Ampeleia Unlitro Rosso Toscano 1 litre 2022

Ampeleia Unlitro Rosso Toscano, biodynamic wine, litre bottle, Mediterranean blend of Alicante, Carignano, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese and Alicante Bouschet grapes coming from the youngest vineyards close to the sea. It reflects a desire to express the terroir in a lighter and more immediate way, without losing any of the unique character.  They age Unlitro in concrete only, no oak.  It is a very fresh red wine with notes of black olive, red fruits and Mediterranean herbs.  The wine ‘Unlitro’ – meaning one litre of Ampeleia – is an expression of Ampeleia’s vitality and subtly delicate nature.  The blend changes slightly from year to year but is based on Alicante, or Grenache in Tuscany.  Ampeleia Unlitro is well defined on the palate, crunchy, energising and with the acidity to cut through grilled meats and fish.  The finish has pleasantly bitter notes of cherries and wild strawberries.  This wine is the perfect red for summer.  The litre bottle goes that bit further.  It is gorgeous to drink Unlitro lightly chilled when warm outside with Tuscan ‘Caponata’ and fennel sausage.

Ampeleia was born in 2002 from the collaboration and friendship between Elisabetta Foradori, Thomas Widmann and Giovanni Podini.  The estate covers around 30 hecatres in total based on the hillside below the beautiful town of Roccatederighi.

The town is about 500 metres above sea level in the southern part of the Maremma in eastern Tuscany, not far from the coast.  When you visit this place, you understand what the 'real' Tuscany is all about.  It is a stunningly beautiful, quiet and natural environment and one which is perfect for the production of high quality natural wine.

The founders saw Ampeleia as a place where they could not only develop an agricultural project, but also fulfil a common vision relating to shared values and experiences. The vineyards were converted to biodynamic farming in 2009. The land is spread over 3 distinct altitudes, each with different soils which suit the different grapes cultivated.  The main grapes are Alicante (Grenache), Carignano (Carignan) and Trebbiano for white.  However the signature grape and that which excites them the most for its potential in this area is the Cabernet Franc.

The two men behind the winery are Marco Tait and Francesco Pascucci, both have been there since the start with Marco heading up the viticulture and Francesco the commercial side of the business.  Together, they form an impressive team and have driven the project forward with a combined vision which has passion, quality, no compromise and commitment at its heart.

All the wines here are made by respecting the natural processes transforming grapes to wine, aiming for a true expression of the land. The wines are pure and expressive, with delicious acidity to cut through classic Tuscan cuisine. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration, and very little sulphur. Fermentation takes place naturally in amphora, stainless steel and concrete tanks.  There is very little oak used at Ampeleia.  It is incredible to taste Rose from the tank at the winery soon after the end of fermentation with no additions or sulphites and experience such clean freshness in a wine.  The natural balance in these Tuscany wines is so incredible that they are able to age for a long time, even the Rose and white.  We have drunk 10 year old Cabernet Franc which was superb.  

 Despite the challenging climatic changes in the region, the wines at Ampeleia are likely to get better and better as the years go on.  This is still a relatively young project in wine growing terms and with the Biodynamic approach, the incredible vineyard sites and the purity of the environment, the estate is set to go from strength to strength.