Ep. 2252 Giulia Stocchetti interviews Valerio Di Mauro | Next Generation

I was born and raised in Rome, but I couldn't go back now. Here, Castelliromani now is my home. Here, we have an insane one culture. The vibe is is really different. I was wondering if you can describe, like, your perfect weekend at Casa Lurmani, but definitely, like, in three words. Three words. So wine? Of course. Culture and nature because we are surrounded with lake and woods, and we here have a many culture, and we here have many wines. Welcome to the next generation. With me, your host, Julia Topetti. Join me as I take you on a journey to discover young stars of the Italian food and wine world. From Di andiamo. Hi, everyone, and welcome back to the next generation on the Italian wine podcast with a new episode. Today, here with me, there's Valerio Dimaro from, based in Castelliro mani. So I was talking to Valerio, like, a couple days ago, because I really wanted, like, to schedule the interview. And I was like, oh my god, it's time. So I was messaging him. I was texting him. And he was like, oh, yeah. I didn't forget, but, you know, I'm about to catch a plane. He was traveling. So valeria, where have you been lately? Hi. Thank you. Thank you for having me. So I was in Spain. I travel a lot both for work, and because I love discovering new places, Spain's kinda like a second home to me. I spent a ton of time there since my wife is Spanish. So every time I go, it's not just a business. It's also a chance to reconnect with my place. That means a lot to me. So your wife is from Spain, from what part of Spain? Is from Valencia. Oh, beautiful. What's her name? Laiya. It's not a typical name from Valencia, but Laiya is the same of Laura in Italian. Mhmm. Yeah. In Barcelona is Laiya. Oh, wonderful. So her family is still in Valencia or she moved with everyone to Italy? She is half German and half Spanish. So the the family, live in Spain and in German. Oh, nice. And what language do you speak together? When we met for the first time we spoke in English, but, now we speak in Italian or in Spanish. Oh, pretty cool. We we say if we we stay here in Italy, we we talk in Italian, but when we moved in Spain, we start to speak Spanish. And what language do you prefer? Your Italian native language, or you prefer Spanish? I'm loving Spanish. So I prefer to speak Spanish. So, actually, you were traveling for leisure this time. You weren't working in this weekend. I go to work and to meet my, my family, well, the family of my wife. Okay. So both. Let's say, I was wondering if you can tell us a little bit about your background because I started directly asking you where you were this weekend and people might be like, who's this vanadio? Like, So I grew up now one making family, but I didn't jump to wine right away. I actually study, lalo thinking I do something completely different, but At some point, I felt like I needed to create something real instead of just studying theories and cases. That's when I started look at wine with different ties. So you were born in a winemaker's family, basically, but you weren't interested in wine. Right? You wanted to do something different. I started studying to become a a lawyer, but it was not for me. Oh, nice. I'm so happy to hear that it's much better making wines and making people happy instead of, you know, being a lawyer and maybe not being like the best person ever you wanna meet during your life. But, you know, that's another story. Let's go back to fun and do on So now what what do you do in your life? I run Colipicione. That is my family's Juanry. I take care of whole one making process from working the vineyards to handling production because the the winery isn't small, but it's not huge either, which is perfect because I still get to be super hands on. I care a lot about making sure every detail reflects our vision. That's beautiful. And how many bottles you make a year? Because you said it's quite small. So We produce more or less one hundred thousand bottles per year. Oh, okay. And how come you're able to make wines. I mean, you studied law. You can't apply the same knowledge to I'm making, I guess. So how come? I start work here with my grandma and my father. And when I started, there were many technologist and one makers here, and I had the opportunity to stay with them, and I study a lot. I have to study analogies for by myself, without university? That's beautiful. So you learned by making, and that's even better, I guess. You were you had enough with theory studying law and that you just were like, now I wanna go to something with my hands. I'm gonna do practice and not just, you know, spending time on books and regulations and laws. Even if in Italy, in wine business, in the wine world, there are tons of regulations. We all know that, but It's fine. I study, love because my dad and a bunch of my relatives, were lawyers. So I just felt like the natural choice, but wasn't really my passion. And I realized it that I want to do something more creative, something where I could actually build something, something real, you know, something that people could try and, lawyer is is maybe