Ep. 2001 Victoria Cece interviews Vincenzo Setaro | 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 next generation with me, your host Victoria Cetje. This is your podcast to learn about all the cool things Italians thirty and under are up to in the food and wine scene. And yes, that includes all the best things to eat. Hello, everyone. Good morning. Good afternoon. Good evening. Wherever you are in the world, we're back here with another episode of the next generation. Today, we are here within Cienzo Cetado of Casa Cetado winery. Ciao vincenzo. How are you? How's it going? I'm good. Is everything good? Everything's good. That's good to hear. Are you at the winery right now? Are you where are you? Now I'm at the restaurant because I'm helping my father So you're in your family's restaurant right now. Can you tell us a little bit about your family's restaurant? I love food. So I do too. I really like this place because, it helps me with, English. And, it all opened, like, a year ago. Maybe a year and a half, and we'll save a BNB where we have four rooms and a suite. So now I'm trying to learn about the passion my father is trying to make for me and I'm trying to learn English. No. That's fabulous. And can you remind me how old are you again? I'm not fifteen. Oh my god. You're you're not even allowed to drink. Okay. Good thing we're starting with food. Because it's funny. That's when my American side comes out because I'm Italian American, but, you know, here, you can't even, like, be around wine if you're under, like, twenty one because it's crazy here, but let alone fifteen. Wow. But that's awesome. Kudos to you because your English is fantastic. So it's definitely helping. That's so special. What are you doing in the restaurant? Are you just helping with every all different things? Yeah. Like now, I'm just trying to explain the wine to everyone that comes and doing some vineyard tour. So everyone that comes here goes, directly from, to me. And then, I'll explain then the vineyard, what we do here, and, explain the wine. Wow. Your family's winery is in a really, really special place. In the foothills of the Suvious. Correct? Yes. It is. Wow. And can you tell us, like, why that area is special in your own words? Everything's special because of the minerality of the soil. So, like, we have around thirty types of tomatoes only. Like, tomatoes, thirty types of different tomatoes because of the minerality of the soil, and also the wine changes in every part of, where you are. I mean, if you are on the top of the Resuvio, you can have some type of wine. And if you are down at the Resuvio, you have another type of wine because the minerality changes everything. Yeah. The soil there is something else. And and now you have me curious. How many types of tomatoes do you serve at the restaurant? Here we serve about four or five. Yeah. Maybe five. I don't know the thirty definitely, but I know a few. So would it be like canola or maybe yellow tomatoes. And, these are the most famous one. Now with the summer here, they're all, like, beginning to become ripe and delicious. I'm here to learn. I'm here to explain why, but I eat a lot. As you should, you're in one of the best places to eat in the world. In my opinion, I mean, that it's such a and from the soil to just all the traditions, is there a special dish of your family's restaurant that you love? Here, we don't have maybe a special dish, but I remember because the restaurant has opened a year ago. But, we do something like a restaurant at my home. We did already ten years. So I was young. And every time I ate, packet with tomato sauce, every summer, every day, packed with tomato sauce. So it's fresher for me. And here, I see how it's prepared. So it's really cool. It's the simple things are always the best. Right? Yeah. It is because, here, we also have something that is more special, more, also maybe when you work to a restaurant, you don't want the just pasta with tomato sauce. But for me, it's everything. Because, it reminds me when, I was a kid. I mean, I'm still a kid. Yes. I was about to say you're still a kid, which is a good thing. Don't be upset about it because it's great to be young and experienced and your brain is absorbing all the things so fast. It only gets slower as you get older. I'm not that old, but I'm seeing it happen. And actually, you bring up a very valid point because with pasta and tomato sauce or pastel pomodoro, it's, you know, It's a very simple thing, a thing that brings you back to childhood, but it's also a very important dish and making it right is very important because it requires so few ingredients So you need to have good quality ingredients. It's almost like wine, right, in that sense that, like, you don't want to intervene and interrupt the wine too much. You want to use top quality grapes and methods to make something really brilliant. It's like this because, here we also have a pizza. I mean, you already know it, but, it's not like the best pizza from the best