Foradori Teroldego Sgarzon 2024

The Land

Foradori bottles two single-vineyard Teroldego wines from parcels a short walk apart in Campo Rotaliano, and Sgarzon shows how much a few degrees of exposure can change a wine. The 2.5-hectare site sits on sandy alluvial soil, cooler than its sibling vineyard, Morei, shaped by the same glacial gravel that runs beneath the plain. Sgarzon takes its name from the local dialect word for shoot, a reference to how actively the vines grow here. That cooler microclimate tempers Teroldego's usual intensity, and the wine that comes off this site leans lighter and more perfumed than anything else in the Foradori range.

The Wine

100% Teroldego, fermented and aged on the skins for eight months in Spanish amphorae, terracotta tinajas from Villarrobledo, with no oak involved. The clay is porous enough to let the wine breathe without imposing any flavor of its own, so what comes through is site and variety rather than winemaking. 2024 was a difficult growing season across Trentino: a mild winter gave way to a wet, cool spring that brought heavy mildew pressure and cut yields well below normal, and a cool September added sporadic rain that forced careful selection at harvest. Despite that, Teroldego handled the vintage better than most varieties in the region. Expect bright red and black fruit layered with floral lift, baking spice, and an iron-edged minerality, with crisp acidity and fine tannin carrying through a long finish.

The People

Elisabetta Foradori took over her father's estate in Campo Rotaliano in 1984 at 19, inheriting a variety that growers were ripping out for Pinot Grigio and Merlot. She rebuilt Teroldego's reputation through massal selection, reduced yields, and single-vineyard bottling, starting with Granato in 1986. In 2009, after tasting the amphora-aged wines of COS in Sicily, she began experimenting with terracotta tinajas, eventually adopting them for both Sgarzon and its sibling site, Morei. The estate's 28 hectares have been certified biodynamic since 2002. Sgarzon and Morei sit alongside each other as a kind of ongoing experiment: same grape, same amphora regime, different soil and exposure, a direct comparison of how much site can shape Teroldego.

Food Pairing

Sgarzon's brighter, more perfumed style calls for lighter fare than Foradori's other reds. Try it with grilled quail, a charcuterie board built around speck and soppressata, roasted beets with goat cheese, or pan-seared trout with brown butter. Its floral lift and iron-like minerality work well with slightly smoky or earthy dishes, while the crisp acidity keeps it lively next to fattier cured meats. Serve it with a slight chill and it holds its own as a warm-weather red.