From: Alto Adige, Italy
Blend: 70% Teroldego/15% Schiava/10% Lagrein/5% Merlot
Taste: If you crave chillable red wines, you’re going to be in love once you taste this wine. In the glass, a luminous ruby hue that hints at its playful personality greets your senses. The nose is an enchanting medley of ripe strawberries and raspberries, with subtle undertones of fresh herbs that adds a nuanced complexity to the aromatic profile.
Upon the first sip, the wine's light body gracefully pirouettes across the palate, displaying a beautifully textured layer of red fruit flavors. The burst of vibrant ripe strawberries and raspberries seamlessly intertwines with a unique herbaceous note. Delicate yet vibrant, the wine shows an impressive acid structure that gives a refreshing quality to its ripe fruit components. The finish is marked by a delightful lightness and persistent fruit-driven flavors that linger, making every sip of this Dolomiti Rosso a memorable one.
Pairing: Given the vibrant fruit character and buoyant acidity of the Foradori Lezèr, it is a versatile wine that can pair well with a variety of dishes. Its light body and fresh, ripe flavors make it an ideal match for warm weather fare.
For an alfresco lunch, pair it with a grilled chicken salad tossed with fresh strawberries, goat cheese, and a balsamic vinaigrette. The flavors of the salad will echo the ripe red fruit and subtle herbaceous notes in the wine, while the acidity of the balsamic will match its vibrant freshness.
As the sun sets and the grill comes to life, consider serving the Foradori Lezèr with grilled salmon or tuna steaks. The charred flavors of the grill will beautifully complement the wine's fruit-forward character, while the wine's acidity will balance the richness of the fish.
And don't overlook the possibilities of pairing this wine with lighter vegetarian dishes. A plate of grilled vegetables or a fresh Caprese salad with ripe tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and a drizzle of olive oil will stand up well to the wine's lively personality.
The 2022 Foradori Lezèr is also a delightful companion for mildly spicy dishes. Try it with a Thai basil stir-fry or a simple pasta arrabbiata. The brightness and ripe fruit flavors in the wine will tame the heat and complement the flavors of the dish. Inspired by these notes, we’re sharing a summer-inspired vegetarian pasta recipe below!
Summer Pasta With Zucchini, Ricotta and Basil
By David Tanis
About. In the world of viticulture, there are few producers as synonymous with authenticity and dedication as Elisabetta Foradori and her family. The wines of Foradori—marked by their immediate allure, graceful elegance, discerning taste, and playful nature—are a testament not just to the terroir of Italy's Dolomites, but to the guiding hands that craft them. This is particularly true of the 2022 Foradori Lezèr, Vigneti delle Dolomiti Rosso, a wine that tells a compelling story of resilience and adaptability.
This story began over a decade ago when a young Elisabetta, thrust prematurely into the role of family vineyard manager by the untimely death of her father, began to reshape the estate's wine-making philosophy. Despite being hailed as "the queen of Teroldego" throughout the 90s, Elisabetta found herself disconnected from her work by the turn of the millennium. Guided by intuition and a desire for a more personal, less invasive approach to wine-making, she embarked on a journey of experimentation and self-discovery. Embracing biodynamics, massale selection, and the use of amphorae, Elisabetta chose to honour the soil and local grapes over following industry trends.
It was a gamble that paid off.
Today, Foradori wines are revered for their adherence to the principles of holistic wine-making, an ethos that Elisabetta's children—Emilio, Theo, and Myrtha—have taken to heart. Emilio, the eldest, has been overseeing the viticulture for some time and took over wine-making duties from his mother in 2013. Theo, the estate's ambassador, offers support and advice to Emilio in addition to communicating with importers and distributors. The youngest, Myrtha, is paving the way for Foradori's transformation into a polycultural farm, complete with vegetable gardens, salad-laden pergolas, and a small herd of cheese-producing cows.
This new chapter in the Foradori story is perhaps best exemplified by the Foradori Lezèr, a wine born of the challenging 2017 vintage. When a summer hailstorm ravaged Foradori's Teroldego crop, Elisabetta and her children took the damaged fruit and crafted a short-maceration red wine with a light body and color. This blend of 70% Teroldego, 15% Schiava, 10% Lagrein, and 5% Merlot, born out of necessity, was an unexpected success. Today, the Foradori family continues to make Lezèr, varying the mix of varieties, vessels, and whole bunch percentages with each vintage.
The Foradori Lezèr is a testament to the resilience and creativity of the winemaker in the face of adversity. Where others might see a damaged crop as a loss, Foradori saw an opportunity to create something unique and new. The result is a wine that is bursting with flavors of ripe strawberries, raspberries, and fresh herbs, balanced by a wonderful acidity and subtle structure.
In its essence, the Foradori Lezèr encapsulates the guiding principle of the Foradori estate: that wine-making is a journey, not a destination. It is a wine that continues to evolve and adapt, much like the family that creates it. And with each vintage, they remind us that even in the face of adversity, beauty—and truly exceptional wine—can be found. So as the summer approaches, light the grill and reach for the Foradori Lezèr, the ultimate summer crusher.