Ep. 667 Hugh Preece Interviews Ariana Occhipinti | Ambassador's Corner Clubhouse

Welcome to this special Italian wine podcast broadcast. This episode is a recording off clubhouse, the popular drop in audio chat. This clubhouse session was taken from the wine business club and Italian wine club. Listen in as wine lovers and experts alike engage in some great conversation on a range of topics in wine. If you enjoy listening, please consider donating through Italian wine podcast dot com. Any amount helps cover equipment, production, and publication costs. And remember to subscribe and rate our show wherever you tune in. Hi, everybody. Italian wine podcast celebrates its fourth anniversary this year, and we all love the great content they put out every day. Changing with Italian wine people has become a big part of our day, and the team in Verona needs to feel our love. Producing the show is not easy folks, hurting all those hosts, getting the interviews, dropping the clubhouse recordings, not to mention editing all the material. Let's give them a tangible fan hug when a contribution to all their costs, head to Italian wine podcast dot com, and click donate to show your love. Okay. Hello, everybody. My name is Stevie Kim, and this is the Italian wine club on the clubhouse. Oh, I see Ariana. Chow Ariana. Today's call is our tenth installment of the Ambassador corner. I'm especially excited about the room today as we have Ariana Okeypinky. Still so young, probably young enough to be my daughter. I don't know. And already an iconic figure in the Italian wine industry. I've grabbed my drink, and I'm definitely ready to sit back and ready to shut up and listen to today's fireside chat moderated by none other than our friend and ambassador, Hupriis, also known as, as you can see, fomented boss. I'd like to remind everyone that Ambassador Corner is where Italian wine ambassadors like Hugh and many others from Italian wine Ambassador community get a chance to nominate and interview their favorite Italian wine producers on Clubhouse. And if anyone would like to nominate and interview your personal favorite Italian wine producer, please get in touch with us, us meaning either myself or Leica or backstage clubhouse manager enjoy our Italian wine podcast producer. Because we get, before we get on to the today's show, I I need to remind you in in the audience. And, of course, the panelist today that one, the room will indeed be recorded and maybe replayed on the Italian Mind podcast. Sometimes there are some technical issue, but I've got my road caster at the office too. Everyone's gone. The lights are dimmed. So the quality of the recording should be decent as I absolutely love to share today's call with many listeners as possible. By the way, I've got a small ask for you. What we do here and Italian wine podcast is absolutely a labor of love. So if you can give a thumbs up to the Italian wine podcast and radar podcast wherever you get your pots, we'd really, really, really appreciate that. And if you'd like to make a small donation, we'd love you even more. So let me start the show by saying a few words about Hugh priests. Your host Ambassador for today. He is actually a very, very dear ambassador, one of our favorites of all time, incredibly, active and proactive He runs a room, himself on Italian wine club. I don't know if he's still doing that every day, making it maybe he can say something about that later. He is the president and operating partner of this, group of restaurants that they're it's called Salt Creek Grill restaurants and pickle long tap room. I I've not been. I'm really looking forward to going there one of these days. And he is also, of course, the Italian wine Ambassador for Vineital International Academy, but also Italian wine scholar, from the wine scholar guild, certified educator. He also teaches on behalf of Via Low clean the territory because he's also an educator for us. He's a Psalm and we've seen him recently at the five star wines in Corona. And this is a curious fact, which I I didn't know. He's also an author of counting castles in Abruzzo. So maybe he'll tell us a little bit about that. I have no clue what that is all about. Charles, Stephen. Thank you very much, Steve. Kim, a time, wine podcast for allowing me this opportunity. So do you want to? You know my first question always is why you've selected Ariana Ocupinci as your favorite producer? Well, I mean, her her story is I find her story just fascinating. And one of my favorite varietals, especially my favorite red from Sicily is Chapato. So, you know, I've fallen in love with her wines and then, you know, learning her background and her story. I just I just find it amazing. Fantastic. We we, I mean, Ariana is so well known all over the world, and everyone is talking about her. So, you know, we get a little geeky here. I see