Ep. 607 Cesare Benvenuto Part 1 of 3 | On The Road With Stevie Kim Special Edition

Italian wine podcast. Chinchin with Italian wine people. So we are here at Pio Chezetta winery, with Chezetta, Benvenuto. Shezetta, what does that mean, Benvenuto in Italian? Simply means welcome. So I ought to be welcome in this, in this interview. That's fantastic. Thank you for having us today. This is Italian Wine podcast on the road edition. We're very excited to be here today. We'll be talking to Chezadeh, as well as Ferderika. So, Chezadeh, tell us it's been a long time since I've seen you. I usually used to see you at airport lounges. Right? Like, most of us, like, you know, flying all over the place, and I saw you in Russia. I saw you. I think in New York all the time, and it's been a very long time. How long have has it been since last time you took an air airplane? Was February twenty twenty just right before, the the pandemic started. And I was, in the US, in a little bit in the Caribbean, not for fun. What were you doing in the career? We were presenting with a couple of distributor, for a couple of dinners, our wines, and the new release of our barolo. That's funny, but very interesting. Let's say. Yeah. You'll have to tell me about that another time. Yes. Listen Chase that is so PO Chase that are, of course, there's this huge celebration going on, the hundred and fortieth anniversary. Would you like to tell our audience what are kind of the most must know facts about the winery? And the history of pure chaser. You already anticipated what I was trying to say. So it's hundred and thirtieth anniversary. It's a very big target that we have been able to achieve. Through five generation. So I can say that, Puchesare was the name of a of the founders. So our great, great grandfather, who founded the winery in, eighteen eighty one. So I'm exactly hundred and forty years ago. And that he was a local businessman that he was involved in different kind of business. And he started to make wines for, his friends as a as a sort of, something casual and something very easy. And then this, business of wine for him and started to be his main business. And, from where we are recording, it started to make the first bottles of Barroz and Barbaresco back two hundred and forty years ago. Yes. And it was, a very smart man because, You said you mentioned before that we we met in the different airports all around the world. He used he didn't used to fly, but he was the owner of the passport number fifty five of the Italian republic. That's crazy. Yes. He was What was his name? Chesare. Chesare. Pio. Pio. So, but a long time ago, they used they used to introduce themselves. First, the family name than the first name. So Pio Cesar. It was Cesar at Pio. And it was one of the first to say to understand and to, to look also not only in Italy, but also outside of Italy. We have a few diplomas, few awards of the early nineteen hundreds or late eighteen eighteen hundreds, of some testing and some, negotiation that, Pio Cesar, attended in Brussels and all around Europe. And going to Brussels by the time was already a big trip. So no planes, but trains, or other way to to transport themselves. So it's was a really used to make what we are doing now. So, she said, what do you do? What is your role in the line with? I have no idea. No. It's it's it's a joke, but at in a family company, a family wiring. Everybody has to make everything. So, also, my business card have just my name, no title because, we have to take care of all the different aspects of the of the of our business. So starting from making the wine, selling the wine, administration. So they're receiving people, and everything. So traveling. So it's It's really we are very fortunate because we are part of, a fantastic word. And, we have been, very fortunate fortunate as well because, we received a big heritage from, our ancestors. And, we try to keep, the philosophy and the style of your cesare after five generation. And, we opt for the next five generation as well. So when you say philosophy and style, what what do you mean by that? Can you do a little bit of a clarification? Absolutely. Absolutely. Because one of our most important say is that pure chaser is a traditional winery with a very careful eye on on the innovation. So we are saving all the characteristic and the the and the character. Of all our wines because Nebula and Barbera in particular, needs a big respect from us. But also, we are also having a very important and careful eye on the innovation. So if this this means that we are not making the wine with, the the the style of long time ago, but with the same style long ago, but with modern technique as well. So, how many, labels are there in how many labels in the for the POCA server? We make eighteen labels. One eight. One eight. Eighteen. Which looks like a big number. It is a big number, by the way. I believe it's a big number. For sure, but, our production is intentionally limited to four hundred thousand bottles a year, roughly. Together, it's eighteen. All together. We make, the most important labels for our our barolo Marmaricio Marvera, which are covering the seventy percent of our production. And then we also make a labels with a very, very tiny production. So we have been, on the market since three years with the let's say, our new sovignon blank, and we make three thousand bottles, four thousand bottles. So it's a new label, but it's very limited. So all of it at home. Three thousand. Yes. Oh, on the on the