Who Elisabetta Foradori is, and why the story matters
Elisabetta Foradori took over the family winery in Mezzolombardo, at the foot of the Val di Non, when she was barely past twenty. It was 1984, her father had just died, and she inherited an estate built around Teroldego - a grape nobody took seriously. Local producers used it for blending wine, thin stuff meant to be drunk without thinking. She decided it could be something else entirely.
What followed was slow, stubborn work with very little glamour: selecting the best Teroldego clones, converting the vineyards to biodynamic farming when that was still considered eccentric in Italy, starting to ferment in terracotta amphora when her peers shrugged. She was not chasing a trend. She was looking for a way to let the land speak.
The Campo Rotaliano - the alluvial plain north of Trento where Teroldego grows, bounded by the Adige and Noce rivers - looks anonymous at first glance: flat ground, stones, glacial gravel. Underneath, there is a mineral complexity that Foradori spent years learning how to pull into the glass. That complexity is now clearly audible in the wine, and that is her real achievement.
Foradori is not just Elisabetta. Her children - Myrtha, Emilio and Theo - work in the winery alongside her, each with a defined role. This is not an estate coasting on a founder's name. People are actually working here, and you can taste it.
Teroldego: what you will find in the glass
Teroldego is a grape native to Trentino that almost nobody outside the region knows, which is both a shame and an opportunity. In a Foradori glass it shows up with a deep violet colour, almost opaque when young, with a nose that mixes fresh dark fruit - blackberry, blueberry - with something more earthy and almost ferrous, closer to certain Burgundy Pinot Noirs than to the softer Italian reds, but with more muscle and less perfume.
On the palate it is what people usually call a wine you can chew - though we would rather put it plainly: it has body and substance without ever feeling heavy. The tannins are present but not aggressive; after a few years in bottle they settle into something soft and close to velvety. The acidity is good and holds everything together. The finish is long, with a return of fruit and mineral that makes you want another sip immediately.
What stands out against most Italian reds in the same price range is the drinkability. This is not a meditation wine you save for special occasions. It is a table wine in the best sense - the kind you open on a Tuesday with friends without feeling obliged to comment on every mouthful. That ease is rare, and it is not accidental: it comes directly from how Foradori works in the cellar, with minimal intervention and no technological shortcuts.
The amphora versions - more on those below - add another layer: more oxidative notes, a rougher texture on the palate. Not for everyone, but for those who love them they become hard to give up.
The amphora: why Foradori uses it and what it does to the wine
When Foradori began fermenting in terracotta amphora in the early 2000s, it looked like an eccentricity. Today it looks prescient, given how central amphora has become to the conversation around natural winemaking. But the point is not fashion: Foradori uses amphora because, for certain wines, it works better than any other vessel.
Terracotta is microporous, like wood, but differently. It allows very slow micro-oxygenation without contributing aromas. Oak - even lightly used oak - always leaves something of itself in the wine: vanilla, sweet spice, added tannin structure. Terracotta is neutral. What you taste is the grape and the ground, nothing else layered over them. For a wine like Teroldego, which already has a strong personality, that neutrality is a significant advantage.
The amphora wines - the Foradori Teroldego and the single-vineyard wines Granato and Sgarzon - have a palate texture that no barrique produces: something almost tactile, a salinity that lingers and cleans. They ask for a little attention, but if you meet them at the right moment they stay with you.
A practical note: if you are new to amphora wines, start with the Foradori base. It is the most accessible of the three, both in price and in flavour profile. If that experience intrigues you, move toward the Granato, which is the more structured and age-worthy version.
The range: where to start and where it leads
The Foradori range is not large, and that is a good thing. Every wine has a clear reason to exist; nothing is there to fill a price point or answer a commercial brief.
The natural entry point is the Foradori Teroldego, the estate's base wine - though calling it base is almost unfair. It is fermented in amphora, with a maceration length that varies by vintage, and bottled without filtration. It drinks well young but holds comfortably for several years. It sits at an accessible price relative to the rest of the range, and both Vinatis and 8wines usually carry current and back vintages if you want to explore online.
Above that is the Granato, the more structured and long-lived single-vineyard Teroldego, from old vines. It has a concentration and depth the base wine does not attempt, and it needs patience - ideally you open it five or six years after harvest to find it at ease. The Sgarzon is the other single-vineyard wine, fresher and more vertical, with an almost saline minerality that makes it particularly good at the table.
Then there are the whites and a rosato: Fontanasanta Manzoni Bianco and Fontanasanta Nosiola, both fermented in amphora with skin contact, which makes them orange wines in the most genuine sense - no posturing, just fruit and minerality. The Nosiola in particular is a discovery for anyone drawn to wines made outside the standard template.
If you are working through the wines of Trentino-Alto Adige and want a fixed reference point, Foradori is one of the producers that shows most clearly what this region can do when it works from its own roots instead of imitating someone else's.
What to eat with Foradori wines
Teroldego from Foradori is food wine - not because it cannot be drunk alone, but because it finds its best dimension at the table. The tannic structure and lively acidity make it a natural match for Trentino cooking, though it works well beyond the region too.
