{"title":"Ampeleia","description":"\u003cp\u003eAmpeleia began with a conversation over lunch in the Alps. The idea that emerged became one of coastal Tuscany's most distinctive biodynamic estates, built around Cabernet Franc and a refusal to use a single wooden barrel.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe estate was founded in 2000 by Giovanni Podini, the Trentino winemaker Elisabetta Foradori, and Thomas Widmann. It is now led by the Podini family, with Foradori on the board and closely involved in the wines. Winemaker Marco Tait joined in 2002 at the age of 22 and has guided the estate's evolution into a fully biodynamic farm and ecosystem ever since.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore on how they farm and work in the cellar in our \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/natural-wine-producers-primal-wine\/ampeleia-biodynamic-wine-from-the-alta-maremma\"\u003eAmpeleia producer profile\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"alicante-ampeleia-alicante-nero-tuscany-italy-red-wine","title":"Ampeleia Alicante 2016","description":"\u003cp\u003eAmpeleia's Alicante Nero comes from a single parcel called Vigna della Pieve, cadastral plot 148 on sheet 153, located in the lower-altitude vineyards of the estate near Roccatederighi in the Colline Metallifere hills of Alta Maremma. The soils here are sandy with pebbles and clay conglomerates — conditions that encourage the variety's natural delicacy over concentration. Vines yield around 50 hectoliters per hectare, and grapes are harvested in the first week of September.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlicante Nero is a Tuscan biotype of Grenache, also known as Cannonau in Sardinia and Garnacha in Spain. Ampeleia replanted it at the La Pieve site starting in 2003, recovering a variety that had been largely abandoned in the region in favor of more deeply colored, more structured grapes. The wine is part of the estate's Monovarietali series, a single-vineyard, single-variety project.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFermentation is with native yeasts. The wine ages for six months in cement vats with no filtration and minimal sulfur additions. The result sits on the lighter side of red wine — low tannin, bright acidity, and a profile that leads with red fruit and florals before finishing with earth and spice.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmpeleia has farmed biodynamically since the 2009 vintage and holds Demeter certification. The Alicante Nero is classified as a Toscana IGT.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ampeleia","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":12962716090423,"sku":"AMPEALIC16C","price":34.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/files\/ampeleia-alicante-natural-wine-primal-wine-copyright.png?v=1780799670"},{"product_id":"ampeleia-cabernet-franc-elisabetta-foradori-tuscany-italy-natural-wine","title":"Ampeleia Cabernet Franc 2015","description":"\u003cp\u003eAmpeleia's flagship red, labeled Costa Toscana IGT, is a Cabernet Franc-dominant blend with Sangiovese from the Ampeleia di Sopra parcels at La Rocca, situated between 450 and 600 meters above sea level near the medieval village of Roccatederighi in the Alta Maremma. Soils here are calcareous clay and marl, cooled by surrounding forest and marked by strong diurnal temperature swings that preserve acidity and aromatic detail. Grapes are harvested in mid-September at a yield of roughly 35 to 40 hl\/ha.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe estate has been certified organic since 2012 and biodynamic since 2014, with Demeter certification. Winemaker Marco Tait ferments in a combination of cement tanks and large oak casks. The 2015 ages 12 months in those same vessels before further bottle aging prior to release. No fining, no filtration.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn the palate, this wine shows the cooler register that altitude brings to Alta Maremma Cabernet Franc: sour cherry, forest berry, fresh herbs, and a mineral, balsamic undercurrent. Tannins are fine-grained and the finish is long and savory, driven by acidity rather than extraction. It is medium-bodied with notable freshness for a 14% wine.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 2015 vintage received a 90\/100 aggregate critic score. At this stage of its life, the wine has integrated well and drinks fully, though the structure supports continued cellaring.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ampeleia","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":13130903519287,"sku":"AMPEAMPE15C","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/files\/ampeleia-ampeleia-natural-wine-primal-wine-copyright.png?v=1780799643"},{"product_id":"unlitro-ampeleia-foradori-grenache-tuscay-italy-natural-wine","title":"Ampeleia Unlitro 2019","description":"\u003cp\u003eUnlitro is Ampeleia's entry-point wine, sourced from their youngest vineyards in the lower zones of the estate near the Tuscan coast, around Roccatederighi in the Alta Maremma. The blend is led by Alicante Nero (the local biotype of Grenache), with Carignano, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese, and Alicante Bouschet. Vines grow at 250-300 meters above sea level in the Colline Metallifere, mineral-rich hills that form part of a UNESCO Global Geopark.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach variety is harvested and vinified separately. A portion of the fruit (around 10%) undergoes carbonic maceration, while the rest is fermented whole-berry or crushed. Macerations last 5-7 days, and the finished wine ages six months in cement tanks with no oak contact. The wine is unfined, unfiltered, and made with native yeast. Sulfite use is restrained.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe result is a bright ruby red with a fragrant, fruit-forward nose of red cherries, wildflowers, and gentle balsamic lift. On the palate it is lightweight and juicy, with soft tannins and enough acidity to keep it lively. At 12% ABV it is the kind of wine that works slightly chilled and drinks easily across a meal. The liter format is by design: Ampeleia named it for what it is.