Ep. 1880 McKenna Cassidy interviews Angelo Di Grazia Pt. 2 of 2| The Next Generation

The Italian wine podcast is the community driven platform for Italian winegeeks 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 pots. Welcome to the Italian wine podcast. This is the next generation with me, your host, Mckenna Cassidy. For the next thirty minutes, I invite you to explore with me what young adults are up to in the Italian wine vine scene. Today, let's feast on our discussion of Italian wine, travel, food, and culture. Thank you for being here. Grab a glass with us. Chinching. Of course. And you you, I'm sure the vines are planted differently and things have to work out separately. What's the personality of your Caricante vines? Oh, Caricante. Caricante. Yes. I really love Caricante because it's, so on Etra, we say that in the east to east side of Etran, So Emilo, because we spoke about, Salvador before, is the best side of, where you can produce the Karicante. And, it's true in a way. I don't want to say that it's not true. It's true because Karicante, in that area, you can have different kind of, skills, you know, because you have more rain in that side. We Okay. Grow, the the Calicante north side in different kind of parcel, And our carry count is completely different. Presper the other side. But this is the beautiful of this kind of turban, you know, it would be boring if all the carry count, it will be the same in the bottle. With such a north side south or east side. Our current is more elegant in a way. It's more salty because that kind in a north side, all the kind of eruption of ethanol that we had in the past give us the different kind of soil. We produce for different kind of caricante. We have Tonator bianco that is like a mix between different kind of contrada and different kind of altitude. So give you, like, an idea about our terwar and all our domain in different kind of place. It's like, business card, you know, of the Yeah. Totally. Yeah. And we don't do, like, some tree living particularly for that wine. Just classic white wine. So we use, stainless steel, a concrete tank that sits. Uh-huh. And it's elegant. It's salty. It's mineral. Is Karicante a hundred percent. Then we have Peterito Bianco that took all the, skills of that contractor that we talk about before, and it's a really interesting, because it's more salty, more persistent in the palette. It's more rich. It's like, something like lime lemon. It's really incredible. You know, it's a completely different because it's gotta come to grow up in the rocks. Mhmm. Then we have that is like, another kind of contrada. It's like a little contrada. Just a few meters up of the Petarito. Okay. And then it's a hundred percent Karicante, more or less the same soul of Petarito. So now we work in Acacia Barriq. Yeah. The Acacia. Mhmm. The Acacia give, to the Karicante, like, not gift to Karicante. In the other way, in the Casa Barriqante, it's like he has more white flower, you know, case, I believe, to carry on to this kind of chance to express itself in this way. Like a more, like, a a lift and probably a slightly different texture as well. 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. What's the woodgreen like on an acacia tree versus Like, a French barrique, is it much tighter grain or a little bit wider? Like, how much interaction is there between the liquid? So, first of all, it's not easy to find, occasion. Our tonality, because we, we have also French shock, of course, a case is more gentle. When you think about the barrique, you always think about French shock. So then it means, you have the touch of wood. You have the touch of ten inch. Of course, the micro oxygenation of the wine is different. Acacia, of course, I don't toasted the boot. So just with the wrapper, it's a gentle way to work the boot. In this way, you don't have the ten minutes from the boot. And of course, devolution of Caricante is slowly. And you have this kind of, zottari knot is more golden color than tetarizo. You know? It's more powered yellow. You know, it's not a white wine. It's a little bit more. It's like more or less a maturation, but it's not a maturation to give you an idea. And this kind of color is the occasion that give to the wines. But at the same time, give this kind of balance to the wine that is something really special. So for your question, Karicante, it's an incredible grapes that if you know the way to work, you can have incredible wines and is a wine. It's a grape. It's a variety that can live in the ears. So if you live It's wonderful. But if bottle of wine for ten years or more, you can drink that wine and really is discovering something really incredible. Certainly age worthy. Absolutely. And those, like, certain elements will evolve over time and taste so much different, like, the the fruit elements and the tertiary elements that will appear after time. It's wonderful. And infinite variations with the different altitudes, especially on Aetna, which I think