Game is an obvious pairing: braised roe deer, venison stew, wild boar. The wine has the weight to meet the dish without drowning it. It works equally well with grilled meat - the smokiness of the grill connects naturally to Teroldego's earthy undertone. If you are in Trento, try it with aged mountain cheese or with smalz; simple pairings that strip away any distraction and let the wine show what it is.
The Granato, with its greater structure, needs something that can hold its own: roasts, long braises, feathered game. Put it next to something too light and it will feel oversized. The Sgarzon is more flexible and works with pasta and a moderate ragù or with white meat.
For the amphora whites - Manzoni Bianco and Nosiola - think medium-aged cheese, eggs in any form, lake fish, grilled vegetables. These wines need some fat and salinity in the dish to open up. Pair them with something too delicate and they go flat.
Serving temperature: Teroldego and the single-vineyard reds at around 16-17 degrees. The amphora whites at 12-13 degrees. For the reds, thirty minutes out of a cool cellar is usually enough - a standard refrigerator is too cold.
Biodynamics and terroir: what is actually behind the wines
Foradori has worked biodynamically since the mid-1990s, long before the method became a restaurant talking point. The shift was gradual and never ideological. Elisabetta Foradori made the change because the soil responded better, the vines were healthier, and the wines had more tension. The reason was agronomic, not philosophical.
The Campo Rotaliano, where the Teroldego vines grow, is an alluvial plain north of Trento, framed by the Adige and Noce rivers. The soils are deep and gravelly, with a water table that gives the vines access to moisture even in dry summers. That is why Foradori's Teroldego rarely shows excessive water stress - the wine keeps a freshness even in warm vintages.
The older vines that produce the Granato have roots that go deep, and you can hear it in the mineral profile of the wine. That is not a metaphor: there is research connecting root depth to aromatic complexity, and anyone working with old vines knows it from experience before they read the studies.
The cellar is simple, close to spartan: no precision temperature control, no added selected yeasts, no acidity adjustment or concentration. What goes into the bottle is the direct result of work in the vineyard. That is why Foradori vintages genuinely differ from one another - and why following them over time is worth the effort.
For broader context on where this estate sits, the Trentino-Alto Adige wine overview covers the region's production landscape. Foradori is one of the producers that best represents where the most interesting work here is heading.
Where to buy Foradori wines and what to expect to pay
Foradori wines are not impossible to find, but they are not in every wine shop either. Online, Vinatis and 8wines both carry a considered selection and update their stock regularly with new vintages. If you want to compare vintages or buy several bottles at once, these are the places to move.
The range spans notably different price bands. The Foradori Teroldego base sits at an accessible level - what you would call an everyday wine, except this one delivers considerably more than the price suggests. The Granato moves into the upper-mid range, which is consistent with its quality and cellaring potential. The amphora whites sit between the two, with some variation depending on the retailer and the vintage.
One specific suggestion: if you find an older Granato vintage - several years back - buy it without hesitation. A Granato with some bottle age is a different wine from the young version: more open, softer, with a complexity that time adds and no cellar technique can replicate. It is one of the cases where patience pays clearly.
The winery has a direct sales point in Mezzolombardo, and if you find yourself in Trentino for any reason, it is worth a stop. You may find vintages no longer in general distribution, and you will likely be talking to someone who works in the vineyard rather than in a tasting room.
Domande frequenti
Is Foradori Teroldego a good starting point for someone new to natural wine?
Yes, it is a solid entry. The Foradori Teroldego base has a clear, recognisable character without being extreme - it does not have the oxidative edges that sometimes put newcomers off. It comes at you directly: fruit, minerality, easy drinkability. If that experience pulls you further in, the amphora whites and the Granato are waiting.
How long does the Granato keep?
The Granato is built to age. In good cellar conditions it holds comfortably for ten years from harvest, and the better vintages can go further. The ideal window is five to six years at minimum - drink it young and it is still good, but you are leaving behind part of what makes it worth the price.
What exactly is an amphora wine, and why does Foradori use them?
An amphora is a terracotta vessel - the same basic technology used in antiquity to store and move wine. Foradori uses it because terracotta is microporous like wood but neutral in flavour: it allows very slow oxygenation without adding anything to the wine, so what you taste is the grape and the ground alone. Oak, even lightly used, always contributes aromas - vanilla, spice, extra tannin. Terracotta does not. The result is a distinct palate texture: a roughness and salinity that fans of the style find hard to trade away.
Can I order Foradori wines if I live outside Italy?
Both Vinatis and 8wines ship internationally, though the exact list of countries each covers changes and is best confirmed on their sites at the moment you order. The wines are not so obscure that cross-border sourcing is difficult - major European markets are generally well served - but verify before you fill a cart, particularly if you are outside the EU. Shipping limits are the retailer's business and can shift without notice.
Are Foradori wines vegan?
In general, yes. Foradori's production approach - no fining with animal-derived products, no aggressive filtration - is compatible with a vegan diet. If you have strict requirements, it is worth checking directly with the winery or the retailer, since practices can vary slightly between cuvées and vintages.