Ep. 1530 Andrea Lonardi MW | On The Road With Stevie Kim Special Edition

Since twenty seventeen, the Italian One podcast has exploded and expects to hit six million listens by the end of July twenty twenty three. We're celebrating this success by recognizing those who have shared the journey with us and giving them the opportunity to contribute to the on success of the shows. By buying a paper copy of the Italian wine unplugged two point o or making a donation to help the ongoing running costs, members of the international Italian wine community will be given the chance to nominate future guests and even enter a price draw to have lunch with Stevie Kim and Professor Atigioshenza. To find out more, visit us at Italian wine podcast dot com. Welcome to another episode of On The Road Edition, hosted by Stev Kim. Each week, she travels to incredible wine destinations, interviewing some of the Italian wine scene's most interesting personalities, talking about wines, the foods, as well as the incredible travel destinations. Hello, everybody. This is a special edition. I I'm very excited about our new guest because our next guest is Andrea Lonardi. Just TV. How are you? Okay. This is very exciting. Where where are you? Where are you going? You're always on the move. Yeah. No. I'm actually in vacation with the family. It's a it's a special moment for me forever. Yes. So for those of you who are unaware, Andrea Bernardi has been just acclimated as the new master of wine. That's it. That's the only special effect I have. Andrea. Yeah. Yep. Yeah. It's huge. Congratulations. It's so awesome. Your achievement. How are you feeling since the announcement? And who is the first person besides me, you called when you were notified that you've been awarded the MW title. So it's a special moment. I cannot describe how I feel right now, but I'm so grateful, to all the family to everybody to you also. But the first call, I was with the family, so I couldn't call the family to say, hey, guys. This is the result. Yeah. Lovely. They were with you already. Yeah. Yeah. But my first goal was to fine tuning. And, you know, fine tuning is, our chart that have with Gabriela Gorrelli and Pietaro Russo. So the three musketeers, three musketeers, as you say, and I needed to call these guys because we are master of wine, and we can say completely, we are master of wine. We just want all the three guys. They will be master of wine. So this is a special achievement that we want to give to the Italian of wine business. Yeah. So I know I have actually I pulled up your LinkedIn profile. So for our listeners, for those who are less familiar with your name, they will definitely become more familiar after today. Andrea Lonardi is currently the COO of Angelini wines and estates for the past, I believe, eleven years. And then prior to that, he was working with the group. He was leading the Viticulture Division for Jiv, which stands for Guipoetayana Vini, just so that our audience know our listeners know who you are. So listen. Let's have a small chat about this exciting moment in your life, Andrea. First of all, let's explain what three mosquitoes are and our listeners because I think it's quite cute if you ask me. And actually, other I I I remember meeting other people like other MWs, and they're like, that's perfect. That's a perfect description for them. And this is what I call the MW study group formed by you. Andrea Lonardi and Gabrilegorelli. And he's, of course, the first master of wine from Italy since two thousand twenty one, and Peter Russo just right behind you. And even though you've started the journey kinda separately. In the beginning, your paths not only crossed, but you became We started we started the same day in the same place. Oh, you did. You did. Yeah. But we were not friends at that moment. So we were Right. That's what I did. It's always happening in Italy. You know, people that are going to place, they are still separate. And after that, we we came friends just one year later than the starting moment. So it's it's something special. Tell me a little bit about this fraternity, your brotherhood, this bro, bromance that you have. Yeah. Yeah. We developed it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We developed it absolutely here. You say correctly, this is a fraternity and in some way, it's even more than a fraternity because we became very closely in order to make, what we call the Olympics game of the wine business, because master of wine really represent the Olympic games. It's a special achievement. It's the most important achievement. It's the most difficult achievement to get on the wine business. And in order to make that, you cannot do that just by yourself. You need to find a group. You need to find your your team, you need to find your team where you can feel confident. And when the or the master of wine, they are saying that we are really the three mosquitoes just because there is, one of the most strongest respect that I have seen, since spending here in the wine industry for these three guys. And it's coming from the commitment, the transparency of these guys. We really put everything together. I can say everything, morning, investment. We invested money together. We invested time. We share red rooms in order to save money. Okay. Not too much information. Not too much information. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. But because this is rated like PG. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. There is some, like, he also invented the dialect because, you know, we were saving money in order to invest in the Master One. And there was a very, difficult time across this period because there was a moment where just Gabri, I passed it one part of, first. I was the the first of the three to pass, one of the big part of the exam, but Gabri was the first one to pass completely the true part, the theory and, practical. And that time, it was the moment where they're almost in a very difficult financial situation. So it was another special effort to say, okay. Let's do everything together. Let's try to share all the maximum skills, time, and passion that we have in order to really achieve all together with, the olympic game. And it seems that we got it, you know, I know it's amazing. It is absolutely amazing what, you have. So Peter, Peter is on the way. Yep. You know, Peter is also on the way. It's very close. We are waiting for December. And and this is