Ep. 1165 Alessio Planeta | On The Road Edition With Stevie Kim

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Each week, she travels to Increda 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. Welcome to on the road edition. It's kind of a it's not very far from Verona, but we are in this convent today. Well, it's a mama jumbo shrimp and Italian Line podcast special coverage of a topic that everybody's talking about, which is sustainability. So I have here with me today, Alicia Planeta. Hi guys. Good morning. So, Alicia, here is, of course, he is one of the principles of the planet Delinery from Sisley. They have been heavily involved. They were, forward thinkers and pioneers of sustainability. From Sicily. And I I suppose you're here to talk about that. Yeah. Yeah. What what what are you talking about today here? I'm here today, not as planet, but as as member of the board of a foundation and sustain. What is it? Is it a new foundation? It is a new now. It's two years old, but it's, the new product of Sicily. I think it's, small revolution, green revolution for Sicily because, some years ago, like, twelve years ago, task and planet works together to make a problem of sustainability. The problem is called Sustain. So Sustain. How is it written? How do you spell Sustain? S o s t a e n. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. So this is the reason why you called it SOS? Yeah. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. So we decided to go to make a program. It was a little bit on the on the followings, what for example, the California, California, one grower done, but a little bit more tailor made for Sicily. So it'll be more for the sicilians. Yes. Because this is only for the sicilians. And all the taking, of course, the the think about the the opportunity of the problem of the cinematic culture. For example, one of the big, from from the beginning, one of the big, big differences that we cannot use rascaler in in in our program. So it's forbidden, totally forbidden. What what we've done, together is to make a foundation. Make a foundation is is very important. I think it's the key of this program because you don't only you know, make the program be, alive and to have more people in the program. No. You work to, to evolve the program, and you more you work for having projects done together that that are very important. One of this is to make a sicilian bottle. So, sicilian producer, thanks to sustain in the next month, could use a bottle done in sicily with, ninety five percent of the glass recycled in Sicily. But this is not only this. There are many other projects that we are doing together. Today, we are, twenty seven, producers, for, But do they tend to be like bigger producers they are bigger than their small. They are comparative, in the board. For example, in the board, we have, that is a present of a cooperative. We have, Latizarosa from a mezzo Corona. So the largest, vineyard of a single producer in C city. We have, me, as planeta. And, and we have Arianda, that, is a producers that doesn't need, an introduction. Any presentation. And then there is a present that is Alberto taska. That is, really a person, involved within in this since many times with a lot of energy, with a lot of passion. And so it's a big group, and I think it's, the next step for sicilian, Viticulture and wine. I want to add that, Sicily is the largest, vineyard in bio, in Italy with, forty five percent of a surface in, organic. So CCD is, have a potential this because, you know, also, weather conditions, CCD, help us to be sustainable. And, is one of the value that we want to communicate, more and more to our customers, to our friend because, I think it's not very clear that to make vineyards in Sicily is, quite, make vineyards in a lovely place in balance surrounded by the sea and with a lot of value. So, but can you just do would you mind just going, a step backwards and tell our audience, how do you define sustainability? I feel like everybody is using the word Yeah. Sustainable sustainability. Perhaps it was more organic, like, few years ago, but now everyone is using sustainability. What how do you define sustainability? And how does sustain define sustainability? There is a big difference for me, when you say organic and sustainability. For example, as product, we are organic and sustaining business. You sustain, we are sustaining our labels. When you talk about, being organic, you only talk about, you make grapes, and are you transformed grapes in wine? When you talk about sustainability, you talk about how you make, all the and tier process. Or you do not only what you do on the vineyards, but also around the vineyards in the winery, in the landscape. This is a small revolution. What I said in in the last time that what I've seen in in in Planeta, for example, in all the people that, join us in sustainers that we are less multiculturalist and more, agriculture. So you go back a little bit to what you used to do before to be, for me, placed with a hundred percent vineyards, full stop is not more sustainable. So what we try to do is to to have our, people that joins us, so stay to look at what is around making a case of grapes, and transforming a