is what makes that part of the world for winemaking so special and exciting. Yeah. Exactly. You know, this work is beautiful for this, you know. Of course. That's wonderful. So, Angela, what is, like, your most unconventional food pairing with some of your Aetna wines? Well, you know, Aetna is famous for the meat. You know, we are in a mountain. So, you know, the pairing is always with the the meat you can really drink, red wine with a fish. And, because lemon escalator, it's not really a powerful wine. So it's elegant. Doesn't have a lot of alcohol. So you can pair really with the fish And, you know, happen is beautiful because, from our domain in twenty five minutes, you are in Tormina. Maybe you take care. Right. That is a bottle of bread. Yeah. So true. The food is a huge deal there. I almost got to go to Tamina Gourmet, but then I I did it. I have to go next year. You need to come. You need to come because it's really incredible. Tamina is beautiful, and, we are lucky because we work in a beautiful place. You have the same distance between the mountain, ethanol, volcano, and terminina, and the sea. So Oh, that's amazing. The ethanol wines, the beautiful things is just drink what you want without think about is is good. The pairing or not pairing is not good. It's awesome. So just drink what you want. There we go. I remember when you and I and Federica and our group were at a Osteria Carlina, and we had your wines and you took a sip of your wine. I think it was the Caticante and you were like, Yeah. This is good. It was so hot. Yeah. Of course. So, yeah. Bye. And we're all just like yeah. I have to say it. You have to say. I can't say something different. Oh, you have to of course. Stay committed. Oh, that was awesome. I vividly remember that joyful moment. That's wonderful. And then before we close here, I'm just curious, like, do your peers and your friends? Like, obviously, you guys live on Sicily. So you're probably drinking a ton of sicilian wine. Do you have favorites of what you and your peers are drinking? Do you see young Italian drinkers drinking other wines? Are they not drinking wines at all? Like kind of what's the situation from your perspective as we look to the future of wines? So, first of all, I want to say that they drink a lot of French wine. Mhmm. Because, you know, after piedmont, they did two years in France. So I work at those for two years. Anyway, Okay. I really love French wine. The prospect, you know, the new drink is if I can call in this way. Now, they changed the way to drink, you know. CC was famous in the past in the past for the powerful wine, you know, Nero Dawala, Trello, etcetera. Now I'm, when I go out with Frederica that, you know, and also friends, Say hello to her. I miss her. Yeah. Of course. Of course. Of course. She's my boss. So I can Yeah. She leaves them. She leaves everything. We always have to clear it with her. Right. You understand everything. I understand. Now the new drinker's day love I do a you're an example. You know, you know, Gamet. Yes. Love it. Yes. Great. Yeah. Perfect. Here in CC, we have Frapado. It's my boss. I'm not saying this. I just talk gamma and Zapapado. They are maybe they are similar. Because they are easy wines, jinkable. Easy wines doesn't mean that they are, like, not, complex wine or something like that. It's a jinking wine. So they are really beautiful to drink, you know, because they are not, like, the big wines that we can have in Sicily. Yes. Now, when I go out, I see a lot of people that drink that kind of wine. So the people, the young, drinkers, the new drinker, don't don't want the old style wines, like, maroni or something like that and all that. First of all, because in Sicily, you like to understand that, we are an island. So during the summer, you don't drink a lot of wines. Maybe you drink sparkling, or white wines or the the yankees drink now a lot of cocktail or beer, a more cocktail. So now I see this kind of trend. So instead to drink wine, maybe they prefer the cactus. But if they found a wine that for them, it's a nice one to drink. It's easy drink I guess, this is the future for the wine in Sicily. So we need to change the point of view first of all because they claim that the the way that it's changing. And we need to understand the right way to produce the wine. There are two way, first of all, to grow up the vineyard because they are now starting to be really complicated and, and give the chance maybe to the young to understand why some kind of wine as this kind of characteristics and this kind of skills, you know, we need to educate the people to drink, you know, as Yeah. I think I think it takes intentional storytelling and sharing of a product, like, to help someone build a relationship with something they haven't had. It takes like a thoughtful new experience with friends to help them build a devotion to that. And I totally hear you. I think you brought up a great example of Rapato and which can be adored by people who love cocktails