Ep. 2054 Stefano Chiarlo, Michele Chiarlo winery | On The Road With Stevie Kim

Who wants to be the next Italian wine Ambassador? Join an exclusive network of four hundred Italian wine ambassadors across forty eight countries. Vineetly International Academy is coming to Chicago on October nineteenth is twenty first. And while Matikazakhstan from November sixteenth to eighteenth. Don't miss out. Register now at Vineeti dot com. 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. Okay. So this is day two and our first wine we visit is with the historic Mikaela winery. I'm here with Stefano Karallo, who is the owner, the principal and also the winemaker for the winery. So I've never been to this winery. I'm sorry I wasn't able to come when your dad was still alive. Mikale Calo, of course, he is the kindest soul, one of the nicest people I've met. He was a gentleman and he passed just last year. So, for those who have never been to your winery, can you give us a little background of the winery itself. Of course, I know you're from where the Lange wines, but today, we're we're focused on Bara Dastian Natesa. But tell us just give me a skinny overview of your winery. Yes, TV. So, is a family winery that was founded for my father in nineteen fifty six. And, the perception of our winery is that, there are two main, area of piedmont, wine, where we are owner of the best grand of the best single vineyard in the grand area where we have a single vineyard baro and barbaresco, like, and the Monterado area where, traditionally, the Barrera gray variety in the Moscato are the two main variety and where Historical, we produce, Barbara, and, recently, needs a wine for the top Barbara expression and also Muscatodasti. So how many labels do you have in total? In total, we have about twenty four gables because, you know, payment is very similar to burgundy because, we have a small vineyard that is very important to produce our own, like a single vineyard. And so, the difference of the terroir with the same variety give, different expression of the wine. And what about and specifically for Barri Veradasti and Nisa? How many labels do you have? We have two people of Bobberdastian four of Nitsa. So in total six, I have twenty four. Yeah. By the way, you also have a brother. Right? Oh, yes. And he's he's in the wine business. He is in the way he is in the way me in regards to thirty years. He is name is Alberto is take care about the marketing in the sales part of the winery. And so we divide the all the responsibility between the vineyard and winery for me and the marketing and say for So who's older? You or I our belt is older than me three years older. I am fifty five and is fifty eight. I see that you've prepared two wines for us. Yeah. Okay. So let's taste the wines. We begin with, our Barbera Dasty. Mhmm. We are, I mean, it's a footprint. It's our most historical wine because my father, from fifty six, he began to produce Barbera Dasti, and he really improve the quality and also the perception of this wine. And, it did food in more than sixty five countries around the world. Mhmm. But Bara Dasty, we have a six state in the south of the Asti region in the Mosarato area. Barbera is a very foluitry wine, floral wine, especially our improvement in the vineyard in the winery is to obtain a very authentic expression of the variety, but in the same time, have also this kind of, soft part in the test that, I forgot, in the matching with several kind of food. Is there any wood in this one? No. This is a, a, only stainless steel. Okay. And this is the current vintage. Is the current vita in twenty Twenty two. Twenty two. Yeah. Breakfast of the champions. It's nine o'clock in the morning. So okay. Alright. And then you have another one. Yeah. Is our needs, most, produce, and, Chipressi. Chipressi is the name of Cypress trees in the state of where, there are Cyprus data very old Cyprus more than two hundred and fifty years. Oh my goodness. They're very hard to maintain, Oscar. Yeah. And, you know, Cyprus three is not a PMontest tree. It's a Tuscany tree because for more than a hundred years, the owner of this estate was a Tuscany fan. Maybe. Oh, I see. Yeah. But you know, I mean, just a curiosity. I see the psych mysteries also in in cemeteries in it. Yeah. Right? Yeah. What what is what is that significance? I believe it is a tree that, you know, for a long time, the symmetry probably are the tree that, reminded these, the soul of the people. Stephan, I know you're also the president of the Nitza Consulting. Yeah. Right? And it's under the umbrella of Pibera Dasti and Mufferato. Yeah. So tell me a little bit about your subgroup of the consortium. Yeah. My father was the first president, and, I am now also the president. Is that not association that have the idea to work together not only for promoting the application, but also to elevate the quality. And that was very innovative because, for example, we do every springtime a grind testing where all the winemaker give, idea of, the level of the wine. And that's how I forgot to increase the level of the quality of all the producer. It's a long history that, the party more than twenty two years ago with this idea How many producers? When he is born, was about ten producer. Now we are ninety producer. Nine zero. Nine zero. Oh my goodness. Yeah. That's quite a bit. And the the application needs, probably is the most success Easter in PMont in the last year because, when we're departing, the total production is about one hundred thousand bottle, and now we arrive to more than one million bottle in the premium level of the price and the quality of the wine. So, well, you're talking about blind tasting, Stefana. So I have to ask you this question. Yep. You have ninety nizza wines from ninety producers. In a blind tasting, are you able to identify your wine. And if yes, how can you tell it's your wine? Probably, yes, and sometime, yes, because our style in the needs of wine, but in general, in our wines, it's to be very precise in terms of food expression and very balanced between, alcoholic and and, fresh acidity in the mouth. Barbara grade variety, if you don't pay the attention, is a very the hard core process is sometimes a little more, especially in the last year where that we have, the weather situation that is a little more hot, and dry. And so our style in the wine is to be very arrogant, very also very drinkable wine, also in the most important wine. So, I mean, what are the differences between these two wines, for example. Yeah. If they're both hundred percent. Both hundred percent. Barbara. Barbara. Mhmm. Barbara, the yield in the vineyard is a little higher because you can arrive from vineyard that produce nine tons for Hector. Deformitation in stainless steel and also the refining in stainless steel. Our chipressin Nitsa is a iPhone vineyard that is a little older, but, especially, is a lower in term of quantity in the vineyard, less than seven tons per hectare. And aging one year in the garbage barrel. And so are two different wine with the same variety. I believe that the is very clear to to understand the difference in in the gas. And what would you pair with these two lines? Yeah. For example, but very dusty, I have to pair with a pizza with also pasta with the creams or dedicate anti, Chipressi, is a very aquatic wine that you can match with, PM Monteis antipasti, but also with, or the ravioli and yolotti or with the white meat, but also with, for example, with the fish, with the stock fish, with the, tomato sauce is, is wonderful. Yeah. Fish as well. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Exist in a in a llano term, Babbera fish festival with the no way, people that, have the matching with the stock fish with the Babbera. Oh, wow. That's interesting. So, Stephanie, I have a challenge for you. Next time we're here, maybe we'll bring some students. Yes. You know, we'll group bring a group of ambassadors here. And we will have a blind tasting challenge Absolutely. Of the ninety Nitza Barbera. Dasty. We wait. We are really exciting. And And you have to identify you are. I said that a lot of time, but it's not easy sometime. Yeah. Yeah. No. Fine tasting extremely, difficult. Yeah. Even for the absolute experts. In wine. So with that, it's a wrap from Mikayla Calo winery, and thank you for having us today. And Thank you, Steve. With Italian wine people as we continue our journey in Balvera Dasti and Monferato. They choose. Everybody. Listen to the Italian wine podcast wherever you get your podcasts. We're on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, EmailIFM, and more. 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