Ep. 2206 Giulia Stocchetti interviews Serena Costanzo | The Next Generation

Their restoration was very, very long and difficult because we are inside the Aetna park. It wasn't so simple and all that you see inside were built, some inside directly and some were entered from the upper part. So it's true what we we are talking about. Welcome to the next generation. Join me as I take you on a journey to discover young stars of the Italian food and wine world. Promdi andiamo. Hi, everyone, and welcome back to a new episode of the next generation on the Italian win podcast. Today, I'm so happy to have here with me a beautiful young lady that is based on Aetna, a volcanic young woman whose name is Serena, and she's actually from Palmetto Costaansu winery. I met her like a month ago during press tour that there was on the Aetna. We visited her winery, and I was so amazed by the landscape, but the beautiful winery, the beautiful people there and the amazing hospitality. In the end, surprise surprise, we met also a couple days ago during Tarmina Gourmet on tour in Palermo and was such a beautiful surprise because we were like, hey, there's the interview schedule on Wednesdays in a couple days. The wine world is so small and so nice, but I don't wanna lose more time talking, and I'd like to welcome Sirena, not to the show. Ciao Sirena. Hello everybody. I'm so happy to be here with you and with Julia that I met as as she told some months ago, and I'm very, very happy. Thank you, Selena. We are so happy too. So Can you tell us a little bit about you? What are you doing in your life? What's your background? Sure. So I represent the second generation of Palmetto Constanto. Palmetto Constanto is a winery on the northern slopes of Aetna. That was born with the the passion of my parents for the wine. Passion that they've been able to transmit to me, and that's the reason why I choose analogy in Viticulture as at university. So I've studied analogy and beauty culture. First of all, I did three years of university in agricultural science. That's because in general, I'm from when I was young, really I have always the passion for natural. And that's the reason why at the beginning, I choose these three years of university at Agricultural Science. And after I moved to Enelligible because as I told you, the natural and the wine took me to choose this, this university. So that's a little background that that I did. That's beautiful. I remember actually when you were walking through your vineyards you were, like, at home between the rows, and there were all these vines. And, basically, you know, each single vine that is in your vineyard. And I know, I guess there's something going on, some new projects planting the vines and vineyard management. So I will ask you about this later for sure. But first, I want to know actually what's your role at the winery? Like, what do you do in the winery? So I'm a very dynamic person, and, I always said that this work is perfect for me because, you know, the fact that there is no, constants in, in wine, make this word so fascinating. And, that's the reason why my winery, I'm my focus is, especially in the vineyard. And, on the this cover of our territory, because, you know, Aetna is a very, very special, after we will talk better about the three slobs and so on. But the fact that it is an act volcano make the terroir so special. And so my focus now is, especially on the vineyard and to study the soil and then the, the plant, and and then better understand which are the diversity. Of the parcels of our vineyard and then to be able to follow them innegrovilification in winery. So my focus now is on the vineyard. So do you think that your experiences abroad influenced you in choosing specifically to work in the vineyards? Or Absolutely. Yes. In fact, I ended my university in, and after this course, I did a staja in a Chateau, you know, Medock in Priyak, where I did my thesis based on a new project experimental project in winery about the carbon dioxide produced in fermentation but my real focus was on a project that they give me about the study of the terroir in, in Medock, and especially the most important variety of that territory. So starting to do the this project, make me an open door on Aetna and especially on Quintada where we are. So, I come back home for this reason. I come back in October of the last year in two thousand and twenty three. And with the this idea to study better, Howard Terwar, on Aetna. So this experience in France for me was very, very important because, opened my mind to this new project on our winery. That's beautiful. So now I want to know what you're actually doing on Aetna with all this experience you made in France. So, you know, the first important project which, we are studying for is relative, the climate change. You know, also, I always said that even if on Aetna, we are very lucky because we are between eight hundred and thousand meters of altitudes. This is very helpful in terms of climate change, but also Netna, we saw in the last two winters that, we may anticipate our best And, also, the fact that during winter, we didn't see rain, make us to reflect a new approach to Viticulture. So we are studying some technique that can help our plant to adapt to climate change. For example, we make some difference in the pruning time of some parcels of our vineyard. And, now we've got other idea to program a new type of natural fertilization and so on. So the first project is focused on the program that can adapt our plant to climate change. And, another one that I was talking before is relative the study of the terrar because we have got the opportunity to have, some actors that are in the three slots, different slots of the volcano. So the idea is to study starting from the geological part point of view because, you know, as I told before, at night, very special, in terms of, lava eruption that, characterizes the soil. So the idea is to study starting from the geological point of view, then the soil, then the phenological cycle of the of the plant, the grapes, and to follow them into microvinnification in in the cellar. So these are my two project in the moment. Okay. So two project, and I got two questions for the US City. Yeah. So first one is what grape varieties do you grow And second is how many wines do you make? And if you make only like this microvinnification, and then you bottle them as they are, or if you also blend, like, the microvinnification to get some wines. So this is a very