Ep. 1305 Marzia Maule | The Next Generation

By now, you've all heard of Italian wine Unplugged two point o. The latest book published by Mamma jumbo shrimp. It's more than just another wine book. Fully updated second edition was inspired by students of the Vin Italy International Academy and painstakingly reviewed and revised by an expert panel of certified Italian wine ambassadors from across the globe. The book also includes an addition by professor Atilio Shenza. Italy's leading vine geneticist. The benchmark producers feature is a particularly important aspect of this revised edition. The selection makes it easier for our readers to get their hands on a bottle of wine that truly represents a particular grape or region to pick up a copy, just head to Amazon dot com, or visit us at mama jumbo shrimp dot com. Welcome to the next generation. I'm Victoria Chacha, join me as we chat with young Italian wine people shaking up the wine scene. We're going to geek out on a grape or grape fam and then hear about all the wild wine things are destined up to. From vineyard experiments to their favorite wine bars. Hello, everyone. We are here today. Beautiful. Beautiful Sunday. Today, we have a special great to talk about and a very groovy guest that is on. We're gonna talk a bit about Venetto's own, Durala. And then we are going to interview also Venetto's own, Marcia Mowle, a very accomplished, impressive, amazing young woman who is super cool, super super cool. And she also grows Durala, which is a great that we have all the information about from the Italian wine, unplugged two point o book, which you if you have been following me on this Sunday next generation journey. Probably know that's where I get all my facts from and some from my brain because, you know, I've studied mine before. I mean, how else would I be on this podcast? Or maybe I never studied Italian wine before. Leave the mystery up to you. You can judge me all you want. Moving on. Durala. So I'm gonna give you some quick facts about Durala before we have our special guest on. So have you ever heard of Durala before? If not, do not worry. It is very under the radar still. Durala is used to produce sparkling wines in the veneto, and no, that is not prosecco. It produces the Duralo wines from the Laisse de Raulo DOC. But more specifically on Dorella as a grape. So Dorella, first fact, its name comes from most likely Duro or hard, meaning harder angry, which I love, because first of all, I maybe I'm feeling a little angry today. Maybe that's why I love it. Perhaps. But it actually refers more to the tough skin of the grape. So for those with thick skin out there, Durala is for you. Now it grows in the venatope tuscany Lombardi, but it does grow mainly in the veneto, between verona and Vicenza, which is also where Martia's binary is to Nutamale. But you can also find Durala in the northwestern area of Tuscany near Masa Karara, where it's called, and like I said before, as well in Lombardi. And when it comes to the doc, the Lassini Dorado doc, in that point, it has to be at least eighty five percent. There are producers that use a hundred percent in their wines in that d o c. Again, the d o c being. All those o's and ahs. Don't we love Italian language folks? I do. Finally, when it comes to the character of doralla, that creates high acid wines. So that's why it's perfect for sparkling. And they're blessed with delicate aromas of flavors. We're talking white flowers, fresh fruits like green apple and lemon, and it can squirt some mineral notes as well. That's a little bit about Durala, Pr Durala. And now let's bring on our special guest today. Say hello to Marcia. Tell Marcia. Hi. How's it going? How you feeling? I'm feeling good this morning. Yeah. Feeling good. How many coffees have you had? Two, only. A two? A one. And no wine so far. So It's like when you're missing the wine, you feel like a little off, but it's okay. We're close to lunch. We're close to lunch. I've had a whole mocha pot, and I think espresso too. So we're good. We're good. So where are you visiting us from today? So I come from, which is in between verona and, Vicenza. It's right at the border of the two provinces. And the area is Gambelara area for wine, and also La Ciniduello area. It's really nice hidden treasure. Oh, that's beautiful. Did you grow up there? Yeah. Yeah. Oh, that's beautiful. Actually, my my family is needed to be there, like, since, the fourteenth century. There are traces of my family there. Wow. Yeah. So have you ever, like, followed the lineage to see. It's it's a project time I have in my bucket list. You know, it's on the list of all the things she does already. Marissa does so much. She's only twenty nine, and so You are a sommelier. Yeah. A sommelier. I can't even disregard my marriage accent. An acknowledgement. You run a winery. Yeah. She is a wife. She is married. She's living the married life. Do you have a dog? Yeah. And two cats. Oh my god. And two cats. Yeah. So you're a dog mom, a cat mom. Yeah. Anything else I'm missing? If you want, we can't give you a whole image to make these finitude titles. You're you're a science woman, miss Peterson. She is a proud wine engineer science woman. Yeah. That comes with their knowledge. So yeah. I mean, that's true. That is true. I kinda like the science woman, the wine science woman title better. More empowering. Like, I feel like you