case of wine. And there is, a lot of things around your your vineyards that, you have to take care. For example, one of the things you have to do in in to be sustaining is, you have to guarantee a bio diversity, surface in dedicated to biodiversity around the vineyards. And this is a a big change in for me. So this is for me, what is sustainability is a kind of, agriculture that, take care about what's going on around you, what's going on, what's going on, what's going on, what's going on, what's going on, what's going on, what's going on, what's going on, what's going on, what's going on, what's going on, what's going on, what's going on, what's going on, what's going on, what's going on, what's going on, what's going on, what's going on, what's going on, what's going on, what's So I, I'm a consumer. Right? How do I know that your wine is sustainable? Is it is there a certification? Yes. It's a of course. Yeah. There's a certification, that is, checkered by a DMV. So via an external, of course, a institute of certification, and you see on the back label, a stamp, and you And what do you see as a It's a green one, with right source stain, SOS stain, on the back level. And, another thing about, sustained that it's, it's as it's directed to sustainability, earlier, that you start to measure a check or the impact that, that you do. Much energy you consume, which is the weight of the bottles. There's a do you follow all, as I said, you before around, and this is this is the most important things I think that we have to follow in in in our what, making wise today to only be organic that for me is crucial. I wanna say because this is not to follow this kind of problem, doesn't have to lose the for me, the what the consumers wanted is, of course, what is inside of the glass of wine. But this is also something that's around that is a long term is, important as be organic or maybe more important than, to be organic. 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 foods, and taking in the scenery. Now back to the show. So you have this, project now. Right? But how do you how are you able to communicate to, especially the younger generation about this challenge that we have? No. This is something we are interested in. How are you doing? What are your ideas? We we we are very active to do, road treatments. It's really, we've done, it's it's, every few months seminar, what we do say what we're doing, in agriculture and not only. Every company on our on the website, have a an area dedicated to stain, but I think that you don't need to do, and, every, every, consumers now, give a look to this tab. There's a bit of confusion because they have to understand which is the serious and good green stamp on the bottle because you can be sure that every bottle, butter, cheese, sauce, olive oil in a few months here. So we'll have a green, green sign, on the labels. The more we are in, in the, in the, in Sicily and, group of sustained, the more we'll be easy because each of us used a, you know, last start to make the stain stamp and and and label and logo or be, around the world. Also, there is a, a lot of work to do to, to, like, for example, in in the wine business, the monopole, of many markets recognize this, and they we start, with sustained. Some of them recognize this. And step by step, we are going to, you know, increase the numbers of, markets that, recognize sustained as the, one of the program, also stability. Do you have plans to, enlarge, expand the sustained program outside of Sicily or, not just for the sicilian borders? The sustained problem is, is for Sicily. Also what we dream eventually, but this is my idea, in the future is to, to open to other plants, because I would like to have one day sustain of, olive oil, so stain on, citrus sustain on some of the sicilian, great, you know, most important, plant and fruit. So I need to just I mean, I think what you're doing is fantastic. But somehow, you know, I feel that we're kind of in the business and we have a conversation amongst ourselves but often it just get a bit lost in translation because when I asked you about the younger generation, especially, so I was speaking to a friend of mine who owns probably the largest online wine magazine in America. And he said, everybody is talking about sustainability, but his readers, they don't care. They don't really care. Which means what he means by that, of course, it was just he's trying to be a bit provocative. Right? But he what he means is that I think it doesn't translate into, let's say, more sales. In of those particular wines. So what I I guess, you know, how do we bridge the gap? Like, how do we make everybody else be part of the conversation? You said you're doing roadshows. I think that's great. But road trip gets to few people, right? And I guess you're trying to create more evangelists for your program. Listen, I think what you guys are doing is great. I know you guys are really, pioneers in this area. Okay. Mr. Nostradamus. No. First of all, as a one producer, where I don't want to become billionaire selling more wine because there is a stamp. This is not we want to do a better beauty culture and agriculture. And if you remember, when whine, why as as as you know, as we