Ampeleia (from the Greek word for ‘vine’) is owned by Elisabetta Foradori and Giovani Podini. The winemaker and agronomist, Marco Tait has been with the estate since its inception in 2002. It was founded with Elisabetta’s overarching vision of allowing the true nature of an area, its diversity, its grapes, land and culture to be expressed. The wildness of the southern Maremma, bounded by the Colle Metallifere and the sea were virgin territory, far removed from the glamour of Bolgheri and Montalcino. The estate is large and biodiverse with a total of 40 ha of vineyard interspersed with chestnut and cork oak forests as well as Mediterranean scrub. There are three parts, across differing altitudes, with differing soils and microclimates: Ampeleia di Sopra; di Mezzo and di Sotto.