a lot of the hello everybody from the Italian wine community. I see. I see Melissa, Sheila, of course. And then who else, we have Sue Tulsa. Hello. I've I've not seen you in a long time, Cynthia, of course, from the office. She's joined our by the way, at, in Verona. Paul, he did he did a podcast recently, and, of course, Fanny, our new neo, Ambassador, as well as Kevin. Hello, Kevin, Mary, our Ambassador, Tatiana, I I don't think I hope I didn't miss anybody else. So, you know, we usually like to also talk about learning objectives because this this room is a bit educational in nature. So what are kind of the learning objectives that we should be looking for? Well, I just, basically, I really want, people in the wine community to have a better understanding of an extremely talented, a female wine producer whose natural wines are are celebrated across the world that you had mentioned before. And how and how did you discover? What what when was the first time you discovered Ariana Oquepinci's wine? Well, as as I mentioned before, Ferato is, one of my, if not, my favorite red from Sicily. So You know, I try to taste as many as I can, just to gauge the simplicity of the variety and hers is just struck me. Yeah. I I I think it's it has struck many of us. I wish I had a glass right now with me. So I'm going to, give hand over the mic to you. Thank you. So take it away. Hi, everybody. Finally. How are you? Good. Are you doing your Vandemia? Yes. I'm I finished today to press the the white, albanelos, Ibbo, and Grillo. So I had a full, week of, Vanemia white, and was really good. A little bit before usual, but, the quality is good. Okay. Great. I'm going to leave it to you. I'll shut up. Otherwise, I won't shut up as you know. It's it's a pleasure to meet you. I just wanna give a brief background. I'm sure most people know who you are, but you know, a brief background on you. Ariana has emerged as a pivotal personality for new generations of wine enthusiasts. Her rapid rise has been well deserved. She is based in the chair of swallow, the Victoria DOCG, where, She farms native varieties of sicily. She's well known for cultivating wines using biodynamic methods. Thank you for, taking this time out of your busy, busy, day. I know it's a busy time of year for you. It's a great pleasure for me to, to be able to have this opportunity to chat with you. My first question to you is, you know, is is an intro. Would you, tell us the story of what drew you into the wine industry? Yeah. Of course. Nice to be here. I start, my wildlife quite early when, when I was, seventeen, eighteen, I start to help a little bit during weekend, my uncle just took from Coswanery for some testing or helping a little bits in the cellar. And they really loved this work. So I decided to study when making a denology and then move to Milano. And, in that experience of a university, it was very important. I had a very good producer, sorry, very good teachers. And, fortunately, I traveled to visit some good producer. Step by step, I start to love and to be more passionate about, the story and the life and the wine of a producer that said artisanal and natural approach. Their wine telling that there was deep and that I was, discovering energy and, and I was very happy to to discover new and new. So early, I decided to to to search a vineyard in Victoria. So when I was studying, I decided to I was missing Victoria because it's important to live, CCD sometimes to to see another mentality outside when we are eighteen, your shoulder, for example. But fortunately, I start to miss my my land, my place, and I decide to rent the one I of vineyards of Frapato, the vittoria, the two indigenous variety of Victoria. And step by step, I arrived in this world, and, he experimented, and I'm in here now. So This was the the the the short story how I arrived in the one word. I love it. And your uncle is involved with COS. Right? Yes. Yes. So he's, the partner, there are two partners. And just is the all of the course of keeping the. So it's kinda in your DNA. So what at the university? What did you study, at the university? I studied while making and, beauty culture. So both the agriculture part of our job, and also the winemaking, subjects are, more chemical approach, of course. So because this is also important for us to understand all the biochemical process, of course. And then, when we start making wine, we can decide, sir, with kind of, of a road to follow. And but I always say this for me was important to study to arrive at a little bit, so I'm not sure at my first vintage that I was very young. I was, twenty one years old. So the university was important to understand the theoretical side, but for me was, important already for this. Excellent. Excellent. So you started making wine in two thousand four. Can you walk us through the growth of your