Ep. 416 Vladislav Markin

Italian wine podcast. Chinchin with Italian wine people. Hello. This is the Italian wine podcast. My name is Monte Walden. My guest today is Vladislav Markin. Gladys Laff is multi talented and multi qualified. He was the best Sommelier in Russia in two thousand and thirteen. In two thousand and fourteen, the best young Sommelier in Russia, you're a graduate of the Inotria wine school, and you're a Via Binitan International, ambassador, And you are certified a I s. What does a I s stand for just to remind everybody? This one is the, the sommelier internacional. So, like, intonational sommelier association. So you're you're based in Moscow right now. Yeah. Is that where you grew up? No. Actually, actually, I'm from the region side. I'm from the quite small town, which is about, half of the million of occupation. And, it's called Penza. So, I grew up there. I finished the main university there. And then I moved to Moscow for the, exactly, for the wine school, for the Inotria, and then state there. So why did you go from normal school to wine school? Why didn't you go to farm school or astronaut school? You know, it it was, like, to make this story short, it was the, you know, it it it was a bit occasionally. I was working in the restaurant sphere for the, I think, for the five years, at that moment. And, I was first, I was the assistant of the waiter, then I was the waiter, then I was the manager, then I became the bartender, and, then I got the responsibility for the wines, and I was absolutely out of any knowledges about, about the wines. So for me, there was, like, you know, like, the French wines are the most prestigious for that moment and something like this. And so, my manager told, like, you need to go to the wine school, and, we pick the in Austria as, as one of the main wine schools. And I think it's really, like, the best wine school in Russia that we have for for the moment And during the education there, I decided, like, to to stay with the wine. I was absolutely excited about the differences, about the quantities, about the grape varieties, about the regions, about the people who make this wonderful wines. And so I decided to link my life with, with the wine. So you obviously, you were you were studying whilst having a full time job or full time jobs. Did you manage to visit any any foreign regions? During the study time? During during the studying time? No. Because it was, like, half of the year, five days a week, about four or five hours a day for the, tastings theory. Unfortunately, not that much of the practical side. So, like, how to be a sommelier, but mostly, like, theory. And so, the visiting of the regions, I was doing, like, by myself, in the, in the next future. So after finishing and after graduating, like, in, in the next half of the year, I was already in, in France. Okay. So you had, you had no doubt at all. You knew what you wanted to do. You studied, you stuck with it. And, you, your path, your career path was was forward to the very early age. And Yeah. It it was really, like, first, I was thinking to, to come back to the restaurant I was working in, and, Actually, I talked with a with a manager and said, like, I'm really amazed with the wines. I'm really amazed with the Moscow, and I want to stay here. And he wasn't against this. And so, everything got absolutely positive. And so I stayed in Moscow. And after the wine school, I got the, the job offer for a new restaurant and to be in charge of the wine and the wine portfolio for this restaurant. But do you, did you do any teaching? Once you, obviously, you were taught and you learnt and you passed your exams. And then, did you become a teacher yourself? Yes. Yes. Actually, I think I think after an a year, I was already doing some some classes in the in this in the same school, actually, in the, in the Notria. And they gave me first, so just few, just few classes for the, for the practical side, like how to be a simulator, how to make the wine list, how to decant wines, how to serve wines, how to work with, with the distribution companies, how to make the, pricing for the wine list. And afterwards, I had already some, theoretical classes for, like, for Italian wines, for French wines, and for the new world wines as well. You know, of all the things that you learn as a sommelier, what was the most, rewarding aspect of it to you, if this idea of learning and and then teaching. Learning and then teaching, you know, I think that the main thing and, like, the best thing in this, in this job is, these people. Because you always meet different, interesting, multi, you know, multi sided people and, to speak with, with the winemakers, with the technologists, with the other some ideas with the clients in the restaurants. It's just it's just amazing. I I really love to communicate with the different people. That is why I think this, this job is is absolutely suits for the for the people who love, to conversate, who love to speak, who love to, show your skills, and it's it's brilliant. What is what is the thing that people studying like you've studied, obviously, you did it very easily because, you know, you you're obviously a very good student. For for normal human beings, what is the most difficult part, the part they find most hard to grasp when they're learning what you did regarding, being a sommelier. You know, I think the the the most difficult side is, first of all, the lack of time, because usually you're a lacking of time and, like, to Sometimes you need to select between, studying and, working and seeing your parents, for example, or your friends and, doing some sports or doing some hobbies. So the the timing is is is the is the main difficulty. The second thing I I think is, is the opportunity to collect and to memorize because some people, they, you know, they can read ten times, one article and can't, you know, focus on this and cannot fix the information