In Trentino, the vineyards rise from the floor of the Adige Valley to just below the limestone walls of the Dolomites, and every afternoon the wind from Lake Garda sweeps northwards through the valley. Wines from Trentino therefore combine ripe fruit with cool acidity and a freshness that betrays their proximity to the mountains. Grape varieties grow here that are found almost nowhere else, above all the dark Teroldego from the Campo Rotaliano and the white Nosiola. Our wines from Trentino come from Foradori in Mezzolombardo, an estate that cultivates its vines biodynamically and is Demeter-certified.
≈ Aroma: Cherry
In all wines: 2,847 Wines
More about Trentin
Wine from Trentino: an Alpine valley between Lake Garda and South Tyrol
Trentino is the southern half of the Trentino-South Tyrol region. Its backbone is the Adige valley, with the river flowing from the north past Trento towards Verona, flanked by side valleys such as the Val di Cembra and the Vallagarina. The vines grow on the warm valley floor as well as on terraces at considerable altitude, and this range explains the diversity of the wines. The climate has an Alpine character with cool nights; the Ora, the valley wind from Lake Garda, dries the grapes after rain and keeps them healthy. Traditionally, the vines are trained on the pergola trentina.
Limestone, porphyry and the Noce gravel
The soils change within a small area. Limestone and dolomite rock dominate the slopes, yielding taut, saline wines; in the Val di Cembra there is red porphyry, a volcanic rock that lends tension to the white wines. North of Trento opens up the Campo Rotaliano, a flat alluvial plain built up by the River Noce with gravel, sand and debris from the mountains where it flows into the Adige. These permeable, warm soils are home to Teroldego, a deeply coloured red grape variety with aromas of blackberry, violet and cherry, whose wines are protected under the Teroldego Rotaliano DOC. Further south, in the Vallagarina around Isera, the fruity Marzemino grows, and in the Valle dei Laghi the Nosiola, from which Vino Santo Trentino is also made. Above all stands the sparkling wine: Trento DOC is an appellation for bottle-fermented sparkling wine, primarily from Chardonnay and Pinot Nero grown in the cool high-altitude vineyard sites.
Foradori in Mezzolombardo: Teroldego from biodynamic cultivation
Anyone looking for organic Trentino wine will quickly come across Foradori. Over decades, Elisabetta Foradori has elevated Teroldego from its role as a simple bulk wine, selecting old vines and converting the estate to biodynamic cultivation. Today, the wines carry the Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT designation. The Granato Teroldego Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT 2021 comes from old pergola-trained vines on the gravel of the Campo Rotaliano and shows dark fruit, velvety tannins and long ageing potential. From the single vineyard sites Morei and Sgarzon come Teroldego wines that mature in Spanish clay amphorae. Lezèr is a pale, light red wine made from Teroldego, Lagrein and Schiava.
Nosiola, Manzoni Bianco and white wines from amphorae
Foradori’s white wines come from the hills of Fontanasanta near Trento. The Fontanasanta Nosiola Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT 2024 matures on the skins in amphorae and offers aromas of pear, chamomile and hazelnut, carried by a fine, saline acidity. The Manzoni Bianco, a cross between Riesling and Pinot Blanc, reveals citrus, white flowers and a clear, cool line in the Fontanasanta. Fuoripista is a copper-coloured Pinot Grigio with skin contact, spicy and with a grippy texture. Alongside the current vintages, we also stock matured Teroldego from older years, some of them in magnum format.