Ep. 684 Liza Zimmerman | Get US Market Ready With Italian Wine People

In this episode Monty Waldin interviews Simon Taylor, wine merchant at Stone, Vine & Sun in Winchester, UK. Simon tells Monty about what is trendy in the UK market and talks about his passion for Italy’s wines. Simon talks about the appeal of the Italian wine industry to importers for Italy’s wine variety and quality. Tune in to find out Simon’s love for Recioto di Soave and his suggestions about potential pairing of Italian sweet wines and English cheese!

5 Mar 201912min

In this episode Monty Waldin interviews Andrea Sartori, whose family owns Casa Vinicola Sartori in the Veneto region in the North of Italy, near Verona. Andrea is the fourth generation of the family that started in the wine business in 1898, thus celebrating their 120th anniversary in 2018. Andrea tells Monty about the family history since the very beginning over a century ago, when the family also managed a hotel and restaurant business in Verona. Fast-forward to 2019 Casa Vinicola Sartori is now one of the most important in the Veneto area, with top wines such as Amarone, Valpolicella Classico and Ripasso, Bardolino, and Soave. Andrea also presents additional brands in the Sartori group portfolio such as the organic wines from the Mont’Albano estate in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Tune in to learn about 121 years of oenological and viticultural passion in the Veneto region and beyond with Monty and his guest Andrea Sartori of Casa Vinicola Sartori.

4 Mar 201910min

In this episode Monty Waldin meets Giovanni Mazzoni, manager at Podere Forte in the Orcia valley in Tuscany. Giovanni tells Monty about the origin of the estate, a 200-year-old “podere” that Pasquale Forte acquired in 1998 and developed as a biodynamic estate. Mazzoni talks about the biodiverse flora and fauna on the estate, its wheat production, Chianina cows, Cinta Senese pigs, and bees (among others!) which all contribute to a healthy vineyard ecosystem. Podere Forte produces Sangiovese-based wines, Petrucci, Petruccino, and Guardiavigna and its main market is Italy. Monty and Giovanni also go deep into technology for viticulture, such as the use of drones!

26 Feb 201923min

In this episode, Monty Waldin interviews Matteo Lunelli who leads Cantine Ferrari and Gruppo Lunelli, both crucial and historic players in the Italian wine industry particularly with regards to sparkling wines. Matteo tells Monty about the incredible story of Giulio Ferrari, the man who brought Chardonnay to Italy at the turn of the twentieth century and devised the bottle-fermented Trento DOC. Matteo also talks about mountain viticulture and the influence of the Trentino mountains over Ferrari wines. The Lunelli family acquired Cantine Ferrari in 1952 consolidating the brand and also investing in sustainability by creating an official protocol for mountain viticulture for their winegrowers in Trentino. The Lunelli group also further expanded by acquiring an ancient grappa distillery (Grappa Segnana) and by producing still wines in the Lunelli Estates in Trentino, Tuscany, and Umbria. The most recent acquisition of the group in 2014 is Bisol, an iconic producer of Prosecco Superiore Valdobbiadene. Tune in to learn more about over a century of iconic sparkling wines from the north of Italy with Monty Waldin and Matteo Lunelli of Cantine Ferrari and Gruppo Lunelli!

25 Feb 201914min

In this podcast Monty Waldin interviews Mark Cuff, owner of The Living Vine, a Canadian wine import company specializing in biodynamic, natural, and organic wines. Mark tells Monty about the restaurant and bar scene in Toronto and talks about the latest trends in Italian wine there. Listen to a chat about Canada's love for Italian wine and learn more about the changes in the Toronto wine scene.

25 Feb 201915min

In this podcast Monty Waldin meets Adriano Zago, biodynamic agriculture consultant specialized in viticulture as well as enologist. Tune in to learn the ins and outs of biodynamic and organic viticulture and the challenges posed by climate change. Adriano tells Monty about his educational path and his approach to dealing with wineries willing to embrace biodynamic and organic farming.

19 Feb 201931min

In this interview Monty Waldin meets José Rallo, whose family owns the Donna Fugata winery in Sicily. José and Monty discuss the long harvest season in Sicily in their vineyard lands such as the Contessa Entellina cru which yields the grapes for their flagship wine Anthilia. José also talks about their Zibibbo wine Lighea and Donna Fugata’s signature reds Tancredi and Mille e Una Notte. Tune in to learn more about the origin of these wines’ names and the artistic creation behind some of their labels. José, who is also a singer of Brazilian music, tells Monty of her passion for presenting her wines through singing as, in her own words, “wine is rhythm, wine in energy.”

18 Feb 201924min

In this episode Monty Waldin meets Lynne Sherriff MW, wine consultant and passionate educator whose career in the wine business has taken her all over the world and most recently in Italy where in Verona she will be the Senior General Chairman for 2019 edition of 5StarWines – the Book blind tasting. Originally from South Africa and former Chairman of the Institute for Masters of Wine, Lynne tells Monty about her beginnings in the hotel business and her Master of Wine studies. She also talks about her wine travels and work experiences in France, Germany, South Africa, Japan and Italy and how these travels and work experiences have shaped her career. Tune in to learn more about Lynne’s dedication and expertise in the global wine industry as well as a cottage near Lucca that she calls home.

12 Feb 201921min