it's not the same. Yeah. Definitely makes sense, especially because making wine means also, like, sharing the wine with people and making people happy. You know, instead of meeting people, being a lawyer being serious and dealing with hard and difficult stuff. So, you know, I think they needed someone like you and the family, too many serious people otherwise. But so I was wondering, what are your hobbies? Like, what do you like to do in your free time how, for sure skiing. I love skiing. There's something about the mountains that totally resets my mind. And whenever I get the chance, I try to escape for a few days and and just enjoy being out and matter. My other office is traveling. Traveling is a huge part of my life, not only for the work, but for the the print joy of exploring new places. Experiencing different cultures and connecting with some interesting people. That's awesome. I mean, I love skiing and I love traveling too. So I guess we could be friends. We could get along pretty well. And I guess your wife also enjoys spending time with you traveling and playing sports. Right? Sure. Does she help you also with winery? Sure. She helped me a lot here. We work here every day, and without her, for me, could be really difficult. That's beautiful. It's incredible. I mean, it means you really love each other because most people are like, oh my god, I could never ever work with my husband or with my wife. We need No. The careers, but in your case, it's beautiful. It's really a work of love. We can say it. Right? I love, work with my wife. Many people told me who'd be very diff difficult, but for me it's really easy. So nice. I got two questions for you now. It's about dating. Okay. So first is, like, how did you first state with your actual life. Okay. And I'm curious now. We met in in, Altra Casa here in American Bara in in Rome, when she went here, more than twenty years ago. And we met for the first time, and I traveled in Spain after two months, and I spent a lot of time with her in Valencia. That's awesome. So you met in Rome and then you took a plane and you you went to see her. Wow. That's beautiful. And how did you go? Twenty twenty one years ago. Oh, wow. That's beautiful. And How did you propose? How did you ask her to marry? In the mountain. When we Oh. When we went to mountain, our mountain, because we we are in in love with a mountain here in the neighborhood of Rome. And when we go to Hyatt, I may wear the proposal. Oh, and she said yes, of course. Oh, yes. Otherwise, you would have left her there. I'm not just kidding. That's so amazing. That's awesome. So how long have you been married? Eleven years. Oh, beautiful. So you were so young, I guess. That's amazing. Fantastic. And now let's go with my second question, and it's about your first date with wine. Like, how did you fell in love with wine? For me, it's a little different because I was born in in this kind of family with many people that talk about wines. And, for the first time of my life, I thought I could do something different because all my family do these works, and I wanna try to do something different. But every day, I heard people talk about wine, talk about vineyards, talk about everything around the wine world, and I think it's easy to fall in love with this world if everyone in your neighborhood, this world, you know? Yeah. That makes sense. And was your grandma, right, founding Cola Picni. Fifty years ago, my grandma saw the potential in this land. And, she was a a woman that have no afraid to take risks And before she bought the land, there was a farmer living there who, used to make his own line, like, many people here. And when my grandma asked him why he didn't try to make better wine. He just said, literally, ma'am, if you think you can do it better, go ahead. She took that as a challenge. We are here, because this farmer maybe helped shape what Coli Picune would become. And Oh, what a story. It's quite unique. I think this was our turning point because my grandma started experimenting and working with some best analogist. And I think she really built something unique later after my grandma, my dad took the winery to the next level. Refining our wines, expanding our presence in the world. And I also wanted to leave my marking out our wines. Now, I told you, my wife, and my wife's name is Leah. So I I dedicated one wine to my wife. The name the the wine is Perliah. That is a plain words in Italian, since Perliah means for Liah. That is a a wine for Liah. And I also dedicate another wine to my grandma, Donna Balla, as a tribute to the wrong determined woman who started all. And does she still involved in the wine production? No. She passed away a few years ago, but her influence is still everywhere in the winery. My passion for wine really comes from her and from my dad as well. So the relationship between the two of you must have been so special. Yeah. Do you have any brothers or sisters helping you out, or you're the only child? I have one brother that he make other, work. He know, doesn't work here. So he's not enjoying the fun part of life. Making wine at Cola Piccuny with you, but he is. Hopefully, he's