know, as we like, as we do, restart in the middle of it is when we open our door to one consumers, because not all of one, one consumers come to visit us, but in some way, yes, because they do through reports of a journalist that came through the video, to the to the to the, to the mate you do, to the to the testing you do in the winery, So the big training, when you become, when you work in sustainability, is the beauty and the, the atmosphere and, that you have in a winery, that you have in a vineyard, and because now, if you want this work as we work as as planeta workers, many other produce it in the board works. You are the first the first, people look at what you do, because you asked your importer and your importer see the the the winery, the vineyards, and listen to you talking about and then he say to the Salesforce and the rest of the customers. So the we are much more transparent that that people thinks, except over any stamps, on that level that I can understand people can be confused. So, what we are doing in something that is realized to have a stamp on on the labels, but there is a, a reality and a big change in the winery, in the vineyards, in the place, in the people, in the material we use. And so this is why the the way we arrive to the final consumers, that, is much more than than than people think because at the end, if you are not, global branded, doesn't exist global branding in the wine, except, really a few, but people, know, drink planeta because they know planeta because some way, some of the friends have been in Planetto, some of the the importance at the Planeta. So it will arrives until it will arrives, and I'm thinking that after a little bit of confusion because now when you switch on television, you'll see that, for example, the a full that you put in your car is green. So everything is green. Yeah. Everything is green. Everything is sustainable. Everything is sustainable. Everything. But it would be another day where people will see the difference between arriving in a in a winery when you see, how it's cultivated, whether it's like a garden, and and then whenever it is in balance, and something that is not like this. Yeah. I think you have I love the sicilians because you have so much more faith in humanity. I think than someone like myself, from coming from, you know, Cement block, New York, but But I do appreciate everything that you do and your, of course, your friends. This is the last question. If you were to give one, advice to an individual, a wine drinker. How to become more sustainable? Well, the the the the the first things that that, that, for example, a day like today, give me a clear picture about this that and we have to be, to believe in research because, research, to be sustainable is not to go back to the, to the old time, you know, to became, to make wine, like, we do it to two thousand years ago, but there is a a process that is a a long process that have a research, near you because it's very clear that now research is doing is working on this direction. Sometimes, this is as a as a as a southern person, as a sicilian, I would love to see in the future, only be more viticulture in place, like Sicily, LEP, less Viticulture in some other place. Maybe where Viticulture is not should not be, the developer, because sometimes in the last years, I think we moved too much, Viticulture and, driving by the market, not by the, by the sustainability by the, you know, the tradition, by the story, by the, geology, by the, whatever, you know, and then the best way to understand the philosophy of one producer, and, is the level of, our series and deep is the approach to us a bit is to visit the place. That is always, best way for me to, to be in touch with with wine or also listen a good wine podcast explain you exactly what's going on around the wine world. Thank you. Well, so that's a wrap. With that, I will have to come to a close. Thank you so much. I do have a confession. I have not visited your winery, so I am looking forward to visiting not just yours, but also, Tasca, and I've been to your Aetna wineries, of course. Yeah. But when you go to Sisi, you're already stopping at them. Stop good to act. I know, but it's it's it's just I don't go mostly that. You have a winery, Medna. Yes. Everybody has a winery in that night. It's kind of easy. No. Not easy. It's difficult, but it's it's no. I think it's No. I I I I I have a professor of transfer, last week in a place that to leave, atelio without words is not easy. Right. And and and it was without because it's a new lovely project, not a new now. In a mountains, there were, the Yeah. He told me he told me he was very impressed and he he think he thinks you're doing a great job. So thank you again, and hope to see you soon. Actually, we are organizing, Chitas Galastica in Sisley, not Aetna. So somewhere. I don't know where though. So okay. So we'll see you soon. West is the best. West is the best. Thank you very much. That rhymes. Okay. Listen to the Italian wine podcast, wherever you get your podcasts. We're on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, HimalIFM, and more. Don't forget to subscribe and rate the show. 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