vineyard from then to present? And I think then you started with one, hectacre. Yes. It's a beautiful, it's a beautiful story. You know, yes. I I stopped at the year, renting money our vineyards. In Victoria, many vineyards were unbounded twenty years ago because, economically, it was not easy to to grow Frappato in Narudavola. Especially Fropato was a banner. So I I found that this, this actor was no easy to found the vineyards, for rent, but I was, was lucky. And step by step, I I planted the first, a couple of vectors in contrast of Oso di lupo, and then I was able to to find other small person, like a factor, one actor in historical contrast, historical rid of the appolation. And, I received it, fortunately, Samap, from a European system, gave me opportunity to plant and buy other piece of land. So step by step in the last eighteen years, I was able to buy and plant and buy also all vineyards. And now I I run thirty hectares of vineyards or indigenous grape. Of course for our children for the single wines and then for white fascinating. So, thirty hectares is roughly about seventy acres of vineyard. How are your vineyards different? Vineyards are different first because they are not only vineyards, fortunately. In the last years, while I was planting vineyards, in the meantime, I was, improving my project about biodiversity. So I don't like monoculture. I think the balance in nature is, it's important to get through, growing many different kind of varieties to improve biodiversity. Thanks to planting for example wheat vegetable garden, to maintain the mediterranean, vegetation around. So now I can, say I grow old of ten hectares of wheat. I have a beautiful vegetable garden that we start to grow a couple of years ago. I have olive trees. I have, fruit trees, and being yourself beautiful because our full of flowers never work too much. The soil. Try to respect the land, as I can, and all together. I think creating a very good balance, against the problems, but also, giving us the best grip that's I can have with energy. So we decide to to make the best one possible for a year. Excellent. It just creates a economic environment that that they all feed off each other and are more productive and Better health. Can you tell us the significance about s p sixty eight? Yeah. S p sixty eight is, road provincial Road, the sixty eight. It's my address. I live in this p sixty eight kilometer three point three. And this, a road connect to Victoria with another small village of this, of this set of follow the Victoria area. And, is an ancient wine road when the in this road, the Greece people were carrying wine from the land to the to the sea to transport the wine to the rest of Italy and, Europe. So is a is an old place. And in a contemporary way, I gave, the the name as p six eight, and it's my personal appolation that we can see because around this p six eight, I have different vineyards, and I created a smaller collection for this wine that is a kind of a characol de vittoria, but it's, it's, yeah, it's a wine very typical that represent the area. That's awesome. And so, you know, it's an ancient ancient road, which is really interesting from east to west. Can you explain the difference to ours and what it means for the varieties to grow in? Victoria is an amazing place for making wine I think, now the appalachian is smaller than before. We are in total. All producer about we are about twenty, twenty five producer wine. And the area for is two hundred fifty six sectors. So it's a smaller collection but in a big area because like one hundred years ago, the production or one year was huge. There are is importance. We are at the feet of Ibla mountains. So, a chain of manta's full of limestone rock. And on top of the the rock we have sand. So in the myosin period, so a million of years ago, SIC was completely covered by the sea. And we, came out three, four times every time. The sea was leaving a kind of sand with the residual of shells, and everything on the sea. And this created, created step by step, a stratification until the last inundation that's, left thirty centimeter of sand. So Victoria terrier is perfect for making very elegant wine because usually our wines have low pH thanks to the limestone, thanks to the difference of temperature between the night and day. And thanks to the sand on top, the red sand, the rich in iron that's gave wine very fruity. So usually the sand makes wine smoother with lotanins, a very, rich in flower, aromas, and limestone gives wine more austere with the high acidity and the low pH. So more for aging. And this is a a very good balance It's very important for the for Patto and the niro de Avala for the to have that red sandy calcareous soil. And why why did you make the choice of organic natural wines? Unfortunately, the choice arrived, early I I think, reality is the unique