Wines Born from Madness and Rebellion
Every once in a while you happen upon those wines and foods that transport you: while tasting them, you close your eyes and imagine the purest, most transparent expression of a place.
That is the philosophy behind Pellagroso and Foligodia. They are nestled in the evocative, ancient morainic hills of Monzambano, Northern Italy, between Lake Garda and Mantova (or Mantua). It’s a behind-the-scenes wine region, in the shadows of its more famous neighboring wine regions like Valpolicella (think Amarone) and Franciacorta.
The 2 people behind Pellagroso and Foligodia are trailblazing and making inroads in getting their native land in Northern Mantova on the Italian wine map: they are Antonio Camazzola and Sharom Messori. Their passion, labor, and creativeness that goes into their farming and winemaking is less about winemaking and more about mindfulness, through a quiet and powerful meditation on terroir and natural good-for-you and good-for-the-earth products.
Every bottle, and other farm-to-table products, that they craft is a conscious choice, as well as an authentic reflection of the earth. For them, the act of enjoying their products is an immersive journey back to nature's rhythm. They are masters of authenticity, refusing compromise and ensuring that what you taste is the unadulterated essence of their unique landscape. So let’s meet the couple.
Meet Sharom and Antonio
Antonio and Sharom are the heart and soul of these projects, Pellagroso and Foligodia. They live, work, and raise their children in the beautiful, unheralded hills of Monzambano, in Northern Mantova. This area, nestled between the famous wine regions of Valpolicella and Franciacorta, is rich with unique soil that demands an honest, hands-on approach to have its story told.
Sharom, Antonio, and two of their children in their shared winery.
Antonio, a former restaurateur whose passion for wine eclipsed his love for food, and Sharom, his partner in life and business who shares his profound respect for nature, embarked on their winemaking and farming journey in 2011. It began quietly with the opportunity to take over some forgotten and abandoned local vines. They knew immediately that they not only wanted to become the custodians of the land but also revive it, with some of it bordering a local schoolyard. To safeguard the nearby children and their own philosophies, they knew they had to have an uncompromising approach: a full conversion to organic, natural, and certified biodynamic agriculture. Through this, they have committed to improving the land, recognizing themselves as "guests of the earth”, as Sharom says, and building a lasting legacy for their children and others. They are not merely farmers: they are custodians of their ecosystem.
Their entire approach is built on the realization that nature is a complete system where all living creatures need to coexist and work together. This is why their commitment is natural farming is absolute and they have been certified biodynamic by AgriBioDinamica. Part of this belief is driven by the desire not to deplete, but to improve the land, increasing and maintaining the fertility of the soil for the future, through things like regenerative agriculture. They also, in alignment with many biodynamic principles, let their work be dictated by the stars and moon and astronomical movements. All farm work, from planting and pruning to harvesting, is carefully timed according to the moon and stars, honoring the subtle, powerful forces that affect life on Earth.
While organic, they go far beyond the basic organic standards by using biodynamic preparations in their fields. These preparations are fundamental to nourishing the soil's humus, imbuing their grapes, grains, and vegetables with vital energy. This commitment to vitality and purity dictates everything that follows, ensuring that the fruit that reaches the cellar is authentic, complete, and full of life.
They have grown to not only farm vines and make wine, but they also farm a great deal of other vegetables and grains as well, each plot and product earning the same respect and natural farming methods as their grape vines.
While there is, to use a relatable yet undeniably corporate term, an “umbrella” company, that is “Azienda Agricola Antonio Camazzola”, they lead two distinct companies on which they work together, each contributing their own creative drivers and personal visions which match with an incredible synergy: they are Pellagroso for Antonio and Foligodia for Sharom.
Foligodia and Pellagroso
There are certainly communal philosophies between Foligodia and Pellagroso; after all there is still a singular unit couple at the heart of the wineries. Both wineries focus on crafting products that have no additives, and are sustainable and honest expressions of nature and the place where each was cultivated. Every wine is made with spontaneous fermentation using indigenous yeasts, aged in inert vessels (cement or fiberglass), and produced with no filtration, no clarification, and no added sulfites.