which they just got. Some people, they just see the article and they remember everything till the last, letter. So I think that depends on the, on the memory and on your opportunities to memorize a huge amount of information about vintages, about producers, about regions, about hectares, about affiliations and all this stuff. So two thousand and fifteen, you were studying the Sommelier certification, AIS, and you were doing Vine Italy International Academy. How did that go, Harry? And how do you stay focused on on those similar but two different, approaches. The the aussie, aussie was, a big challenge, because, I first went for the aussie certification, and I failed. Because of some theoretical sides, I passed the the practice side, the serving, the blind tasing, but the theory was a bit weak for that moment because it was the first time I've seen the, the certification of the aussie, and it was really tough. There was so many themes and so many regions and countries, which you need to be well educated. So I wasn't expecting to, you know, to spot, for example, Indian vineyards or, Japanese vineyards. In the, in this certification course. So I wasn't prepared. The second time I went, it was much easier because you, you already understand, how to how to manage everything, how to be prepared for different questions and different sides and, like, how to prepare about not only wines, but also about spirits, about beer, about about gastronomy. And so it was much easier. But, anyway, it was really tough for me. I think as it was the the most toughest thing, I was passing during the, like, the last time. With with the VIN Italy certification, it was a bit easier, and it was much funnier. Because, Stevie Kim, she always loved to tell this story how I have passed the, the certification for the Vineita ambassador because she's telling actually the truth because all the time, she was seeing me in the sitting in the bar, drinking the champagne and speaking with some other people or speaking with a bartender and not even learning, but, I don't know how I've just I've just passed because Anyway, I was studying for sure it wasn't any joke and wasn't going to verona just to hang around and drink champagne in the bar. But I don't know. I was I was just taking all the information that Eand Agata and other professors were giving. So for me, Italian wine is, like, is the most it's just for me. I'm not saying that Italian wine is easy. For me, it's much easier to understand Italian wines then, for example, French or German wise German is is is disaster. So, you know, I I really love Italy. Italy is one of my, like, most favorite countries. So I think it was much easier to learn what you love. Yeah. I suppose that, yeah, that that does help, isn't it? And, especially with Ian, a lot of, jokes as well, some of which are are non repeatable. So when you're, learning about age thing, for example, which, a lot of people do find really difficult. When they know what the the bottle is, it's easy when they don't know what's in the bottle because they can't see the label. They find it very difficult. What are your do you have any particular technique in in approaching blind tasting or even open tasting? With the with the open tasting, it's it's easier. For me, actually, there is only one thing I always mention for the for the students and for the friends that I'm mostly trying to concentrate on the taste of the wine on the palette, then for the for the aromas or for the color. So for me, it's the the biggest influence in the wine. Open or blind is the taste. So some people, they're always focusing on the aromas and trying to pick the wine and blind, for example, for the classic aromas or for the individual aromas but I'm trying to focus on on the taste on the palate. For the blinds, I always suggest to believe in yourself and, to remember your first idea about the wine. So you take a sip and you just, you know, you can have a like, like, a miracle blink in your head, like, oh, I think this is, brunello de Montalcino, vintage two thousand and nine. I was drinking this one, and I really think that it's the same bottle, maybe just from another producer. So all the time, I'm, you know, I'm having a part in the, in the blind tasing. I'm having this, like, miracle image of the one or of the vintage or of the one label of the exact one. So I think you really need first just to remember anyone you have tasted, which tastes similar to this wine. And, usually, some people, they are trying, you know, to to to take it more difficult. And they are trying to remember ten wines which, taste or or smell the same as as this blind wine that you're having in the glass. I think you need to decrease this number and just to think about one or two or three wines, but not about the dozen of wines which you have tasted and which looks similar to this one. So, basically, in your idea, when you when you smell a wine and then you taste it, you're thinking it could be it we it could drop into any one of a number of groups, but these groups have three members at the maximum. Yeah. I think I had to keep it easy, sir. Okay. So so key key smells or key textures or key even key colors, I guess, I would imagine would be some of your criteria for for what goes in that particular box. Right? Yeah. Yeah. For sure. Because if you will remember, for sure, you will, you know, you will decrease the chance to pick the one and to tell the truth, because you can remember the wine from all around the globe. And, if you work, for example, for ten years in the wine, you can I don't know? It's it's just numerous, of the wines you have tasted during the ten years of working as the sommelier or or as the wine educator. So you will have plenty of the variants to pick the wine. But if you will decrease this and think about of, I don't know, of about of three wines, of three particular different wines, and then just pick which one is, much closer