Ep. 1 Monty Waldin interviews Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini of Altesino Winery | Discover Italian Regions: Tuscany / Toscana

Italian wine podcast. Chinching with Italian wine people. Hello. My name is Monte Walden, and I'm talking to Elizabeth Nudi Angelini. Is that right? Yes. Yes. Is that right? You you have, lots of lots of wineries. Can you just tell us how many wineries you have and what the names are and where they are, please? Just so we we're all clear. Okay. I own four wineries, and they're very easy to remember because they are in alphabetical order. It was just a coincidence. Just like it, but, that's the way it is. Altezino is the number one. And, I'm here with Altezino wine. B is Borgoscoppetto in the Chianti classico area. C is Caparto. Caparto is in Montalcino again, like Altezino, and D is doga. Dogadelle Clavalier is, an estate close to the sea in Marima Tuscana, and we do Morilina Vermentina over there. Okay. So Morilina, Wisconsin is a Sanjay based red and Verintino is a dry white. Yes. Yeah. One of my favorites as well. So, I mean, you say you have, in a state, Bogo, Borgos Copetin, Cianti classico. Okay. And then you have two montacino wineries for bruno, which is Alticino Capartso. And then you have dogo deli. Clalave on the Tuscon coast in Morilina, which is a sangiovese based red, which to which you can add some border grapes, if you like. All my wines are sangiovese based. Okay. I'm a sangiovese Greek. Groovy. I say. Groopy. You're a fan. Yes. Alright. Also a groupie but also a fact. Okay. So, but when you were small, what was your dream? I'm guessing you didn't dream you'd end up being a wine girl, or did you? Not a wine girl. Of course. When you're a kid, you don't dream about wine, of course. But, I was dreaming to go and live in the country. I grew up in a big city. Rome was raised and grew up there. And, my, my dream, all my life was to go and live in the country. Of course, when I was a baby, I was dreaming to do in the country to produce fruit and to make the best jelly and the best jam in the world. I end up doing the same thing about but with very precious fruit that is grape and, and, of course, making wine now. Where where did you get the inspiration for the jelly and the jam idea? What was the key? We used to have a summer house in the country close to bologna. We used to grow peaches and apples and that's why. Okay. So you you dream too. I mean, did you used to make jam as a as a child? No. Because that was just your dream. Were you a good cookie when you were a child? It was my dream. Yes. It was like a fantasy, basically. You didn't actually do it. Yeah. No. We didn't do it. So how hands are on? I mean, obviously, you got four wineries. That's an incredible responsibility, you know, in terms of how hands on can you be doing that or, or your or your children. Are they interested in the winemaking as well? I hope so. Okay. You have a very strong view about, organic and environmentalism. What's what makes your your winery so special regarding, the environment? I have a son who is a, we are very strong and very organic oriented, really, all my family. And, I have a son who graduate and became an environmental engineer. And, we are always studying and trying to be far ahead of the everyone, everybody else. And that we are trying to try to pollute the last weekend. And, we find out, that the best way was to the news any energy, any electricity, but to produce our own energy, but clean. Like, of course, Fotable Tike, we have Fotable Tike all over in the four wineries, there are Fotable Tike partners all over. In Burgostopetto, for example, We don't have only the winery where we make the Chante Chico, but we have a big village. That's why the name, Borgoscoppetto used to be a little town and now it's a relish at all. It's a it's a hotel. And, all the parking are with the photovoltaic roof. And, of course, we cannot destroy the roof of the ancient building, and we didn't touch any of those but everywhere we were able to, we put photovoltaic. And the second thing, we are putting biomass, furnace to produce energy out of all the leftover from harvest and wood, bushes, everything we have to burn, we burn it over there. And you use that? You recycle that as energy? Yes. Yeah. Okay. Yes. We are almost independent from electricity. We it's going to be a short short step and we will be independent. So that was, your son. What's his name, your son? Who devised that system for you? Igino. The son my son's name is Igino. It's a strange Italian name, very unusual, but that's the way it is. Okay. And what about your daughter? What's she called and what does she do? Alexandra. Alexandra is a very smart girl. I'm very proud of my daughter. She's a aerospace engineer, and she was working until this January for, Rolls Royce, in Virginia, projecting engine for the new seven eighty seven Boing airplane. And they wanted to renew the contract to her, but she said, no, I have to go and help my mom. My mom is getting old. I have to help her. So she is she who who is more your natural successor, your daughter or your son? Is it Jennifer? Is he is he interested in, okay? He's done he's done your daughter. Wine business, my daughter, for sure, because my son not only is taking care of all the environmental part of my wineries, but is, building warehouses. He has another job and is building warehouses, and they are, of course, energy efficient, very beautiful warehouses because our house is the most, you say, horrible and sad building, you can you can see in a city. But if you do full of colors and with a very smart roof with photovoltaic system with the the recuperation of the waters and all those things that is doing, you can have a beautiful warehouse because you need warehouses anyway. And it's a very good build their own warehouse. Do you think he can design a sort of, a Boeing seven