Description
Wine Details – Colleformica Primativo
Alcohol Grade: 13.5%
Aging/ Vinification: The grapes are hand-picked and fermented in small vats with twice-daily punching down of the cap. Fermentation takes place on the skins for 5-6 days. Two-thirds of the wine is aged in 500-liter chestnut barrels, with the remainder in stainless steel. All wines are made with the least possible intervention. Fermentation begins spontaneously with indigenous yeasts; not filtering, clarifying, or temperature-control for all wines. Very little sulfites added, well below legal limits. They follow the lunar phases for racking and bottling.
Best to have it: 12-15ºC
Size: 750 ml
The Producer: Colleformica
Colleformica is a beautiful example of what happens when the next generation takes over the family farm and decides to shake things up. Based in Velletri, just outside Rome, Sergio and his daughter Francesca breathed new life into their century-old estate in 2018. They stopped sending their fruit to the local cooperatives and started making wines that actually tell a story. This isn’t your grandfather’s bulk wine; it is a tiny, family-run operation where everything is done by hand, following the rhythms of the moon and a deep-seated respect for their old vines of Malvasia and Sangiovese. It is a humble project that has quickly gained a cult following for its raw, honest approach to farming.
The magic really lies in the volcanic soils of Lazio, which give the wines a salty, mineral energy that feels totally electric. Sergio and Francesca are zero-zero purists, meaning they don’t add or take away a single thing—no sulfur, no filtering, no temperature control, just fermented grape juice. Their wines often lean into that fun, slightly hazy, and beautifully funky territory that natural wine lovers crave, yet they remain incredibly drinkable and fresh. By focusing on ancient vines and non-interventionist methods, they are leading a quiet revolution in a region that used to be overlooked, proving that Lazio can produce some of the most exciting and innovative bottles in Italy right now.
