Region: Veneto

Winery: Foradori Fuoripista

Wine: Pinot Grigio

Varietal: 100% Pinot Grigio

The Wine: Fuoripista Pinot Grigio

The wine's name is Fuoripista, which translates roughly as "off-piste" or "off the beaten path." That perfectly describes the winemaking philosophy.

Unlike the pale, stainless-steel Pinot Grigio most people know, this wine is:

• 100% Pinot Grigio
• Produced from about 2 hectares of vines
• Grown on alluvial gravel soils in Campo Rotaliano
• Fermented and aged over 8 months on its skins
• Made in traditional Spanish clay amphorae (tinajas)
• Produced in only about 10,000 bottles each year.

Why is it Orange?

Most Pinot Grigio is pressed immediately after harvest.

Foradori leaves the juice in contact with the grape skins for over eight months.

Because Pinot Grigio grapes actually have pinkish-gray skins, extended skin contact extracts:

• Copper color
• Amber/orange hue
• Tannins
• Texture
• Complex aromatics

This style is often called Ramato ("copper") or simply an orange wine.

Appearance

Expect:

• Deep copper
• Amber
• Burnished orange
• Slight haze (normal for minimally filtered wines)

Many people mistake it for a rosé until they taste it.

Aromas

Typical aromas include:

• Dried apricot
• Orange peel
• Blood orange
• Peach skin
• Chamomile
• Dried flowers
• White tea
• Honey
• Wet stone