should have a superhero. You should have a comic book. You should. Yes. I take note. They're like putting my ideas, book cabins. Maybe it will depend upon it. Here to save the fermentation. Oh my gosh. So how do you balance all these things? What's the life of Marcia? No. I I don't know why. If you ask me for a typical day, I cannot describe it. It changes every day. Like, one day I can be in the vineyard, the one other one, I can be in the winery or taking care of some clients coming or going to a fair or I don't know. I'm here. So it can be it can be different. That that's nice. I really like that, side of my job to be, you know, having every day something different. And some, yeah, So what was today's difference besides coming here to talk to me? Oh, actually, we our winery is renovating. So I'm also taking care of, the decoration. So, yeah, we are building it and we are also, we just, set the day for the opening of, the new winery. And, yeah, so there's also this side. It's quite fun. I have to say. So there are going to be a so called events, posted there. And, yeah, besides baking wine and, all the rest, but also the events. What kind of events? Oh, like, you can have, from small weddings to parties or, you know, company. Oh, like ties and events. Yeah. Okay. Also we can always do some tasting with, local producers. And, yeah, that would be fun too. Sorry. I don't know. I heard events, and maybe because I've been singing to go to a concert. I was thinking, like, there's gonna be, like, these big music events that are kidding. You your team. Yesterday, I have a call from, a friend that told me he wants to, bring some cool artists, for the opening and make, like, a little concert. Yeah. This Beautiful. That would be so fun. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. And so the name of the winery, if you didn't read the title, Tanuta Mallet. Yeah. And you produce which is the best thing for parties, sparkling wines, among the other wines, of course. And I wanted to ask something because I feel like, of course, she produced prosecco, but no one really talks about Durala as much. Yeah. But I think it's the future. Right? Proseco, yeah. We produce it because of course we're still in the area and it's still a popular wine, but, we are putting our focus on a more local variety. So Guarillo, which is, very, I say character variety. I don't know how like very strong variety, like a lot of acidity, thick, skin of the berries, and, the the wine that, we can produce with it. It's just amazing. It has a it's a very acid, sparkling wine that it's perfect that I I prefer it to say quality. You say? No. You have to be honest. I mean, everyone, everyone's, I mean, we don't need to hate on prosaic opioids, not why I'm here, but I think Durado offers an opportunity to, like, experiment outside of the world, especially because it it's from the same region. And it's slowly but surely getting more getting more thought and attention. Yeah. I haven't tried your Durilo obviously because you didn't bring me a bottle I'm not so sorry. I'm not gonna take you. I'll make you I'll make you that for when you talk to me because, you know, I'm gonna go and just drink all the bottles on your nerves. And you're gonna be like, are you hello? I'm gonna be like, I'm over here. We have sunset, John. It's some music, gonna have to kick me out. Just because she was here now. So back to you as a wine science woman or anologist to be formal. So about the I know that you have feelings about the natural wine movement, what is wine a natural product? And you being a young person in Italian wine, because as we know, we're in the midst of a big, like, movement amongst young Italians in the natural wine scene. What are your thoughts on that? I know that's a very controversial and a big question, but Yeah. But let's let's take, what so our atelio Shenza says that about one. Is is it is it really a natural product? Because sometimes we think, yeah, we we have this image of, the vineyard is such a beautiful, you know, seeing such a, you know, a product from the earth and then becomes such a nice thing in your glass. But what is natural about it? I mean, as as a team of scents that we've seen from, how we, select the varieties and how we plant them. That's already non natural because naturally, vines would be growing, among other trees, there wouldn't be vineyards. Like, we, we know them today. And also, if we press, a grape and then we let it, you know, keep going by itself without a human intervention, that will become vinegar. So is it really wine and natural product or is more, artificial product without the bed, you know, accent on that? So, yeah, for me, it's a bit controversial argument now, and many people are maybe using it in a wrong way, I would say. Even if it's a really nice concept. I I mean, everything's romantic and then especially when it's Italian wine, it's like so easy to sprinkle that extra bit of. Oh, and ah over things. I think that word artificial is a hard one and a big one. Right? It's like what makes something man made versus what's made by nature and then what's the middle ground or, you know, as most people would say, minimal intervention Yeah. Or non intervention, which is a scary. For me, at least I think that's a scary term. But, I mean, on that note then, in your winery, do you use for, spontaneous fermentation, or do you use do you