
Ep. 1884 Anna Obukhovskaya interviews Francesca Paladin | Clubhouse Ambassadors’ Corner
Clubhouse Ambassadors’ Corner
Episode Summary
Content Analysis Key Themes and Main Ideas 1. The Unique Identity and Terroir of Franciacorta: Exploration of Franciacorta's distinct characteristics as a Metodo Classico wine, Casetllo Bonomi's specific Monte Orfano terroir, and the historical origin of the term ""Franciacorta."
About This Episode
The speakers discuss their interest in international wines and their love for French Corta wines. They share their love for French Corta and their own experiences with fr inspiring members of the club. They also discuss the history and quality of French wine, including the importance of the respect of Teels' French Accord, the need for persistent wines, and the importance of freshness in maintaining the quality of their wines. They also mention their plans for a garden garden and a tour of their wine tasting and tour. They also discuss their plans for a garden and a tour of their wine tasting.
Transcript
The Italian wine podcast is the community driven platform for Italian winegeeks around the world. Support the show by donating at italian wine podcast dot com. Donate five or more Euros, and we'll send you a copy of our latest book, my Italian Great Geek journal. Absolutely free. To get your free copy of my Italian GreatGeek journal, click support us at italian wine podcast dot com, or wherever you get your pots. 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 it 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. Alright. Hi, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Club House Ambassador Corner. So we don't have a lot of people from the audience, but we are recording this and it goes live on Italian White Podcast. So by the way, this clubhouse is actually our one hundred thirty eight episode. So it's been a while now that we were doing this, but, you know, this is the favorite show on Italian podcast. So it's really, a labor of love, and we're so happy that everyone is really listening to our podcast. So it's on Spotify SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get their pods, even in Himalayas, we're also there. Okay. So today, our guest is Franchesca Paladine from Castello Panomi. So we have Anna Aubbskaya as our moderator for today. So welcome back, Anna. How are you? Chao Laika. Hi, everyone. I'm very good. Thank you so much. Looking forward to to talk with Franchesca but Franca Corta. Yes. Exactly. So before I dive in and talk more about Anna with you, I wanted to introduce you to our guests. So here we have Anna. She obtained fourteen years of expertise in wine retail marketing and sales, working a number of bigger companies and independent projects founded the Italian wine tasting club. So, actually, I remember we were talking about wine tasting clubs in general. So can you share more about your experience about this and how how it ever started? You I remember you shared that you started like falling in love or getting bitten by the wine bag by joining wine clubs. Yeah. I was not, interested in wine until I was twenty six when I joined, a wine company, and, then, we just had this education that the first entry level, course, about wine in general. And then I got light in my eyes about wines in general. And, actually, then I thought that it would be great to learn more and share info about grade wines with other enthusiasts. So I think I started three different wine clubs in each CTI lived in. The the last one was, dedicated to Italy. Uh-huh. Two Italian wines, and now we're having this, club, in DuBLana, where I live now in Slovakia. So, yeah, we're introducing international wines to Stovins. Mostly or for tourists of Rubiana. So And this wine club that you have in Rubiana, how many members are there now? We have around, hundred single visits. Let's say, well, membership is a bit less with about forty people. But we, women, we we're doing these, clubs already for for more than a year, slightly more than a year. And it's really great, marketing tool. I hope, I will have a chance to to share this info to to share the inspiration. I actually like this medium of wine clubs. Like, you know, it it really gets you into I mean, it doesn't make you scared to embrace wine as it is because, you know, that everyone is are enthusiastic and then there's no, you know, no snobbery or whatsoever. And then you get to be introduced with, why is he like or discover together. So that's really amazing. Some magic of, people tasting the same wine in the same time. You know, I can compare it to a concert, you know, when people listen to the same music and, and this is a special vibe. So when people taste, same wine, like, I don't know, ten, fifteen, twenty people, and in the same room, and they share, and they discuss, it just makes it's such a different experience than just than just staying at home together with with a small group of friends. And it's really interesting when there's somebody who is very enthusiastic about wine shares all these details, tells stories. It makes it a whole different experience, actually. Yeah. I'm actually curious now to ask, have you ever introduced the wines of Franchesca, of Castello Bonomi to your wine club? No. I don't think so, but I was really fascinated by her wines, and