to the wine that you are having now. So everything will be done. So just give us the names of some of the, some of the famous fine dining establishments you've been associated with over your career? You know, I was I was mostly working in the in Moscow. So I I was trying to go abroad somewhere to, you know, to have, a short period or short practice somewhere. I was speaking with, a few restaurants in London, but unfortunately, it's too complicated for Russians to have a working visa to, to England. So, we didn't made any, any experience with this. In Moscow, I had the really good job experience and the fine dining restaurants. You know, first, I was working in the prestigious seafood restaurant, which is called Lamare. They have, the fantastic selection of the fish and the seafood and enormously great and enormously expensive wine list. So one of the best wines I have tasted. It was during the working experience in the Lamare. Then I was the head chef of the Kiminski Hotel in Moscow. And we had a brilliant chef from Austria. He was super talented, and he was, again, focused on the seafood and fish. I think he was doing the best this soup. I have ever tasted. It was just amazing. I all the time, I remember this soup. It just It's just amazing. It's just brilliant. And then we, I had the experience with, chain of the restaurants called White Rabbit Family. And two of these restaurants, they are listed in the top fifty best restaurants of the world by Aquapana and Sanpellegrina. It is the restaurant white rabbit and the restaurant selfie. And I was working in both of these restaurants. So if we would have a mission guide in, in Russia, I think these two restaurants would definitely have maybe one or, or maybe even two stars by the mission because the chefs are super talented. They're focused on the local ingredients, on the local products, and they create fantastic dishes now with the influence of the Russian cuisine as well, but also doing this in the European style So, it was a great experience, and they they were super talented. Now we are just we had friends, so, still keep the contact. So what about Russian cuisine? You mentioned some of the Russian dishes dishes there? Matching with, Italian wine. Just give us a few of your favorite, combinations. You know, we had an, during this period, working with the white rabbit family. We had the restaurant. It was called, kutuzov's t five. Or simply K five by the address. And this was the restaurant of the emperor style of the Russian cuisine. So our chefs, they took the old books with receipts, with the dishes, which were stored in the emperor time in Russia, and they recreated these dishes, and it was just stunning. Because simply, people think about the Russian cuisine that it is really heavy, that is that is borscht, that is, you know, a lot of potatoes using for the sides or even as the main dish that everything is, hardly boiled. Everything is super fried. So something like similar to the Alzassian cuisine or as the German cuisine, but the emperor style of the Russian cuisine, it was super delicate and super elegant by the taste. They used a lot of the game. They used a lot of the poultry and everything was served, like, really closer to the French cuisine than for the for the German. So in that restaurant, we had all the wines from all around the world. And, I really like how they have been doing the, I think we can call it some sort of crop, dumplings. And, the crop dumplings, they were served with, with the cream, with the cream sauce. And I had the fantastic bottle of Corte Franca by, Bella Vista. And, it was the fantastic combination because the same texture, the wine is quite oily, quite creamy. It is barrel aged. So it's the the oak influence in the wine is quite pronounced. And the texture of the dish was just brilliant. So the combination was fantastic on the on, like, on this criteria of the creaminess, of the butter. So it was just just superb. Also, we had the deer, and they have been doing the, like, some sort of the of the deer. And I had the bottle of Barolo of the vineyard Liste made by bourgogneo. I think at that time, I had the vintage two thousand and nine, and the combination was fantastic. There were some grilled vegetables on the side. And, you know, this like forest nuances, like autumn nuances, and having this brilliant expression of the barolo. It was just just amazing and super delicious. So if we come to, to visit Moscow, what are the hidden gems for lesser known areas or activities, places to visit besides the most obvious, well known Moscow landmarks? By the way, have you been in Moscow already or or not? Not yet. I'm afraid. Yeah. Because, if you have been here, for example, five years ago, and, if you will come now, you wouldn't be able to recognize the Moscow because everything is changing so fast. And, Moscow is becoming really, really open for the tourists and for the foreigners. And the city is, you know, it's really evolving and it's becoming, more suitable for the pedestrians for walking around for sightseeing, for having a glass on the summer terrace. And it's it's becoming really, really beautiful year to year. I moved to Moscow, like, eight years ago, and, I see the the the pictures, which I've done, like, eight or seven years ago, and I cannot recognize the same place now because, really, Moscow is, there's some some big changes coming over there. So there is so many activities, so many things to do. And, if you would have to go to Moscow, please don't pick, like, one or two days, you need to come for a week at least. Because there are so many parks, there are so many restaurants, there are so many hidden bars, there are so many theaters, museums, and some other activities. You know, you would have the, super, super sharp agenda for a week, like, to see just a tiny piece of Moscow because you can go one day for the eighty six floor of the Moscow City is the area with