Ep. 1849 Giulia Stocchetti interviews Simone-Pasquale Pelissero | The Next Generation

The Italian wine podcast is the community driven platform for Italian wine Geeks around the world. Support the show by donating at Italian wine podcast dot com. Donate five or more Euros, and we'll send you a copy of our latest book. My Italian Great Geek journal. Absolutely free. To get your free copy of my Italian GreatGeek journal, click support us at italian wine podcast dot com, or wherever you get your pods. Grazie and Miele. Ben Venuti, welcome to the next generation with me, your host, Julia Topketti. Join me as I take you on a journey to discover young stars of Italian food and wine world, Brunti andiamo. Hello, Buenjerna Touti. Here is Julia from the next generation Italian wine podcast. And today, I'm so glad to take you to Piamonte, an amazing white region located northwest of Italy. And we have here today with us, simone Kopto, from Pasquale, Felicero winery. And he is a young promising winemaker of the barbaresco region. He owns eight hectares of vineyards in the Navy area. We are talking about language in the province of Kunil. And along with his wonder woman mother, I would say, Ornela, he makes like fifty thousand bottles per year. The first bottle was made in nineteen seventy one. And it was Simone's grandfather who actually made it and it's Ornela's dead. Simone is really young. He went to the Inological School of Alba. Since twenty nineteen, he is part of the winery of the team at Pascuale, Felicero. Hello, Simone. Hi. How are you today? Oh, good. Good. Nice. So I'm so curious about you and about what you make actually in the navy in Barbara. So can you please tell us something more about you? Like, what do you do in your life? What do you do at the winery? How old are you? I'm the winemaker of my seller with my mom. I work principally in the vineyards and in the seller. I'm twenty four. So it's just for real that I work full time in the seller. I'm young. I too much to learn. Oh, wow. We are twenty four years old, and you work as a winemaker in your family run business. That's amazing. Yes. That, it's like life. My work is, my life. There is no no shade. So you're basically taking on with the family tradition in making wines. Right? Yes. And you produce mostly or only Barbaresco. Is that correct? So we produced, like, a ten thousand bottle of Barbaresco per year and, around seven, eight thousand bottle of Nebula. But we had, like, thirteen different labels because, my mom and in the past, my grandfather was, a little bit crazy. They love to produce a lot of different wines. So now he arrived to thirteen different label. We had also, for example, Fumante, Alanga, four different white wines and, one wine from Lakeoria, because my mom is crazy and both are vineyards in Lakeoria. Oh, wow. You know, we love crazy people, but wow, that's amazing. So you own vineyards in, but also in liguria. And why liguria? Oh, because my mom goes for a little holiday and, see, these little vanyards for selling return home and, tell me that she buying that vanyards. You make that wine in the gurria or you bring the grapes to your winery in Piamonte and you process everything there. No. We made in liguria for call it Chiquatara because it's in the Chiquatara area, and we bring home the bottles. But these are around three hundred bottles for the year. Oh, wow. That's amazing. So literally, like, your work is your life because your mom went on holiday, and she saw a nice vineyard, and she decided to buy it. I mean, Wow. What a family of winemakers and vine growers? Because you also take care of the vineyards. Right? Yes. I mean, you and your mom. Yes. Of course, me and my mom, we are only us. So we have to work in the vineyards. And in the cellar and made everything. So Saturday and Sunday, the reason for our work. What do you prefer? You prefer working in the vineyards or you prefer making wine at winery? My father and my grandfather are a very great vineyard on. So they work in the vineyards all the time, all the life, and I love goes in the vineyards with the tractor. So it's my favorite part of my work, but also made the wine is very great for me. I like, the harvest periods, work in the cellar produce new wine is beautiful for me. But if I have to choose tractor tractor all the life. So you're a lot of tractors. I know a lot of young people who actually enjoy driving tractors so much. You're still in the vineyards, you're still outdoor working in contact with the nature, That's great that you said that you love harvest because most people I know, there are actually white producers. Like, they are getting so stressed during harvest time and they're like, oh my god, Julia is our best again this year. I got so much stuff to do. The seller is gonna be MS. But then, I mean, I think that it's the most exciting moment, right, in a winemaker's life because you have to pick the grapes at the right time. And, I mean, you have to start presuming how your wine is gonna be for the vintage. So I think it's really, really exciting and really cool, but must be a lot of hard work too. Right? Yes. The hardware experience is very stressful for us in the seller for the producer, but, it's most important periods of the year because you pick up your work of one year. You put in the seller and you made new wines. So is stressful because you have to don't mess up everything one year of work, but, the joy of picking up the grapes that you grow and made wine with your grapes is incredible. That's amazing. Basically, your mom was succeeding your grandfather. Right? Yes. And now there is you as the fourth generation. Correct? Correct. Yes. So you have, like, a hundred of years of history more or less. Right? Yes. In nineteen twenty one, my great, great grandfather, both the property from Kontico Chito in Nava, for his, chew son. One