Tasting Notes: The color Ampeleia Rosato di Ampeleia is a magical pink, reminiscent of coral reefs. Wild berry fruit jump from the glass with strawberry and raspberry at first, followed by honeydew melon, currants and a slight nutty finish on the enveloping palate. The gentle tang from the acidity will have you searching for a snack, hard cheeses, cured meats or even some fish crudo are all the prefect foil for the sumptuous biodynamic rosato from Tuscany.
Estate History: Growing grapes in the rugged hills of the Maremma, or coastal Tuscany, the Ampeleia project started in 2002 with a crew consisting of pioneering winemaker Elisabetta Foradori, best known for her estate in the Alps, and her friends Thomas Widmann and Giovanni Podini. Their goal is to showcase the diversity of the Maremma in every wine they produce.
The project aspires to represent the inherent diversity and huge potential of this particular area of Maremma, the "Colline Metallifere," which are not the coastal lowlands one usually associates with the Maremma, but mineral-rich hills that have been mined since Etruscan times.
The estate results from the purchase of different plots of land, located far apart and on different altitude levels, with the precise aim of creating a great variability in altitude, soil type and microclimatic conditions; each vineyard has a distinctive identity that is enhanced by the uniqueness of the surrounding environment. Variety is the keystone and soul of Ampeleia. In fact, variety represents the project’s constant quality, both physically and symbolically, and is harmoniously expressed in its wines that taste of the varied lands of the area around the village of Roccatederighi. Many of the grape varieties that have been planted in Ampeleia are common in Mediterranean farmlands. In past times, vineyards were not planted with just one grape variety but many types of grapes were present and they were all harvested at the same time; the vineyards at Ampeleia reflect this tradition.
Within this diversity, the estate focuses on Cabernet Franc and Alicante Nero, a distinctly Tuscan biotype of Grenache. Though Ampeleia owns around 120 hectares of land, only 35 hectares are planted to vine and 56 hectares are dedicated other cultivations, in an attempt to keep the landscape intact to promote biodiversity.
