Francesco Pozzobon is a young winemaker, originally from Veneto, who farms eight hectares in the province of Asti, Piedmont.

After working in London as a gardener, he developed a love for natural wines, and in 2016, followed his dream and settled in Nizza Monferrato, a microclimate that is perfect for growing Barbera grapes. There he took over a semi-abandoned farmhouse where the vineyards had not undergone intensive agriculture for years and started his project Tenuta Foresto.

Francesco’s approach to agriculture is largely inspired by the Japanese farmer and philosopher Masanobu Fukuoka and the Piedmontese winemaker Lorenzo Corino (Case Corini). Both share similar beliefs that biodiversity is paramount in creating fertile soil. With this in mind Francesco has 6 hectares of vines which are surrounded and protected by 2 hectares of woods, which he uses to encourage a variety of plants to grow naturally.

He mainly works with local red grapes Barbera (his favourite) and Dolcetto, and white grapes Moscato and Cortese, with the goal of making wines that represent and express his terroir. The vineyards are entirely maintained by hand and in compliance with organic agricultural practices, the grapes are then selected and brought to his cellar without any additional additives.

The name Tenuta Foresto (meaning foreign/alien in Italian) was inspired by Francesco’s philosophy for the project: ”The sensation of feeling alien to a certain idea of agriculture and a sense of duty towards the plant and the ecosystem surrounding us.”

You can find Francesco Pozzobon and over 2600 other natural winemakers on Raisin now. Cheers!