quite unique, I don't know how to say English, but, The goosebumps in English. Luckily goosebumps was not part of your exam question. As they say in Italian, but For those who don't exactly know how the MW, the MasterWine Path works, can you briefly spell out how much time and perhaps money you have dedicated to becoming in n m w. I think that time is is the penny of the time that also you have, but, we started all together in two thousand fourteen. Calvary became master of wine on March two thousand twenty one, February two thousand twenty one. Sorry. I became two years later. Piet rates would be probably the end of the year. There was the COVID in the middle, so we lost approximately one year, one year an half. Normally, it takes, let's say, between five to eight years, which is the average that you you can have. Have an exam to get inside the master of wine that is It's like an entrance exam. Right? Yeah. There's an entrance exam that we did at Massey winery, with a Grandi Marqui Thiani a few years ago. Two thousand fourteen, actually. And after that, we started and we get the following year at the stage one. It is one day exam. You do twelve wines, blind, and you have a two, essay in a Oxford method to do in the afternoon. And after that, you arrive in the real, what we call stage two. It is the most difficult part of the exam. That's the most challenging. Right? Because many people go through the stage one. I don't know the statistics, but then at stage two, that's like the real, real challenge. Yeah. I think that the final pass is less than two percent, from the beginning. So affinity is approximate next to one. But in any case, in stage two, it's five days exam. It's a really marathon. You do three days in the morning tasting twelve wines, blind, And you have to write about what these ones they're coming from, how they are made, price, price positioning, commercial potential, which great variety could be a part of the winemaking and the origin. So you need to really describe And you need to describe in a master of bi metal. So you have a structure that you need to use. If you don't know where the one is coming from or the one that you have in front, you try to have a funneling, so you try to think to understand to give an idea that, to convince the examiner that you probably don't know exactly where the wine come from, but you know how this wine is made. You know the wine that is on the glass and which is the commercial potential of this wine. In the afternoon, is the part that is more, carry part. It's the, but I don't like the word theory because it's not theory. It's very to show if you know the one business. And you need to show that, you know, the wine business by writing different type of essays regarding the culture, winemaking, quality control, marketing, business management, and finally contemporary issue as a journalist. And there are thirteen essays that you will have to write, by the end of the week. And then this is really the the positive exam that you have to pass. And if you pass, stay true, you have what really I love it or really enjoy that is the research paper. What do you mean? What do you mean you enjoyed it? Because every time I saw you, you were almost crying. You were in pain because you're talking about it was not a walk in the park. Right? Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Right? Which was the stage three Yeah. The easy spot for me was, Terry. Terry was very simple. I passed it at the first event. Right. Like, just because it's just business. You need to show by a structure and by a technique of using some methodology, how you can analyze some specific subject. And I love this stuff because it's what I do every day. Right. And it is actually something that I really enjoyed about the bustle of wine not a lot of master of wine. They are talking about this one, this part theory park, but it is a part that is very important for people that work in the wine industry because you can practice yourself every day in the company that you are working for that reason. Have to say a special thank you to all, the leadership team, of virtually anyone in the state to give me the chance, to be part of this journey, and to let me know using what I learned inside the master of wine inside the company. Because few of the project that we have developed across the last, six, seven years, they are coming absolutely from the master wine that we're mentoring, I would like to say, from the master wine. So and but the pain is the research paper. And and since it is a pain, you need to approach in a way that you say. It's a really serious, pain. So you need to find something that is very interesting for you that you really enjoy. And I decided to make a special research in the What was the title of your research, patient? The title is, PSP versus Pargola, how climate change, and, and order, contemporary issues can really influence training system choices. So how the recent concern about that you can find in agriculture that are labeled shortage, climate change can really influence the way how you can decide which training system is better for you. Can you give us a little insight as to the conclusion? But the conclusion is that as a master of why, you do not have to take a a simple position. First, you need to show that you are able to analyze by multi layered approach subject. So you need to develop a methodology. You need to develop precise indexes that you are using to measure the results. So there can be economic result, quality result, social aspect, some, environmental indexes. And finally, you develop your opinion or you propose some way that the producers should to take the following years. And, I decided to do for a blue cello because I was born in a blue cello, but the subject, it is absolutely a worldwide subject today for the wine industry. And so I'm quite sure that it will be a project that in the paper that it will have an international exposure. Yes. It's relevant globally, but your title and VSP in Valtolicella. How labor demand and current challenges impact training system choices. It's a little more business than let's say, should I say technical of the wines or the grapes, if you will? So why did you choose this kind of approach to your research paper? Because I would like to say that time is strange, master of wine. You are strange. I I I will confirm that. Yeah. No. No. No. Strange. You no. You're not strange. You're quirky. Yeah. Probably. I'm