Ep. 1972 Garganega, Grillo, Nebbiolo by Nixon Munga | Italian Grape Geek

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 Italianpodcast dot com, or wherever you get your pods. Welcome to the Italian Great Geek Podcast. Join us as we explore personal stories of travel and tasting with Italy's must know grape for idols. Short your own course with my Italian Great Geek journal. Your personal tasting companion to accompany the series, available now on Amazon with thanks to Colangelo and partners for their generous support with this project. Wanna Sarah Adutti from Nairobi Kenya. Hello, everyone. My name is Nickon Munga. I'm an Italian wine ambassador from Kenya. I'm a beverage consultant as well. I'm based in Nairobi Kenya, and I'm so glad that you could join me. Now a little bit more about myself. I'm in my sixty nine architecture. So a little bit deviating from what I did. I started, my wine journey in the first year of architecture school. Then after some time, I decided to go professional about it. At some point, one of my mentors in the industry called Toria Munoki referred me to the program. And so far, it's really been fantastic, Jared. It's really been an eye opener into the wonderful wines of Italy. So take a journey with me through Italy through its famed vineyards and through its same famed wines. Today, we are starting with the Nebula. Nebula, if you know your grapes or something about Italy, it's just a darling of wines in Italy. So Nebula is considered to be one of the greatest varietals in Italy as well as one of the oldest that dates back centuries. It is famously referred to as grip that makes the king and queen of Italian wines that is in the name of Barolo and Babaresco. Nebula obviously then makes some of the most famous and most sought after Italian wines like Gaia Babaresco's and barrelers. It is very native to the northwestern part of Italy and is mainly grown in the areas of Piedmont, Lombadi, and their host valley. Or this back so many centuries and pliny the elder famously referred to it as nebula, which in Latin based would be nebula that is meaning fog. But then it's close to the Italian one, nebula, which means fog. If you go to the viral region during autumnal fall, you find, you know, the values, have this fog really in the morning. And that's what it refers to. Or the bloom that is found on the grape. Now it has synonyms to it as well. In the altopiamonte, it's referred to as spanner. In the Vaultliner, it's referred to as a Kiavanaske, in the house of valleys referred to a pico tender, and in the Valdeo, Osoba, it's referred to as the pendant. It has several bio types, but the most that are prevalent, lumpia, McKet. And previously, Neiola Rosay was a biotope, but now it's been the distinguished as an individual grape. Now the lumpia biotope is the one that has taken root in Italy and the other is mostly used in Viticulture. Now some characteristics of the grape. The grape in the biolo is alibading and lip brightening. So that means that, it needs a long growing season to fully mature. Then it also requires ample sunlight as well. So most of the time, gear training is preferred and, where you don't have ample sun or in cooler climates, then, south facing slopes preferred. And in barolo, those are referred to as the bricker or the top of the hill that are referred to us, sorry, in barolo. And that is where you get the most luminance. You get the warmth that you need to ripen your grip. Then it's also important you have good canopy management for it to ripen properly. One thing that about nebuto as well is that it has a low basal fertility so it requires long canes And it is very sensitive to spring first and rain. It's quite resistant to biotritis, so it has no problems with rot, and it is very suited to clay and limestone soils. So Neobiolo in particular expresses terroa very distinctive, and it exhibits subtle differences between whether it, vintages and, different aging processes or different aging regimes. That a wine maker may decide to incorporate. So with this, especially with the soils, I will advise if you want to see or if you want to put batch to the test, then probably try Nebula from different regions. Perhaps you could try a nebulo from the Lancay region, then maybe a nebulo from the railroad, then a nebulo from the alto piemonte, maybe a Valtelina nebulo as well as a valve diopter nebula, and you'll start to see the subtle differences of how nebulo expresses itself differently because of, climate, but also because of the soils. Now When you have Nebula when you test Nebula, you'll find that it is very pale colored, and this is because of the high levels of unacylated anthocyanins, mostly after about fifty percent, sean seanine and peanine, and these are unstable. And so you'll find that not have so much color to it. In fact, easily oxidizes. And the color can range from ruby to granite. But then on the nose, it's very aromatic. You will find perfume deromas of violets, roses, some balsamic herbs, some red fruits as well of cherries most of the time, strawberries and cranberries. Also, Nebula lends itself really well to barrel aging or oak aging, but then you want to do it in such a way that it does not completely take away from the main fruit components. Then as Nebula ages, you'll find that it checks on this very haunting savory aromas of earth and dried leaves, I would say, almost sort of like autumnal leaves, some leather, mushroom truffles, tah, and a really fantastic nose. Now on the structure, it's most of the time high in the cbd. High in turning, and the body sometimes can be a medium to medium plus. In very rare circumstances, will you find that nebulo is very full bodied, but it happens. Traditionally, it is vinified as steel wine, But over time, you found that people are experimenting, blank, and also with spumante wines. For myself, my