skyscapers. And, there are some restaurants which are located on the eighty fours or eighty fifths floors. So you can have the panorama for the Moscow, and especially when it becomes, darker. The lights turn on, and it's just, you know, it's some sort of, Hong Kong, some sort of, New York, and it it looks really similar. So, many, many people we met, during the fifa championship, on two thousand eighteen, and they were just completely amazed about the conditions of, Moscow and how everything is look like there. So some people, they still think that we are having bears on the streets, but we mostly have summer terraces and wine bars and beautiful ladies and beautiful people and beautiful streets So if you will have the opportunity to come, just take a week or maybe even a few weeks to see everything just because it's amazing. And the best time of year to visit? I think the best time is from, starting from May till, October because anyway, the, the winter is unpredictable. It could be really cold and windy and wet. So the summer period is much better for this. Because the restaurants are opening the summer terraces, which are beautiful, which are having all these flowers. And, you know, it's just fancy and beautiful because the winter is is crazy. It could be, completely snowy or it it can be no snow on the next year. So it's it's like a random. And what are the, Russian wine growing regions Do you have any? And if so, what are their names? Yes. Yes. Yes. We are having now the the Russian wine, and we are having the, like, the quite dynamic, wine industry in Russia because more and more wineries are opening year to year. And, particularly, we are having two sides where all the wine regions are located. So the first one is Crimea, which we which was Russian side, then Ukrainian side, and it was like the historical place for the wine growing. Previously, it was the the area for the making fortified wines like port wine, Marcella, Sherry, something like this. They were even using these names on the labels, port wine, Marcella, Madera, it was against the rules of the appalachians for sure. And the second area is, like, the cross not that region. So it's south of Russia, near the Black Sea. And there are some places which are Cuban, Gilenjik, are located, Rostof, and now we are having, like, the situation that all the, some sort of affiliations, they are just now are added So we don't have strict appalachian rules now. So, like, how to treat the vineyards, which grapes you can use on this area, what is the yield, what is the minimum, what is the maximum yield, and everything like this. We are mostly focused on the, like, territory on, and, on exact place, where the vineyard is located. So I think in a, in a short future, we will have some sort of appelation system, in Russia as well because our government is, is very, I think, very interested in, promoting the brand of, Russian wine. Quite rightly because, internationally, you know, wine has become, as you say, or as you suggested, an important sort of flagship for for many, many countries, obviously Italy and France, etcetera, Germany. So why not Russia? So when, the restrictions on movement from COVID stop, and you can get to Italy where will be your first visit? You don't need you don't need to choose one. That's the that's the that's the fair question because I really hope that we would have the opportunity to to come to Italy in the in the October. And I would definitely go to Pemonte to have the taktou for Bianco and to have the white truffle with a nice Barolo or with a nice barbaresco because my favorite region in Italy is Pemonte. I really love this, and I have so many connection with this region, and with the people from this region. I also like Alto Adigi. I really love the wines from this, that region. I was, on Sicily in this January, I actually, I actually spent the New Year Eve on near Aetna. And so I think I would love to go again to the Sicily because I have fantastic memories of that period But I think the the first time I would go to Pemonte for sure because, you know, having so many friends who are linked with wineries or with the restaurants and I really love Pemonte. I really love the Pemonte cuisine. I really love the people of this region, and I would love to go there. Yeah. It's a very complex region to get to know. I I think probably the songs love the the kind of the the the degree of difficulty as well, of course, of the the food and wine, pairings. But, anyway, I wanna thank you very much for for coming on the Italian wine podcast today and telling us about your your career, you know, you literally knew nothing about wine, and you've become a very important person in the Russian weinstein, not just in your native country, but also abroad, and, we wish you continued success. And we wish you, Russia also it's, goodwill for its future wine region. Thank you so much, Monty. Thank you for for the And thank you for fantastic questions. I was really, like, with a, with a great memories now and, like, remembering some, some trips and some, people I have met in Italy, you know, just sometimes it's even cool to remember your, your background and your working experience and, all these interesting things of the, being formally in Russia or sometimes not even in Russia. So thank you so much for the, for the invitation. Yeah. No problem. And I hope to see you. Hope to see you, in Verona sometime, if not, in Moscow. I hope you, you would have an opportunity to come to Moscow, and, I will definitely show you this fantastic city with a super huge amount of opportunities and places to go. Look forward to that, buddy, sir. Thank you so much. Take care. Take care. Thank you so much. Listen to the Italian wine podcast wherever you get your podcasts. We're on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, 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 and publication costs. Until next time. Chichi.