Selvagrossa Libero Frizzante NV

Located between the hills of Pesaro along the Adriatic coast, Selvagrossa was founded in 2002 by brothers Alessandro and Alberto Taddei, who developed the estate that their grandfather first purchased after returning home from WWII. Prior to starting the family business, Alberto studied oenology in Tuscany and worked a harvest with the Mondavi family in Napa. The next decade-plus was spent as a sommelier and wine buyer at Michelin-starred restaurants in Florence and Manhattan. Alberto’s brother, Alessandro, became the Executive Chef in one of Pesaro’s most prestigious restaurants, while also working for one of Pesaro’s most well-known butcher shops. This connection with the wine industry from both the wine buying and culinary side gave the Taddei’s a wealth of experience and perspective, creating a foundation for their career as wine growers and producers. Their small estate comprises 4 hectares planted to Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot (which do exceedingly well in the Adriatic terroir), as well as the indigenous white grapes Biancame and Albanella. While the estate is not certified organic, Alberto and Alessandro work organically, maintaining cover crops and using only organic treatments in the vineyards. The wines are all fermented spontaneously and a minimal amount of SO2 is used at bottling.