method to make a wine that's want to tell about, wines real and also deep. Of course, it's not easy to make goods natural wine. Sometimes, it's easy to start, to do experiment, to make wine, in a side that wants to tell the character of the producer. But, in the other side, I think it's important to tell also the character of the terroir. So respecting the process. So for me, making wine means, to be in the process to follow the process not to be the the the the most important part of the process because Greg must have is on evolution, but, of course, is a process that I have follow to make wine that's represent a bit earlier. Otherwise, they not represent my territory, but just my way to make wine. So it's only the it's the unique way to make wine to make natural because, If we work so hard in biodynamic individuals, many, many hours, directors, and we have a wonderful, grape. It's very stupid sometimes to change the the grape with the additives or changing the sense of the war or changing the sense of the vintage. So this vintage, for example, is a little bit dry. The the vine said, a little bit stressful. I have to respect the sense of this vintage. I want to show in my warranty the sense of this vintage. In the sense of the terroir. So making organic wine means for me showing all this. So the grapes are the star of the show, and not not so much the producer. You just you just nurture them along. What is your favorite part part of this process? I think, both depends on the moments of the year, but I really love to stay, in the vineyards. For example, after harvest, This for me is a period where intense in cellular. I love to start to plant the cover crop, to plant the work in the soil, to plant the pruning. So I love to stay in the vineyards. And, but if I stay too much in the vineyard, start to miss also the seller because, while making is, what gave me energy now. So they're seeing, planning a new label, planning a new vineyards and producing the wine from that one vineyard. So I really love bots. I I'm completely divided in half and off. Wonderful. So, when you when you first began making your own mind, what did you expect? And it's a two, two full question. And did you ever imagine yourself getting where you are today? So quickly. When I started with twenty one, so so really I decided to run the vineyards because, I wanted to then experiment to play So life was, more simple at that moment, when you are so young, you know. But, I'm also a serious person that's if you decide to make parliament is not solely to experiment for two months, but I knew that I wanted to try something. And, but there was no expecting what's happening later because, Everything arrived in a good way. Everything arrived in the in the right moments. Both the choice I made in the vineyards in the investment of the farm. Both the things arrived from the external saw from from the the my my clients and my importers, the journalists, everything arrived at the right moments. And, no, I can't I definitely was no imagine to to arrive where I am now. So it's everything was, I want to if people asked me if I want to repeat, of course, some years were very hard. They are still still hard to manage everything, but, I'm here with, with a smile on my face. So I'm very, very happy to to be a one producer. It's incredible. Your rise, so quickly. And, you know, on top of that being a young female, producer in a male dominated industry, I just, I'm just fascinated by it. My next question is a two fold question as well. I wanted to ask you about, you know, the Tammy project. What made you decide to start it and did you achieve, its purpose? Yeah. Tommy started on two thousand nine. He's a he's a project. I started with, a couple of friends. The idea was to introduce in a very simple way, some natural wine from this territory because Victoria is a place place where we have a lot of land. Unfortunately, or not for to naturally defend the land. It's not expensive at the moment. It's, it's growing for to naturally. The is growing now. I'm happy about this because this means that people are coming back again to agriculture and people once again to work in the land. So when I decide to make tummy, I decide to make a natural wine, a simple approach for every day. From San vineyard in Victoria, from friends, of Frompato, and then purpose was to give simplicity and uh-uh happiness to the people not spending a lot of money to drink a good bottle of natural wine well made. So I think the we arrived to the propose. But I decided last year to stop the the project just because we arrived to our propose And for me now, it's the moment to concentrate to to to give more, historical sense to my project occupancy and to give more historical sense today, Contrada, the Victoria. This is why I'm focusing, in project of single vineyards and other kind of