I will tell later. How it happened. Okay. Okay. So alright. So why did you select Franchesca Paladine as your favorite producer for today? Well, since we visited Francacorte area with other ambassadors a year and a half ago, I consider myself an ambassador of Ranch Court, you know, since we did this deep dive into the area and, special cuisine and we visited some great producers and had an amazing taste. We I think in three days, we managed to taste around sixty wines of different, vintages of different, producers. So I consider myself a person to share all the specific features of Ranchacorta with other enthusiasts and just, tell more about great producers such as, Castell Abonami. Right. When you visited Prachaporta, as you mentioned, was it also the first time that you tasted the wines of Castell Abonami? No. No. No. I first learned about Franchesca's wines in Saint Petersburg in two thousand nineteen. I think it was a long time ago. That's a long time ago. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. In Italy. Vin Italy, came with a big tasting session. You know, it was held in the center in a really beautiful hotel in Kompinski Hotel. It was a professional round tasting. So pretty much all of the experts, specialists, from wine industry were there. And there was this table with Franca Corta. And this category in two thousand nineteen, it was even more in the shade than than now. So there was a table of Casalo Bonomi, and I tasted their labels, and I was especially fascinated with Rosetta wine. Which is still my favorite Rosa French Corta. You know, I was just sharing with other specialists, with other colleagues about it, and there was a, you know, rumor going on. And that's in the in the in this round taste and, like, did you try it? Go taste it. It's really good. It's so interesting because it it was not really in the center. You know, people who are mostly interested in, bigger brands and and more famous labels, but then but then with the spread of work, people were really going towards this corner with the castellobonami wines. And so then I was lucky to to visit castellobonami a few years after, and I met Ferncesca, and we had a really nice, visit to the seller, I'm at, the technologist, to the winemaker also. So we saw the vineyard. So it Yeah. It was, like, completing the full experience. Yeah. Yeah. It's completing the curiosity from you Yes. People telling, hey, try this wine. I was trying to wine. It's it's like, oh, it drove you to try the wines of Franchesca. Exactly. To me, still, Castella Bonomi, entry level, French Corta, which is COVID twenty two. To my opinion, it's just this is one of the best entry levels, Frencha Corta on the market. Okay. Because, yeah, we tasted a lot, and we discussed also with other ambassadors in a and it's not only my opinion. So, you know, it's always very tricky when you would taste different French cultures from different producers. You don't really know where to stick to either bigger brands or smaller producers. So, you know, I would suggest if you if you haven't tried this one. You just yeah. We'll try it. That's what we want to start with. Yes. Okay. You got me there. I got No, we have our ambassadors here. So welcome everyone. I I'm happy to see Len here and also Hugh, Zita, Nicole, and Elena. So thank you so much for listening in. Since we have our ambassadors here, I wanted to ask what are the learning objectives of this interview? I would like us to discuss the special features of French Corta, and especially the challenges that this area is facing now that the challenges for producers that they face and, speak a bit more about the place of French Acura on the market, you know, or even in the hearts of, wine enthusiasts. Okay. So now this is the moment that I'm going to mute myself, and I will leave the floor to you and Franchesca. Thank you. Thank you so much. Charles Franchesca. Welcome to the club house. So, Alana, thank you so much, and thank you for having me here. It's great to be here. Just a few words before we begin this interview, just a few words about Franchesca. So so she represents a third generation of Casa Palagenhoinery. And she grew up in in this winery doing every sort of task from harvesting to voting to retail, and then she graded it in international economics, master's degree in international management. And Somilia with the Sara Association. So after her studies, she immediately got into the heart of the winery initially to support the domestic commercial office and then managing marketing and export to foreign markets, such as US and, a part of Germany. Is that right, Franchesca? Yes. So we are, a family from, from Banito region, from Casapality. So you actually, due to your job, you're you must be doing, a lot of travels to United States, these long flights. