Ep. 246 Federico Zileri Dal Verme (Consorzio Bolgheri DOC) on the Bolgheri DOC & Supertuscans

Italian wine podcast. Chinching with Italian wine people. This podcast is brought to you by Native Grape Odyssey. Native Grape Odyssey is an educational project financed by the European Union to promote European wine in Canada, Japan, and Russia. And joy. It's from Europe. Hello. This is the Italian wine podcast with me, Monte Gordon. My guest today is federico Zileri Delverme. Federico wears three hats. He is the owner of Castelluri Bolgari. He is the managing director of Tenuta Arjien Tiara, both of these estates, obviously in Bolgari. And at the moment, moment, you are the president of the Bolgidi consortia, which is the Growers, consortium and welcome. Let's start with Bolgidi. Maybe we could talk about, we, a little bit about the history of Bulgidi, and then what initiatives are being done for for marketing the wines and tourism and things like that? Yes. First of all, I would like also to underline that, the consortium started bonds in, nineteen ninety four, and so is, this year, twenty five years, and we had a great event, on the boulevard on PRDburg, thirty one of August. All the producer, we celebrate this, twenty five years. But I would like also to say that Bulger started before. And, so was Sakaya and, or they they start to produce wine, SASaya, and nineteen sixty. At the end of the seventy on the line in the eighty. And so before it was like a laboratory, the permit to create a consortium, burglary rose so on nineteen ninety four. I say, Bongeli also because it's very strange because in nineteen eighty three, bones, Bongeli bianca Jose, and this is unusual considering the in the Italian system. Yeah. So Baugari, the d Baugari was officially a white or a rose wine. It wasn't officially a red wine, and you're saying that in nineteen ninety four, the doc was officially given to Baugari for its red wines. Yes. Yes. But they will get it also. On those time, the producer, they were only seven. Now we are, fifty six. And, when I started my in charge and or president, as a consultant, six years ago, we were thirty one. And so for me, it's a big satisfaction, to be now fifty six and maybe we will be more in the next future. We represent the ninety five percent of all the terroir all on the surface. Of of the denomination. Of the denomination of, producer in this area. Another characteristic of border population is the freedom. I think is the is the most freedom, population, in Italy. And the reason is because we have three varieties that we we can use it from zero to four hundred sent. And those three varieties are, sorry. Just as mine. And so this gave the opportunity for all the producer to do the best. Most, I would say, the ninety percent of the bulgari superiore are blend. Basically, all those blend, they have a cabinet souvenir, forty, fifty, sixty percent, add with cabernet from Mero, Petiverdo. All the surface of the Bulgaria population are, at the moment, one thousand three hundred and fifty hectares, including Saskicaya area. Just about the same as, to give you an example, roughly the same as Poyak in Bordeaux, roughly similar size. Similar, forty five percent is represented by the cabernet sauvignon, twenty five percent by Merlo, eleventh, but are increasing. The percent is a cabernet franc after we have Petiverdo, a Sierra. And what is very unusual for tosca and area that, doesn't exist anymore, the sangiovese. We have only one point two percent of sangiovese. And the reason is, because our soil are sandy is a is a sandy limestone and, in San Juvisoans that needs a lot of clay and very poor soil that statistically in the area soil, he has quite rich. And we discovered this characteristic during the years. Thanks to such brand that started fifty, forty, thirty five years ago, that a lot of producer from other region, they arrived twenty years ago to invest in this area. And this is fantastic because they could promote burglary in the right way. What what I mean? Other producer, famous of other region, like Gaia from Piamonte, La Grini, from Veneto, they had already structured commercial shall. And so, you know, everybody knows to produce wine is easy, but after it's very difficult to to send. And so I'm very proud not because I'm the president of all those producers, but all of us, we are very proud to belongs to this team because we have brand who belongs to the history of this area. We have famous producer from other regions and a little producer that they started for passion. This kind of blend of producer make bulgari strong. Yeah. I get something for everybody. Yeah. This is, a beautiful history, you know, was not a strategy behind bulgari. I like to give the definition to burglary that is a case. Many case one after others create burglary. So one, one good event after another, it was like self perpetuating. Yes. Always with the example. So without I repeat again, so we wouldn't be here. I started to work on Argentina was twenty years