2 weeks Ago
Ampelaia's vineyards and winery afford stunning views of the nearby medieval town of Roccatederighi. Ampelaia Winery From its hillside perch in the Colline Metallifere, Ampelaia Winery looks out over a patchwork of woodlands and olive groves. On early autumn mornings, fog gathers in the folds below the vineyards before lifting with the sun to reveal distant ridgelines.
To anyone who has toured wineries in Tuscany, the setting rings of the Italian hinterland. The red-tiled rooftops of the medieval village of Roccatederighi, within view of the winery’s terrace, a handy giveaway. Yet, Ampelaia , a biodynamic winery set in a lesser-traveled corner of Alta Maremma, doesn't operate by the region's expected playbook.
Rather, it moves at the pace of its landscape: deliberate, adaptive, and closely attuned to its environment. Ampelaia’s story begins not with a winery, but with an idea of rural life. In the 1960s, Swiss couple Erica and Peter Max Suter arrived in the hills above the village and purchased a span of abandoned land.
They raised sheep and pigeons, and planted the estate’s first vines, including Cabernet Franc and Merlot, long before those varieties had gained traction in the area. The estate started a new chapter in the early aughts when Elisabetta Foradori, Thomas Widmann, and Giovanni Podini acquired the property and renamed it Ampelaia. Foradori, well-known for her natural and sustainable winemaking in Alto Adige, notably with Teroldego, lent her brand of minimalism and experimentation to the project's cache.
The terrace at Ampelaia Winery. Ampelaia Winery Seeing potential in Maremma’s lesser-known mountains, the trio sought to create a model for thoughtful farming and expressive winemaking. In 2009, the group began the meticulous work of converting their largest vineyard holdings from organic to biodynamic farming, an effort that has since expanded to include nearly the entire estate.
Today, the Podini family remain stewards of the property with Podini at the helm and Foradori serving on the board. Winemaker Marco Tait runs the cellar and calls his approach to crafting wines one of both "rigor and intuition,” which parallels their relationship with the land, which he calls both “humble and ambitious." From the beginning, the mission was clear: to farm in a way that respected the land's complexity and create wines that spoke transparently about their origin.
Tait attributes the decision to convert to biodynamics as one of practicality rather than ideology: "Biodynamics is not a philosophy for us, it's a method. Healthy soils yield vibrant vines, and vibrant vines make wines with life." The nearby medieval village of Roccatederighi.
Ampelaia Winery While the estate comprises nearly 300 acres, only 86 are planted with vines. The remainder serves the flora and fauna, as well as the needs of biodynamic winegrowing through forest, pasture, and farmland. Ampelaia’s location within the Colline Metallifere, a region once shaped by the mining industry, now recognized as a UNESCO Geopark, translates to mineral-rich soil.
This lends a a distinct clarity to otherwise unfiltered wines. Terroir spans more than soil, however, and within Ampelaia’s vineyards, altitude, slope, and aspect shift dramatically. The rumpled topography creates a range of microclimates and expressions.
"Some vineyards express themselves best on their own, others when blended from the start," says Francesco Pascucci, the winery’s export manager. "Each vintage teaches us something new." Sustainability efforts extend beyond the vineyard.
The winery uses gravity flow in the cellar to reduce energy consumption, the viticulture team plants cover crops betweeen vines, and the entire operation runs largely on solar panels. "It's about always asking how we can do better—not just in the vineyard, but in packaging, water use, shipments, everything," says marketing manager Maria Giulia Songini. As for its wines? Cabernet Franc has become central to Ampelaia's identity, not by strategic design but through accumulated experience.
"We recognized its potential early," says Tait. "It gives us layers of nuance and lets us understand how different soils shape its voice." In 2025, two single-vineyard Cabernet Francs will be released, each from a specific set of rows selected for their distinctive character.
The summer garden thrives, providing ingredients for the agritourism offer. Ampelaia Winery Another key grape is Alicante Nero, which has grown in Maremma since the 1500s but was long overshadowed by higher-yielding varieties. The grape thrives in the region's Mediterranean climate, offering ripe fruit, bright acidity, and subtle spice.
In the cellar, Tait gives his wines the oversight of a custodian. Fermentations begin spontaneously. Aging takes place primarily in concrete tanks.
Some wines see a technqiue called infusion, where whole clusters float in the fermenting juice, releasing aroma and giving structure without force. The resulting wines are layered and expressive. Though rooted in Tuscany, Ampelaia's voice is distinct from regional tropes.
"We are deeply Tuscan, but always in our own way," says Pascucci. That same ethos shapes their work abroad. Rather than adapting their wines to perceived market expectations, the team focuses on storytelling.
Songini notes that Unlitro, their one-liter red blend, resonates in the U.S. because it suits a relaxed, convivial setting, whether between friends on an afternoon outing or for a family-style meal at night.
"It's not about marketing. It's about sharing," says Songini. Hospitality has become an extension of this philosophy.
The tasting room team welcomes visitors for seated lunches and dinners, casual bites, and wine flights or glasses on the terrace. There are several hospality experiences including a cooking class that teaches guests how to make fresh pasta and other dishes with seasonal ingredients from the garden. The tasting room sells organic soaps, olive oil, and other local, handmade products.
These newer agritourism and slow-travel experiences invite guests to understand wine not just as a product, but as a medium for connection to time, place, and each other. "We don't offer tastings so much as conversations," Songini explains. "We want people to leave with a sense of why we do what we do.
" Making fresh pasta for the onsite restaurant and cooking classes. Ampelaia Winery Asked about the future, Tait says his winemaking will focus on refining the current portfolio rather than expanding it. Songini says they want “to go deeper, not wider.
" In a region known for bold and showy gestures, this small winery offers something quieter — a gentler side to Tuscany that wine lovers in search of characterful restraint increasingly appreciate..
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