quirky as a wine. It's it's related to the fact that most of the master of wine that we know that are related to the final part of the business. So there are master of wine that are normally communicating the wine. They're normally talking about the wine. They are saying how this wine it is made. The quality of the wine in terms of, analytic tastings. My part, is more management. First time in agronomy is, after that, I became a way maker. And after that, I started to to support investors to, to invest in the wine business. So I run businesses since, I started to work in the wine industry. And just a few master of wine are coming from this side of the wine industry. And I think that in the future, we will have more master wine from, you know, from this path. And it is also a goal of the history of the master of wines, having people right now from the one industry with their full knowledge about, who know how, about how it is structured, the supply chain. Okay. So you're bay definitely a more, how can you say a more a wine business manager than a Taster or, because wine critic, if you will. Right? 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 or books on Italian wine. Including Italian wine unplugged, and much much more. Just visit our website, mama jumbo shrimp dot com. Now back to the show. Is it what you said? Yeah. I'm testing currently, I I don't wanna say every day, but, I I taste intensely few days a week, because I run also the production of the energy when in when in the States. But also, I mean, I I'm often in the market, interacted directly with our, marketing team. So we develop strategy with individuals and in the production, with sellers. So I'm in touch, with a different part of the wine industry. And this is really part of my passion of my DNA. I come also from a family that is involved in wine because my parents, they're fine growing by Pachella. So I grew up in the business. Okay. So I think that segues nicely into the next question. After all these sacrifices and all these years, all this investment in time and energy and money, do you still want to study? Studies is always part of my journey. I feel that I don't feel tired about study. I feel that we have always to learn. Honestly, I think that the master wine was a little bit too much. So I would like to do something more relaxing. Have you like also to study something else about wine as I started to develop, especially in the last three years. In order to pass the exam, I really developed a lovely connection with a professor on Vretch Briani that was my coach in order to improve my personality to improve my soft skills that were also fundamental to pass the exam. And with him, we are discovering new, new areas. We are discovering other part of what you can do during your journey. That is not just wine, that is not just wine management. And I think that is that where I want to put my my energy in the future in order to improve myself. So let's talk a little bit just slightly. I know it's like you you can't really think right now because you're so excited, but what about your future plans? What kind of MW are you or at least you think you are? And what kind of m w do you aspire to become? Tada. Good question. Good question. Yeah. It's a big question because a lot of people say a master of wine change your life. It will change your life. I'm I think that there is the journey to become master of wine that can change your future. So I have started already to have some feeling about what you can do with the master of wine. In some way, I saw what's happening to Gabriela as a master of wine, but since I'm a different master of wine, because I'm more involved with the companies and businesses in the daily part of the job and less in the communication, My Monday morning to be in the place where I am right now, you know, Jenny wines in the state with more passion, with more dedication, with, the motivation of transfer my team to the young guys that we work together. We have one of the youngest wine team that you can find in Italy with somebody fabulous talent and side. And I want to transfer this emotion, this aspect that you can make something special. A special. If you work together with somebody else, you can make some result that by yourself are not achievable. And for that reason, this is what I want to do because I love the people. I love I love to stay really in the middle of the people and seeing in the different region where we work, growing people than seeing people that they became white people for the region where I where I have point of reference. And and I have another dream as a master of wine. I would like to improve more and more the fine wine project that we have in, entertaining wise in the States because We have an opportunity. And, I would really need to make, a change really to reinforce, the aim that we have to produce a sectional wines with a very unique stylistic, identity. That is what we did in baton in the last six, seven years is what we started to do a few years ago in Montalcino. So, really, to develop some very distinctive projects while contributing one in the States. Yeah. Well, we're very much looking forward to the new developments. I mean, I think you're underestimating the change, the transformation that can happen from becoming a master wine. It's really awesome, and I'm so happy for you. So if we talked about the fact that the master wine path is also a kind of a personal growth. Right? You spoke about your person coach, you know, Chipani. But how has it changed you exactly as a person? I'm a creative person, and I was always looking, to broke the system. In the master of wine, you can achieve the result of master of wine by discipline and methodology, but you cannot achieve the exam if you are just putting your creativity. And so when I decided to put the two skills together. So try to be very well designated. Try to try to adopt methodology. And in order of making this aspect even better, put the creativity on top of them. I really changed it myself, and I I really exercises myself a lot. I train it myself, to be very flexible to understand when I need the discipline and methodology when I need more creativity. When I need the twist, of the intuition that is part of my background. And if you're able to put all together these things and moving from one to the other of these soft skills, with flexibility, really what's happening during the master of wine. So