ago, and I could think the project Gincinera, thanks to the example. Of the of the other wineries. So when you bought Tenut Aginera, what were you doing before? Did you have another winery somewhere? Were you a business person? First of all, I didn't bought, Argentina, because this were I I managed Argentina. Castiniti Bogue. Castiniti Bogue. I receive it by heritage through my mother. Okay. And so we we are a descendant from, the La Gradesca family through my and mother. And so the woman rules. And, and that's it. In ninety five, ninety six, with my father and with my mother, we started to renovate all the project and to replant all the vineyards to restructure the old seller that, are located just in the center of the village of Bulgaria. And so it was a really great big investment. And now I'm very, I'm very happy what we are because this represent, the terroir of the area just around the castle. Our vineyards are just in the middle of Saskicaia bornalaya. So how big is your vineyard at Castela Diborghini? How many hectares roughly? We have sixty hectares. Okay. And it's, your the castle is, is a protected monument. It's a national historic monument. Isn't it? Yes. It's a private residence, first of all, and, belongs to the club, I would say, but, we live inside. And so it's not a museum. It's nice that it's being lived in, though. It's not like, building that has no life. And, you know, it's a work. It's a farm, and it's a it's a home. Absolutely. It is a is a home, and I like also to say thanks to the vineyards. I could maintain this property with my sisters because, the the the the custom belongs to my sister and the agriculture farm and the vineyards and the brand belong to me. But, thanks to the vineyards, thank to this, population, we could maintain this. In terms of, the promotion of, bulgari wines, either in Italy or abroad, some people say it's here in bulgari, your wines get the region gets very good scores and the re the review user the the journalists and there's a lot of press coverage. It must be really easy here to to sell wine. You just make it in its cells, and then you can go to the beach and relax. Is it like that, or is it a little bit different? You're smiling. Not at all. Looks like this. But is is always very difficult to sell the wine, even in such beautiful population that, has a success. At the moment, I would say that it's more virtual than reality bulk population. What I mean, yes. Of course, the brand like on Elaya and Sasekaya are very strong, and they don't have problem to sell the wine. And what is very important is the position. What we have to work, what we have to pay attention is just to sell the wine in a right position. Otherwise, the the consumer, they they don't understand really the quality of the wine. Or the, the significance of the wine. It's always example, the power of of burglary. All the producer, they are the the last producer that they arrive here. What they want to do is just to produce the the best wine. To be compared with Susicaiah or Nelaya, and now, or maybe Argentina Castalo de Bolghari that started. But that's a good thing, though. That's a good thing. That's a good thing is if people want to really not just say we're just gonna make a normal y and we all want to sort of emulate the iconic wines. That's surely good for the region. I think that the the consumer, they want this, the the consumer ask if I drink a glass of moldy, they expect to drink a great twine, not a, cheap wine. But then when I go to to to pay attention, I don't want to be too much, elitist on saying that we had to take care how to sell the wine. It's never, never, never easy to sell the wine even boldly. Yeah. So, but what you're talking about is the brand value of bulgogi in general. A little bit like maybe say Montecino where, you know, it's an iconic. But obviously, the hidden here is smaller. It's true. But there's another suggest that I repeat every time that we met with all the producer is please put on over your name and after Bollgate because the power is given by the name of the producer Yes. The appalachian help on this, but we don't want to make the mistake that other appalachian did. And so always because we have this kind of example. So to sell well the wine, first of all, is your brand, is your name after this is the appalachian, not the appalachian, and after your name. Yeah. And so this is another point can be very simple, but very important. Very, very important. Okay. So what are your what are your personal projects for the future? And what does the consortio have for the future in terms of, either promotion or initiatives? I think we have to to increase in the market and on quantity. And we have also to increase in communication because, I said before, a mortgage is more virtual than real. So when you say, what do you exactly? I mean, you mean that it's a wine that a lot of collectors or or clients have say high value that they know this name. And what you're saying is it's important that they