Ep. 1533 Benedetto Alessandro | The Next Generation

Since twenty seventeen, the Italian One podcast has exploded and expects to hit six million listens by the end of July twenty twenty three. We're celebrating this success by recognizing those who have shared the journey with us and giving them the opportunity to contribute to the on success of the shows. By buying a paper copy of the Italian wine unplugged two point o or making a donation to help the ongoing running costs, members of the international Italian wine community will be given the chance to nominate future guests and even enter a price draw to have lunch with Stevie Kim and Professor Atigioshenza to find out more, visit us at Italian wine podcast dot com. Welcome to the next generation. I'm Victoria Chacha, join me as we chat with young Italian wine people shaking up the lion's sea. Which going to geek out on a grape or grape fam and hear about all the wild wine things are destined up to. From vineyard experiments to their favorite wine bars. Wherever you are in the world. Welcome back to another episode of the next generation. Today, we are taking you to the beautiful, beautiful island of Cisley Cigilia with an interview with Beneleto Alecandro, a sicilian winery located just south of Palermo. And it is quite the place. It has over a thousand years of history, and we were so so lucky to catch at the right time for an interview during the chaos of in Italy. It was so exciting to learn about this winery somewhere I've never been, admittedly. I've never been to that side of the island. And his passion made me so excited to visit. Although, given the craziness of the summer, I may be waiting until after the summer, rush of Doris, very happy for Sisley to be getting more appreciation. Internationally. But, yes, I am very excited for us to dive into all the details of this winery and Benadetto doing such special things as the marketing manager at such a young age. So let's get to the interview. Alrighty. We are admin, Italy today with Benaretto. How are you doing today? Yeah. Fine. Thanks. Yeah. It's the first the first day. So we we are very, very pick, to start the this edition of Vineita. Wonderful. So is with the winery, Alejandro de camporella. Right? No. We we have two different wineries. Alessandro de camporeale. It's our historical winery in camporeale. That is a small village. Between Palermo and Rapani areas. And, now we have a new project with a new generation of the family. It's called the generic Sunalesandro, and we are in a northeastern part of a scenario. Beautiful. And so that works perfectly with our next generation podcast, because that's what we're doing. So it's just wonderful how we're just going right into it. So how did that come about that new project? How did it start? So we started this new project in two thousand fourteen. So it's a very, long time because we we introduced it in the market. The first two wines in two thousand twenty. So after six years, we started the project. We started with just two wines. Our classic version of Eetna, Eetna Roso, with a hundred percent. Eetna Bianco, with a small percentage of, cataracto. Awesome. And so let's talk a little bit about you. So Yeah. What is your story and wine? Yeah. As I told you, with my cousins, I represent the fourth generation of this family. So our average here is a thirty five years old, but we started in about two thousand twelve. We will introduce the, so new project, new wines, in, in in the family name, in the family company. After studying after, go around the world, to learn something and now, so we can support the family business with the new ideas. Absolutely. And so what was it like growing up around the family business. Yeah. Fortunately, we had a very good results because, of course, with the last generation was a it's a secret secondary job for them. Then we start a full time in this project. We increase the, the production of five times in, ten years. And there are, also, new project, especially in a scenario with new groups from old vines, So we are in the middle of this project and, we are very active. Amazing. So I wanna talk a little bit more about the wine culture and in your love of wine. So can you tell us a little bit about why you love the wines? That not just you work with, but you grew up around in Sicily. We have the harvest when when where we were child. So I, for a simple start to, my first harvest of, come out to ten years. During the summertime, we went to our farm. We worked in the vineyards with our collaborator during all the summer about three months with the different works in the vineyards. And also the harvest that is, our most important. So normally I start to the school one month later because we finished the harvest in October. So in that location, I had the opportunity caused the passion to have the passion to increase my passion in wine. And the process that I think is the most important thing. So the passion, a, for the wines in general, and that you can grow your own a wine