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Sure. But it's, it what I love, the most of my job, like knowing, different kind of cultures and see also how, different people, like our wines and what they think was about, the different regions. It's very fascinating. Yes. Indeed. I think, when you tell about, French quarter, you tell about your region, you just understand it from a different angle also. Yeah. That's true. Also, because, in Italy, we are, like, so used to all these different areas and different production. But when you go to another country, you have to, like, think in another way as, as people don't know, so much about French of Corta. So it's also, a nice challenge to face every time, to try to get people involved also in, in French of Corta. Yeah. So, okay. So my first question would be about the story, behind Castell Abonami, could you please share it? How it all started and, how old it is, how many years, wines are produced in, castellabonami. Yeah. Sure. So, actually, well, coming from Vanato, we we have our historical family winery here in, since nineteen sixty two in Vanental region, producing mainly prosaicco. So we, we don't start as a producers of Francacorta. But, in years, two thousand, Actually, people, the, the people that were tasting more French in all Italy were people from, venture region. And, this is because, probably because we start with the prosaicco, so we are used also to taste, bubbles and to have them also during our meals. And so then, we want to look for something more, something different. And, we ended up being, the region that was, drinking and tasting the most French of Corta in all Italy. And so, this is why we thought that, this could be a trend that would go over not just Venator, but also to all Italy and maybe all the work. And so this is why we started looking for a winery Frachacorta. And, in, two thousand and eight, we acquired, Casalo Bonomi. Yeah. That's that's very interesting. And when I visited, in your state, I saw there is a very beautiful, historical house, like a villa or, actually, the Castello, yeah, the castle. Can you please tell a story behind behind this building? What what it is when when it was found and, why your, wineries called after this Castello. Are you enjoying this podcast? There is so much more high quality wine content available for mama jumbo shrimp. Check out our new wine study maps. Our books on Italian wine including Italian wine unplugged, the jumbo shrimp guide to Italian wine, Senja Vazzy Lambrusco and other stories, and much much more. On our website, mama jumbo shrimp dot com. Now back to the show. Yeah. Sure. So, Castello Barami, was, it's actually the only chateau in, French, and it's, it dates back to the eighteenth century. And it was designed from, a famous, architect, which was, the architect, and was, was owned by a family that was the tonali family. Then, the the ownership work went to the Bonami family. And, the Bonami family in, nineteen eighty five started that also castellabonami as winery. As, their own winery that they used, for their customers. And, and then in two thousand and eight, we are part, the winery. So the castle, it's a CL owned also from the economic family. And also another thing really nice about the castle is that, in there's, century old park, really, really nice, where there are also, like, the highest vineyards that we have, And here, there's also a mini size, reproduction of the Carta Lake and those of the Cervino mountain. The area is truly beautiful. This big hill, or I would say, even amount, and how how high it is, what's what's the altitude there, Franchesca? Yeah. The mountain, it's at the Monte or funnel, and it's, two hundred, seventy five meters above the sea level. So it's also quite high. And it's, like, a sort of, micro zone in a different support area. So it was, the first mounted that was created, in all lafferty. It's it's it's really look it really looks beautiful. And this casellabonami, you can see it from the distance when approaching. When you're driving the road, you're approaching the it's state, and you already see this beautiful Castello. So, yeah, if you're if you're in this Israel area, don't don't miss and, come come visit this very interesting. So what I what I wanted to ask you, next is, could you please tell us about most important factors of quality or French, Corta? What are they? To your point? Yeah. In my opinion, the most important factors for quality could be the the respect of the Tevaro French Accord. Which is, I think, quite, really important for all the wines. So, how you can, highlight the tour where you are in the best way. Looking also for, if we're talking about French of Corta, you would like to look for persistent, persistent wine, a great collage, and also a great longevity. Which I think it's also the main characteristic we have at the philosophy of production. And also I think it's very important, in general, for the production of methodo de classical, to have someone like the our chef de cover that's, able, to highlight it best, also every single vintage. Yeah. I have quite an impressive, line of lines. I must say also aged, French of, of, challenges. So what what are they now? Probably since the climate change so much in the past decades how the approach of the wine, making changed. What what do you need to do to maintain, freshness to, to keep the style of French, more or less same. Yes. To face the climate change, the consortium of, Franca Corta has been, doing a great research since, twenty seventeen, they introduced also a new grape variety. And, as castellabonami, we're really part of the researcher. We're five one original, the consortium. And so we planted, some vines of Alba mater, and we're part of this, research. So Alba mater, it's, an indigenous grape, really