Terrae Laboriae
– Campania, Italy
Terrae Laboriae’s vineyards, located 70 minutes northeast of Naples in San Lorenzo Maggiore, boast an altitude of 400 meters and soils rich in clay and limestone, kissed by the Mediterranean sun and winds.
At the heart of Terrae Laboriae are Antonio Sauchella, Angelo Iannotti, and Guido Beltrami. Their wines ferment exclusively in Georgian-style amphorae (Qvevri). Unlike wooden barrels, Qvevri allow micro-oxygenation without tannin influence, preserving, according to the makes “the wine’s natural character and soul”.
Angelo, a multi-generational winemaker, shifted his studies to explore unconventional winemaking processes. Together, they embraced hand harvesting, spontaneous fermentation, and indigenous yeast species in Qvevri, introducing unconventional methods to Southern Italy.
Their wines—Teli, Speri, and Tetri—may pay homage to the ancient Georgian artisanal winemaking method, but do display Italian elegance. All three of them have aged for 12 months in 1,000-liter capacity Qvevris. The Tetri (white) and Speri (orange) are made from Falanghina, the indigenous grape variety from the Sannio region. The Teli (red) is made from Camaiola, a red grape variety native to the province of Benevento.
When you are into ‘funky’, then these are not the wines for you. Is it ‘sophisticated & polite’ (please do not confuse this with dull), then these wines should be on your list to taste. Natural Wine Festival A’dam presents Terrae Laboriae to the Dutch market.
Cultivation: 8 ha
Production: 4,000 bottles/year
Varieties: Falanghina, Camaiola
Approach: Qvevri, autochthonous grapes from Campania region, spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeast, no chemicals, no corrections, minimal amount of sulfites, no clarification and no filtration
Certifications: N/A
Sulfites: None/Minimal
