From the coastal hills of Roccatederighi. Juicy, herbal, and humming with Mediterranean light. Notes of red currant, sage, and wild fennel glide over a fine, graphite edge. Silky and lifted, with that effortless Tuscan warmth. A wine that feels both wild and perfectly composed.

Ampeleia

Tucked into the wild coastal hills of Roccatederighi, this project was born in 2002 from the friendship between Elisabetta Foradori, Thomas Widmann, and Giovanni Podini — a trio driven by the idea that Maremma’s rugged landscape could express something both soulful and alive.

The vineyards climb from sea level up to nearly 600 meters, a mosaic of clay, limestone, and schist that gives Cabernet Franc, Grenache, and Carignan a whole new accent — fresher, more transparent, and laced with the scent of Mediterranean herbs. Farming is biodynamic, the cellar work gentle and intuitive. Fermentations happen spontaneously, extractions are light, and aging takes place in neutral vessels so the wines stay true to place and rhythm.

There’s a beautiful tension at the heart of Ampeleia’s wines — a mix of energy and ease, structure and sunlight. They carry Tuscany’s warmth, but through a lens of freshness and lift that feels unmistakably of this patch of the Maremma. These are wines that hum rather than shout, proof that elegance and vitality can share the same glass.