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Ampeleia

Ampeleia Hot Couple

Sale price: $49.95 Regular price:$52.90
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Tasting notes

The Unlitro is the kind of low-alcohol, liter-format red that disappears at a dinner table without anyone noticing — crunchy wild berry fruit, fresh acidity, and a savory mineral finish. The Rosato has real texture from 12 days of whole-cluster Alicante Nero maceration, landing somewhere between a rosé and a light red with a distinctly salty, herb-edged finish.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Wild StrawberryPomegranateBlood OrangeGarrigue
  • Style: Bundle: 1L biodynamic Tuscan red + 750ml rosato; both 2020; concrete-aged; no oak
  • Grapes & Terroir: Unlitro: Alicante Nero, Carignano, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese, Alicante Bouschet; Rosato: 80% Carignano, 20% Alicante Nero; Vigna Cannucceto, 200–350m; Colline Metallifere, Maremma; Demeter biodynamic certified
  • Winemaking: Unlitro: 10% carbonic maceration, 2–3 days skin contact, 6 months in cement; Rosato: Carignano direct-press + 12-day whole-cluster Alicante Nero maceration, all concrete
  • Serving: Serve Unlitro at 58–62°F (light chill); Rosato at 50–54°F; both drink well upon opening
  • Pairing: Unlitro: pappardelle al ragù, roast chicken, cured meats; Rosato: fish crudo, grilled branzino, aged pecorino
  • Similar To: For fans of Gamay and Grenache-based rosés who want texture, salinity, and low alcohol

The Ampeleia Hot Couple pairs two 2020 wines from the same biodynamic estate in Roccatederighi, Maremma: the Unlitro (1 liter) and the Rosato di Ampeleia (750ml). Both are certified biodynamic under Demeter and made with native yeast fermentation in concrete tanks. No oak, no added color, no manipulation.

The Unlitro is a red blend of Alicante Nero (Grenache), Carignano, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese, and Alicante Bouschet sourced from the Vigna Cannucceto site at 200–350 meters above sea level. Grapes are harvested in early September, with 10% of the batch going through carbonic maceration, the rest whole-berry or crushed. Skin contact runs 2–3 days, followed by 6 months aging in cement tanks. At 12% ABV, it is light-bodied, crunchy, and built for the table rather than the cellar.

The Rosato di Ampeleia is 80% Carignano and 20% Alicante Nero. The Carignano was direct-pressed first; then whole clusters of Alicante Nero were added to the tank and macerated for 12 days, giving the wine its deep coral color and a hint of tannin. All fermentation and aging take place in concrete. The result is dry, saline, and persistent — closer in structure to a light red than a conventional rosé.

Ampeleia farms 35 hectares across three altitude bands in the Colline Metallifere, a UNESCO Global Geopark. The estate has been fully biodynamic since 2009, with organic certification confirmed by 2013. Winemaker Marco Tait has run the cellar since the estate's first vintage in 2002.

The Unlitro works well slightly chilled alongside pappardelle al ragù, rosemary-roasted chicken, or a board of cured meats. The Rosato is a natural match for fish crudo, grilled branzino, aged pecorino, or anything with a bit of sea salt and olive oil.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Light Body
Grapes:, Alicante Nero (Grenache), Carignano, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese, Alicante Bouschet
Farming:, Organic and Biodynamic
Vintage:, 2020
Alcohol:, 12%
Country:, Italy
Region:, Tuscany
Appellation:, IGT Toscana
Bottle Size:, 1L + 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

FedEx and other carriers we might occasionally use can only deliver wine to customers who are 21 years or older. Someone must be at the address to receive the package, carriers don't just drop a package and leave. They must ensure the person receiving the wine is 21 or older.


Re-shipping a Package

If a package is returned to us after three failed delivery attempts, we can only re-ship the wine upon payment of a re-shipping fee, to be determined based on the shipping address and number of bottles. Shipping wine is extremely expensive. We are sorry about this, but we have no other choice. Please make sure there's always someone at the address you enter as your shipping address.

