Ep. 821 Sarah Bray Interviews Giuseppe Tornatore | Lux Portfolio Series On Clubhouse | Maze Row Wine Merchant

Welcome to episode 821, the second in our new 7-part series with our fantastic partner LUX Wines. We are proud to present this series of interviews, diving deep into the heritage and legacy of their excellent Italian producers, in the run up to the launch of the new brand identity for their importer, which will be shared on March 16 in an episode with Marilisa Allegrini. Tune in every Saturday from 5 March through 16 April as we take an intimate look at these highly esteemed, historic producers and their role as part of the Lux family of wines. This episode is an interview with Sicilian winemaker Giuseppe Tornatore and Sarah Bray, selected by LUX Wine Portfolio as moderator for 3 episodes of the series. The Tornatore family have been growing grapes on the slopes of Mt. Etna in Sicily since 1865. Deep ties to Castiglione di Sicilia were developed when Giuseppe’s grandfather and uncle worked closely with the local government to define vineyard boundaries and names of local districts. The winery lies on the northern side of the volcano, benefitting from the rich soil where lava, ash and lapilli stones have slowly disintegrated over time. The climate is mild and allows for late maturation of the grapes, assisted by altitudes ranging from 500-700 meters above sea level and strong thermal excursions. Tornatore produces high quality wines from their 60 acres of vineyards, one of the largest in the Etna DOC production zone. The vineyards have been recently restructured to improve quality and exalt the territory, with traditional high planting density and precise use of exclusively native varietals. Harvest is all by hand, maintaining high standards of quality and respect for tradition. Wines are aged in cellars insulated with local basalt rock underneath the winery. Wines include red, white, rosé and sparkling, all classified Etna DOC. Tornatore focuses on low environmental impact, with renewable energy sources. The wines are highly recognized, including the December 2021 award of 95 points by James Suckling for Etna Bianco Zottorinotto 2019. To learn more about Tornatore visit: tornatorewine.com/ To learn more about LUX and the rich heritage of the Luxury Portfolio, visit: www.luxwines.com/ More about the host Sarah Bray: Sarah is the co-founder of Batonnage Forum and holds the DipWSET. She is a wine-focused communications professional with a background in editorial and brand content creation, strategic development and implementation, event planning and execution, digital marketing, and education. To find out more about Sarah Bray visit: Facebook:www.facebook.com/sarah.h.bray Instagram: www.instagram.com/sarah.h.bray/ Website: sarahhbray.com/ Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/sarahhbray/ Let's keep in touch! Follow us on our social media channels: Instagram @italianwinepodcast Facebook @ItalianWinePodcast Twitter @itawinepodcast Tiktok @MammaJumboShrimp LinkedIn: If you feel like helping us, donate here www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/ Until next time, Cin Cin!