four seven sheds? You know, they're there, but they're all with panels on the top, and then we all feel a bit She will put the airplane underneath. We feel a little bit less guilty about flying. She's she's an airplane. She can She's a pilot. My son but she does. Multi talented family. So so you said you're from Bologna, which many people consider the gastronomic capital of Italy. What do you like as a cook at home? Oh my gosh. We love to eat and to cook a lot. Our number one dish probably is, I don't know, it's tortellini. We do that for Christmas. We do that for every holiday. It's the typical dish of bologna, and it's in our heart. Even if we live in Tuscany, and we have many beautiful dishes in Tuscany too, but we have to bring something from our tradition. I love the tortellini in the soup with broth. Okay. Made out of chicken and, and beef to look at the clear broth. Yeah. Yes. My my sound engineer is salivating. He's putting his thumbs up. It was almost almost a bit, but do you ever do tortellini would like, say like a ragula or tuscan, because that's too heavy. Yeah. I don't like them. I prefer it with in the soup. Okay. So when you're having your wine at home, obviously you've got lots of wines to choose from. Are you very particular about matching a wine to food or would you just say, look, I've got this in the fridge and this was in the oven, and that's what we're gonna have this evening? Absolutely. That's the way it goes. Now, we are not picky. And especially we open a bottle what we feel like. Tonight, maybe we're gonna have some more elena, more elena in the refrigerator because it's hot outside and it's beautiful to drink a cold red wine. It's the only red wine that you cool it up. And, but sometimes I feel like La Grange. La Grange is one of my favorite wine is a white wine made out, chardonnay, sauvignon, and it's beautiful. We do it in Capartso. Sometimes you feel like this is a montousley night. A montousley is the wine that gave to us. That's your best brinella plus isn't it? The montousley. Yeah. For now. Yeah. And especially we find out that this the top line of the room over there because it's the one who got the highest score. A gentleman came to me with a book saying, oh, you are the lady with the highest score. I said, oh, great. I didn't know, but I just when you came to catch me and and then just find that out. No no wonder you're smiling. I mean, do you I mean, you know, obviously journalists and we don't want to talk too much about horrible journalists like me, but I mean, do you do you avidly read what people say? You said, listen. I met the one how I like it. If people like it, they do if they don't, but not too bothered. I read what I know It's true. There are many journalists, for example, in Italy that are sometimes I don't I don't trust them too much and I I don't lose my time reading those. And what what what is what is your sort of next challenge or your next ambition? You said, you know, we talked about the success of your children. I mean, what where do you see yourself in five or ten years' time? I have a dream. No. I I'm a lucky lucky person. I wasn't lucky for so many things in my life, but now I'm very lucky person because I was able to succeed in everything I was dreaming of. I have a last little dream that is close to me, a beautiful castle. And, if I ever have the chance to buy it, then I will make a beautiful properties between Capart Naltesino and will be fantastic. Yeah. I think I think I know what the the name it, but I know exactly which castle you're talking about. It's fantastic. It's like almost like, Don't name it. Yeah. I won't. It's, it's leaders like a fantasy castle is an amazing place. Beautiful situation. Yeah. It's beautiful, but it's very badly kept. And it's like whenever I pass in front of that, I'm so sorry that is like that and can be a beautiful building and recuperation to make everybody to visit and make a sort of museum and, maybe a few suites to host all the people are coming to visit us. And So you're quite I mean, you you, you know, some people in wine are always very afraid of voicing their opinions, and you're very you're very open about what you think. You're you're very sort of black and white. You you you you say what you think and you you think what you say. That was my problem. All my life. I am only enemies. So I don't I don't know. I have many, many friends, but, I have many enemies. No, I don't believe that. I think you also have, you're very lucky. I mean, you talked about families. How how important they are, and you've obviously got two children that are incredibly talented And, it's it's lovely to see them actually working with their mom, you know, and getting stuff done and and, you know, because, you say you're quite a strong wheel person. It can't always be easy for them, but, I said to her, it's time for me to retire. I will take I'll take care of the castle and you will take care of the business. I would love to do that. And will she be happy to do that? Do you think? Big responsibility? We'll see. So you wouldn't be like a backseat driver saying, oh, no. You should do this or you would really just say, okay. Now it's your No. No. No. No. The second I leave she has to start it her own way. Will you launch a rival sort of brand of jam, finally, and finally get your get get get her into doing that? Feel feeling about childhood dream. Yeah. Probably for my grandchildren, probably. Okay, Elizabeth Nudy Angeline. It's been fascinating to talking to you very rarely. As I said before, I love someone that voices, voices their opinion. You've been a great interviewee, and I'll see you in Tuscany hope sometime. Thank you very much. I hope so because I know you're close by and you have to come and see me. Okay. I've got no excuse. Alright. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Follow us at Italian wine podcast on Facebook.