Ampeleia is a collaboration between famed winemaker from the Alto Adige, Elisabetta Foradori, Thomas Widman and Giovanni Podini. Three friends from the far north of Italy who dreamed of a red wine that was like silk and velvet and different from anything that their region could produce. They bought a winery and vineyards in the Maremma region of Tuscany, home to the “Super Tuscan” wines that made such a name for themselves in the 80s and 90s. Ampeleia is derived from Greek and means, simply, “the vines” and that is where the focus of the project is; the estate has been converted to completely biodynamic, more-than-sustainable agriculture. This “Un Litro” bottling uses a blend of Mediterranean grapes: Grenache, Carignan, Mourvedre, Sangiovese and Alicante Bouschet from the youngest vines of the vineyards that give the lighter wines, and by aging the wine in concrete tank, the wine gets a little oxygen, without any impartation of oak flavors to color the fruit and spice character of the grapes. You can put a little chill on this wine and enjoy with BBQ and hearty appetizers. It is 1L in size so you’ll get a glass or so more of wine buzz goodness than normal.