inoculate? We we inoculate. Yeah. Yeah. We we try to, actually find the best yeast that, would allow to get the best out of, a migrate variety, for example. Or now, actually, I'm going to experiment from this vintage. I'm going to experiment sequential inoculation. So, basically, you're going to use different kind of yeast. It was, usually, you use, sakaromites television, let's say, and I'm going to try to use also known Sakarovic yesterday before and after. So you actually use less sulfides. You can get more aromas from your grave. And, I think that's the best way to get out the most of your there are and your great variety. Because if you, for example, let's say you do a spontaneous fermentation, not controlling it, or not having a lot of intervention, you might, risk to have some flows in your wine. And when you have a flow, you cover all the the terrarium. Mhmm. So what is left of the terrarium when you, work in this way? And also, it's a bit It's a big converse a big conversation, miss. Yeah. It is a it's a big one, and especially when you put all the blood sweat and tears into the vineyards, you know, to really make these great babies shine and whatnot I know this is like a giant argument. I'll probably have to invite you back to talk about this alone because not that I don't want to continue on this, but it's just there's so much to dive into and especially with your background and I mean, you're you're speaking. You have so much experience at such a young age. It's so impressive. But on that note, how did this whole thing start with you in in in in winemaking? Did you were you one of those five year olds that like knew they were gonna be a wine maker, and your parents are like, well Actually, no. Not at all. I mean, we always had seniors in our family and, made wine for friends and family, basically. But, we were bringing our grapes to the social cooperative. And actually, I studied languages before studying wine making I had I have another another path of studies, but after my degree, after a couple of years, I started to understand that I wanted actually to work in the wine business. And my father had the he always had the dream to have his own winery. We already have the vineyard, but he was doing another job. And then he had the possibility to actually invest and make a winery. And so I decided to go back to university and study on wine engineering. And, at the same time, make together the winery, and that's how our project started. 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 food, and taking in the scenery. Now, back to the show. And so, yeah. So it's like a father daughter pursuit. Yeah. Now I'll be treating my brother raising as well. My mom, you know, how it is here. Yeah. Yeah. You can't. Oh, the family gets in. Do that? You can't avoid it even back home in the States. It's like, everyone is like, oh, me, me, like, a lot? It's like, no. That's oh, so that's that's wonderful. And so when did it start officially? Like, so, the project officially started in two thousand eighteen, And in twenty nineteen, we started to make the new winery. Before we were doing, we were making wine in our, you know, the garage out of the family. And, but, last year was the first official year that we produced actually in the new part of the of the renovated winery, and it was very cool. I have to say. That's awesome. I mean, you should keep with the garage winery, though, because the garage, everyone loves the garage winery nowadays. Like, you make wine in a trash can. That's so cool. Oh my gosh. So that's so and is your husband involved in the winery as well? He works in rollercoaster business. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. He works in the In the roller coaster, missus, but he's being serious. Mhmm. Yep. What what is he an engineer? He's an engineer as well. Yeah. But, he sells roller coasters, but he's, yeah, here. In it's in, in Vicenza area, we have one of the biggest companies for roller coasters in the world. And, yeah. The Venaton never ceases to surprise me with the random industries that are here. Like, the roller coaster industry? Is this, like, mostly sold to this in in in Italy, or is it international? No. Disney. Disney level. Tizzy Island level. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. So, I I I think I've told you. I'm from New Jersey, lived in New York a while. So Well, first of all, the Kony Island roller coasters are not something to talk about. Those things are dangerous, but we can talk about Disney. So if they're gonna use anything for marketing, it's not Kony Island. Because those things have killed people, Disney, not so much. I'm sure there's different tiers of what they buy. Yeah. Probably. I don't know it. Damn. I that's another that's another topic. But speaking of okay. I'm so don't mean to go off this, but I Again, as everyone knows from my podcast, I lurk everyone's Instagram a little too seriously. So she says married, it's very cute. And because it's a month of love, I just wanna know. Have you meet your husband you're going to laugh right now. I'm already laughing. Let me put my cheeks down. Well, we actually met on Tinder. Yes. My love that you were so honest. Most people are like, We met at a bar, and I was like, well, how did you get to the bar? I'm so proud of my husband that I have no shame in telling that, you know? He's actually Belgian. Oh. But I I