Ep. 288 Federica Mascheroni Stianti (Volpaia)

Italian wine podcast. Chincin with Italian wine people. Hello. This is the Italian wine podcast. My name is Monte Walden. My guest today is federica Masquero Nistianti from the Castar de Bolpaya winery in Rada in Kianti. Hi. How are you? Good. A closing house, but good. Closing house. Were you not moving out? You're not selling the the the the castle, are you? No. No. I mean, I miss, like, most of the time I have to stay here or luckily have the vineyards, but actually I spent three weeks to close really in the house because I got sick. I don't know about what, but I really spent three weeks in a small apartment by myself. It was not easy. So I can I can understand? So I'll I'll make this a really difficult interview. No. I'm checking. Tell us a little bit about some, castellodie Volpaya, where is it? And what makes it special? Vapaya, luckily is it funny village in the middle of nowhere. So now we are quite safe because we are in the countryside next to Radancanti. So in the heart of the Cantic classical area is a twelve century village with really a small, amount of people living inside. So we are less than thirty. So we're a small community. Most of them works for the winery. So somebody's coming from the surrounding, but basically all of them are leaking inside the the village because we give also to the people that works for us, a house to stay with us. So they can leave the community of this little village. And so inside of all these different buildings, you have all the different activities. So when you get here in Wopaya, you feel like you are in the twelfth century, but then you open the different doors and you find all the different activities? I mean, this part of Kianti class ago for those of you that don't know was one of the sort of center central, ideological areas in the in the middle ages and the twelve hundreds when the legacy, the the county league was founded and from that is where, county classical is sp sprung from in Bolbire is an incredibly important, estate, in the history of, county classical. Now you brought a wine with you today. I hope. What did you bring? I brought the one that I'm going to present, the opera wine, unfortunately next year, not this year. And I brought something that comes out from the docG of the Cantic classical but it's still a wine made from a single vineyard. So very focused on the teaware of of the place. And it is the the Balafico two thousand sixteen. Okay. What what is the blend in that? Is that a hundred percent San Giovanni or a mix? No. It's a mix. It's the only one that goes out from the rules of the Cantic classical. It's in Sangevese with the one third of cabernet sauvignon. So it makes a big difference from the style of the I mean, from the style from the three stick of the wines of, of volpaya because the cabernet sauvignon gives that intensity and structure to the wine that makes a big gap from, the other candy classical reserve that are much more in elegance and finest. Like, what's the difference in brightening between Cabane and Sanjay? That's totally different. It was, I was, you know, that we have another one in, Marima. And, I was there where the c zone is only two hours by car from here, but the season there is much more further in the time. So, they have some sangiovese and San Cabernet. The sangiovese is really out leaves, like this. And the cabernet sauvignon is still a tiny, tiny, blossoming, but not really open yet. So starting from the beginning, they are totally different way of, growing up the two grapes. Okay. And then inside the glass makes a big difference. So being in if we go back to Bolbaya, you're obviously quite high altitude. And you have a Yeah. A special soil type called, Machinyo. Can you tell us what that is? Matino, it's a very unique type of soil. It's not very common. It comes from even if we are very high, it comes from a really deeply part of the land, so it's like a stone that comes from down, it came up from big pressure. So it's like a big pressure of the sand. So if you look to that soil, unfortunately, I did I didn't think to bring with me a stone to show you. That stone, it's it's a piece of stone with a lot of, like, pieces of sand. So it's like compressive sand. So is it type of soil that it's very sandy and stony? So this means that you have always a loser soil. And so if it rains a lot, and now it drain very much, but at the same time, it's a very dry season. The plants are really used to suffer the dry season because they're usually used to go down deeply to get the water, and so they are not really suffering to match on the, on the dry season. And so this helps to to have, like, always a little bit of a sufferance for the plants. And, you know, sometimes the vines needs a little bit of, don't be treated too well, and so they can give you the best product at the end. So with this sandy soil, do you get, very, very small berries, small concentrated berries? Yes. It's a very small concentrated berry, but what it comes out, especially in the wine, I think is a touch of minerality. Properly, probably because it gets the water down. So more than the water from the the sky, it's much more the water from, the ground. I'm sorry. Yes. And so that is the minority, and especially is also elegant. So they are not really thick and big wines, usually. Yeah. They're very I mean, rather, in general, it's known for its very, apart from its altitude and its, central position. Houston position is known for its wines that are very fluid. They're intense, but they're not at all heavy or big. Are they? Yeah. You give it the perfect explanation on my wines. I love you. What is it? I didn't mean to. I've been asking a question about when I if you walk around, the the hamlet of Volvaya, and you're talking about these sandy soils, and if you you the buildings look like they're built with this same sandy soil. Is that true? Yes. That is, is the nice point when you go to real old places. When when you go, like, in the new world, wineries, you'll find sometimes incredible castles that looks like historical. But they are fake and not because it has been built recently, but really because it's built with the soil that they are not coming from the place. What is nice in the county area is, like, if you go around, you find the soil of the place in the stones of the villages. So, like, if you go to Siena, you find much more clay, and now you find much more bricks. If you come to Bopaya, you find the sandstone and so the Machino inside the the instruction of, our buildings. So you can read the vineyards look into the buildings. Yeah. So just say that word again. Machino. Yeah. Okay. Now listen. You you have, tell us what you studied at university. Not really about wine. But I think it's like Art and wine, I have a lot of connections, sir. It's okay. Left the reformation. Farm wine. There you go. What what sorry. I didn't hear you? Hello. The reformation with wine and, and art and all that sort of stuff. So, but you are a you are you could you are a professional restorer of of ancient paintings and artifacts, aren't you? Go on. Just tell us a little bit of that. Go on. It's It it was a passion. It's still a passion of my life. Obviously now with the wine, you don't have a lot of time to do it. And so I I don't do anymore anything about restoring paintings and go in the details of the different paintings and, surface of the materials. Luckily, I still have a lot of friends in the business so I can go in and sneak in their studios and look to their works, but that basically was my work before. Then, I decided sorry? Then wine took over. Then wine took over. Yes. Then white cover. Lovely. Thanks for you for coming in today to talk about, Casality Volvaya and the area of Volvaya. And, I look forward to having a glass of wine with you and talking about restoration next time we meet. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Really for your time and your chat with you. Good. Thank you. So Listen to all of our pods on Sound Cloud iTunes, iTunes, Spotify, human I f m and on Italianline podcast dot com. Don't forget to send your tweets to eta wine podcast.