important for climate change, because, it's, it has a great, a Civic component, which is, the one of the main features that you want, in a good French quarter. And also because, the problems with the climate change in French support area, it's the fact that, you could lose the, the acidity of the grape, if the temperature will get, too high. And, this, this, this, the losing of this acidity. So since it's a grape that you harvest one month later than uh-uh, chardonnay and pinonero, it's really important for, for this factor. And then, in Castalobonami, we also look, at other aspects of so, for example, to the carbon footprint. So we already mean we're measuring the carbon footprint, trying to reduce it. We changed the type of glass we use for the bottles also to be more sustainable. We are developing some portable type panels also to produce, our own energy, and also one of the most important things for us. It's, the concept of, university. Which is now really part of the concept of the terrar. Usually, you think of the terrar as, with the three different main aspects, which are the the land, the microclimate and the human factor. And, well, right now, it's becoming more and more important. And also part of the terrar, also the biodiversity, which is, present, in the winery and the actions that you want to do at the winery to, to to have a more biodiversity. Yeah. Franchesca, can you please remind what is the what is the maximum, percentage of Irma, to be added in French to Corta? Yeah. Sure. The maximum percentage right now is, a ten percent. Probably it will even grow in the future. But even with that ten percent, you can really you can really also define, the wine. So since twenty seventeen, we are addicted to the do so in this way with the zero sugar, you can feel even more, the presence of, the aroma after. And also Avamata. It's, an indigenous and variation to, vineyard in Frachacorta. Because of the first, time that was mentioned and recognized also as grape, was in, fifteen sixty four. So really, really, long, long time ago, and really, I see historical, kind of, great variety for French Portaria. So it's nice also to have, a great variety, which is also a local grape variety and unique for French support, production? I remember some producers said that Urban is lemonade because it's so acidic. It's really or has high acidity and even a small percentage. Really makes it different in the in the blend for French or Corta. Yeah. Because keeping freshness is, yeah, quite quite critical for the quality. But, in the area where where you're located, is it, mostly sunny or it's mostly humid? What's the temperature usually? Is it a really hot area or how can you specify? Yeah. It's quite a hot area. And, Monteo, it's also quite unique at the front of the corner. So it's, the rest of the front of the quarter has a moreenic region, while the Monteo Altano has a tectonic regime. So it's, it's made with the Calcaris conglomerate. And, the microclimate, it's a lot more mediterranean. So, for example, we have, caper plants which are naturally growing there. Which are most, more typical, like, for the south of Italy than for Lambert, usually. So, since we have, this microclimate, we usually harvest also really early. So we would harvest that the really first days of August. And so this is why also the, the acidity is so important for us. And, since we are in this multi hour panel with this, calcareous conglomerate. We have a lot of freshness also and the great acidity in the wines, and this is why also we can keep them, for a long, long time on the lease. This is really, really interesting what you what you're explaining about terroir because, French area is very much diverse in in in type of soil in specific terroir. It's just so many different terroirs within one area. It's quite quite difficult to study, but it's also very interesting to observe once you're in the in the area. When you talk to foreigners about about frontal Corta, What, what do you think are the main things they need to know? I think when we talk about with the foreigners, we want to, like, keep it really simple also because, yeah, as you said, the terrace. It's a really, really complex. So, you want them to understand, some of the main points about French Corta. So the first one, it's, the metallochlassical production. So the French Corta production. And, the second fermentation, so the second fermentation in, in bottle. Another thing you want them to understand, which is not like, so easy and, sometimes, people don't think about this, it's the term for Chorusa. So the fact that, the term for Chorusa doesn't come from doesn't have anything to do, like, with France, but it comes from Corte, So that was, an era, without, any taxes, because it was owned by the monks. Other things you want them to know, it's also the brace that you use to produce French of Corta. So that would be pinonero, chardonnay, Pino bianca up to fifty percent, and now up to ten percent of, Erbalact. Do you also talk to other people about, the specifics of terror that, it's more unique that it's, happened just because of the, glaciers. And, like, are more are people familiar with this kind of formation and, are they interested in learning more about soils, about, the origin of terroir in your personal experience, in