Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Smoky and spicy with austere complexity. A wine with licorice-root freshness, apples, quince and some earthy minerality. Medium-bodied, this has weight and density, well packed to the end with zesty acidity and phenolics. From organically grown grapes.
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Wine Spectator
Exotic accents of dried mint and cardamom draw you into the glass of this vivid white with raw silk-like texture. It's well-meshed and expansive on the palate, offering an overtone of blood orange along with flavors of raspberry, plum skin, mountain herb and graphite.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The organic Foradori 2023 Nosiola Fontanasanta features what is believed to be the only truly native white grape of Trentino. Fermented and aged in tinajas (amphorae) on the skins for eight months, this rare expression of Nosiola has bitter aromas of unripe peach and kumquat followed by macerated tones of chopped nuts and dusty spice. The wine offers medium aromatic intensity and good freshness over a mid-weight texture
There are hundreds of white grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles.
A mountainous northern Italian region heavily influenced by German culture, Trentino-Alto Adige is actually made up of two separate but similar regions: Alto Adige and Trentino.
Trentino, the southern half, is primarily Italian-speaking and largely responsible for the production of non-native, international grapes. There is a significant quantity of Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Merlot produced. But Trentino's native and most unique red variety, Teroldego, while still rare, is gaining popularity. It produces a deeply colored red wine rich in wild blackberry, herb, coffee and cocoa.
The rugged terrain of German-speaking Alto Adige (also referred to as Südtirol) focuses on small-scale viticulture, with great value placed on local varieties—though international varieties have been widely planted since the 1800s. Sheltered by the Alps from harsh northerly winds, many of the best vineyards are at extreme altitude but on steep slopes to increase sunlight exposure.
Dominant red varieties include the bold, herbaceous Lagrein and delicate, strawberry-kissed, Schiava, in addition to some Pinot Nero.
The primary white grapes are Pinot grigio, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay and Pinot blanc, as well as smaller plantings of Sauvignon blanc, Müller Thurgau. These tend to be bright and refreshing with crisp acidity and just the right amount of texture. Some of the highest quality Pinot grigio in Italy is made here.