of this son was my great grandfather that, pick it up the vineyards and, continues to grow the grapes. But after my grandfather made also the seller, so starting mating wine, but without bottles in the first periods. After in nineteen seventy one, he decides to in bottle his wine. So the first bottle of Barbaresco come out in nineteen seventy one. Oh, wow. And what was the name on the label of that wine? Oh, Caschino Kraosa Barbaresco. That, we made already now is our classic barbaresco. But it's different from the other barbaresco that we produce because, we still made like my grandfather. So we used the two onions, used by my grandfather. And we use the old big bottle of Asquale and my grand grandfather. Oh, wow. So you still have the old barrels that your grandfather used to make wines? Yes. We have two twin big bottles of thirty five years old. So they are very old and is unusually for a big barrel being sold. But if you still use those big barrels, even if they are like thirty five years old, that means that they are aging very, very well and they're still used pool and precious to make your grandfather's wine. Yes. They are, already good. And so you're still making barbaresco wines and especially this, like, single vineyard wine named after your grandfather. Using the historic traditional methods. Right? Yes. We're still traditional. So in, for example, in the two thousand, all the producers used Barrick for the Barbaresco, for the parole in longer, but, we don't like the baric. I don't like the baric. I'm sorry for the people that like barics, but, I prefer the traditional size of big bottle. So we maintain the philosophy of my grandfather. Use the big bottle. Take it in the big bottle for the long periods possible. So the barbaresco, age for two year in big bottle. Oh, nice. I know that you starting producing your own Barbarisco, right, with your own label? Yes. Can you please tell me something about that? Oh, it's, crazy idea that come out, during the school periods. Because, every week, with my classmates, usually we made a pizza time at the nerve, and, everybody take one bottle of wine for a drink with the pizza. I was taking barbecue Nebiola, but was too much for, for the pizza. So I decided to make a fresh long Nebiola without woods. So very, very easy. And have to be easy because I want that from my wine that was good with pizza or, some dishes like pizza. So easy. Not me. It's not, something heavy. Just something refreshing. That's amazing. You were still in school, but you were already addressing like the new generation's taste because you were looking for a nice and easy that doesn't mean it's not tasty or not good red wine, red barbaresco without using oak just to be pure also with easier dishes like pizza instead of meat and stuff. So you think that's what's the young generation prefer nowadays? It's difficult because, when I'm mating testing in the cellar, a lot of time, the young people prefer the traditional lung and the biola, and, more mature people prefer the youngest nebula. Oh, wow. That's interesting. So you think, like, new generations are more towards the tradition, traditional wines, old version of Balbaresco, basically. Yes. I think, the new generation will be interested in the wine because also we had a lot of young people that come for testing testing all the wines, and most of the time pick up some traditional wine, like Lancana and Biola or Barbanesque. They come specifically for, Barbara. Basically, there's a bit of wine culture to among young generations because they come to see you, to visit you, and they already know what they want to get and what they're about to taste. I mean, at least the denomination. Right? Yes. A lot of young people, but from the edmond and the lombardy come for testing specifically in a biola and barbertsco. Also sometimes they test barbera, but they come principally for a biola barberts sounds like Barbera is a bit like the underdog. What do you prefer between Barbera and barbaresco? Barbaresco. Barbara, of course. Barbara is a great grapes. And a great wine. But, I mean, the area of barbaresco, you have to choose barbaresco, of course. And talking about, like, some wine include pairing, because now I'm getting curious. So with the pizza, you will pair your own label of Barbaresco made only stainless steel. Yep. Whose name is? What's the name of that wine? It's called Latimo. Just like me. Oh, okay. So named after you. Cool. Yes. Because my mom wasn't so happy when I'm doing this longuella, she put my name on on the label and tell me if the people don't like it, it's all your fault. So a lot of responsibilities. Some pairing, for example, the Barbera with the pork or, usually really meet for the barbecue. Barbaresco with, good steak or, for example, roston or, sparcato, but there are typical dishes of Vietnam. They will check to that is the typical red wine of Piedmont is better with pasta during the lunch, with everything. Nice. So it's don't check this like the everyday wine? Yes. It's the wine of the farmer in my idea. Okay. The wine of the farmer. Interesting. And is there like a special typical dish that you particularly enjoy that maybe also your grandma used to make or or some special receipt from your area? I think the best of the advantage that I am in It is a typical shape of pasta made only with the red of the egg and the floor. So it's typical of the amount, everybody could tire in in all different type of sauce. And what's your favorite? Oh, it's difficult to choose one. I think the better one is the tayarin with butter and, tartuffo truffle. So you also get some truffles in your area or Yeah. Of course. For example, my father is a truffle hunter. Oh, wow. No way. So sometimes we have truffle during lunch or dinner at the dance. Oh, lucky you. Wow. It's a pleasure between the truffle and is white? Is black? What