your personal opinion. Either many questions like that from the audience. Well, yeah. It it always depends, where you are and who you're speaking to. If it's a general consumer, or, if it's, someone that has a retail and and knows already something about French Corta. But, yeah, people are also interested on, on the soil. And, we see more and more, like, people really focusing on the, wanting wanting to understand something new and know, this kind of information. So for for Casaalibon army, what we want to communicate and one of the most important things, it's the Monte or Pano terroir, which is a really unique. Yeah. Thank you so much. But, I wanted now to ask you about the about your duties at the winery. I mean, I know you're, well, already mentioned that you were, an expert manager, and you're dealing with, with the United States, market and, some germ some parts of German market, but, I know you have other duties in the in the winery. You're a multitask person. Can you tell a bit more about that? Yeah. Sure. And then we have castellibonami as winery, but we also have, other wineries. So we have, Paladina in, Valentor region, Bosco delmarlo in, Fioli. Kastel Vaki in, Cathy Casico, and Casalu Pula. So there are a lot of different, one reason to to manage. So I do the export for US for all of the the wines. So, a lot of the time on my work, it's also to go there and to explain the wines, to different types of, consumers and it's always, like, very nice, to see what people think also about, wines in Italy and, and how their perception will change also from country to country and from era to era. Then, other things I do is, I'm in charge also part of the marketing, which is also really important for us because, one of the main things about, our wines, it's also how we can communicate. And how we get, to know people all about, our wines and all the efforts, the analogies will do to produce them and how we can, get people to know something more also about, the and this is, through different, areas. So through digital marketing, but also talking to people and, doing, visits, also, so a a lot of different things. Yeah. Indeed. It's it takes a lot of effort to promote wines, especially, from areas like French Accord that that is not very well known. But what are the main markets for financial quarter. Do you think right now where where it's the biggest? The main markets, right now are Switzerland, Japan, US, it's definitely growing. And also Germany because it's, quite, quite near, for us, these are the most important markets. And, actually, we export twenty one percent of our French of Corta. So, the rest is, is be is being, consulting, in, in Lumberger, right, in in French court area? Not just in French of Corta. So it's all domestic market, also both Milan and also Rome. It's very important for us, and also guided to us, as I told you before. So it's mostly mostly neighbors, mostly neighbors. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Sure. Since, you know, is there like such a great touristic destination and, especially for those who live in Milano, they come, for vacation or for weekend, and that's what makes we've made, French a quarter popular. It's, like, a vac a vacation wine for, those who live in in Elano and in the area. But, you know, since, since, Israel is such a great, tourist destination, do you are there any hospitality facilities, that you provide in Castello Bonome? We provide usually different kinds of, tastings. So with different wines, with different kind of pairings, or also, like, the picnicking of vineyards, or we do, like, yoga, and yoga lessons and tastings, or, the treasure hunt also. Which is also a nice way also to, to find a way, like, fighter gaming, to do the tasting, and also to find it, to treat in a, kind more fun way, because also wine doesn't have always to be, like, just for professionals, but also, a really easy thing to, to enjoy with, with friends. And we also have a different collaboration with the hotels and here to us, to provide those. So hospitality to to tourists. Okay. Yeah. That's interesting because once you're there, you just don't want to leave. After one day, you just, so interesting to explore, to go to places, but what what are the what can you advise? What could be the good things to do in the area besides binary visits and tastings? I think, it's, if someone, it's more sporty, There are also a lot of activities to do, like, tracking, on the heels, which is very, very nice. There's also, like, going with the horse on the heels, or also mountain biking. And also the consortium and the data, the French support that provides a lot of, itineraries to do this kind of, activities, which are really great. Or other things to do. It's, well, to visit the Isao Lakea, which is, awesome, and also the Montezora, or the Turbriar de Sabino, which is, nature kind of, park and a nature reserve, which is also very nice to do, I don't know, bird watching or just to have a walk around. So yeah, there are a lot of, different activities to do. Yeah. Sounds sounds, like a lot of fun, especially in the warm, time of the year from, what what is what is actually the best season to visit, to visit, French court area to your opinion? I think also one of the best if someone wants to come to visit French of Corta would