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ampeleia","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":14663396294711,"sku":"AMPELITR19","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/files\/ampeleia-unlitro-natural-wine-primal-wine-natural-wine-primal-wine-copyright.png?v=1780799767"},{"product_id":"kepos-ampeleia-alicante-carignan-natural-wine-tuscany-italy","title":"Ampeleia Kepos 2018","description":"\u003cp\u003eKepos takes its name from the Greek word for garden. The 2018 is a co-fermented blend of 50% Alicante Nero (Grenache), 30% Mourvedre, and 20% Carignano sourced from the Sassoforte and Pieve vineyard sites within the Ampeleia estate near Roccatederighi in the Colline Metallifere hills of the Upper Maremma, Grosseto province. Vines grow at 250 to 300 meters elevation in soils of rhyolite, grey clay, and clay mixed with pebbles and sand, surrounded by Mediterranean scrubland of myrtle, cork oak, and strawberry tree. The appellation is Costa Toscana IGT.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrapes are harvested by hand and co-fermented with native yeasts. The wine ages for 11 months in concrete tanks with no oak contact before spending additional time in bottle before release. No fining or filtration. The estate holds Demeter biodynamic certification, with all farming converted to biodynamics as of the 2009 vintage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe wine pours bright ruby. On the nose it shows fresh cherry, raspberry, violet, and the garrigue-like aromas of the surrounding scrubland: herbs, dried wild plants, a trace of white pepper. The palate is medium-bodied and lively, with a mineral streak running through red fruit and a finish of fine-grained tannin and clean acidity. Drink now or hold for another year or two.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ampeleia","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":32166311297117,"sku":"AMPEKEPO18C","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/files\/ampeleia-kepos-natural-wine-primal-wine-natural-wine-primal-wine-copyright.png?v=1780799615"},{"product_id":"ampeleia-bianco-orange-wine-tuscany-natural-wine","title":"Bianco di Ampeleia 2019","description":"\u003cp\u003eBianco di Ampeleia is a skin-contact (orange wine) natural wine made in Tuscany from a blend of 90% Trebbiano, 5% Malvasia, 5% Ansonica farmed sustainably and picked the 2nd week of September. Skin-contact maceration for 7 days, aged for 6 months in concrete tanks.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ampeleia","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":35728345301144,"sku":"AMPEMACE19C","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/files\/ampeleia-bianco-tuscany-natural-wine-primal-wine-natural-wine-primal-wine-copyright.png?v=1780799634"},{"product_id":"unlitro-ampeleia-tuscany-natural-wine","title":"Ampeleia Unlitro Tuscan Light Red 2023","description":"\u003cp\u003eA collaboration between Elisabetta Foradori, Giovanni Podini, and Thomas Widmann, Ampeleia Unlitro Tuscan Light Red blends Alicante Nero (Grenache), Carignano, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese, and Alicante Bouschet from their youngest vineyards near the Tuscan coast. The estate sits near Roccatederighi in the Maremma, where vines grow at 250-300 meters elevation. Ampeleia farms biodynamically and vinifies with minimal intervention—Unlitro ages six months in cement tanks with no oak influence. At 10.5% ABV and bottled in a one-liter format, Ampeleia Unlitro is designed for immediate drinking and the shared table.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ampeleia","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40933445566663,"sku":"AMPELEIA-UNLITRO","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/files\/unlitro-ampeleia-tuscany-natural-wine-deslop.png?v=1784583922"},{"product_id":"rosato-di-ampeleia-tuscany-natural-wine","title":"Rosato di Ampeleia 2020","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe 2020 Rosato di Ampeleia is the first rosé ever released by the estate. It is made from 80% Carignano and 20% Alicante Nero — a Tuscan biotype of Grenache — grown at the Pieve vineyard, located 300 meters above sea level near Roccatederighi in the Colline Metallifere hills of Alta Maremma. The soils there are reddish-brown clay mixed with pebbles and sand, looser and more sandy than most of the estate's other parcels.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe winemaking is precise: the Carignano was direct-pressed, then whole clusters of Alicante Nero were added to the concrete tank, macerating for 12 days and contributing color and light tannin. The wine aged for 6 months entirely in concrete. 5,000 bottles were produced. It is certified biodynamic and organic.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe result is a deep pink wine with marked salinity, lasting acidity, and a good body despite its low alcohol of 11%. The Alicante Nero whole-cluster component gives a slightly grippy texture and a herbaceous finish that distinguishes it from most Provençal-style rosés.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmpeleia sits within the Colline Metallifere UNESCO Global Geopark — mineral-rich hills mined since Etruscan times that give the estate's wines a distinctly saline, stony character. The wine is labeled IGT Toscana Rosato.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ampeleia","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40933472895175,"sku":"AMPEROSA19C","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/files\/ampeleia-rosato-tuscany-alicante-natural-wine-primal-wine-natural-wine-primal-wine-copyright.png?v=1780799721"}],"url":"https:\/\/primalwine.com\/collections\/ampeleia.oembed","provider":"Primal Wine","version":"1.0","type":"link"}