good question. So relative the grapes, we just cultivate our talks on varieties, which are and for the red wine production, and And, at the beginning, we make some question to the possibility to cultivate other varieties like you know, Pinot, but at the end, our idea is to focus on these four varieties, which are very important for our territory, and that can better represent, at Navulcano. So, exactly. So we call we, you know, Nerello Moskaleza is the varieties and with the return percent of Caputo and the same thing for Karicante and Colorado. And, about the micro humidifications. The idea now is just to study. So maybe with this study, we will discover, which are, for example, the best terraces when I wear vineyard, and then probably produce a wine, but now it's just a very mental project. So no production, not new label. Because until now we produce for white wine, our Mofete Bianco, Bianco Dice. And, two crew, one contrada Santos spirito produce incontrada in contrada Santos spirito where we've got the cellar departmento that we restore. And then we produce which is produced another crew produce, from the other slops from cavalierre, in Santa Maria, then we produce, before you're going with the reds, you were talking about the touring of your winery, the rebuilding and renovation. I remember that you were saying that you actually had to, like, remove the roof to put the winemaking equipment inside. Is there right? Do I remember correctly? Exactly is like this because imagine that, my parents, had this opportunity to restore the Palment. In fact, we continue to vilify inside. Their restoration was very, very long and difficult because we are inside the Aetna park. So it wasn't so simple. And all that you see inside were built some inside directly, and some were entered from the upper part. So you remember right? And it's true what we we are talking about. But it's really, really beautiful. I mean, I remember your restored, winery is amazing. And also there's a beautiful view. There's like this window that faces the vineyards and the Aetna, and it's just stunning. Like, everyone was so amazed and also the equipment you have inside is something I mean, you really see you love what you're doing, and you're dedicating so much time experimenting also with different vessels because you have, like, for a concrete containers, some both day. Right? Yes. Exactly. So Oh, and the egg and the wooden egg you have. Right? Exactly. So another, thing that I always said that in wine is very important to experiment because, any type of answer you get, positive or negative is an answer. So I have an idea also to try different tank is, narrative in this way because our idea is to improve every year our production. And, this is the best way to get in this improvement, you know, so try last, three years, the aim for to understand how our variety, which are which are, and can evolve inside. And, So until now, there is no production in terms of, label is really just to experiment. And about the egg that you mentioned before, the egg are main of French oak, and we use them for the aging of our contact center spirit for twenty four months of aging, and we are very happy about that. The particularities that, you know, there is a micro v, a natural micro vinification due to the egg shape. So they are very special. Beautiful to see and also beautiful to evolve wine inside. Beautiful and also beautiful to hug because I remember some people are actually hugging the eggs and they were so happy. Oh, yes. Oh, yeah. And so what's your favorite vessel so far? What's your favorite type of tank? So I think that, all the thank are important because, you know, stainless steel is special because, it maintains the typical characteristics of the variety. OOD is very interesting because, for micro oxygenation is really important because, you know, hood in wine gives tannins and aromatic compounds. So for some varieties, for example, odor is very necessary. For Nerelomascaleza, it can be necessary, but you can also use a stainless steel depending on what is your idea of Nerelomascaleza or Karicante And, we are very happy also about the amphora, very, very interesting. And, above the amphora, we are yet discovering, what they can give us, to our variety. So, Maskales and Karicante. So, basically, you start studying the varietals in the vineyards and how they react also to climate change and everything, and then you continue in the winery with micro humidification and experimenting with so many different vessels. That's really amazing. I mean, I can't imagine what kind of wine you'll be making in the near future because I'll be so, so excited to try them try them all. Neil, also, really, I wanted the the natural and the grapes production can be more faster, more easy because, I would like to have all these answer in, one year. And, I know that is very, very difficult because this study take time. So maybe in ten years, we can answer to all this experimental study. Or maybe we'll be continuing experimenting, like, forever because that's what's fascinating about the wines. There are so many different things involved in making wines, so many different agents, like the nature and the climate and the people. And, I mean, it's always evolving. And so we will never I was never done with discovering new stuff and experimenting. So who knows if you're gonna find your answers, sit in? Exactly. I hope so. That's okay. It's part of the play. So Nice. And, well, that said, I remember your beautiful hospitality, beautiful wines, beautiful people, beautiful hospitality. Can you please tell us, like, what's the experience at your winery if someone comes to see you? So for us, it's really important to open the door to wine lover over all over the world. It's really, really important that the reason why we are open from Monday to Sunday to wine lover and, the experience, our idea is really to make a very familiar hospitality, and we do them in the tasting. So it's possible to taste all of our people, and, you can walk through the vineyard and to better understand the production. And, for us, it's really important to communicate and to explain wine, and the the terroir in a very simple way because it's the perfect way to connect wine to people that, has not studied wine. So, has no knowledge about wine, but they want to approach to wine. So, our idea is really to lead the dam through wine tasting that, is very simple way communicated and, also very casual and, very visceral, you know. So this