be during the French of Corta Festival, which is, mid September. And it's, really great because, like, everyone will do different kinds of tasting. And, all the wineries would be open for tasting and also, you can find a lot of different activities to do. So that would be really a great time to come. Well, I I don't think I've heard of that. It's, that would be a nice to come to come for this, for this festival. Thank you so much for sharing. Yes. It's becoming more and more important, and there are people, like, from, all over Italy coming just for the weekend, of the festival. Nice. And what I like, about Isao area that it is very beautiful, but it's not as crowded as Garden Lake. For example, it's not as touristic. It's more, cozy. I don't know. Just, I don't know. I just I'm just more more offense. Like a small jewel. Yeah. That that people mostly avoid. They skip during the travel, but it's a huge mistake. Yeah. Also because it's really, like, easy to reach. Like, it's one hour from Milan. So it's, it's really easy to reach also, like, from the main cities, and there's also Prasha, Mary, very near. So it's, nice place to visit. One thing I remember that we were eating extremely well. When we visited the area, can you please, tell us about some specific dishes or specific products, or French area? Yeah. There are a lot of, particular products of your French area. One of the most known products. It's also the Scchedule or the Manta Alaudio. So there are different kind of, of Mita, which are really, really great. And then, there's also a lot of, specific kind of fish coming from the lake, which, which are really awesome. Yeah, fish. I remember, quite well because we were served a dish, which was one of my favorite, ones in the in the lifetime. I mean, I'm not a huge fan of lakefish. I prefer I prefer, sea sea fish. But, this lakefish was cooked with, it was baked with bread crumbs on top with butter. And that made it such a great combination. You know, very creamy. You know, this this, this meat, this meat of, lake fish became so tasteful and just became so soft and tender with some herbs. So that was that was really delicious. That was something I wanted to to repeat, when I returned home, you know? Yeah. Probably was the salmerino, which is the name of this, specific patient. Yeah. It's, really, really good. Great. And also, I remember, about the food pairings that during our trip, we were, with with every meal, we were served only French Corte. And I noticed that it's actually very versatile in terms of food pairing because it went well with tartar or with risotto or with, lake fish or with any kind of finger food or starters. It just it's just so versatile. Not not only like Josefrenchicorta, but but just, different cuvettes, different. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Why why do you think is that? What's what's the secret? Yeah. I think it depends a lot, on also the aging of different type of French of Corta. So even we we usually associate, like, bubbles or white wine with fish or vegetables. But, in reality, when you have the right structure, and, you can really have it like also with the pinotyllo, grapes. And long aging. You can pair it also with, with great, meat dishes. And, yeah, it's very, it's really incredible. So for example, talking about French Porta, We have also some friends of quarter with server that have really, really long aging, that usually you can pair also with, with meat. So, well, right now, this week, actually, we are launching, our new French Porta Risarba from, two thousand and four. So two thousand and four vintage would be, two twenty, moms on the lease. So that's, an incredible French quarter with, with a great structure. And it's, it's amazing because it's still like, so fresh in taste that you could never tell that it's a two thousand and four vintage. So it's, twenty years from, from the harvest. Yeah. And so it's incredible how the these wines would evolve, and have this, incredible, like, complexity also. That sounds really fascinating. Would you have this, French to court, during the Italy? Yeah. Yeah. We will have it, for sure. And, we just have, in total, two hundred fifty bottles. So it's a really small selection that we wanted to launch, now just before, in Italy. And it's, just the pinot no grapes. Coming also from, our oldest vines, which are, from thirty to forty years old vines with a great structure, great complexity. So at first, we came out with the the first, Franca Corta Lucreta two thousand and four in, two thousand and ten. But then, since he was, like, so good, our chef de cabo, Lucie, decided to keep also some bottles for longer aging. And so now after twenty years from the harvest, we decide to release, some other bottles of, this incredible, Am I right that that this is your most, renowned wine that the most awarded wine? Yeah. In fact, in two thousand and ten, we acquired a lot of awards with the wine. So it was the Oscar Delino, Tabicari, Patraviti is also the, the most prestigious, awards that we got, were were with, that regrets. So this is also one of the reason why we we decided to get, to keep, some bottles for two age for a longer time. And then, another wine, which was also really strongly award, in more recent years, was, is in Cooper Duper Du grandanata, twenty