project. Closer to mine itself. And it's proven to be, well earned because your wines are fantastic, you're single, and you're, Victoria. I also wanted to ask you about your favorite wine that you make. And why is it your favorite? It's like picking your favorite child. It's very difficult. It's a it's a very difficult question, you know, because, we we as, I think, also other producer, we decide to make our wines because we feel I never made wines for the market, but because it was the right moment for that wine to to arrive it into my life. So I love all my labels. Of course, I always say I I I love Frapato because we need each other in that moment when I start to make a wine. Frapato was a little bit abandoned it. So maybe Frapato needed a person who was believing a lot in this grape, and I arrived there for this grape at the right moments. And maybe I needed a grape important to do what I was able to do and to do a good wine. Maybe with another grape, it was not so interesting. The wine I was doing was making. So I think Prappado is one of my favorites, but, recently, I'm rediscovering a lot of votes on the Nero Dabbola because Nero Dabbola was, too much used it, too much produced in Sisini. In reality, I was born in Southeast of CCD in the limestone area, especially in the mix of wine and sugar elegance. So I'm, I loved also the Norodala grade because for me, represent and show all the correct all the energy and energy of Victoria terroir. So big boats are wonderful grape. In fact, together, they make one of the best appellation of Sicily. The unique DOCG and, because they they add each other to to works very well. They do that complement each other, very well. And for pathogen, one of Italy's oldest varieties. It's, it's It's a fantastic, wine, I think, and I hope it grows in popularity. People drink your wine, it'll definitely grow. So when you're consuming, your What do you like to pair with that? What do you like to eat with the? Prapata is very, very funny with pairing because you can also is a red, but thanks to the elegance, aromas, thanks to the acidity. You can also pair with fish. So superficial, like tuna, but some other with tuna, some raw fish. It's a very, very controversial wine. You can pair in different moment of the meal. And, also with rabbit is very good. Some some, captured Jonae, with, with vegetables vegetables, with some some some, food that accept a lot of personality because in, in one side, there is very energetic wine, and the other side is delicate. So I think with maybe fish, is one of the best. Like, spaghetti with, fennel, and anchovy is one of the best variety in the for for Farpato for sure. Because they stand and see in the same moment and the same meal. Yeah. I I find Farpato to be very, very versatile in its view just like, what you were saying. From seafood to North African cuisine to just about sushi as well. Do you have any new or secret projects on the horizon that you're working on? I have some around the vineyards. So New parcel. I planted, for example, four years ago. A wonderful vineyards of Grillo in the mountains, five hundred meters above the sea in a very special place, with a lot of limestone. So the soil is completely white. And, I have a new white wine coming from, one parcel. Because in the last two, three years, I'm focused a lot in the single vineyards wine. So wine from parcel, the project has been on the contrada. So this is, something new coming. And is needs is the unique wine, white wine because I have other three single vineyards, red of Propato from contrada D' Vitor. It's a the first time We focus in a single parcel in Victoria. Because of course, we know the, we know the, we know the, we know the one from Barolo, from France. But, I discovered my last years of working a lot of difference among the different district of Victoria. And there is a point in a life of a producer. I think you you need to experiment a single vineyards because you taste so many different among the the wines you have that you want to arrive in a unique label for parcel. So, this happened to me to make a kind of, donations or dividing gold production, I make in, in specific vineyards. And the other project is to focus a little bit in the training, young guys to do this work. Young. So I want to do a lot of some project, around the school, with the culture school, and the one making, you're in CECL because your young people need to be to arrive to the wines, to discover the wines, especially in Victoria. Consider, I'm still the young the younger producer in Victoria after eighteen years. So there are some new be, winery But not necessarily young person people. So it's important in my area to bring young person to to to know this wonderful work So one of my purpose for the future is to to work with young people to involve them and, to to up one day. They start to