Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese. Grapes come from old vineyards planted by former owners. Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese will be a foundation for future Ampeleia blends, but other varieties will also be added. Young vines of Grenache, Carignan, Mourvedre, Alicante and Marselan have already yielded first harvest.

And what about the idea? The idea became a reality. Now there is a wine with an elegant bouquet of Mediterranean generosity, its touch as soft as silk. Exactly how it was intended to be.