Trentino Alto-Adige, Italy

Nestled high in the idyllic Italian Dolomites, you will find Agricola Foradori. Here, the cultural landscape is a melting pot of German custom and Italian tradition. Traditionally, the industry here has always been dominated by big cooperatives, which has naturally dictated a strong sway towards conventional agriculture. Foradori, however, have long been a bastion of biodynamic farming, and since 2009 have been Demeter certified.

Wine has been made on the farm since the 1930’s, and from 1984, has been under Elisabetta’s guidance. Today, whilst Elisabetta has focused her attention to their cheese production, the 30ha estate is now lead by her children, Emilio, Theo and Myrtha, who have further progressed the farm’s narrative and focus, and brought a new energy and dynamism into the fold since 2013. Emilio and Theo look after the winemaking and marketing, whilst Myrtha focuses on the farming, and has created a vegetable and herb growing programme that is largely grown under the pergolas at their Mezzolombardo vineyard.
Winemaking across the Nosiola, Fuoripista and two single vineyard Teroldegos, Sgarzon and Morei, are all the same – 8-9 months on their skins, aged in tinajas – a vessel which they believe to be an integral part of their winemaking progress. Manzoni Bianco and Foradori Teroldego are both fresh and easy-drinking, but have enough nuance to be taken seriously.

The Granato is the pinnacle of their wine production and philosophy, using their best selected fruit, parcels and barrels to create a wine that is iconic. It is a year-on-year process, constantly moving towards perfecting a Teroldego expression that they are proud of.

According to Theo, in today’s climate, it is not enough to only produce wine. “To create a young, energetic team, you need to create an environment where they can take an interest in things beyond wine. If we want to be relevant in 20 years time, we need to create an ecosystem that can incubate ideas and creativity.”