as well because cocktails often have, like, fresh fruit flavors in them and, like, a strongness to them and Geme, especially in Frapato from Victoria is gonna have that kind of like fresh fruit flavors, almost candied note at certain times, and a lot of that shows up in a spritz or a negroni or a regular, like, a cocktail, like a anything in a Collins or something like that. So I think that's a great analysis and kind of connection. Because, you know, we have a lot of lines. Yes. You do. Many ones. And we have a lot of wonderful I think we are speaking about sicily, but, everywhere you can find incredible wines, just, you know, what we miss to know about this kind of wine. So new generation need to understand and need to learn. About. But maybe we miss the people that teach them what means to drink and what they drink, you know? Because when you drink a bottle of wine, you know, better than me, you drink people, you drink at a war, you drink a philosophy you drink a history, you drink sacrifice, you drink a message. So it's better than drink a glass of wine than a simple cocktail in my opinion. Because you help the producer to maybe know all the what, you know. And if you like that one, you speak about your friends, technical and maybe, you know, it's like butter by butler, this producer can show himself to the world. This is the wine, you know. So Yeah. We will So much meaning there. Exactly. So this this wine, this word is we it needs to be in this way. I have a lot of friends that make wine, and I suggest to the people to drink it. And Right. And a lot of people, maybe you today. Tell me, you know, Angelo, taste that kind of wine because it's incredible. I like it. Try to tell me what you think about that wine. This is the work that we have to do, the connection between producer, you know. Uh-huh. Because We need to have a chance. A dialogue around it. Yeah. To cut the distance in a way. Yes. Absolutely. You're building a relationship over the wine, like, that's the sense. Yeah. Because if if you don't do it this way, the people continue to drink cocktail. Right. And, because it's the easy way to drink, and there's they're also the easy way to water when you don't you say before spritz. Spritz is like, Coca Cola. I don't know. Easiest word to say. Of course. It's incredible, you know, nowadays. You will argue with that. Right. Right. Right. It's incredible. How do people drink spritz? Okay. That's a call. But, you know, no problem. But, anyway, Well, I feel a get re inspired to be an advocate and an ambassador for Italian wines. I'm sure all the listeners are feeling similarly after this pep talk from you Angelo. And frankly, the way you described it, I love that you introduce the word sacrifice that's always a part of the process in people's personal lives and in the vines of own life. So I I think that that shouldn't be discounted or forgotten. Is there anything that you'd like to share with the listeners whether about winemaking or about tornatory before we close? Just come to visit us. I don't want to say no. Amen. Yeah. Just come to visit us. Stay with us with the with I don't say me because, really, the special guest that is not a guest, but it's the special one is Federica. So you need to pass some time with the Federal because she's incredible. You need to know the story of the place. You can, so just visit us. You know, Tonato is an amazing place. Is amazing family. And, we are a good team. We are a young team anyway. You need to come in season and visit and, and, understand what means, because it's interesting living on Aetna, and leaving them, will come out that, every day you can see some smoke. Just, come to visit us, stay with us. That's the wine because, you know, I can say everything. But, you know, the answer you can find only in a glass. So I can see I can see everything. I've when you drink the wine, you understand if I I am saying the truth or I'm just lying the same, say something different about that's right. The reality. So, just come visit us and, drink to notate because it's a good wines. Yes. They are. They are quite good. I'm not a marketing man, you know. No. No. I'm really You're just speaking from behalf. Yeah. Yes. You know, I'm really a disaster about marketing. I'll just make some wine, stay in the vine, and long my work. That's it. So what I say, it's what what comes from the art. And, I I I don't mind a lot when I speak. So just speaking about the with the art. It's wonderful. I can't thank you enough for your perspective. I know we could go on and on, and I truly can't wait. I'm planning to come from my mother's birthday. And Of course. About a year to Sicily. Come come. Come. She's turning sixty. It'll be very awesome. Yeah. You you need to come. You know, we go to Tarmina. You were we have, don't worry. Just come. You'll be. I trust the process. I will. I will. I will. For joining me today. Remember to catch our episodes weekly on the Italian wine podcast. Available everywhere you get your pods.