Ep. 95 Monty Waldin interviews Alessandra Boscaini (Masi Agricola) | Discover Italian Regions: Veneto

Italian wine podcast. Chinching with Italian wine people. Hello. This is the Italian wine podcast. My name is Monte Wallin. Today's guest is Aleisandro Boscagini from the Masi winery in Balpolicello in the Veneto region of Northeast. Italy welcome. Thank you. Yes. Okay, Addisandra. Tell me a little bit of the family. You're a family member of the winery? Yes. Okay. So just give me a little bit of history of Massey, which is one of the iconic family wineries in Italy. Thank you. And first of all, I represent the seventh generation. The East three of my family linked to the wine production start, in seventeen seventy two when, my family bought the first vineyard based in the heart of, the classic area of tell. And, actually, before we were already working in wine, but we were only traders of wine. As a Viticulture, we started from that date. Seventeen seventy two. Yes. Exactly. I mean, that must make you one of the oldest documented wineries in Italy. Is that correct? Must be one of the oldest ones. No. We have order. In Duscany, yes, much older companies. We are handling the policy because we have, which is part of, we have a cerebral gear estate at the of Dante. And they started in thirteen fifty three. So a few years before us. Fantastic. Yes. Okay. So tell me about the company today. How how big are you in terms of? Do you have your own vineyard to your own wineries. Yeah. We have our own vineyards as well as, we have some, suppliers of grapes. We don't know. We have long term contract and, everything that's happened in the near this, controlled and followed by our technician. Okay. So how much of our polytella do you have? Roughly, your own vineyards? In total, we have, twelve hundred, actors. Thank you. We have also in Frulli, some areas in Tuscany and in Argentina. So this is the total production of Massey. I am in charge of sales department. My brother works in the company is in charge of marketing and his name. And, he also coordinates, the technical group. This is a very important, part of Masi because this was an intuition of my grandfather, Guido, who passed away a few years ago already. His idea was, not to have a superstar winemaker that can do fantastic wine, but bringing his own personality. He wanted to have Mazi wine. So, a wine that is immediately recognized as Mazi. So from this idea, I found that the Mazi technical group, where we have a team of technologists, all all the profession, link to the to the production of a bottles of wine and all that the decision are taken by this group. So I think this is really a clever idea and the distinction of Masi to have this this group. So your total production, how much of your total production is exported? It's a lot because, it's, more or less, ninety percent of our total, turnover comes from export, but I should say with pride because I spent a lot of time in this market that it all Italy is growing even though the economic situation is not fantastic because I think it is very important to be very well known and recognized even in our own garden. Let's say For the Italian cells, is it mainly sold in Venator, your local region, and freely, would you sell to pro principles? We are present on over Italy. We have a net of more than seventy agents. Of course, the majority is done in north east of Italy, but we are present everywhere, Rome, Napoli, Sicily. So across Italy, for example, in, say, Rome, do they buy a particular Mazi style of wine and it may be in Sicily or Naples. They buy a completely different style? How does that work? First of all, Masi is well known for a Marona product. And Marrone is one of the wine that, restaurant cannot have in the wine list. They must have. Cannot not have. Yes. Thank you. They must have. So this is the first, wine that they ask, or that we propose. But then depending on the area, for example, on, on the amalfi coast, we work also with the whites, Rome particularly is an area that, we have always work very well with the amarone because, the taste of amarone, the tasting profile of amarone, is very well appreciated. Is that is that because it goes well with the food? It can be with the food. If you're quite rich, can't do it around road? Yes. Exactly. It it is also, yeah, they like very a structured wine, but also with the, I like to say that Amerona has this, less in a way than easy drink, even though with big shoulder, but the approach is very belvedi, they like this kind of taste. Is there any day? I mean, the Amaroni's become this incredible success story. Mhmm. And we think of recent trends. Obviously, the famous, you know, Bruno, prosseco, Amarroni, are three names that we always hear when we talk about Italian wine. Do you think there's any danger that, as a younger generation comes through? Maybe they don't want such concentrated wines with high levels of alcohol and maybe a little bit of sweetness, or do you still see that amoroni will still be popular? I think amoroni is a an icon. So icon will always remain. But, it's true that the trend also because of health concern is to have lighter wine to drink less. So less also in the structure of wine, but, by sure, Brunoo, Barolo, and their icons will remain. What do you think the next trend will be? You get your magic, your crystal ball out. What do you think that could be? What do you already see as a trend you also mentioned is to have this sweetness in the wine, which is for me not a very good threat is, and for what I see is more, happens, more in the markets were not very used to wine. The more educated markets, they go for, less, less appealing taste, but more serious with the most serious approach. But this is a trend that we are seeing, and I think it's important for the producer is not to follow the trend. You must be conscious what the consumer wants, but maintain your soul and what is possible. You thanks to technology also that you have at your disposal nowadays. You can, adapt, but maintain your your essence. How much market research studio in the Italian market. Is it quite difficult to really find out what Italians like to drink? I mean, could you anticipate, for example, the trend that we're seeing in America and also in the UK, wines, as you said, with a bit more sweetness, but lower alcohol levels. Is that gonna happen in this see? Italy, I think more than other is a very fragmented market