is our idea. Also, because, I wanted to specify that Aetna is not so known in all over the world. There are a lot of, wine lovers that don't know Aetna very much. So for us, it's really important that they come to visit us and they come to taste the wine. But I'm not talking just as owner of Palmetto Costa, but really as a name by all the producer, Netna. I always said you have to visit also them. You have to go there. You have to to make a tour on all the producer of Aetna because he's very, very special, the identity and the philosophy of each producer that are making this territory very, very important. So this is our idea. That's fantastic. And because we are on the next generation, I was wondering, are there lots of young wine producers on Aetna or So, yes, there are. And there are the new generation that represent, unwinary, not too much, but there are. I have a lot of friend, and I'm very happy. I would like to say this because when I was at university and I started this course at university, I was very disappointed because I was just the only girl in the course. And, at the beginning, I always think, oh my god. There are no girl. Oh my god. There are not so much people that, wanted to study the production of wine, agriculture, and so on. And for me was, not so good. And starting to traveling, to go to Vin Italy, for example, or to go to other manifestation like, in Italy, for example, I, I noticed that There are a lot, a lot, a lot of young people that not only started marketing, for example, or economy, and then, are working in the business family, but there are a lot people, especially girl, young people, and especially girl that, studied the analogy, beauty culture, and that now are working in the land, you know, are working in the production. And I think that this is very, very special. So I'm very happy about that. Yeah. It's very, very beautiful to hear all this. There's the synergy on Aetna, like also between the producers and especially young producers and more and more people are actually choosing to go back to the land and make outstanding wines out of it. So That's really beautiful. But yes. Because it represents the future, you know. So the the next generation represent the the the the future of the production, and that's very special. And so talking about wines again, of course, I was wondering if you have to pick one wine of yours and pair it with a typical local dish. What would it be and why? So it's not so simple because there are a lot of, special typical sicilian dish, but I think I would choose, maybe pasta, I don't know if you ever heard about that. That's it. And maybe I can pair with the, And because, you know, Bianco di say, Karicante is a variety which is very fresh with the highest city, sappidity, and, also minerality, but the minerality, you will get it in time, in aging in bottle. So I probably choose, pasta Colazar then. Yes. Mhmm. Delicious. My mouth is, like, mhmm, picturing, very cool pairing. Well, so talking about the next generation still, do you have lots of young people coming to visit you, or do you see lots of young people interested in wine, or how's the situation according to you? So, to be sure, after COVID, what I saw was that a lot of young people starting to leave Saturday and Sunday during the day. So, you know, young people normally go outside the night and so on. After COVID, after that period that that was not so good for, especially for young people, what I saw a lot of young people starting to go outside and discover Aetna, but also other territory, you know. And and they discovered that, on Aetna, there is a production. There is Viticulture. There is a a winemaking So from I think that, from that period, they starting to go out and to discover the territory, and especially to live an experience because for sure doing, wine tasting, in an area like Aetna is very special, and you can live really unexperienced. And what I think now is that, all of us, we wanted to live an experience. So this is the reason why I think that a lot of young people discover wine, not really connected to wine, also because our generation when go out in the night, drink a lot of, cocktail and not wine. But, the fact that, with wine, you can live an experience, make this, fascinating part for a young that didn't know well wine. So this is, connect also the fact that what I was telling before is very important, for us to make very simple communication to, make all the young people, to visit us and to discover what that there is behind a bottle of wine. So I think that this is the best approach a simple way to communicate to the new generation. A hundred percent agree. You're totally right. And I got just one last question for you. And he's like, do you see the future of Aetna White? Or red. Uh-huh. Is so is not so simple answer because both Narello and Karicante with the characteristics that they has got So acidity, acidity, and minerality for the white, and also tannins, and acidity, and minerality also for the red. I think that both can be the future. Also, if you unify Narello in a very simple way. But for now, maybe answer, Karicante, because, the white wine are the one that also young people drink, more than a red. So probably I answer Karicante, but in terms of, analogical point of view, the both varieties, so Karicante and Merrello, we will discover it Yeah. We will know in the future. Who knows? Well, Serena, is there anything else you'd like to add before you wrap up the episode, or you think that's it? Something you wanna say, you wanna share with us. No. Probably, we have talked about young generation, young people. So if there is any young people that is hearing this podcast, I hope that, will discover better the word of wine, the word the word of wine, and probably Aetna. So On the world of Palmetto Constance, of course. Right? Yes. That's sure. So Selena will be waiting for you such an enthusiastic young woman, full of joy, full of life, full of energy, and she can actually transmit all this to you. So please go to visit Palminto Costa. So if you're on Aetna, and go also around Aetna. Thank you very much. You're most welcome. Thank you for finding some time with us. It's been a real pleasure for me, Serena. Thank you so much. Thank you very much for you. Thank you. Well, stay tuned for the next episode next Sunday of the next generation on the Italian winning broadcast. Jinting. Good afternoon. Good afternoon with me today and listening to the next generation on the Italian win podcast.