make one year. That's fantastic. I mean, OKapinti, wine camp for for the youth. I wish I could sign up, but I I think I'm a little too old for it. But, you know, you mentioned the Grillo, and Grillo is my favorite white in, from Sicily. So, I can't wait to taste on that project. And I know we talked about Repata. We talked about Miro Diabbala. Also known as Calabresi. But you also grow, the Zabibo and albanello. I would love to hear, your comments on albanello because it's It's a lesser known variety. That's, that's home is down there in, near Syracuse and and that's, can you talk a little bit about that? I know I'm deviating a little from the script. But, I'm just very interested in hearing your, your feedback on that parietal. Of course. Is an indigenous grape and completely abandoned when I planted the vineyards on two thousand six. I took the bats from a whole vineyards. That's was Then from the owner was abandoned. And fortunately, I was able to to took the baths and to bring in my new place. And it's a it's a very nice budget because, it's open. The skin is, medium thick, as not a high acidity, but it's very aromatic in sense of Mediterranean aromas, like, sage, rosemarina. And, I think with Zabi, but it is very aromatic, is giving, more sicilian spices, aromas. And Zibbo more floral. So I like the the blend. It was also a blend made in the area, between Moscato, Muscatelle, and Albanello. Even white in Victoria was no popular because they were blending white grape in a vineyards of red but never to make white alone. Instead that they they works, together very well. So I think it's a variety. I I planted that. I just planted another actor because I think it's very interesting. So it's not very productive, but I think for the blend is working. So I I trust in the panel also. Fantastic. Thank you so much for that. I'm I'm done with my questions here. I know, Stevie, you usually open the floor up for questions from, This is great. First of all, let me try this. Did you like that? That was my special effect. I felt I felt famous for a second. I felt famous for a second. Okay. Listen. That was great. I'm going to open now the or two also to the audience. So if you want to ask a question to Ariana, please raise your hand and I will bring you up onto the stage. In the meantime, I have a couple of questions for you, Ariana. I mean, this has nothing to do with winemay nor vineyard management. I just opened up your Insta account. First of all, I I don't know what your secret sauce is, so you have to tell us all. You don't really post frequently. But you have a huge, huge following, and I saw that I can help not to notice that you were featured on CNN, I guess, stan Stanley Tuchi's show. How did that come about? Yes. I I'm an Instagram. I'm but I'm I'm following personally the page, so it's not easy to to go, and post, every time I have something, special to to see. So I see here many things, fantastic, but I don't post. I should post a little bit more. But you're still hugely. You have a huge following because usually, you know, they say you have to post often at a certain time, but you go it your insta pages like your one, you go against the rules. Right? So to speak. Tell us a little bit about how you met Stanley Tucci and and how that became, you came into the show. Yeah. I it's arrived, CNN and Stanley. They contact me. But why you? I mean, we know you're fantastic, but why you? I think, a study, the aim of Stalin was to discover and visit something, special that's was showing sicily in a real way. In fact, when Stanley arrived at the year, was, focus in showing not expect things, but totally real. So I it was very natural. It was very it's a very fantastic person. It's a very very good men, very traditional men. I liked it very much. We we are still in contact. And, Stanley was, yeah, one of the more real person I had from TV. And, maybe choose me because, we we found a similar character together and, I, yes, I think. And he wanted to see the real face of Sicily for sure. And so where can we see this? Where can we have a look? Is it online on YouTube or? Yes. It was in CNN, US. You can find in channel of CNN. And, I think, I don't know if you see YouTube, but maybe. It would have been great if you had a link, you know, if you were a real pro. And I can't. No. There is no link. I I can't because that they are they they want to trust me. They think also Europe. So it's still, I I think it's, it was only UK and US at the moment. So they are waiting to to show another channel, another TV. So so, Stevie, in his series, she is the only wine producer that he goes and visits. You see him drinking wine in every episode, but Ariana is the only producer that he, featured in in visit it. It's fantastic. I I'm going to look for that. So, Adiana, I have another kind of cheeky question for you, so which I'd love