Fun To Say, Fun To Drink: Teroldego

Just over five years ago, our family left the great state of New Jersey to come to where we are now in Southeastern Connecticut. As you know, I spend some time helping out at a local wine and spirits shop, where I have been given an excellent platform for developing my presentation skills with several classes and casual tastings. The stars aligned perfectly for me as a professional drinker.

However, our short time near in the Pine Barrens helped to lay the foundation for where I am today. The moment we left Pennsylvania for New Jersey, I was taking the WSET courses on the fast track. When an opportunity came to start getting some practical experience in the wine industry, I hooked on with Passion Vines after some great conversations with the owner and founder of his two locations in Somers Point and Egg Harbor Township.

It was fun to get back into retail as it was my first job roughly 25 years ago. Helping customers discover a new wine was very appealing. I didn't know everything then and I never will in my life, but I had some experiences with and read up on many styles of wines, and Passion Vines helped me put that knowledge base into practical use for the first time. This was also where I had my first opportunity to run an education session, handling dessert wines from around the world as well as a Piedmont class.

So when it was time for me to leave for Connecticut, the boss hooked me up with wine as a send-off, and it was this:

Now, let me mention this...I don't know how many times I talked about the wines from Elisabetta Foradori with my boss and coworkers; those who had tasted the wines were in love with them. I had never sampled any of them as my Diploma studies were taking me in several other directions relating to wines I was tasting to prepare for my lessons. When I popped the cork on this soon after setting up shop in Connecticut, I was blown away by this wine made from the grape known as Teroldego [teh-ROLL-deh-go].

Teroldego is a grape that traces its roots to something likely more familiar: Syrah. This ancient red wine variety shows some similarities to Syrah as it has plenty of acidity, tannin, and spice to it. However, there are distinct black tea, tar, and wild herb notes that come out in the wines, leading to a bitter edge that balances the acid, strong red fruit character and tannin. In some ways, the grape reminds me of Nebbiolo, the grape making the long-lived wines of Piedmont.

For many years, Teroldego's home of Trentino-Alto Adige in Italy's northeast produced this wine in enormous quantity, either as a blending component or as a light, simple wine for the locals to enjoy. Any wines to be exported to other markets had its vineyards planted with the more recognizable and fashionable Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1970s and 1980s. Fortunately, one awesome lady chose to go against the grain and restore the reputation of Teroldego.

Elisabetta Foradori's amphorae. Image credit: Louis/Dressner Imports

Elisabetta Foradori was studying oenology when her father passed away unexpectedly. Her mother kept the winery afloat while Elisabetta finished school and in 1984, at the age of 19, was given the keys to the car, so to speak. She changed vine training methods to promote quality above quantity. She removed the use of chemical pesticides. Elisabetta even made changes in the winery, notably going with more wild yeasts in fermentation (develops interesting flavors in the finished wines) and experimented with cement tanks, which led to fruity, lively wines made from Teroldego. She even does some work with the ancient method of using clay amphorae to produce some of her wines, which leads to rich, dense, chewy wines. Today, she spends a lot of time in the vineyards, sharing her methods with her grown sons.

With that kind of passion and determination to give respect to a native variety, coaxing every bit of potential out of the grape as humanly possible, how can you not give Teroldego a try? Not only is today's flight showcasing the grape, but also the woman who led the charge in making Teroldego the very best it can be. Foradori's wines are available throughout the country, so if you don't see these on your shelf, ask your friendly retailer to order them for you. These are the kind of wines that will stand up to rich foods, probably more of your fall and winter cuisine, but that doesn't mean you can't think about it now!

Here's to my old counterparts from Passion Vines! It was great fun working with you all. Thank you for setting me up for success here in New England.

Foradori Vigneti delle Dolomoti "Foradori" ($28): Elisabetta's flagship wine that has been in production the longest and in the highest quantity, this is how you introduce yourself to Teroldego. This is bursting with raspberry flavors with rose petals and herbs on the nose and a zesty, peppery finish. The upfront fruitiness doesn't quickly dissipate...the raspberry, herbs, and gentle tannins give the wine a lot of length.

Foradori Vigneti delle Dolomiti "Morei" ($47): This is a single site expression, where vines are at minimum 30 years old, leading to concentrated and dark wines (Morei does indeed mean "dark" in the local dialect). As the boss from Passion Vines writes me, "While slow to open up aromatically, the palate shows immediate fresh acidity and minerality with a silky texture. With time, the raspberry, blackberry, and cherry fruits come through, along with a mushroomy earthiness and a touch of fig." This wine was revived in 2009 after a halt in production back in 1999, and it sounds like it is good to have this one back in the product range!

Foradori Vigneti delle Dolomti "Granato" ($62): What a treat to be sent home with this back in 2012. This one needs time to open up in your glass, a good hour or two. When that happens, you are rewarded with pomegranate (which the name "Granato" refers to), cranberry, plum, blackberry, black tea, Italian herbs, peppercorns, and cured meats. Tannins are very chewy and powerful in this one. It's an unbelievable wine not only to sample right away, but this will last well over a decade in the cellar if you are a collector.