first experience with the bureau was sometime back, I believe, in twenty twenty one when I first tested one that is available in the market in Iairobi and that is VAT. I'll be honest with I did not like it. It was so tiny and I was just like, how can wine taste so. But then Now that I have more experience and know I've embraced the great variety itself, I've started liking it, I believe. And especially the aged ones that are a little bit softer and more complex, Those are the kind of nebulos that you want to go for. I would advise, especially for your bar rollers and barberiskers or your lying nebulo. Those are the ones to be ideally at least four years old. In terms of benchmark producer, PHSRA comes to mind that has been producing Barulo for quite some time, as well as VAT. Babolo Macharillo comes to mind as well as Renato Rati. But then, also, when you think about pairing your nebulo based wines with your food, as I mentioned, this is high in acidity, highly tonic. So you need something that is quite fatty and can stand up to the tannin. And for that, I would say mature cheeses go really fantastic with Nebula grilled red meats as well. Comes to mine. So if you have your barbecue or your grilled meat just on the grill, in Kenya, we have a Kenyan barbecue peel, which is, yamashoma, and that is simply grilled me maize meal, which is commonly known as ugali. That is really fantastic, as well as a meaty oily fish would be really fantastic for pairing with Nebula. So go to your wine shop, go to wherever you get your wines from us for a fantastic bottle of Nebula, maybe a barolo, a bar barreco, say, like, a latin nebula as well, or something like a Valtilina, to really be fantastic. In the Kenyan market, ones that are available in the market, brands such as Pronoto, VAT, G. D. Varcia, as well as Pruditori del Babaresco. Here's to enjoying some Nebula and liking the Italian wine. Hello again. This time we are discussing Gaganaga journey to the north eastern of Italy where you find the pictures region of Veneto where Gardga is mostly planted. It is particularly prevalent in the verona and Vicenza provinces and produces really fantastic swale wines So anytime you have a Swave wine in front of you, you know, you have Gaganager. So what really is Gaganager similar to Nebula. It is one of the oldest and most important varieties and I believe about the sixth most planted variety. Being very important, then it also has a first degree relationship with many other varieties that are available in, Italy. And I will say it has a parent relationship with them. These varieties include, varieties such as Cartarato in Italy, Trebana, in Tuscany, Alabama, in Amelia, Romania, and many others varieties that are descended from Garganaga. In Sicily, it is known as Grechanico de rata. So there are two distinct varieties. We have, Garganaga, which is equivalent or synonymous with the Grecanico Dorato, and that is the most grown Gaganager. And then we also have Gaganager Groza. Now Gaganager itself is very intolerant to winter temperatures, and its aromatic character is influenced by, the climate and the soils in which the vineyards or the vines are grown. Now, Paggler and, gear training is commonly used. And as we mentioned, this is mostly designed to prevent the skins from, too much sun exposure and heat, which may over stimulate the no resopriness. It is mid to late ripening. So that means that it needs a long growing season, and it can lend itself to different microclimate. It is very important with Garganaga to control yield so that you have really fantastic wines. Now the soils in the swab region, as we mentioned, are very diversified, and that allows for different expressions of the wines that are produced two major soil categories. We have, the alluvial and calcareous plains that will produce mostly simple and coffeeable wines that are meant for alie drinking and, the volcanic soil areas. Produce this really layered structure than concentrated age worthy wines, which have complex aromas and have complex flavors as well as being a reality. Now, Gaganaga can produce is very versatile, can produce a various range of styles of wines, and that will range from dry to sweet, as well as still wines, or pumante wine. In terms of, the flavor profile, it can show yellow fruits in the range of golden pairs, yellow melon, sometimes even a little bit of yellow, lime or yellow lemon. It can be light to medium bodied. And depending on, the style of wine on how the wine maker decides to make the wine, it will express itself differently. The wines that are made in stainless steel or inert vessels will give light wines that have bright fruit notes and the wines that are made in oak will give wines that, have some natic character to them, a richer mouthfeel and a fuller body. Now we mentioned that Gaganigas can produce some sweet cells and the Swiss styles that are produced are referred to as recurto. Now the recurto wines will exhibit a more honey character to them, as well as a masky floral knot to them. Now my first experience with Gaganiga was during my early years of exploring wine. I think that was in my second year of campus, and I was having lunch with my friends. And The Gaganager that we had was obviously a swave. I would say that it's it was quite modest with very simple aromas of lemon, yellow apples. You know, it was just there. But then considering the amount of money I paid for it, which is about, five dollars back then, it was probably just what it was, simple ones. Now I have since tested some more complex and edge swabe that have displayed the magic of Gaganige, such as the wines from enamel winery, for example. Swabe for us is readily available in the market, mostly steel wines, and other rich yurture as well. So most of the ones that I see in the market are from Thomasi Zonin Chessari, Lenoti, and other