Foradori Lezèr 2023

Grapes	70% Teroldego, 15% Schiava, 10% Lagrein, 5% Merlot
Producer	Foradori
Region	Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy
Vintage	2023
Farming	Biodynamic
Fermentation	Spontaneous, cement/steel/old wood/amphora
Style	Light red, chillable

70% Teroldego, 15% Schiava, 10% Lagrein, 5% Merlot. Lezèr — meaning "light" in local Trentino dialect — was a new wine born of the challenging 2017 vintage, when Foradori's Teroldego crop was roughed up by a summer hailstorm. The remains were turned into this short-maceration red wine, named for its light colour and body. This first Foradori vin de soif was a wild success, and the family has continued making it in every vintage since.

They experiment every year with the mix of varieties, vessels and percentage of whole bunches. The fruit comes from 8 hectares of vines scattered about in their village and beyond, on the sandy, gravelly alluvial soils so typical of this Dolomitic terroir. The spontaneous fermentation, short maceration and brief aging take place in a combination of cement, steel, old wood and amphora. Like the wine in the bottle, the label changes slightly each vintage.

The Producer — Foradori, Trentino

Elisabetta Foradori converted her family estate to biodynamic farming in the 1990s and has spent three decades demonstrating what Teroldego is capable of when treated with genuine care. Her Granato and single-vineyard Teroldego wines are among the most acclaimed natural wines in Italy. The Lezèr is their most approachable expression — light in body, not in philosophy.

How to Serve

Serve lightly chilled — 30 minutes in the fridge. This is the Foradori wine for the table, not the cellar. Open, pour, eat, repeat.

Food Pairing

Charcuterie, alpine cheese, light pasta, grilled chicken, pizza. A genuinely versatile light red that works from aperitivo through the entire meal.

Learn more: Italian natural wine — the complete guide by region · Italian wine finder