Ep. 1573 Anton Morella | The Next Generation

Since two thousand and seventeen, the Italian wine podcast has exploded. Recently hitting six million listens support us by buying a copy of Italian wine unplugged two point o or making a small donation. In return, we'll give you the chance to nominate a guest and even win lunch with Steve Kim and Professor Atilio Shenza. Find out more at Italian One 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 wine scene. We're 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. Hello, everyone. It's time for another episode of the next generation. Today, we have a very special guest. Probably the youngest guest we've ever had on this podcast, Anton Moralla of Moralavini. He's just seventeen years old, and don't worry. We were allowed to interview him. His mom gave him permission And it was so fascinating to get to hear the perspective of somebody so young growing up in a winery in Pulia and still growing up, I mean, he's seventeen. But before we get to that, we're going to dive into Arcubly Pulia's most famous grape, you can probably guess it, putting me at the evil, learn a bit about this guy from the Italian wide unplugged two point o book, you know, thing you should have in your back pocket, but it's too big to be in your back pocket. So let's just say backpack. I love this book. Actually, it's taught me so much and I'm so happy I finally got my copy back because it's too long of a break without it. So let's go. Pemativo is mostly found in Pulia with much smaller plantings in the regions of Campania and basilicata. Pemativo actually derives from the Latin Pemativas meaning first to ripen or early ripening. Funny thing is putting with you is also known as Ziffendell in the United States and no, I'm not talking about white Ziffendell. I'm talking about really nice red Ziffendell that you can find beautiful expressions from areas like lodi, but we are in Italy right now. So let's move back to Premetivo. So Premetivo and Zifindel were noted to have similarities in the late nineteen sixties, and it was later established that they were genetically identical through Carol Meredith' work in nineteen ninety four. Since since studies have traced its heritage to Montenegro and Dalmeja. Pramativo's first official mention in Pulia was in seventeen ninety nine in Jolla, which is where it was first planted and then subsequently planted in Manduria on the Salrento Peninsula. So lots of history here with pudamativo. But when it comes to its character, we can find that pudamativo has a medium to deep ruby color, rich and ripe red black fruit, some black cherry, licorice soaked black plum flavors, even strawberry jam. It can have a bit of tobacco, under bush, or even tar. The acidity is medium, level of tannins is medium as well, and the alcohol is high. Remember it's a early ripening grape, and it gets hot. In puglia. So this wine also can see some oak maturation, which is actually mandated in the Mandurier reserva wines. Despite its high alcohol and sweetness, this wine is usually fermented dry, but there are some sweet and fortified versions. Okay. Now it's time to go to Pulia with the perspective from Anton Morrella of Moralavinie. Alright. So we're here at Vin Italy. Once again, we're sitting with Anton of Morela winery. Hello? So this is the officially the youngest interview I've had on the podcast. Don't feel like weird about it. It's actually really awesome because, you're just seventeen. Right? Yes. Yes. I'm seventeen. Amazing. Amazing. I it's so weird. I'm not that old. It's, like, you're ten years younger than me, which is, like, so ten, like, a decade. Anyways so tell us a little bit about yourself and why you love I mean, wait. He's not legally allowed to drink, guys. So we're talking It's not drinking, but why do you love wine? Okay. So I am seventeen years old. I was born in Italy at Sienna, stayed all my life here in Italy, and I have visited my homeland of Australia a couple of times. I have a passion for wine and I have a wider range of understanding of wine because of my parents who according to me have been making wine all their life. My favorites, honestly, my favorite type of wine is rose, and then I also like white wine and champagne. Uh-huh. Champagne. You're starting young. You're a little spoiled, to be honest. I know I can't go. That's fantastic. And so tell me, so you were born in Italy? And raised in Italy. Yes. Yes. I was born and raised in Italian culture, but I do have a wide understanding of other cultures. I'm passionate to learn about new things. So I have a open mind about everything. My I say don't judge before you learn. As very wise of you, you should have an open perspective, especially when the world is is your oyster. Like, I mean, and you're also on such a great footing. I mean, so he speaks Three languages, three languages? Three languages. Yes. Amazing. We're just we just, like, part interrupted discussion with a French guy. I was like, wow, he speaks French dupe. It's amazing. And so where's your winery based? What's up about? Winery is based in Mandarin. It is a small city the province of Taranta. I want to be it has, like, seventeen to eighteen hectares of bush wines plus another three hectares of oil, overproducing olive trees. We produce about forty