cook, but the pizza with best ingredients. That's all. Everything is like this. If you have good ingredients and you know to cook, I mean, you can do everything. Also for the wine. Also, it is important to pair it with a good wine. Of course. And that brought up the question actually for me because I know that it's very common to drink more often beer with pizza. The wine does also pair with pizza. Is there a wine that you would choose to pair with like a classic pizza margherita? I think the best one for pizza margherita is Lacli maclisteros. So because it it reminds of the flavor that is on the pizza. I mean, it's kinda like a fusion of the two, of the two things. In fact, we choose, Latli maclisteros, also for, our packet with tomato sauce. Because it's really good with tomatoes. So how about, like, la crema cristi's fantastic wine, but definitely maybe not as well known as some other red wines outside of Italy. Could you tell us, like, a little bit more about what makes that wine unique? Your family mixes that one as well. No? Yeah. Yeah. For me, it's unique because of the history that's behind it. In fact, we have a legend that on the top of the Vasubia, there was a throne of Jesus And, when he saw the beautiful landscape, he cried and with his tears, he made the wine. And, for me, it's important, the the legend because, me, my father, my grandfather, always used to, like, go back in the past because the past is important, and it tells everything about the present. In fact, I think the this legend makes it really important. But also how we produce it because my father is really maybe clingy with the wines. I mean, if the soil is not good, it doesn't like it. So it's always ready to do everything to have a perfect period. So the grape that produces our lucky macristeros. So 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 speaking of the past, I have two questions for you. The first one is where was your father's passion for wine born? Was it from his grandfather? I've heard from his father, your grandfather? Everything is born from, my grandfather. It was named Vincenzo, same name as me. When my grandfather was young, he started to learn, how to farm from his father. Then he took all of his knowledge and told it to my father. My father was the only one of the family that liked to farm because, my father It's a brother and a sister, but he was the only one that liked this word. So it took all the knowledge that my grandfather had and put it in our vineyard. How old are the vineyards? Is it a mix from your grandfather and then some of your father planted? It depends because we have, some vineyards that are really new. In fact, where I am, we have a two year old vineyard. And also, we have, in the same place, seventy five years old vineyards. They're not the oldest. In fact, we also have, some plants that are two hundred years old. I mean, they're not as good as the produce wines, but two hundred years old is a long time. Oh, yeah. Definitely. You're very young, but still, like, what and and clearly this will be much more fresh in your brain than mine. But your first memories of wine, like, do you have a special memory from when you were a child? I do. I do. Because, when everything started, I wasn't even born. My father created the company in two thousand and four, and I was born in two thousand and eight. But when I was four, I remember that, my father did an interview And in this interview, there were also my grandmother and my grandfather. And, we were all there eating with, obviously, the wine. And, it's a good thing that I remember my grandfather because, he died that year. Oh, I'm so sorry. Nah. It's not a problem. It really helps me to remind you of him. Well, I'm happy that you have, like, a very sweet memory of your grandfather to carry on his legacy. It it's very admirable, especially for someone of only fifteen to have this passion It's very strong, and you hear it. I'm not trying to learn about this. And maybe when I turn eighteen, I can start doing it really because, right now, it's just a passion. To feel very strong about something at fifteen, it doesn't happen all the time, you know, and you have a very special legacy. Yes. I really want to thank my father because of this. He really tried to let me know everything about this. For me, it's good that my father helps me to learn and it's not like it doesn't turn angry when I mess up something. I mean, it's always, ready to help me and, teach me new things. So it's all from him. That's the best approach because you're exploring so much. I imagine and you have time, you know, to figure out where it is that you feel the best in the winery and where your strengths are. I think that's a very gentle and smart approach. Do you have certain aspects of family business that you enjoy the most so far? Right now I really enjoy to travel with my father because, we're now going to everywhere that needs our wine. And, my father always needs a help. And I'm the first one that proposes to go