Ep. 1107 Francesco Rigetti | On The Road Edition With Stevie Kim

Welcome to the Italian wine podcast. This episode has been brought to you by the wine to wine business forum twenty twenty two. This year, we'll mark the ninth edition of the forum to be held on November seventh and eighth of twenty twenty two in Verona Italy. This year will be an exclusively in person edition. The main theme of the event will be all around wine communication. Tickets are on sale now. So for more information, please visit us at wine to wine dot net. Welcome to another episode of On The Road Edition, hosted by Stevie 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. Hi, everybody. So this is a very special on the road edition. It's for five star wines, which is a wine competition of in Italy international wine competition, which takes place just prior to Vin Italy. And this year, we are touring. Actually, today, we're touring. We're giving a little bit of love to lugana, consortia, the lugana because they were our supporters. For the Vine International Academy. So we've chosen a few, containers to that. And today, the first container winery we have chosen is called. Monteche. Monteche. Monteche. Monteche she, and they won a an award ninety five points with a lugana dog. It it is a organic one, which we'll talk about. And we're here today with Francesco. Nice to meet you. So Francesco, what what is your family's name? My family's name, the surname of our family is Rigetik. Why is your wife? Or you call Monetik when you're Rigetik? Is the nickname of my family, you know, when I was, when I was young, really young, I used to have a work in the countryside, And the people asked used to ask me, are you a Montecchi? I say, no. I'm Francesco. Who's that Montecchi? So that was a funny story to say because our surname in Verona area is is not very original, you say. So, we decide to call the winery montage more characteristic for us. It's, it's something in ours, not in someone else. Oh, I that that's so odd. First of all, where are we? Where is your winery located? We are in Pecantina. We are, Where is Pecantina for for our audience? Maybe? Pecantina. We are Less familiar with this area. In the middle between Verona City and the Galdal Lake. So It's a beautiful place close to to the Bank of the Addijer River. It's a lovely place, come to visit us if you if you want. We have a beautiful place. So would you like to just tell me a little bit about your family is everybody. How many family members are involved in the wine business? A lot. We have a lot of people, you know. I represent the the fifth generation. Right. But I'm I'm follow the the technical party. I'm Ymehkker. But we have my sister, my brother, my three, my cousins, my auntie, my uncle. We are, the big part of the the winer is composed by our family. Oh, and do you guys all get on? Yes. I guess you have to say that. So, Franchesca, tell me a little bit about the the organic side of the winery. So first of all, give us contextualize a little bit how big is the winery? How many labels do you do? How many wines do you do? Okay. As I said before, I represent the fifth generation of the family. So everything started in nine nineteen twenty five. So almost one hundred years ago, but we decided to jump in the middle of the organic word in the two thousand fourteen. The fourteen was a very difficult vintage for, Italy, first of all, but in Europe, in general. And we decided to make an experiment of organic experiment of ten actors. I don't know how many in total. We have around two hundred actors. And so we decided to A vines. Yes. Everything Avines. The result was very beautiful in a difficult winter. So in the two thousand fifteen, we decided to to jump in the organic world with the three years of conversion. So fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen. So we are officially organic since two thousand eighteen. We produce, around fifteen labels And we are very proud to to have this this kind of, awards for the lugana because there is not a lot of winery that produce organic in the, in the lugana area. How many producers are making lugana? Do you know? It's difficult to say because we have, there are some winery that produce and bought in the wine. There is just the people that produce grapes, just people that sell grapes, just winery that buy grapes, So it is difficult to say how many winery we have in lugana. I I guess sounds like, around one hundred. Yeah. I guess I'll ask that to the the new president of the consortium today. Franchesca, so who decided to transform your winery into an organic liner. Because now it's completely organic. Is that correct? Yes. I mean, it's it seems very ambitious to have two hundred hectares were completely organic. Yeah. Was was that difficult? You know, it's, you have to change your mind. You have to change your organization. You have to to use a lot of your energy for, to be ready when it's time to to go on the field for protecting the the vineyards. We decide more or less altogether. We used to have, a reunion, family reunion every week. Mhmm. And, you know, it was just an idea, and, and it's happened. Is that we are one hundred percent organic, but this is, not completely true because every year we buy some land. And so we are in conversion without working with some You're still expanding. Yes. Absolutely. So What were the major changes, significant changes that you've made during the conversion, both in the vineyards, but also in winemaking? I used to to explain the the word of organic to the people in this way. It's like to protect yourself, with the medicine or you cover yourself in the wintertime. You know, with the systemic system, you just spread the the trees, and there is the the the trees absorb this the protection. In the organic way, you have to try to protect the wine with the treatment that they protect the the tree from outside. So it's something that more respect, more the the field, the nature, the the word, and it's a it was a huge satisfaction for me and for us to see how five flights come back to the vineyard in the summertime. 