first quarter. So what is, would you say the signature wine for the family? I have only one, answer. Barolo. Barolo Pio, this year, is called Barolo Pio, because, it's the Barolo of the Pio family that, as always, had the same concept And the concept is that, our family has always had the philosophy of blending different vineyards within the most important, villages of the Barolo region. Okay. So tell us a little bit more about the VINius. VINius, we own seventy five actors of VINius, which is quite an important quantity of VINius considering the fact that, our region is very, very limited. We started to acquire started to acquire winners in nineteen seventy two with the with the, the end state, which is one of, still one of the two most important states of, our family called Elbriscoe. In the Barbara region. And then from seventy two step by step, when we had the the chance of acquiring failures at a very reasonable price, we have been able a couple of years ago to reach exact it is actually seventy five hectares of Venus exclusively in the appalachian of Barolo and Barbara. So I have a kind of a cheeky question for you. You know wine tasting, How would you recognize your battle law when there are other battles? What are what are the signs that you know that, oh, that is my one? That's a tricky question. Thank you. Yes. It's, I we can easily recognize our barolo because, for all the pension that we make, when we ma we put when we make it, we clearly recognize the the the nose, the smell, the character of our of our barolo of our nevialo in this case, because it is a very delicate, kind of nevialo, but very well supported by the great structure of the grapes coming from the beautiful ease of So you you think you can tell the difference? Yes. Yes. Yes. After I am working full time at Purchase that you have to work full time. Since twenty two years. So I believe after twenty two years, I believe I could say that they could recognize our wines among all the others. And what is the most important market for you? United States and Italy. We ship our wines in fifty countries all around the world, but the two most important are US and and Italy. And then we have, you know, a very nice presence in the top and key market all around the world. And what is the percentage of export versus? Seventy five eighty, more or less percent of exports. And so how did how did that affect during the pandemic? Has it affected? Because, of course, you know, you're a premium line. You're, you are, of course, focused and I understand what I got. Right? So how did that affect the whole market situation for the pandemic? The first part, the first beginning, was a really disaster. March, April, let's say, all of them last year, was a disaster for everybody, but, in particular, for a winery that, totally concentrated, its efforts in the last fifty years selling wines to restaurants. So restaurant closed, big panic. Then, the people started to buy wines to to drink at home. And then, we recover it a little bit, in the con semester of the twenty twenty. So we have, we have suffered a lot because we miss all our friends all around the world. I miss to to meet you. In in some airport all around the world, but also all the testing and also the new French friendships that, we have been able to to get with the with the with our troubles. It's really, really a disaster. Yeah. And it's it's very odd, right, when I I just came into the line or even, like, intuitively, I would just hug you. Right? Yes. I could do it. Yes. Right? So what are what are the my last question to you is? What has the pandemic taught you. Pandemic told us that, unfortunately, my uncle and federica's dad is no longer with us due to this virus. And this is, pandemic for me means this very this very important tragedy that our family has faced, few weeks ago. But the pandemic, also made a sort of a selection on our clients So we understood who is really not only a client, but is a friend. And we have been able to really select our friends all around the world that are contributing to the great name of Futches. This is very, very important for us. Because, I tell you, things that my uncle taught me many, many years ago. We have no written contract with anybody in the world. Also, with our number one clients in the world, We don't have any content, written content. What are you saying? We just shaking out shake our ends, and my words is, equal to their words. So It's a gentleman agreement that we thought of respect since ever, and the friends come in this kind of difficult moment. And we had many good demonstration of this, attitude. And that's why I know this was supposed to be my last question, but, like, I mean, how does that work? Like, in China, for example, this gentleman's agreement, it's it's not that easy. We have we have in China. We have one importers since two thousand and four. End of two thousand three two thousand four. Sorry. Torres China. And, no no written contract. We are doing, they are suffering the last couple of years, of course, but it's normal, but still very loyal. They only have one barolo in producer in their portfolio. We ship wines in China only to to Torres China, for example. Great. What was Sanchez? I really hope I can see you at AirPort dot com. Me too. And I will challenge you to a blind tasting to recognize your home 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 Italianline podcast dot com. Any amount helps cover equipment, production, and publication costs. Until next time, Chinching.