with him. So I really like to travel. I really like to explain the one because, usually, people are happy when explaining it. It's fun for me because, when they congratulate with me saying, you're only fifteen and you're doing this job for me. Everything. I mean, I feel happy with this. Keep going because the more that you speak and practice, you know, public speaking, whether it's in Italian or English, it's only going to, like, get better from here, like, much better. Like, in five, ten years, you're gonna look back and be like, thank god that I was out there, you know, in the field, like, doing this with my dad because in these little every trip will make a difference. Is there a place that you went recently with your father that left an impression on you? I've been to Amsterdam about twenty days ago. It was really cool. We had a meeting with the an importer. It was really good for me because I met really good people I met some people that teach me a lot because, when you're only with your father, you can learn all the things that he knows. But when you're out and you know other people, all the knowledge comes along, and it's better. Yes. A hundred percent. And how do the Dutch love Italian wine? It's really difficult out there. The wine that they like the most are French wine. And when we try to explain them that we are not French and Italian, they're like, oh, really impressive because, they don't usually drink Italian wines. Every time they think that our wines are French, they're not. Oh, wow. That's so interesting. And it's like also funny because, I mean, this is just not from statistics, but just personal experience. It's funny. Many Dutch people do come to Italy. They love to travel here. For vacation. You know, if they just saw where your family's winery is with the beautiful view of the Bay of Naples, they would be like, what? French wine? What? They would only be drinking your wines. Because with that view, it's just it's unforgettable. Yeah. It's really cool. And also, as I said earlier, we have, a BNB and a suite. I asked my father if I could, sleep in a room because, I really love to wake up and take a cafe, watching the sea. Permier, it's perfect. I mean, I woke up, took a cafe, watching Capri Island, and I don't know. I feel so proud of what my father did and so happy, so free. Really good. Amazing. And honestly, given that you're just you're a teenager, that is some pride. Like, that is a you're very blessed. Like, that's a very special thing you get to do. And I feel like really happy that I had no idea how old you were before this because it's very exciting to hear your perspective and your experiences just, you know, naturally from talking to you. And I think you have a lot to come in the future. It's really exciting. You know, keep on doing those morning coffees with the view because that is something, you know, people in America will pay too much money for, and they don't even get to have the real experience, you know. But we're not gonna talk about that. That's a tourism discussion, but they should be coming to your winery. Everyone that's listening has a Hidal has a VMB and It's a little secret. It's a special place. Before we end, actually, I should ask, the BMB, have you had many international guests? Here, there are no Italians. It seems strange, but I don't usually go at the BMB, but I met, some Portuguese that they were so friendly and also I remember Brazil and also some American tourists. Here you have, everyone also in the restaurant. Today, I was explaining to some Australian that thought that, this land was like theirs because it's really similar, the climate, everything. So here we have everyone from any path of the world. Wow. And it's really extraordinary to be able to meet those people in your own home and make those connections. That's really lovely. Well, thank you so much, Vincenzo for taking the time to chat today. Really, you have a quite a bright future ahead of you, lots of things, and I wish you all the luck. Thank you. Yeah. And I wish you all the best this summer, given, you know, now that it's, you know, the height of tourist season, you have all the three, the winery, the restaurant, and the DMV, So I'm sure you have some busy days ahead. Yeah. Today was really full. I thought I was going to sleep here because I'm so tired right now. But don't worry. You'll only get better at it. Like, you're young. You you'll wake up and you'll be strong. Yeah. Just just keep going. Just keep going. Wow. I feel very inspired from this conversation. And, yeah, again, I wish you the best, the best of luck. And thank you again for chatting today, Vincent. Thank you for the opportunity. For me, it's really good. I say a child for now. That's it, left to you in Napoli, and in the hills of Nunezubias. And I hope to come visit soon. I'll wait for you. Okay. As always, a big good answer for hanging out with me today. Remember, you can catch me on the Italian wine podcast every Sunday and anywhere you can get your pots.