This commitment to purity allows the unique characteristics of their terroir—the complex soil, the specific grape blends, and the vintage—to shine without manipulation.And while the couple expresses their ideas through these two complementary brands, in reality, their own personalities come out in each a little differently.
Rebellious Simplicity
Antonio's brand, Pellagroso, is defined by protest and character, after all, it was named after a 19th-century political newspaper known for its vision in regards to agriculture. This rebellious spirit moves through Antonio’s wines. Wines that focus on being different, and looking at wine and farming methods through “different” lenses. He crafts wines like Lugar, named for the lizard that thrives in their vineyards. A skin-contact white wine, or in other words an orange wine, this rich blend of flavorful grapes (like riesling, moscato, and garganega) undergoes skin contact for added complexity. It is complex, with tart acidity driven flavors, yet complex fruity aromas on the nose, make it for an interesting wine to keep you on your toes.
And on the seeming other end of the wine spectrum, we have Antonio’s Amal Enolito. A unique, chinato-style spiced red wine, it was named to honor a female 19th-century natural-doctor (Amalia Moretti Foggia). To create it, red merlot wine is infused with botanicals like rhubarb, gentian, quinine, and clove. Versatile, it can be enjoyed straight from the bottle as an after dinner sipper (think Barolo Chinato style), or heat it up for a mulled wine effect, or cool it down over ice for a pre-dinner cocktail. Unique, it wonderfully encapsulates Antonio’s drive to push boundaries and limits.
The Romantic Botanist
Sharom's brand, Foligodia, embodies a fresh, feminine side to the couple’s commitment to biodiversity. The name itself comes from a magical word that came to Sharom in a dream, a mashup of the Italian words follia and godere, meaning “madness” and “enjoyment”. Her wines represent her unfiltered, unequivical dedication to biodynamic and natural farming. Covering three different, equally vibrant and beautiful colors, the wines are similar in their deliciousness, but oh so different in their styles. From the skin-contact orange Metamorfosi (with flavors of apricots), to the rosé Risveglio (cherries all day), to the deep Ascoltati red wine (strawberry lovers need this wine), each wine represents a different place in a journey of “discovery”. Their Italian names translate to different stages, from the beginning, or metamorphosis (Metamorfosi), to the eye opening wake up call (Risveglio), to listing to your deep inner truths (Ascoltati). And these wines do just that… take you on a journey to understanding Sharom’s heart.
Of course, she doesn’t start there… but she wants to also “take me elsewhere”, or the Italian translation of her last fermented product, Portami Altrove. Called such because it is not a wine, but rather a cider. Made from apples and bergamot, it has that classic cider flavor, but with a spicy bitter twist that makes it its own.
Sharom's work extends beyond fermention too. As a true steward of biodiversity, she harvests the herbs and flowers that grow in her farming fields, vineyards included. Carefully handpicking and slowly drying them, she then uses these special botanicals to create her unique herbal teas.
Part of the farmstead of Foligodia and Pellagroso.
This is where true magic happens: by fostering the health of the entire ecosystem, the aromatic profiles of the farm become intrinsically linked through all of the products. For instance, the bright lemon-like acidity and verbana aromas in her Portami Altrove Cider echo the purity and floral notes present in her teas. These products offer a complete sensory loop, allowing you to taste the full, unadulterated nature of the vineyard, from the bottle to the mug.
Get Some Nature in Your Glass
Pellagroso and Foligodia represent the future of Italian winemaking: a blend of protest, passion, and profound respect for the earth. This amazing couple is reviving an ancient terrain, one clean, honest, and truly profound product at a time.
Vero is proud to bring you their full line of wines, cider, and herbal teas. To experience Sharom’s unique aromatic vision, we recommend the Natural Wine and Tea Tasting Gift Basket, which allows you to explore the connection between her wines and herbal tea.
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