Ep. 300 Sabatino di Properzio (Binomio)

Italian wine podcast. Chincin with Italian wine people. Hello. This is the Italian wine forecast. My name is Montey Walden. My guest today is Sabatino Di Proquenciano. Hi, Salatino. Where are you? And what is the name of Euryst? Sorry. Where are you? And what is the name of Euryst state? Which part of Italy are you in? Yes. I am in Abrusso. Very close to Pescara. That is the largest time in Abrusso. The name of the company is at the end of recall binomial. Why is it called binomial? Two names. Why two names? It's a stranger. It's a very strange history because this is a partnership between me that I'm the owner of La Valentina in APuzzo. And a great friend of mine, Stefan Minama, of, in Amaziena, in Veleto. We both, a very home. Today is forty seven years old Vineyard. In the nineteen ninety eight, and we started this kind of collaboration. Okay. So, binomio has two names. Some people would say it's a you know, in Italian sound like two names, but the real meaning is an algebraic terms. A mathematical terms that means two elements together. Brilliant. Okay. Now, some people would question your sanity. You're working with the multiple Chiano grape which is not especially disease resistant, but is impure, like pecorino is very resistant. It can suffer from water stress. It's susceptible to palladium, powdery mildew. And it ripens very late and sometimes unevenly. Are you crazy or not? No. No. I'm not crazy. I'm not crazy. You know, multiple Charlie is a very It's a very widespread, Barayatollah in Abruso, but, there are different kind kind of, how you can manage it, looking to the quantity or looking to the quality. The vineyard of Binom is a very old vineyard, forty seven years old. It's four hectares. And in this vineyard is planted in historical clone of multiple channel, very rare. The name is Casalia, or in a dialect in slang is a clo Africa clone because the form of the bunch remember the form of the continent, and it's a very low, healed varietal. In fact, for this reason, all the other producers decided to change the clone. So we are the only seller, the only producer that make a multiple channel from hundred percent of this, of this clone. And his natural ripeness is reached in the second half of October. So we don't do anything of particular to obtain, high quality, Did you buy it? This is this is another strategy story because with Stefano, we started the collaboration in nineteen ninety eight. At the beginning with grapes coming from, my vineyard. So we make the first experiments, with my my grapes. But we had the occasion to buy this small, parcel because I already knew the the vineyard. Through a friend of mine and anologist that before worked with the old owner. So we had the occasion to buy it and, we do soon, to give a more concrete to the to the project. Yeah. You bought it at auction, didn't you? Nobody else wanted it, and you very cleverly bought it. Yes. And you've ended up with a with a fantastic, a fantastic vineyard. Yes. Because the the old owner went bankrupt and all the property, were, have been divided in several parts. And, fortunately, only a small part. One option one option was only for this particular vineyard. So a very small part. So when, when you make a when you're making the wine, how do you make sure that you get the best from the multiple channel grape? What is the strategy in winemaking? Okay. The strategy start, of course, from, the vineyard and with a very patient and, long work in the vineyard. Trying to do everything to obtain, the best safety that is possible at the right point of, moderation of the phenolic, phenolic maturation. So, we pay we make all the work that are necessary in, in the vineyard. Our wines start from the grape. Okay. And you your vineyards, I think are either organic or they're close to organic, they're grass. Yeah? Yeah. We are not, certified, but we are, completely sustainable in, all the approach that we use in, in the vineyard. We have started, for example, the sexual confusion many, many years ago. Okay. So, if you just hold can you just hold the bottle up? In your you have a bottle of wine in your hand. Could you just hold the the bottle up? So we can see. It's a lovely sort of a retro, label. So what you've got the two fifteen Resver there Yeah. We'll often get confused about how many years in bottle should we leave a multiple channel wine, before we drink it? What I can what I can say regard regard the wine of Benomio and the wines of La Valentina, and I can grant an aging for at least twenty years. Wow. Okay. Yes. And what is we have opened just a few weeks ago before everything changed, at two thousand. So, and the result was really a fantastic. Also, in the, the previous edition of popular wine, we pour we offer all the all their, vintages. And you say on your website that one of the best dishes to have with, multiple channel is, lamb, what is the story? What is the history of, the, and it's booked in a special way like in a pot? Yeah. How did what's the story on that? Yes. The story start from ancient time because a brusso of also if it's, more known for its coast, it truly is a largely mountain, region. Three quarter. The region is occupied by mountain. So our kitchen tradition is largely best. I don't meet. And the the people that live in the mountain, is is used to farm, make farming. So the land was the basic of, all the dishes the sauce in the pasta or in, or a meal like, you have already said. There is a kind of, piece of, lamb, very, cut it very small and cooked in a pot for a long, long time. So the meat is very, very soft. Yes. Exactly. It's very salt. It's it's very soft and spicy, and it's also cooked with a lot of, flavor. So is it spicy? Is it spicy? Is it spicy? Yes. Peperoncino. Okay. So they're pretty lethal. Those are pepperoncini. You look like like, the pepperoncini. Yeah. Yeah. How did I? How do I? I'm a big fan as well, by the way. And, how often does, your business partner come down to the vineyard? And, what do you think about, does he make a good swabbing? Yes. Yeah. We we knew each other, talking of soave and talking of, he's first a great, soave producer but above all is really a brutal over. So he came, in a brutal very often, but for two reasons. First, for the binomial, and second for his patient for the region, is, it's very funny, to say all the stuffs that usually bring back home, together. So a lot of tea to eat pasta, how you boil, and for Margie, Jesus, and salumi. So It's a kind of friendship that is really based on the, mutual respect and, and friendship. Yeah. It's good. I mean, it's nice to see, that two of you are working to get a, a big distance apart between you two totally different wines and also two very underestimated wines. Swave is, one of Italy's great white wines, as I'm sure you would agree, which often doesn't get the pressed that it deserves, not because it's a bad wine, but because of potentially overproduction. And you could say the same thing. I think about the Montapocciano variety, in Abu. So so I think your collaboration is, obviously, is very unique. And, but you seem like you have a lot of fun doing this and, you know, a crazy idea that you meet somebody in a in a in a wine fair and you you have a business project. The world team gives We have been very lucky. We have been very lucky because, the adventure had very soon success, a lot of interest on this, on this project. And, you know, the business is not so big because we produce about twenty twelve fourteen thousand bottle depending on the on the yield of the of the harvest. So it's basically something that we do in addiction to our usual business. So it's something that we do for patient for a love on the land of, of approved. Okay. Brilliant. Well, I look forward to coming to I'm in Tuscany now. I'm not too far away from you, and I'd love to come and see your, your vineyards. And I certainly love to try, this, lamb dish. What's it called again? This, special dish? An yellow. An yellow, but the, the, the the dish, what's it called? Just repeat that one again. Just slowly slowly slowly. Okay. Perfect. It's right. Well, that's a tongue twister. I'll definitely have to come and see you and you can you can give me a lesson in you know, when it will be possible, I wait for you. Brilliant. I just wanna say, thanks very much, Sabatino. Sabatino di Propeccio, telling us about your wonderful project with, from Swave. And, it's been a great interview. I've really enjoyed talking to you, and I hope to meet you face to face. Take care. Thank you very much. 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