because, each region produce wine. You have, really the regionalities. So each region brings more the own wine. So the testing profile being the Italian wine, portfolio so different that change a lot from a region to the other. And, at least at my knowledge, there are not so many research on the Italian market. You have the general data, how many bottles of this kind of the other, but really a study that helps you to understand that the trend is difficult. I use my sales team as, antenna. Antenna. Yes. Exactly. To try to to understand the market. What about America. How important is that for you as a market? It is an important. And which are your which are the states that you work most closely with? We have a national importer. Of course, east coast is very important. For us, I I think if I see Canada that for us is a very important market, I think that we still have a potential in the US. For example, there are several areas, in states that are no not so developed as the East Coast. So we still have a lot to do. But how can you can one winery make a change, or would it have to be a collective effort to gradually help if we can use that word? Those mark markets to get the taste for wine. I think this is a drama of Italian wine. I like drama. No. I mean, the the states, but you can say the same for, Asia, for other markets. We have done a lot as individual companies, a lot of efforts, a lot, a lot of presence in the market, but, all together, we are not very good in doing like this. We have some example. For example, Massey's part of, instituto de Grande market. And, every year, we organize, events in the market where we propose the Italian wine, but is maybe we have, we can do a lot more in terms of institute in terms of being altogether to show to the market what Italy is, it which is complicated. It is, an area where you needed to explain because of the so many autoktans, graceful varieties, the diversity. For example, if you think what, what Italian wine is in China that is, small, still very small, that means that, probably we have not been very good in present ourselves in this manner. Yeah. Now I was gonna ask you about China. Is the Amber style suited to the Chinese market or was that too much of a generalization? No. No. I think as testing profile, I appreciate because it's the richness they appreciate. Masi as many Italian producer, they their strength in the middle range. And nowadays, Chinese, they go either for the very, very iconic and very expensive wine at that point is French wines or very basic everyday wine, and they can source from Chile or from any other countries. So having this gap in between, and it it is where the strength of Italy is, we are a bit in difficulties. Yeah. Well, I'm sure you'll work that out. I mean, I think, it's clearly a market that's going to grow. Oh, yes. By sure. And, and the fact that, you have several, professional importers, but you have a number, huge number of, dealers. Let's see. But, with dealers, sometimes it's difficult to create a brand, create the image, the ability in the market. Yeah. Because you need, and you need to be working with someone that's gonna build your brand Of course. Over a long period of time, not just to use it. Of course. Especially in the market that by tradition is not, wine con consumer. I mean, do you enjoy going to China? Would you find it kind of confusing and overwhelming? No. It's, the first trip I did in China was in ninety seven. Imagine it was a completely different scenario. Few cars, it was a really, you know, also Masey, I should say that, probably is one of the pioneer of Italian wine in China. Of course, every I go probably every two years in China. And every time I go, it's a completely different scenario. It's a bit difficult for me to to follow, but, you know, we have a person in our team who speak, Chinese. He lived in in Shanghai for a few years so he knows the market very well because, the language barrier is very important. Okay. It's something there. So final question, I'm into organics. I'm afraid. Mhmm. Do you have any organic projects? Yes. Go on. Tell me? No. They are not projects. They are realities. Okay. We we produce we have two winery that are organic. The one in Argentina. It is called, Masito Pungato. So it's close to Mendoza. And over there, we produce a three wines, certified, organic. And it's a very particular project because, we, over there, we planted the Italian varieties. We matched together with local at this for the white and the red. And, we use the pacimento. So we have a passo doublet that is produced with the double fermentation and the corvina, we planted there, and we blend together with my back. So it's a very it's a modern wine, very suitable for, a cosmopolitan consumer. In Argentina or for exports? Both. Both. We sell in Italy everywhere. We use our mazinet to to distribute this wine. And then we have our winery in in Tuscany. Sergei in Tuscany. It's called the and we produce an red IGT that is certified organic. In it is still, difficult to have organic because of the climatic condition. But, of course, we, we put a lot of effort and attention in order to have a sustainable agriculture but all everything we do in our company is, really, with a close eye on what we can do for the earth and nature because, I think we owe a lot. I was gonna ask you about climate change, actually. How is that affecting. It's affecting because every year, we don't know what is going to happen as, as of the last harvest, who is a bit, I should say bizarre. Even though in the classic area of Fort Felicello, we have been lucky. Two thousand and seventeen harvest. Yes. Yes. Has been a disaster for many for many areas in the classic area for, we have been lucky. And I should say that we noticed that the indigenous grape varieties has been affected less by the crazy weather we had them. So it it is like in the centuries, if the people have selected those varieties, probably there is a reason, they can grow better than other in our region, you know, in the area. Okay. Sandra Boscarini from Mazi in Balpolicella. Thanks very much for coming in today. Been, great talking to you. Obviously, I'm very interested in the organic stuff. It's fascinating to hear from a family that's been really at the heart of the Ameroni revolution. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. Thank you very much. Follow Italian wine podcast on Facebook and Instagram.