didn't expand my Tinder until Belgium, the one at the time. And he was he was actually living here in, in Veneto, in another cool company that was making racing cars. And, yeah, when he was here, I actually before, I used to live, it's everywhere I lived in Spain. I lived in Rome, and I lived in, Conelo Adubiato. Everyone's favorite word. And, when, when I came back, you know, I Okay. So let's let's go. Let's use it. Let's try. Let's give it a try. And then we actually met, and he decided after to stay here because, of course, he loved so much pizza. And, we now we are happily married. For now. Yeah. Oh, how long have you guys been together? Five years. Yeah. Wow. And does mister roller coaster race car? Does he have a name? Yeah. He's, Sean. What? Sean? It's like Charles? But in French way. Oh, wow. Okay. Charles. Charles. Yeah. In Italy, he's a catalog. Calique for French. Yeah. What does he go by? Does he prefer? Italy, does he go by Carlo? Whatever. He's used to all the names, you know? But what's the name he tries first? Does he say shop? Oh, does he? It depends. It depends from the nationality of the he's intellectual Yeah. The the person he's speaking to. And, yeah, he he decides then how to introduce himself. Oh, that's cool. That's lovely. So I mean, the Do you have a good pizzeria in the vanatore that you like? Oh, yeah. Oh, really? Right by my house. So Can I have the secrets? Because I'm gonna write this down. It's a from that's a family from Naples, so they're really good at it. Yeah. Do you want the name? I actually want the name. Yeah. I want to tell her her name. It's blue star. Blue wait. Okay. So it's English blue star. Yeah. When you come to because you might want, you have to, we go have a pizza there. So you it's combined with things. I am sold. I was already sold to come to you. Why are you? But now I'm really sold. And what's your favorite pizza there? So, lately, I've become, simpler and simpler because I actually prefer marinara right now. I used to, like, a very, you know, elaborate pizza, but the more I kept going, the more I understood that if the potato is really good, the best pizza is the marinara. So simple and you can actually really enjoy the ingredients. And, you know, so yeah. Well, that's an that's the right answer because I was about to say, well, I wouldn't expect you to name a pizza with a million ingredients because you're not my kind not American. No, the best. It's always I always, like, say, if you go to, pizzeria, you have to have a marinara or, a margarita because that's like the base, like, the test pizza. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. They can't make a good marinara Markarita. It's like, nope. You're done. Sorry. Yeah. The same. I I I think the same. If you want to test the pizza, yeah, go for that there, then you will know immediately. See, this is what I wanted to hear. Like, this is the juicy details because, I mean, I think most people know by now with all the, you know, reels and whatnot that pizza in Italy, you know, it's not everywhere. It's it's comes from specific places and blah blah blah. But people migrate throughout Italy and, you know, you can find good pizza in, you know, the event it's only pizza's not from here, but I've actually been on a pizza quest recently. So I'm very happy about this one. Okay. Well, you have to to travel. Like, I mean, you have to take the train to come there, but, I think it's it's worth I I will come and I get to see you again. Yeah. So I think it's totally worth it. But I guess we'll stray away from pizza because this is the Italian Mind Podcasts to everyone. But speaking of, what is? I don't mean to jump to this, but it just came up in my mind What is the craziest thing that's ever happened in your winery? Some something fun. If I have to think about it, I I can think about, almost, you know, not happen disasters that can happen in the winery. Like if you're, for example, moving the wine from one tank to the other, and you accidentally forgot to not open the top of a tank, and you start to suck it, and the the tank crashes into itself. That's a but, I have to say I'm lucky because, this is about to happen. And but, many times, but, likely, for me, it's it's an avoided disaster. But We just started. So I would say, like, there are many really things that are still about to happen. And, yeah, if I have to think about it now, I don't I don't have so much material to talk about. But soon, for sure. She's like, I see the disasters ahead. Yeah. It's like, I'll keep note. I feel like the whole, as I was joking earlier about you having a comic, like, I could just picture you, like, with your magical powers, like, just making the tank fix itself again. Yeah. But, like, things like, I don't know. You, you bought a little wine and then magically, it pops and you don't know why, and then you're starting to figure out why it happened or not that it's like normal things that happen every day. It's trying to find the problem, you know. I think it's important, though, because it's actually wineries are very dangerous. Yeah. And people, not to deter anyone from going into wine industry. It's great. I mean, into wine making, I mean. But it is I mean, I my first harvest, I saw someone almost lose their hand from, like, yeah, from the the December. And then he had to fix the motor And he went, and what happened was oh my gosh. I'm giving