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. Fireflies. Yes. Mhmm. So, you know, it's something when I was tied, I I remember this, this this beautiful, sensation to see the fireflies, in in the the night summertime. And they're they're back. You know, we we create new labels for the beauty diversity. And we discover new insect, new animals. They are back in the vineyards. Every year, we try to make the plantation all around our vineyards with the oak, with the accuracy, with the other other trees, to protect the vineyards, you know, gives, the natural protection to the to the to the vineyards, you know, the birds, the insect, some kind of, animals, they come back and protect itself. You know? So what what are the major challenges nowadays going forward with organic farming and organic winemaking? So what what are your biggest challenges now? Is it the climate change? Is it something else? It's difficult to say because, every year something changed, you know, can you see, pandemic one way or or in other ways? So, the market is changing, but for me, the the classical sentence, they say, less is more. It's evergreen for me. You know, if you respect the wine, if you respect the natural, if you respect the trees, the right moment to to pick to pick up the grapes, and they have the harvest. They give it back something. You know? It's, it's something that if you respect, they give you respect to you. So we we try to be more network as possible on our mentality and our wine as well. Okay. So now, let's just quickly taste your wine, the the, award winning wine. Would you like to tell us a little bit about that? Okay. So this is, our lugana two thousand and twenty one, was a beautiful vintage, you know, a little bit in late respect, the two thousand twenty. So the the vintage before, this is Trebiano Delugana, or the local people say Turbiano, Right. It's a it's a beautiful variety. And the the sensation of this wine, first of all, it's a hundred percent Urana. Absolutely. Yes. One hundred percent Uana. As you can see, the color is a very nice light, gold color, And but for me, the most important characteristic of this wine is, first of all, the flavors, there is a beautiful wedding between flavors of fruits and flowers. So I love to to feel the the yellow rose or between the the leaches or the the bananas, the mango, the, peach apple. I just want everybody to know it's tapas ten. So the breakfast of champions. They didn't provide me with this big tune. So okay. In the mouth, the testing is, the majority of the wine, well balanced acidity with the soft part of the wine, a nice persistent of the, you know, of the of the wine in the mouth. So I think it was, a great word for us to do produce this wine. So is this typical of a lugana, would you say, or at least the house lugana? Is this very representative from previous vintages? I think so. Yeah. Similar? I think, I I found the last four vintages, a connection. Of, you know, the big difference of the vintage is something that we have. But, you know, the style, we can we can try to keep this kind of style. You know, the the variety is that one. So if you have, a slow fermentation, for, develop a beautiful flavor like the olic sensation, and, aesthetic sensation, they can recognize this style. And how much does a wine like this cost in retail? We're talking to the consumers. It's it's around the fifteen Fifteen years. Material. Yeah. More or less. Yes. Great. So, just one last question before we go. I know you make also sparkling wines. Yes. Do you wanna tell us a little bit about that? I love sparkling wine, first of all. Because it's not very common in this area. Right? No. Absolutely not. Why when did you start and why did you start producing sparkling wine? So we are in the Valt Poricella, the art of Valticella. So here, the red wine is the must. And we are here for the white. So it's, a big goal for for me and for us. And I because you're you're most of your production is, like, fully changed. Ninety percent. Yeah. Ninety percent. And how many sparkling ones do you have? We we produce five different sparkling wine, one rosette, and four whites. Now, you know, it's a small number, sir, with, with, but give us satisfaction. I've been found some easier to to taste the wine at ten years on the yeast. And so it's a big satisfaction. And we are thinking something about the classic meter for the lugana as well. So That's interesting. We are studying to how we select the base for produce the classic meter because the harvest of the lugana is a late harvest for the white wines because we start in the middle of August with the pinot grigio, and we are going to pick the lugana after one month. So we have to pick the grapes when it's not Still ready. So Yeah. Because you need the acidity. Absolutely. Yeah. So not the completely natural of the the grapes, sir, you had to to harvest the grapes, sir, once you weeks before ten days. Every every winter is is different. But we are thinking about that. K. Great. Sounds exciting. So, Franchesca, would you like to say one last thing to, to our audience about lugana or or your winery or yourself? Anything? What would you like to say? One last thing you'd like to last thing to say about the lugana is a beautiful place. I think the people, they can understand the the lugana if they come here to to visit the Garda Lake area. It's a beautiful place. There is a lovely weather. There is a beautiful people around tourists, the people that, comes here for a holiday. And you can, have a use of this fashion when you drink a glass filled in Uganda, sit and you see the Gardale Lake and maybe it's some fish. Why not from the lake, maybe some something to enjoy. And Francesca, how can people get in touch with you? Like, what is your social media handles? Okay. So you can find us in, Monteci on the Instagram on Facebook and It's just Monteci. Yes. Okay. Montecchi Viti Cortory. Is that correct? Montecchi Viti Montecchi. Not just Montecchi. Okay. Very good. Thank you very much. Thank you for your patience. And see you next year. We hope you enjoyed today's episode brought to you by the wine to wine business forum twenty twenty two. This year, we'll mark the ninth edition of the forum to be held on November seventh and eighth twenty twenty two in verona Italy. Remember tickets are on sale now. So for more information, please visit us at wine to wine dot net. Hi, guys. I'm Joy Livingston, and I am the producer of the Italian wine podcast. Thank you for listening. We are the only wine podcast that has been doing a daily show since the pandemic began. This is a labor of love and we are committed to bringing you free content every day. Of course, this takes time and effort not to mention the cost of equipment, production, and editing. We would be grateful for your donations, suggestions, requests, and ideas. For more information on how to get in touch, go to Italian wine podcast dot com.