sixteen. So Cooper Duper do it's also one of the, I could say, flagship of Ranchacorta for Castello Bonami. It's seventy percent of chardonnay and thirty percent of, pinocchio. And, de granda Natta. So when we have really good vintages, we decide to keep our French to court for a longer time on of the lease. So this French to court has, six years of aging on the lease. And, we were awarded, with, ninety seven points by winning Tuesday. And also has a seven best wines of two thousand twenty three. And it was, a great, honor and a great achievement for us. Yes. Indeed. It's very, it's very impressive. Actually, I would be happy to step by, to to stop by your stand between Italy and, taste, some of, some of the some of the labels. That would be really, really a pleasure. Yeah. It will be a great time, and I really hope to see you there. We are in, hole four, and, the boot is e five. And, we will have there all our French of Corta. Another wine that we are presenting, alternately. It's, another leclercia, this time the rosé. So you study four that you tasted are rosé as one of the first wines from Casa lobanami. And, we are launching our friends under French support, and being being in two thousand and eleven. Yes. I'm very curious to taste, really. Thank you so much for invitation. I think it's not only me, but other one enthusiasts, other ambassadors, will be visiting in Italy and opera wine this year. And, so you guys, you know, where to find. Good financial quarter. Is it the lombardy hole, right, am I right? No. Actually, we're in the vanita hole. So the, yeah, the hole four is the one for vanita because since we have Casa Paladina's main health headquarter, we have the all the wines from the different one. Well, that makes it even more interesting. So once once you understand, it's not only French portal, but, also, Also, other minds of of your state, quite interesting. I will stop by. Definitely. We will we'll agree about the timing afterwards. Okay? Yeah. Sure. It will be great to have you there. And also all other, ambassadors, are, are invited. Thank you so much. And what would be, what is your favorite, one of and why? It's so difficult to choose one. Actually, I mean, probably it's also the Delucretia, because it it, it aligns that, has taught us, like, the way to be, like, patient and to wait time, to have such, a great wine and a great reserva. So as when we acquired Castalobon Army in two thousand and eight, Richard Bercini was, already the analogist of, of the winery. And, he, he still is, and, one of the, the most important thing that, we learned also from Caselo Bonomi from him. It's the respect for the the war and also, to to be patient and to keep waiting to have such great results also for for the quality of, our wines. Everything takes time, especially winemaking and excellence, and, it really takes time. You know, I I want to ask, you come from, a winemaker's family, and, you're connected to all these states. And, what what do you actually do as a family with, what, with other activities besides spending time at the winery. Is there any passion of yours? I don't know, like, in sports or arts or any other thing that you enjoy. I really like also So part of the sustainability and also being nature. So I love, going skiing. I love, kayaking, and also running or doing hiking also with my family. So it's, very nice. And we are, like, so lucky to be here and to have, like, this, diversity of places, so easily reachable from, from our house. Yeah. Indeed. I I remember visiting, visiting Casa Paladin, and you have this very special garden of different vines. Can you tell a little about it? I saw it, I think couple years ago. I think it grew and became even more beautiful, but, how did you improve it? And what was the idea behind, behind this, garden? This is Adi Viner that we have, which is called, So the time of the vine. So it's, one actor of vineyard, that we decided to do, both as, researcher and also as a deductive vineyard. So it's divided in two areas. In the right part, we have the historical vineyards where we wanted the to show all the different types. Also, a farming system that are present, in Italy, but also worldwide. And that are important also in the history of, of Viticulture. So we have the Bellucera, which is farming system, really typical of the eastern part of Veneto area, that we have the married vineyard. So there was a a type of a farming system used in the past. We have the alvarallo, which is more typical, like, in Sicily. Going to DV Estresante, which is the bind, the slack by itself. And we did it also planted different kind of varieties. So you can also see and, and touch with your hands the difference, like, on the leaves of the grapes, on, on the barriers of the grapes. So, for example, looking at the same, in a really short area, like, to the tramina grape, which is, like, more pinky, and to the pinot grigio, which is, like, more similar to a red grape variety. Them to a Ygrene variety. And we also planted the some, resistant varieties. And then, one other project we are doing, we have a gallery where we you can, go underneath and see also the roots of the vines, which is, really nice because usually you're not used to see them. And it's a project that we are developing with these with different universities, of