Forza Foradori !🏔️

Source note: This post is adapted from Parched's June 30, 2026 newsletter

Hey,

How are we all? Currently crying as 50 + cases of wine alongside a pallet of cardboard have just rocked up. My back hurts just looking at it… Anyway, whilst it seems the majority of my time is spent taking things out of one box and putting them back in another, there are also times where I get invited to taste, and in some very special cases, eat with the winemakers themselves.

Foradori is truly an iconic estate, pioneering in putting this unique corner of Italy on the map. These are not the typical sun-kissed Italian vineyards you might be picturing. Close to the German border, it's the traditions of their northern neighbours that have seeped into their culture. We are way up in the Dolomites and things are more Alpine here. The varieties are both old and new, but it's Teroldego they've famously championed. An ancient variety with some genetic similarities to Syrah, yet it kinda tastes unlike anything else. Purple fruited, but less intensely briny, and to me, more floral. Site plays a massive part alongside the winemaking, and it can do everything from vin de soif to vin de garde with ease. If you're a fan of fine wine, this is simply one of the must-taste producers of the world.

The estate has seen plenty of change over the past decade too. Elisabetta, the founder, has passed the baton to her children since 2012, who have collaboratively taken things to whole new heights. Last week I had the huge pleasure of tasting through that evolution with Theo. Rarely do importers hold onto older stock, let alone pour it generously. I got to taste new and old side by side, and it was incredible seeing the subtle differences across the range. Regional varieties, unique single vineyards, the kids' approach compared to Elisabetta's, and everything in between. These are wines that really speak of time and place. I've cherry-picked a small selection of personal favourites. Some new shiny releases and some back vintage stock that's been cellared for you. Aren’t I nice?

Lezer is their trusted red variety in its lightest, brightest form. Meant for an ice bucket and easy drinking. The fruit is juicy, but there's florals and spice in there too. Summery stuff.

The flagship wine is essentially the best way to get grips with the grape. In the Bordeaux bottles, and that means it's always a blend of sites. It only ever sees amphora, no oak, as they want to show the fruit in its purest form. A little darker and deeper, it feels like the perfect foil for food. Yet plenty of natural acidity, so freshness is no issue. Super versatile, the ultimate all-rounder.

Things step up a notch with the Burgundy bottles. Single vineyards that show the grape's ability to convey terroir. They make loads of wine, so I took my two favourites and opposites. Morei ‘21 was been described as the more melancholic of the pair. It feels broader, introspective, the fruit plush and plum-like with spice in spades. Really quite serious. This needed a few years, so I got hold of some older stock, which is now in the prime of its life after 5 years of rest. Just 3…

Sgarzon, same vintage but sandier soils, shows the opposite. Leaner and meaner, this is the more immediate of the two, brighter in colour with fruit leaning into a  red strawberry thing. There's cooling minerality and earthen notes here, too. Really, really Burgundian and a bit of Barolo class too. Really, really beautiful if you like ethereal drinkin’.

Speaking of Burgundian, this is the first release of Basalt. Here they wanted to flex their winemaking muscles and get Manzoni (a cross of Riesling and Pinot Bianc) to taste flinty and reductive. Might be beginner’s luck, but they've nailed it first attempt. This starts real smoky, and you'd easily be fooled into thinking we're on the Côte d'Or with an initial sniff. But with time and air, that uniquely alpine character starts to show itself. All herbal and mountain breezy by the end. What a wine. Regular Manzoni here!

Finally, the Pinot Grigio is a maceration of the highest order. Typically rose-gold in appearance, this has been fine-tuned over the years—kaleidoscopic in flavour and texture. Very few wines manage to have this much going on whilst remaining such a joy to drink. Food pairings are endless.

These iconic wines have never looked so good! Well worth a look if you wanna get a taste for something new.

OK g2g as that cardboard isn’t gonna move itself…

Bisou
Fionn
xoxoxo