producers. But then if you want really fantastic, so I have a benchmark producers that I would suggest you to try is ones from inama, really fantastic wines, Cantina Diswave, and sell me Kofele as well as Adam. Now what surprises me about, Gaganaga is the Versa utility of it in terms of the styles of wine that you can have and also the pairing. When you have a spumante, you can have it as on a peri chief. You know, some horses come to mind for the Kenyan market which are really fantastic. And, you know, the concentrated, complex, and heavier tiles you can enjoy with richer dishes such as, Vail's calopini, or maybe you can enjoy it with pasta primavera, and the likes, or maybe I would say a creamy based pasta would really be fantastic. And to finish off your meal, then you can have, ricciardo de suave. I would suggest for your desserts And you can have that with the cheeses like classic monte veronese or Pandora de Verona, which is this sort of star shaped bread that is mostly eaten in Christmas in verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet. So cheers to having a garganiga, and I hope you do enjoy the one that you get. Cheers. Are you enjoying this podcast? Don't forget to visit our YouTube channel, mama jumbo shrimp. For fascinating videos covering Stevie Kim and her travels across Italy and beyond, meeting winemakers, eating local food, and taking in the scenery. Now back to the show. Hello again. I'm back with our adventure of Italy. And today, we are in the south of Italy, specifically Sicily. Oh, beautiful, Sicily. I have dreams about Cicily. I have not been to Sicily, but I've been to Sicily through a wine call and through the grape that was used was Grillo. So for our discussion today, we are talking about Grillo, obviously, from Sicily, as we've mentioned. And It plays a very key important role in Muscular production. Now the sicilians locally refer to Grillo as Redoon. Grillo itself is named after Grili, which means Pips or cricket And it is a cross between Zibibo or Muscat of Alexandria and Katarato Bianco Luchida. Now Grillo is called the chameleon because it expresses itself according to the producer style. Wind making methods, and the terroa within which it grows quite similar to, you know, the way Shardonnay will express itself according to those styles. Drillo has two main bio types that will be grillo Vecio and grillo novo. Grillo novo is the one that is most widely planted in the western part of Sicily, and it is less susceptible to Miller Landage, which is, you know, the bunches of, the grape having different sizes and so different ripening stages. It grows well in high temperature climates. Hence, it does well in Sicily and handles drought well. At the same time, it is still vigorous. However, it is susceptible to sunburn, and so that means that you must have careful kind of management and shed it properly so that it is not over exposed to the sun. And it can also easily achieve high sugar levels and therefore can easily achieve high potential alcohol levels easily up to even eighteen percent as potential alcohol. Now for this reason, then it can easily lose its acidity. So care has to be taken. It has to be washed during, summer so that you harvest when there's a balance between the sugar levels as well as the acidity so that you get a good work of freshness or a good work of fresh acidity. Now in your glass, grill most of the time, if it is not made in muscle and style, then you'll have throw yellow white wine with a lovely freshness and some notes of apples, citrus, and hints of a grass. When it is grown in the warmer climate, the aromas are more exotic and tropical. So you think of the mango papaya and even some yellow peaches as well. Now as I'd mentioned, it plays a huge role in masala production and can produce dries still white wines most of the time. My first experience with Grillo was just recently. I believe, that was in the beginning of twenty twenty three when the importer who brings in Donia Fugata was having a portfolio testing. And, the one, the particular one that I tested was Sonia Fugata, Susub Billo. And I was really surprised with the wine. It had this fruitiness and this generosity of fruit, and that was balanced by a very fantastic medium level of acidity. We had some chicken in, cream sauce which really went well with the dish. And so I really liked it as a fast experience. Now within the market, we have obviously Donia Forgetata, and recently I saw one from Angelo wines So we also have angelo Grillo that are readily available. Drillo can be quite versatile in the styles of wines that index. So you have your dry white wines. You can have, the masala white one and some benchmark producers that I would suggest to try, obviously, Donia Fogeta does absolutely fantastic really is also another one that I've tested, really fantastic drilling, as well as Qusuman, which was suggested to me by a friend. I look forward to testing that one. But then also in terms of when you think of pairing and the kind of dishes that you'd want to have with your grillo. When you have sort of, like, the freshest style of grillo, I would suggest there's something like caprese or salad or maybe, you know, your lighter style dishes such as, for sale or pesto. For the Kenyan market, something that I know most people would have, you know, when you have your ugali, which is maze meal, and then you have full add drinks, which we refer to as Kumawiki and fried eggs that have been fried in sort of, like, tomato sauce that would absolutely be fantastic with a glass of brillo. And so I say cheers, as you go to your wine shop, get a bottle of brillo, and enjoy. Chinche, everyone. Listen to the Italian wine podcast wherever you get your podcasts. We're on sunk out Apple podcasts, Spotify, email ifm, 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 public costs. Until next time.