business. That's beautiful. So you grew up around the vineyards picking grapes. You're so blessed. I mean, that works with your name. That's wonderful. So you grew up in Tampa. Yeah. That area. So what is Campuriale like? I've never been, obviously. It's a very small village. It's about three thousand people. You have to consider the the main activity of the Campuriale is the agriculture. We have a lot of vineyards but also a lot of grains, a little bit of olive trees. It's a very rural place. So it's completely different than the city. The nearest city is about thirty, forty minutes. It's not too far, but it's a completely, way to live, you know. So there are a a lot of history there. There are a lot of, porter in agriculture in general. And now there are a lot of young that wants to promote this kind of business, this kind of territory. That's amazing to hear, especially seeing the youth, like, wanna really put forward with, like, the special culture of the area because as we know Sicily on a whole is so rich in culture and it's so different everywhere. So not to deter from wine, but I'm curious. Is there like a special dish or like plates from your area or food that you love Yeah, man. For the simple, I love the blue saloon. Now that is a meat roll, but very, very big, with inside, eggs or, or say, more liquor, toasted bread. Also, a little bit of proper shoot. Then it's cooked in the sauce, in the tomato sauce. And then you can pair also with our syrup. Okay? Our territory in Camporale is very, very interesting for the syrup. And so we have a lot of the others there with a very good results because we are in altitude from four to six hundred meters above sea level. And you can extract and see now also the spice, the spicy, you know, the typical spice note, not just the the fluid So it's very interesting this, herring. Are you enjoying this podcast? Don't forget to visit our YouTube channel, Mamma 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. Absolutely. I think you took my next question already. It was gonna ask for the pairing, and I love that you said Sarat because Saraa, obviously, is not an indigenous variety to Sicily, but it's great to take, like, a dish that's so sicily, it's so unique to your area and pair it with Sarat. Yeah. I love that. And also now I'm hungry. Yeah. But That's fantastic. So are you based still in Campodale yourself? Or Yeah. Just about now twenty minutes from there in Alcamo, that is a city thirty kilometers from there. But, every day, I'm in Campoporiano, so now, for managing the the the the winery and the business. Well, that's fantastic. You live a beautiful life, eating and drinking well. Of course, working the business. I wanna ask you one last question. This is actually a two part question. So it's technically two more questions. How do you see the future of your winery, your business? And also what is your opinion on the future of sicilian wines in the hands of the young new generation. Yeah. So about Sicily, you know, when we talk, of sizzling wine, we talk about a mosaic of wines because sizzling is is a very big island, and we have very different territories. So with the same grape, for example, Nero Davala, that is common in old island, we can have very good different results. For me, the Frutar is to promote the single, territory. So we have to promote the specific characteristics of, the varieties, but in that specific territory. So I don't want to sell for example Cesar and Cesar and I want to sell a Cesar from our thirty dollar. So that is different than the other one. I don't say one is better than the other one. It's also a personal taste, but it's the difference that we have to promote. Absolutely. And that's also why I always bring up the food component. Right? Because I think food has, culture has had a little more drive and people learning the different types, but especially in Sicily, the different dishes they change, wherever you go. And it's the wine is the same. Yeah. Yeah. He he he is perfectly the same. You know, we have a lot of, dishes. Well, a lot of food that is very typical in the western side, but maybe it's not typical in the in the other side of seasoning. It's also with the wine. We also have a specific variety They are cultivated, in specific area. We just have an area that we grow just in it. So that's the seasonal. That's the the season that we have to promote. Exactly. Exactly. That diversity, that layer of culture, and beauty. I mean, anyone listening right now, Sicily is just gorgeous. We don't even need to explain that, but the wine and the food is justice. So So before we say, Charles, is there anything else you'd like to add that are active today? If you are, immediately, you are welcome to visit us. Also, we are, seventy eight g, in Sashina, or if you don't have time, you can visit us in Sicily. Okay? In a two different wineries. Absolutely. Go visit them in Sicily. I know I will. Thank you. Thank you very much. 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 pods.