understand the reality behind Walgreens and its values. Terms of South Carolina liar, but they don't know at all, who we are and where we are because this is very important. If you ask to someone, but even Italy, where we are, they don't know that we are in task and And there's another things that I now pushing more and more that on the label to Bogle, Tuscany, Italian. Because in one way, the brand Tuscany is much more strong than Bogle. And so is how you can, you know, communicate. So the team is very strong. It's, I would say, premier league team. That we have all the power. We have all the instrument to communicate. So the consultant we have to do consultia has to control, has to collect all the information and to give the information. But the promotion is the team. We have fifty six producer that the three hundred and sixty five days, we are everyday communicate already. This is the communication. What do we believe? Roughly how much is sold in the zone? I mean, do when people come here, do they buy a lot of wine, or do they come and taste and then go home and then order the wine in their own country? The direct sale is very important. Not much. Not much. Unfortunately, here doesn't work like, you know, in Napa Valley or, in Canada where the fifty, sixty, seventy percent of the sales arrive. From the Salodaux. From, yeah, savoy. It's very important to have, a lot of restaurant in this area. You can imagine that in the little village of Calgary, we have eight restaurant. Yeah. It's tiny village. It's just restaurant. But this more and more the tourists arrive and more and more they get in contact with the with the wine, good food, simple, healthy, and good wine. So this is the first step to communicate. After it's the Italy market, and the Italy market, are increasing in the last three years a lot, really, really a lot. And, and after, yes, of course, abroad and this is the big challenge for for the future. What are the biggest export markets? Just roughly is it America, Japan, Russia? I would say that, Switzerland is the first one for most of us. And after yes, United States, Canada, the strongest. But, you know, Russian, Asia market, you know, what I see that they are increasing really year by year because because the people did this cover more and more bulgari. Maybe if you go in CCD or maybe also in a in a note of Italy, you ask where it's bulgari. Yeah. Bullgari. Yes, maybe. I think it's true. Anyway, so this is our priority. This is, our program for the future and, to show and to know Bulgaria better. But I would like also to say lucky man to work in this, area because I started when, boldly started. And so twenty five years, after my graduation and at the university in Florence in agronomies, I started to work on it. And so as a as a person, as a my hurt, and that. So you and a great example of the recent history of Olga, you've lived through the before the DOC arrived and then when the DOC arrived. And then Now, there is a I like also to say that we are we start to surfing. Surfing. Surfing because we are on the right moment with a great vintage with a great score from our producer in Bulgaria, you know, like Seshikaya and, and this gave us a great future, you know, and the market recipe more and more bulkier. They ask. They are courteous, but in the same time, we have to stay amber, really amber. In some way, when you mentioned, some of the beginning, like, all on Iowa SASica, almost for them, also not to continue their success, but it's important that the the region has grown, right, that you've had other wineries maybe some slightly smaller ones that maybe are not owned by, let's say, famous names like, like Antinor, for example, it's nice having some smaller, like a mix of wineries. I'm like, you have a family owned winery. This is I think it's very, very important to have the small wineries because, heave of this terrace dynamismo, then another thing that's very important is the generation. We have a lot of young guys, they are involved with. And this is very, very important. Most of the producer are young. We are in a good period. It's a fermentation because because all of them, they are very passionate on the Venus. First of all, and, and to to know, to discover because there is other things also to to discover from this area. And so Yeah. I mean, the terroir has been, mapped quite well. I mean, it's like a lot of work has gone into understanding the soils and the various micro terroir, so that other regions without naming names haven't really bothered with. And that is a big advantage, I think, for bonganians also to see the information, from the introducer, which make, good good good communication. Pasting, you know, blind tasting with, analogist from many properties from Baldwin. This has a lot. So say thanks I guess, thank you very much for telling us about the region in general. A little bit about your family estate. And we wish you every success for the rest of the harvest. 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