I really hope that in the future, many managers in Italy or why people really want to think that the master wine can really change the engineer, the team of toilet, of the manager, of the wine people in order to bring to the wine industry, something something. So last question was about the master wine community. Right? Because I do believe that it's a bit elitist. Perhaps too much. You've said it yourself only two percent less than two percent perhaps ever past the stage two. That is a huge challenging criteria of exclusion. So how do you feel about the community and the kind of this cult environment at the moment? So you are you're totally right. The master of wine community is a community with some special rules. Is an exam that is very, very difficult, but in some ways, a place, quite unique. It's a place where you can really improve yourself quite a lot. It's a place where, I'm delighted to say there is a sort of, it's a club basted on critical friends. And when I say critical friends, what I would like to say, is because all the comments are very harsh and strong. And that is the reason because sometime, A lot of people, they want to drop out. They want to stop. They want to give up with the with the product. But if you accept this way of thinking that is a way of, the leadership is not a, an authority leadership. Where you receive orders. You're quite free. You can do whatever you want. The only moment where you receive orders is when you do the exam, and you have ready to show what you you started. So for that reason, in this system, you develop other philosophy while you are feeling that everybody has the same stage, and you need to put together your effort, your skills with other other guys. And what the tree musketeer, the tree musketeer has done inside the master of wine is quite remarkable because they we have perfectly understood that we needed to stay together, that we needed to put our effort, our skills, our best skills together. We needed to support Gabrielle or we needed to to support each other in order to be just one single person, just one single team. And that is the master of one is a place where it's not, person that emerged, but is the team, the group of people that can can really merge. And that is what are the three most criteria. Gabriel Andrea, he is a a team. And for that reason, the best day it will be when all the three months are appointed. They will be there. I I cannot wait for many reasons as you know. But, listen, I think we can close-up our conversation for today. I'm sure there will be so many to come. But I will be remiss if I didn't give you a small space to maybe give a shout out and give special thanks to those who have supported you along the journey. So this is your space if you want to close with that. Well, first of all, I want to say thank you to you, Steve, because, Hello? Hello? It's safe. Alright. Let's see. We have we have some of the pieces. Okay. Why don't you go on to your family? First of all, I would like to say to you. I would like to say thank you to my family at Bayer Magilinta. They were convinced every day of returning that they couldn't pass this. I couldn't pass this. Seriously. I mean, I cannot believe. I cannot put myself in, I bought the shoes. I would have thrown you out of the window, like, ten years ago. So she must be a saint. So I think She's not really master of wine. Yes. I I I must agree with you on that. Yeah. I think that Gabbi Gabbi always say that next to a master of wine, there is a master of women, master wife. And, and it is absolutely right. So, also the family need to be very strong if you want to, to achieve this result. So first of all, thank you to the family. Thank you to, Peter and Gabriela. Yeah. Of course. Your your partners in crime. Partners in crime. And I think that the journey we're done with we're just starting a range right now. And, I'm glad you say thank you to Professor on the HPM. It was, a key person, in the, especially in the last two, three years. He was your personal coach that you were referring to. Right? Okay. Was a very personal and very, very strong personality. We we work. We train it really hard in order to make some changes. And today, I can see the result of the changes, not only in the master of volume. I do have to say also thank you, to to appreciate me to start with the building master of wine a few years ago to the leadership team of Angelini wines in the state, collecting now to to take this journey and to, and, also, to accept, all that I've devoted to the mastermind wine inside the company. And, also, finally, I would like also to say thank you to you, Stevey, because, You made, You've already shed it two or three times, except we had bad connectivity. Okay. Okay. So you made the you made the the you know, you we invented with the three musket here and you made some, but you make also fun inside this program inside our journey. So I would like really to see. Listen, I am I'm, like, I'm like a proud, you know, dead mother. You know? I I think what you guys are doing is absolutely amazing. And I love love the fact that you are together as a team, which is not very special for Italians. Because you No. You are very all creative and smart, but you are all individualists. And that makes my life very, very miserable, but you are, I think, an inspirational group for, I think, many of the young generation to follow. So I'm really happy to be, have been part in a very small way. And listen, congratulations. It's really, really awesome. And thank you for joining us today. And I'm so happy to share this news, exciting breaking news with our audience. Yeah. Sorry. Anytime. I want to mention that because it difficult today to stay concentrated and Yeah. I can imagine. What's going on? And so You did you did good. You still owe me a very big tall glass of something as you know. So I'm waiting for you to get back from your holidays, and that's a wrap. This is Stevie Kim wrapping up for Italian wine podcast, a special editions with Andrea Lenardi. Now we can call him the master of wine. Thank you for joining us on another installment of On The Road Edition, hosted by Stevie Kim. Join her again next week for more interesting content in the Italian wine scene. You can also find us at Italian wine podcast dot com. Or wherever you get your pods, you can also check out our YouTube channel, mama jumbo shrimp to watch these interviews and the footage captured of each location.