kind of truffle do you get there? Oh, white truffle is the most important in the long area. For example, in all, but there is the truffle fair for, on November and half of December. And is dedicated to white truffle, but we have also black truffle in Rioero. Okay. Sorero, another also wine region. Right? Yes. Next to too long. Okay. Wow. Nice. So you have barbaresco, you have barbera, you have truffle. Oh my god. Looks like it's worth to come to visit you in your area to have good food and good wine, so then you get happy. Good food, good wine, and good mood. In the most beautiful thing that you can do is drink and eat a lot. What do you usually drink when you're hanging out with your friends? It's difficult because my best friends drink only Dolce. Well, at least they drink wine. Yes. In longer, it's difficult, to drink, something that is not wine. In the summer, someone drink, some cold beer, but in the summer, it's very hot. In winter, everybody drink wine. So usually, I drink, lung and a biolo with my friend. Oh, wow. I'm a bit jealous. I must say because you go for, like, one of the best wines in the world. 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. So you have truffle, you have wines, It's really nice to hear that also young people are having wine and they really enjoy wines because nowadays there are so many different trends. How do you see, like, the future in wine industry? I think, it will be difficult for a seller like me because I'm very small, very traditional. It's a family conduction. So the money are not so much. The bigger seller have money and go forward. If the people goes to the small seller for the quality, for the family foresee how the wine is made, there is a future. If they want only the view. The beautiful seller, the biggest seller is difficult. Well, but you have a lot of passion. You're a family run business. I'm sure you make distinctive and high quality wines I'm pretty sure you're gonna have a bright future in front of you because in life, when you do things with such a big heart and big passion, everything can be and must be just, you know, bright and nice. So what you can do to improve, like, the sales and the awareness of your small winery? Now we start meeting lunch. Sometimes in the weekend, So we made typical lunch of, the admin, did a lot on that or tayarin, meet, cook it with Barbaresco. And during the lunch, we made the testing so the people can eat in peace and also taste the wine, all the different wines because there are too many, so they need to eat something during the testing. But also, he made some visits in the seller, for speak about my work, for, teach something of my work, and also in the in the vineyards. I take the peoples and, I go in the vineyards. I show my vaniels, my landscape also because it's a very beautiful landscape here. Oh, I bet. So, like, one tour is as a resource for you. Yes. Something that you believe in and something to promote not only your winery, but also the territory and all the area. Yes. And do you get more Italians as visitors or also foreign people? I think, Alfindals because, in the summer, a lot of, tourists come in longer, especially in summer and in autumn. In autumn for the truffle, for in alba comes a lot of people. It's crazy. But during the year, like, end of the winter, spring, a lot of Italian people calming the seller for make testing for a made a different day. Wow. That's really interesting because you get half and half means that most a lot of people coming from abroad are interested in visiting you, tasting your wines, and like leading the possible experience, I would say, because you offer also, like, some food to be paired with wines during this kind of lunch organized at the weekend. And, I mean, I bet it's a lot of work, but I feel there's so much passion that you put in what you do. And I'm so curious to get to taste your lines. Thank you. Yeah. Without patience is I think it's not possible to make this work because, we can not your work, but your life. You need passion for doing it. Also, when comes to client, they are a little bit scared because we have ten dogs but they are all adorable cute. They just come for petting all the times. During the test income for petting, sit under the chair. That's so sweet. It's different from a typical tasting, in our cellar. So it basically is like your family, like welcomes other people to enjoy the lifestyle of the place. Right? Yes. I mean, it's not business. It's just you opening the door of your house, of your seller, and say, hey, people, here we are. That's us, and we can't wait to share our wines and our passion with you. So that's amazing, really. When can I schedule a visit to your winery? Normally, the people can come in the cellar whenever they want because, all the times, or me or my mom, we are in the cellar, or most of the time, we are both in the cellar and the bunyards. So the people arriving the car to drive on us and we run for made the testing. Looks like there's this really nice and historical winery and navy and the province of Kunio. Where you have eight tatters of vineyards, a hundred years of experience in making wines, focusing on, so typical grapes, but also, like, in a new version, in a simone, a new style. So the name of the one is yours, the new style is yours. Responsibilities are yours. Yes. The responsibilities, most. And it's really, I guess, worth to visit and to discover because really it's gonna be like three hundred and sixty degree experience in the wine and food world of your area that you're offering. So Yes. Thank you so very much. See more now. Thank you. It's been a huge pleasure to have you as guest. Thank you for, offering me this opportunity. Thank you so much. You're most welcome. Bye bye. Bye. Gracier for being with me today and listening to the next generation on the Italian wine podcast.