thousand bottles a year, mostly, some years a bit less because of climates. Some climates is, some could say subtropical, but it does change to some cold. It's very cold sometimes, especially in winter. But, yeah, we produce about forty thousand bottles a year with, up to nearly a kilo of, of grapes per bushfire. Oh, wow. So why, so you said you're born in Siena? Were you raised in Pulia? Or Yes. I was raised all my life in Pulia. Amazing. Seeing him. And what was that? What is that? Like, you're still being here. How's it going? I keep forgetting he's so mature. I'm like, what was it like growing up and you're still growing up in Pulia? Well, let's say, where I live, it's very isolated. I've I live in the middle of the vineyard. It's So during lockdown, it was helpful. But, I live quite isolated from most people. But it was it is actually quite nice to, to live quite close to the sea. We live at five k from the sea. That's fun. Yeah. So you love those the the the c. I'm sorry. Oh, yeah. The the c is fantastic. Like, the Mediterranean is a bit too salty, but it's it's nice to go there once a year. So what is it like being a teenager though down in Tada? Taranto. Like, like, tell me a little bit about that. Well, being a teenager, well, it's a bit difficult to, like, with mood swings and all that. But You don't they they still. You still have mood swings as an adult. Oh, yeah. I can imagine that. But, well, I feel like having been brought up with a multicultural, knowledge and understanding. I found it quite interesting growing up in an era where it's not too technological, but not quote unquote old fashioned I was brought up with, understanding that screen sec, having too many screens is bad for you. So my parents allowed me to, like, interact with the phone on a daily basis only when I was, like, fifteen, sixteen, I started going to high school. I grew up more in a old fashioned way. Wow. I I you don't hear that often, and it's refreshing for me because I'm actually, like, fully with that perspective because there's so much to especially where you are growing up, it's it's full of so much natural wonder. Yeah. Like, you don't have to look. It's it's there. Yeah. Exactly. Where we're growing up, especially where I grew up, there's a lot of, wildlife. We can interact with at night, there's like owls. And in the morning, you could see foxes running around in the vineyard. There's there's even an eagle, and that's next to us at Falcon's, but it's very, like, open air where we live. I can only imagine. And what I always ask this, and everyone, you can't get annoyed about food. What's your favorite thing, Nate? From where you're from. Well, you can eat multiple things. I really love pizza and lasagna. It's one of my favorite foods, but I really really love roast chicken. It's like my bringing up food. It's, what I was brought up with. Really? I was not expecting roasted chicken. Let's say I like a lot of roasted, birds in general like that. Oh, yeah. I mean, hell yeah. Do you eat any fish though? We do eat fish, but we tend to, my my father's from Marletta, so he's being he has an upbringing of raw fish and, fruity matter. But we don't eat that much fish because there are problems nowadays with the ocean. Like, we tend to go more for, like, sardines and those fish that can reproduce very easily and don't get under populated. No. Exactly. That's a really important discussion to bring up. And, of course, that's a large topic. But, actually, there is, a guy in our office, Matia, shout out to Matia. His family is from Barletta too, and he also has long hair just like you have. You guys can be friends. I think he's only twenty one. So anyways, regardless. So what is your favorite thing about working with in the winery? Working in the winery, I have an understanding of wines. So, like, when I go out with, in a restaurant, I know what kind of wine to order with what food, which does help with, with the taste of the food. Like, fish, you would order a white wine generally or with, like, roast needs a red wine to, like, bring out that extra flavor from us. So that's In my opinion, that's why I'd, work in a winery to have an extra knowledge of wine and also to know the effects of alcohol, the effects that the alcohol has on the chemistry of your brain, also the body in general. So do you find yourself more in the cellar or the vineyards? Well, recently, I've been, working with my parents business. I've worked both in the vineyards and in the winery. So, I prefer working in the winery. Of course, it's a better environment for but I don't mind which, whichever is fine by me. And have you just been work have you just been kind of working in the winery ever since you were a kid? Like, it just feels natural? Well, I've been hell more than anything, I've been volunteering volunteer help, work in the winery Yeah. Ever since I could. But now it'd be past two years. In Italy, you are legally able to work at sixteen, but my parents allow me to work since I was fourteen, like, for money. But Under the table. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. That's great. That's incentivizing. I mean, I used to work for my dad in his dental office, which obviously is not a vineyard as much as sorry, dad. It would have it would be lovely if it was a vineyard. But we did the same thing. It was like but My parents say that, if you want to buy something, you need to work for it. Anything that I buy is with my money. So I don't I usually don't borrow money from events. If I do, I repay them over time with work. So I I have that. I'll bring you what you work for what you get. Wine to wine business forum. Everything you need to get ahead in the world of wine. Supercise your business network. Share business ideas with the biggest voices in the industry. Join us in Verona on November thirteen to fourteen twenty twenty three. Tickets available now at point wine dot net. You are very responsible, Anton, and I applaud you for it. So now I'm going to ask you a more I don't wanna say difficult question, but you are seventeen. We wanna know what do you do with your friends? What is it like? Just being a teenager, Vulia. Well, during the summer, I have a friend who works, who has a father who owns a restaurant by the sea. So I hang out with him every now and then, joke around about ordering wine. Like, we we talk about which language was with raw food and all that, but we don't, of usually buy you the wine. Hey, we don't get the wine. But usually with friends, I hang out in the city or I invite them at my place. We, like, play a bit of volleyball, green monopoly kind of thing, just like chill out. Cool. And I'm assuming you're like the one, like, half Australian, and then they're all poyais. Yeah. Yeah. I have got some friends, especially going to the European school. I've, I've got a lot of friends who are, multicultural. Hey. Half Italian, half French, for example, or, algerian, or, even just, full English. So I have had a couple of friends, from outside of Italy. That's so special, especially now that, like, you're gonna tune and then you'll be able to share the wines and, like, actually, like, have that experience and bring all of that together. You're a blessed, my friend. And I don't say that in a contest anyway. I mean, I genuinely, like, you're so well set up for everything that's gonna happen. And it's so nice to talk to you, and it's so refreshing, especially because and you might know this where Italian wine stands for young people, it it's kind of blurry right now because there's not as many people drinking. Wine, young people drinking wine, but I guess you're the perfect person to ask even though you're technically not drinking wine yet. Why do you think young people should be drinking Italian wine and enjoying it? Well, it's not specifically time line, but that I think the wine from the country like primitivo from Italy or champagne from France are the better versions of, of themselves. So if you buy a sparkling champagne from another country and Germany won't turn out as good as French champagne. In my opinion, people should like not drink excessively wine, of course, but taste wine to see like they're what they where they prefer in a spectrum of wine. And for me, for example, I love the the Rosay and the champagne because I I know this because I have tasted a wide range of wines ranging from white wines to red wines to Rosays. And just a side note for any American listeners out there, you are legally allowed to drink with your parental, your, legal guardian, Italy under supervision. It's like driving with a permit in America. You can drink. So he's allowed to drink for those who don't know that. Just I'm doing the legal disclaimer here. Just in case. Just in case. But, no, it's fantastic. And you're building your palette, and and I'm just excited because you have all this wealth of knowledge to share with people. And you're here in, the Phoebe area of an lee. Just as we're wrapping up how has the experience been here. The experience has been actually quite nice. I am currently doing a work experience. Well, it comes with the school a couple of months later, but for me personally, I feel like there's a good experience for any young person who intends to work during or after college because after during college, it's very difficult to find work because you need to study in law. The sooner you can start working legally, of course, sooner you can start getting some of that work experience under your belt. Better it is, my opinion. The experience here has been fantastic actually. I've met a wider range of people ranging from Japanese to Kentucky to French. I have talked to many, many people. That's awesome. Awesome. So you're having a good time. Yes. Yes. I'm having a good fantastic time. That's happy to hear that. Well, before we wrap up, is there anything else you'd like to share with the Italian wine loving community? Well, I'd suggest for the Italian wine eleven community to see what their their preferred wine is because if you might not like a more acidic wine, you might criticize a a wine making company for it and they, like, they get bad reviews, etcetera. So I'd suggest to see what your what your palettes first and, go with that. Cool. Yes. No bias in wine to drink what you love. Exactly. Perfect. Thank you so much, Anton. It was a pleasure. It was a pleasure for me too. Awesome. Tell guys. Bye. As always, a big rock tip for hanging out with me today. Remember you can catch me every Sunday on the Italian wine podcast. Available anywhere, you can get your pots.