to ask, especially the wine producers. If you, in a blind tasting, you line up let's say ten, trappatos. Okay. Like the benchmark, trappatos. Okay. Would you be able to actually recognize yours? Number one. And if you do, if you can, What are the features that you can easily detect of your wine from the rest? Flying testing. Yes, be honest. I'm I tried it in the past to myself a lot. I'm blind testing. I have some very france crazy about wine tasting, blind tasting. So I bought my wine. I was able to recognize a couple of times, once, no. But I really loved that wine. I was almost crying. And then people show us mine. But, in a in a line of Prapato, I think for me, it's more easy to understand my wines. Yes. But how can you tell it's yours? Like, what are the what are the characteristics? What I find in the my wines maybe they they are, real as they are make in terms of they show the sense of limestone So you test the the acidity, the freshness. You test the the nose as something that is okay through it, strawberry as cholesterol usually is, but also more linked to the to the soil. It's not, so gentle sometimes. So surprised for the elegance, but it's not necessary like super fruity or So I think it's also very linked to the sense of the soil and there is, give a good energy when you taste. So Yeah. So I know I have a lot of wine experts in the audience. But is it fair to say that you can detect it because it seems, quote, unquote, more natural in a way? Well, my wines, of course, in made a natural way, but, what people say of my wines, it's, unfortunately, they real represented the territory. So they are not natural in terms of, only when making natural means that's, there are no always it's not always dirty or they are clean, they represent. They totally represent the limestone, but you can test. They are a real wine. So after years and years testing natural wine, of course, when I puts my nose in a traditional conventional wine and suddenly recognizes made without the tips because it's when you it's like, when you start to taste chocolate, when you taste the best chocolate and then you come back to to, industrial chocolate, you you can't come back, you know. So it's the same with the wine. So you you want a wine that's give you energy. You don't want any more wines that's take away from you energy. So this is for me the difference. I I started making wine and natural wine with the word of natural wine. It was at the beginning when the French producer were arriving also to to Italy to And the new group of natural producer in Italy was born. Unfortunately, I say I belong to the first group of natural producer that sometimes we did the local virus, but now we we focus to make one that represents a lot. And there is also a new camera producer that's maybe are jumping a little bit in our world to just making wine because the market is asking. But they are not making that choice of life about agriculture. They are not necessarily always with winemakers. And so I think, wine is a very serious things. And we need ears and ears to make the best wine from from a terroir. So I like it. It's my wine in different kind of people taste wine from very high, similar quality to the wild hours. They think they have a very good propose, and they are very, very good. So I I should not say, of course, but for tonight, they are one that's connect people and many different kind of people they like. So from natural funky people to the very high sommelier from a Mission style restaurant for So, you know, I have an idea as you're speaking. I think next time you come to Vin Italy, for example, we should do a blind tasting of Rapato. Yes. Okay. And we're going to do a challenge. Can Ariana Okeypinty detect her own trappato. Okay. Oh my god. So we're I think I really think we should do this. What do you think, fermented boss? I love the do. Yeah. I think it's kinda cool. I think we should definitely do it. Okay. Listen. Otherwise, I don't want to monopolize this time. Let me ask, I bought Leica up to the stage. Like, have you got a question for Adiana? Yes. I have a question. So, I I'm really inspired by listening your, your story. It's really amazing for me. Well, okay. But this one's not gonna be geeky as how Steve asked you. I would just wanna be a little bit philosophical. So so with the many projects that you're doing, how do you keep yourself creative and what inspires you to keep innovating? I know that, to grow the my my ideas, I have to go a little bit slow in terms. I'm I'm a person that should run a lot every day. And when I run too much, it's not the period I I produce idea. When I go slower a little bit and also the season of fall, help me. For for example, I ideas arrive and I connect myself more with my, desire to make things because I have always decided to invent to do things, but to arrive to the writings. I