you so much anxiety. I'm sorry. Yeah. Because I know how it's gonna shine, and I saw it. And he, like, it got stuck on something. He was trying to take it off. And then it literally hung in, like, It it was two seconds and like it would have. And I was in that moment, I was like, I love wine. I'm gonna stay in wine, but I need my hands, and I need to remember that. I mean Yeah. That that's very dangerous, especially during harvest period. And also when you start the fermentation, the winery, it's like you arrive in the morning and all your tanks are fermenting and all your production areas filled with CO2. And so if you don't arrive and immediately open everything, you can't really easily faint or have a really big problem. Yeah. It's pretty dangerous, but apart from harvest, the rest is not so so dangerous, you know. I mean, yeah. No. Harvest is like a whole other world. I love it. I love harvest. Like, I mean, I'm not a winemaker, but harvest gives you, like, another you feel like a superhuman. Yeah. I love it and hate it, I think. Yeah. Yeah. Because you have no timing, you know, don't, you know, when you start, you don't know when you finish and, there's, you know, it's, completely, low. There's no low, you know, no rules, those dates. Oh, not at all. But at the end, everyone loves the harvest party, the wrap up. Yeah. That's definitely a huge thing. It's the best part. And, but you never know what it's coming though because not featured. Depends. Exactly. There's many people asking me now, yeah, when are you going to start the harvest this year? And, like, I don't know. Last year, we started on the seventeenth of August. And the year before, it was the third of September, so it you never know when it's going to happen. It depends on how's the grapes, and you have to go, test it, I go in the vineyard. I see, like, some samples that come, I go in my laboratory, you know, with my little vest starting to check. Oh my gosh. And then in the heat of this last summer, it was That was horrible. Yeah. I remember I was in swimsuit at the end of the day washing the boxes, of the of the harvest. Oh my god. It was impossible. I at least, I was standing you know? I know. No. It's it's it was I think my friend has a crazy story where she was in Rome Mhmm. And she needs AC all the time. Like, she's she's she lives in Florida. So, like, in in America, like, there's, like, insane AC in the summer. Anyway, she was outside of Dorena Shante. Mhmm. And someone asked her a question in her flip flop melted into the pavement. Oh, yeah. She was like, it was stuck. She was like, that's what I knew. I needed to leave. Yeah. Rome can be, leaving hell during summer. It's incredible. I know. I was there as a past summer. It was, Yeah. And since. And even, but I and then I was in Vineyards too, in Oefieto, but I give I I've you and all the winemakers so much so much props this past. Our visit was insane. And then in, like, Keante Glassico, then, hale. Yeah. No one caught a break. And now we are, you know, praying for rain and snowing the mountains because, last year, we have this huge problem of, there was a big lack of snow on the Monty, so there was no water for us in the vineyards. And, you know, that's, that's a big problem. You can have good years as well with the vintage because, you know, the the all the aromas and, are more concentrated in the berries, so that could be a good thing. But on the other way, there's less production. So it's not so, so good for us either. Yeah. No. I I can imagine. It's just all we, like, with any part of agriculture. Just wait and see with mother nature. Hopefully, she's kind to us. Yeah. I think she will. It's supposed to be raining tomorrow, so it's cross Fingers crossed. Everyone fingers crossed. Well, we're winding down now to the end of the podcast. And I want to finish up with a very, very super important question. Think about this. What is your favorite song, album, or artist to play in your winery when you're working? You can name more than I'll give you a three, maybe. So I'm a podcast fan. Oh, so I usually listen to podcasts, but I have to say sometimes there's way too much noise to listen to anything when especially while working. But if you ask me a music, definitely a rock, some rock. So it's good. Some very hard one, and it's that's definitely something. Something is it like death metal that it can cover all the noise. Oh, yeah. It's just when you have the machines, you know, the pumps and everything, it's pretty hard. And, also, if you have some problem, you have to be very alert, you know. Yeah. But on the other, like, podcast. I'm happy. I go out. Yeah. Peaceful podcast. So, hopefully, you'll be listening to this podcast Yeah. And giving me all your notes. Well, it was so lovely to have you, Maritzia. Aw, thank you for having me. You're welcome. Anytime. I will be showing up on your door soon. Yes. Yes. Definitely. Soon as Spring starts, so it's very lovely season. And I just wanna tumble around in the vines and have some influence or picture that I love. Oh, and I want no pictures. I mean, it's gonna be totally debodrous. I'm gonna keep signing what? I want no documentation. Alright. Well, thank you so much. Thank you. Everyone say, As always, a big good option for hanging out with me today, remember you can catch me every Sunday on the Italian wine podcast. Available anywhere, you can get your pops.