Dora Forsoni is an equally skilled huntress as she is winemaker in her homeland of Montepulciano in Tuscany. The superhuman 70-year-old is head of her local all-male hunting chapter. When not working in her cellar and vineyard, she spends time perched in trees waiting for her prey, catching it, butchering the carcass, and using every part of the animal from its hide to its meat. While considered a humble legend, she graces Spoke Wine Bar’s wine totes (shop here) and was featured in the fantastic Italian documentary featuring women in wine: Senza Trucco. Basically, Dora was cool a really long time ago, and we’re all just starting to catch up to it. And when we finally catch up to her, she’s off making another incredible vintage of wine leaving us all in the dust again.

Dora’s father, Federico Forsoni, bought Tuscany property in 1963 where he planted grapes and raised livestock. While he kept some wine for himself he sold most of his grapes in bulk to a local cooperative. As a young woman, Dora began learning winemaking and the rhythms of their land from Federico. Dora has said of her father, “He taught me that you make good wine by working well in the vineyard. To work in harmony with the vines, to listen to them to take care of them. To make a good broth, you need a good chicken!"

After Federico passed away, Dora found an unmarked, dusty bottle among his possessions. She opened this mysterious wine, and it was a transformative moment for her, and one that inspired Dora to start making her own wine. Dora sold her grapes to the local cooperative until 1997. In the same year, she bottled her very first vintage of Rosso Montepulciano.

Terra Rossa in the vineyard. Photo credit: Ned Swain.

Today Dora and her partner, Patrizia Castiglioni, organically farm 50 hectares of land at Poderi Sanguineto I e II. ‘I e II’ is a reference to the property’s origin as a feudal farm divided into sharecropping parcels: Sanguineto lies on parcels 1 and 2. About 10% of their land is dedicated to vineyards abundant with grapes, while the rest are filled with woodlands, sunflowers, and grains. The natural overgrowth around and within the vineyards encourages wildlife, and as a hunter, Dora appreciates the dense woods so she can hunt wild boar, pheasants and deer. One of the special aspects of Montepulciano is the Terra Rossa soil, which originates from ancient volcanic ‘red’ minerals. The close clone of Sangiovese, Prugnolo Gentile, performs particularly well under this red soil. Dora is very proud of her Prugnolo Gentile grapes that showcase the unique terroir of Montepulciano.

The reds from Poderi Sanguineto are a great example of what aging can do for red wine. Dora uses the same grape blend (Prugnolo Gentile, Canaiolo Nero, Mammolo) for her 2018 Poderi Sanguineto I e II, Rosso di Montepulciano DOC and 2016 Poderi Sanguineto I e II, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG. The blends were first fermented in concrete vats and then aged in small oak barrels. The Rosso sat in barrel for one year, while the Nobile rested for over two years. in concrete and aged in small oak barrels for a year for the Rosso and two years for the Nobile. The extra year or two of oak gives Dora’s Vino Nobile a fuller and deeper expression of fruit. The younger Rosso is more energetic and lively, almost comparable to a rich, cool climate Pinot Noir met St. Laurent. 2019 Poderi Sanguineto I & II, Bianco (mostly a blend of Malvasia, Trebbiano, and Grechetto) was fermented and aged in concrete tanks. The wine is a brilliant golden hue with aromas of sherry and baked apples. It has a luscious taste of honeycomb and ripe pears]

It’s always so satisfying when you taste wine and it evokes the personality of the person who made it. There’s a rusticity and edginess to Dora’s natural wine that is unique. Opening a bottle of Sanguineto (‘one that bled’), introduces you to Dora, the dogged huntress, the natural winemaker, and the coolest woman around.

Read more about Dora at Ned Swain’s fabulous wine blog.

Poderi Sanguineto I e II

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