need to silence. I need silence to listen to me. So usually spring and summer are very hard moments. And, I have good ideas, of course, but fall is, fall of winter is a good period to to connect myself for sure. Yes. Okay. So, like, let me just remind everybody, like, is there clubhouse, manager, backstage, and she's been doing such a wonderful job. And I was going to call I called up Albert, but he he he actually went away. I begged them for next week. It will be Alberto Martinez in Teriano. He is, of course, he was our top student from the VA, graduating class of verona, just, just a couple of months ago. And he will be, interviewing Kristoff Quenzili from Leipiana. And that's next week, the same time, eight PM. We this will be the last question from Fanny. Oh, I'll bounce us back. Funny. Ciao Fanny. She's also our new, Italian wine Ambassador from France. I think you're one only one of two. Ciao Fanny. Have you got a question for Adiana? I actually, Lika, I had the same question. So I have a second one. Ariana, can you remind us what's the promotion between Krakato and Nero Davala, in the white grapes? And also, since I really liked the project, you have started with, which is very interesting. Could we imagine once having a of course, could have been on the contrada because, he's, in the interest is us a lot of personality. And I have, every every vintage. I have, five, four, six, different kind of, there are many, many difference also in, so maybe one day. Of course, we can't, makes labels, labels, but, who loves making wine. I think loves to contain to experiment. So sorry if I introduce many levels in the future, but if I want to continue this very event, I have. So maybe funny, of course. There will never be too much label. Especially for the French lady over here. Fane with millions of questions. She has so many questions during the exam. I was going to hit her with a frying pan, but, you know, she asked the right questions. This is how she from very well. Listen, I said you were the last, but I will, let one last question from Andrea. Also, our neo Italian wine Ambassador from Latvia. Yep. Actually, maybe it's my question will be about whole sicily because it's, one of my favorite wine regions from Italy. And you are, of course, it's accurate of your land, and, Sarasota Victoria at the moment, the only DOCG of the one of the actually, it's the biggest Italian region, and, with a dozens of native, variety. It's quite, a shame. Maybe you tell me tell us, let's say, your opinion about which, denomination should be upgraded. To DUG. And, maybe you tell us, what is your, let's say, your favorite, why from another different place of yours? Had I known that you're going to ask ten questions? I would not have bought you up onto the stage as the last question. Alright. Go ahead, Adiana. Well, I think, I'm in a in a position, historical. In my opinion, must, upgrade it, of course, because, we have a wonderful soil and, and climates and place, and also is a a place where you, new producer can invest in not spending a lot of money, but they have possibility to make a great wine. So I think Charra swallow has more and more and more potential And, so I invite people to discover this territory, invite you to visit, invite you to to study the opportunity to to do something here. So it's an open, invitation to everybody. And, I think Sicily at the moment is, fortunately focused not solely in the sense of wine from whole island, but from specific appalachian. So we have a wonderful appolation, Azetna, As faro in the north as Marcella. That's makes this region finally consider one of the best region in Italy, not to make only big and, super heavy or alcoholic wine. And before making wine, very very good, very specific that's tell, wonderful, and Charaswala is one of these. Sometimes people maybe they know more Charaswala like Charaswala da brusso And, of course, Chanasolo D' Vitoria is the first and unique at the moment in EOCG because, we were able to do because we are a small group of producers but also because there is the history and the character of a wonderful wine to became the unique DOCG in Sicily. And, so people must discover moisture as well also in Italy. Charasolo need to be more known also in Italy. And, you, United States, the US, you know, enough goods so very well. And so, please, I might you, of course, to discover and test the different labels and different wineries of our place. Okay. And that's a wrap. I'm going to close-up the room. Thank you so much, Ariana Okeypinty, and fermented boss, you prize. So next week, same time, please join us at eight PM with Alberto Martinez in Teriano. Listen to the Italian wine podcast wherever you get your podcasts. We're on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, EmLIFM, and more. 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