If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


Re-routing a Package

If you'd like to reroute a package after it's been shipped, we can do so for a $20 re-routing fee. We cannot re-route a package across state borders. For any change of address, please contact us as soon as possible, ideally within 1-2 days from placing the order or we cannot guarantee we'll be able to reroute or change your order's shipping address.


Canceling an Order

If you'd like to cancel an order after it's been shipped, we can do so upon payment of a small cancellation fee – the amount depends on the size of the order. Carriers charge us a lot of money to recall a package en-route.


Heat/Frost damage

We are not responsible for heat- or frost-related issues. We offer ice-packs upon request. Please let us know if you think that there could be heat-related issues. If we don't hear anything from you regarding weather issues before an order is shipped, or if you don't request a hold due to the weather, we are not responsible for heat/frost damage.


Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

3. Please track your package using the tracking service.

4. The carrier will attempt delivery a maximum of 3 times. After 3 delivery attempts, your package will be sent back to our warehouse.**

*Please ensure your email address is correct; otherwise, you will not receive the order and shipping confirmation emails.

**If delivery is attempted 3 times without success, or if you fail to retrieve your package from the carrier depot by the stated deadline, the shipping fee will not be refunded to the customer.

Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Ampeleia

Ampeleia was founded in 2002 by Elisabetta Foradori, Giovanni Podini, and Thomas Widmann. Foradori was already established as a leading producer in Trentino through her family estate focused on Teroldego; Podini and Widmann were entrepreneurs from Alto Adige. The three sought a site in Tuscany to build an agricultural project outside the region's established wine corridors. They found it in Roccatederighi, a medieval village in the province of Grosseto, in what had been largely abandoned agricultural land first farmed by a Swiss couple who planted early vines in the 1960s.

Winemaker and viticulturist Marco Tait, originally from Trentino, has run the estate since its first harvest in 2002. The estate covers 120 hectares of land, with 35 hectares under vine planted at a density of 7,000–8,000 vines per hectare. Vineyards are spread across three distinct altitude bands, each matched to different grape varieties based on soil composition and microclimate. The estate began converting to biodynamic farming in 2009 and achieved full organic certification by 2013. In 2014, five cows were added to the farm to graze the vineyards and produce manure for biodynamic preparations, including Preparation 500.

In the cellar, Ampeleia uses native yeast fermentation exclusively. Vessels are concrete tanks and, for some wines, amphora. The estate uses very little sulfur and does not fine or filter its wines. The Unlitro undergoes 2–3 days of skin maceration (with 10% of the harvest treated by carbonic maceration) before 6 months in cement. The Rosato uses a unique approach: Carignano is direct-pressed first, then whole clusters of Alicante Nero are added for 12 days of maceration in the same concrete tank, building color and light tannin structure.

Wine region

Tuscany, Italy

Maremma is Tuscany's southwestern coastal zone, stretching from south of Livorno toward Lazio. Unlike the well-mapped appellations of Chianti or Montalcino, much of Maremma falls under the broad IGT Toscana designation, allowing producers flexibility with grape varieties and winemaking. The Colline Metallifere, where Ampeleia is based, are an inland subzone of mineral-rich hills that rise to over 600 meters and have been designated a UNESCO Global Geopark for their geological significance — they were mined since Etruscan times for copper, iron, and other metals.

The climate in the Colline Metallifere combines Mediterranean warmth near the coast with significant diurnal temperature variation at higher elevations, which preserves acidity in the grapes. Ampeleia's vineyards span three altitude levels — Ampeleia di Sotto (around 200m, most Mediterranean in character, planted with Grenache-family varieties), Ampeleia di Mezzo (250–350m, Carignano and Sangiovese), and Ampeleia di Sopra (450–600m, primarily Cabernet Franc). The lower and middle zones supply fruit for the Unlitro and Rosato. This part of Maremma has historically had low viticulture density, which has allowed the estate to maintain exceptional biodiversity across its 120 total hectares.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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