milana, of Prasha, of Pada, and of Venice. Are students, coming in there for educational purposes? Yeah. Yeah. And it's open to also different kinds of students so for all types of age. So from universities, but also from for students, of elementary school or high school. It's very interesting. Sounds, sounds like a lot of fun, once you're interested in, in the wine, you really know you really want to know all the aspects how the vine grows and, you know, seeing the roots, seeing different colors and shapes of, bunches and That sounds really fascinating, actually. Yeah. And we also have, an aroma garden. So we planted different accents, that are the most typical essence for the the shants that you find in the wine. So, for example, we always say that the Subignan Blanc has, a tomato leafs Trent. But actually, maybe a lot of people live in cities and don't know, what is the smell of the tomato leaf. And so we have, tomato leaf plants, so people can actually smell, the leaf, and then find it also in the glass of wine. What a great idea? Back to nature, right, all the way. Yeah. Exactly. And also because, now a lot of tourists maybe know the wines, but they don't know what's behind the wine and how you grow the vineyard and, the most also simple things to know to in Viticulture. And here, it's a way where you can actually see them in a small place and really going inside vineyards. So it's not like the typical kind of vineyard, but we have, like, perhaps, really going inside this vineyard so you can really walk through it. If somebody wants to visit you, what's the best way to book a ticket or or how it's usually how you get to see this, beautiful place? Yeah. We have our wine tours on, our website in, Casa Paladina. So people can just book the visitor and come to see the vineyard. Is the visit free or where there is some fee? How is it? We have, a fee, depending on the the type of tasting. They want, to pair with the the visit. Okay. Okay. Thank you so much. I think We usually do the wine tasting and also the visit of, Ethan de la vita. Well, yeah. Definitely. It makes makes sense. Once you visit, vineyard, you it's it's good to taste one as well. We have just a few minutes left until the end of the session. I just want to remind our audience to ask questions if you have any. And I have a a question to you, Franchesca, maybe the the last one or one of the last ones. Since you travel so much with your work, and you talk to all these people about, French Corte about the state. Is there something special that you learned maybe about your area that you couldn't see being in? You know, you couldn't see it from inside, but you learned something. You got some insight when traveling when talking to people about Franco Corta. Mhmm. Probably with the fact that we are so lucky and we sometimes don't realize it so much. And also the fact that you, have all, you need to get your mind inside the other people one. So, to make sure that you explain things in a simple way, because, people that are living in different kind of cultures, they don't have your same mindset. And so, you need to explain it to them, in a simple way and, more immediate. And do people, when they hear about Frenchicorta, usually you're you're the first producer that they taste or they have some experience usually with the with the Frenchicorta wines. Now I think, it's becoming to be a little bit, like, more popular. It's, still quite a niche category also because if you compare Francacorta to other denomination, it's, a lot smaller. So Trans support in total would be twenty million bottles. While, if you go to Champagne, it's, over three hundred thousand. So it's still a small denomination, but people now know a bit more about Transuporta. And also the consortium. It's doing, a great work, on this on the promotion of, of the brand, and of the promotion of, the area. Yeah. Consorts. So I think I subscribed to Instagram and social media of the consortium. They're doing these beautiful events. It looks like, I don't know, Khan's festival. Like, some film festival. All these beautiful people with glasses and beautiful dresses. They're really doing a great job expressing this this good vibe of, beautiful sparkling wine of, Frenchicorta area. It's really about posh life lifestyle, but also being close to the nature to enjoy simple things enjoying good food. You know, to me, Francicorta is all about pleasures of life. Yeah. That's true. Well, thank you so much, Franchesca. I think I will, give the floor back to Leica. Since it's already the time to finish our interview, like, Hi. Okay. That's that was a very good discussion, especially when you cover about tourism, which actually is actually what really drives, people to get to know about wine even more with tourism. Thank you so much for your time. And, yeah, have a good day ahead. Bye. Bye, everyone. Bye. Thank you so much. Thank you. Listen to the Italian wine podcast wherever you get your podcasts. We're on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, HimalIFM, and more. Don't forget to subscribe and rate the show. If you enjoy listening, please consider donating through Italian wine podcast dot com. Any amount helps cover equipment, production, and publication costs. Until next time.
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