drinking wine though. Right? Yeah. Sure. Nice. Of course. And so do you prefer working in the vineyard? Or making wines in the cellar. I know it's tough questions. Yeah. Tough question. I think both because vineyards is really important for the one making I love work in the nurture, the open air, but I think where we can be really creative is in the the seller. Definitely makes sense. Yeah. And when you say you wanna leave a mark at Cola Piccione, putting something really yours into this project, let's say, what do you mean? What's the mark you're trying to give and to leave? I tried to do something different. For many years, here, people work with the same grape, with the same, method, and follow the same path, and I try to do something different, like, we're experimenting other kind of grape, like, Julia grapes, for example. And we craft, some, artisanal beer and Jean, and we tried to do something different, like the the normal way. Oh, wow. So, basically, you said you're going over Julia Wow. I mean, that grape was maybe named after me. She's she's, I mean, quite fast and tricky grape. Yeah. So, I guess, it's not easy to grow nor to vinify. And how do you deal with a grape? Why did you decide to restore the grape? So it all started in Pescosolido that is a a small town in Balconino with a strong one making tradition and several high quality producer I met, Luigi, that is a, local grower who was passionate about reviving old grape varieties. Pescosolido, in the neighborhood of of Rome and bordering Latio and Abruzzo is really special. It's up in the hills has rocky soil, high altitude, and is tipped in one making history. So Luigi told me about Uva Julia, a grape that had almost disappeared people didn't really use it for one making. They used to dry the grapes and eat them as a winter treat because it's naturally high acidity that made a classic one making tricky. So then it cleats higher CDP is exactly what makes a great sparkling wine. I thought maybe this grape was never meant for still wines, what if it's perfect for sparkling. So we do a method classic, a classic method with Uber Julia that come out, maybe this year. So you're making this sparkling line, and hopefully it's gonna be ready this year, you said. Right? Yeah. And and maybe in May. Okay. And how much time on the lease? Thirty months. Oh, wow. Forty months. Wow. It's a long time. In May, we will sell the twenty twenty one harvest. Oh, beautiful. And how many bottles did you make? Only few bottles. For the twenty twenty one, we we started with five hundred bottles. Now in twenty twenty four harvest, we will arrive at, one thousand two hundred more or less. There are, a few place with this grapes. So, we try to introduce new really tricky because perfect place to grow this grape is in the mountain, the limestone, and how to do and it's really difficult to do that. Oh, wow. I really wish I could taste that wine. I mean, thanks to you. I now I know that there's a grape variety that has the same name as me. So it's exciting. And I love the fact that Julia Grape loves altitude mountains and all that, and you can make sparkling wines out of it. So, yeah, I'm pretty excited. I have say it. I've learned something new and hopefully I'll be able to try some because it must be good for sure. I mean, I have no doubt from UVA Julia just outstanding wines. That's all I'm expecting. Alright. So, wow, that's really interesting. And but now that it's winter, you don't have much to do in the vineyards, I guess. So what are you up to in this time of the year traveling? So I know that winter definitely, brings calm to the vineyard since the vine are essentially hibernating, but doesn't mean we are off. The seller is buzzing as our wines need constant attention. I used the the quitter season to study, and, deep in my when making knowledge. And, whenever I can, I still manage to to hit the slopes where, for us, his session? That's beautiful. Do you have to drive far away or you have some mountains close to where you're staying? We have a mountain here in one hour. We arrive in in, big mountains here. That's beautiful. So, yeah, now you have some spare time to do that, but, I have to be sincere. I was, like, stalking you on Instagram. Just, you know, was wondering who what an area actually is at least from know, from what we can see from social media. And I saw that when the season is nice, so basically, like, spring and summer, you organize this, like, wine experiences in the vineyards, at sunset. And I was wondering, like, what kind of people attend these events? Why do you organize these events? Like, does it also benefit the vines to have some good vibes and nice people around? Yeah. So mostly it's locals. People who love wine and a chill sunset vibe in the vineyards. But since our area is well known as almost this touristic, we do get some visitors from elsewhere too. It's a friendly mix of wine lovers coming together to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere. As for the vines, I like to think that the positive energy from these gatherings gives the Viners a little extra boost. There's something special about sharing a beautiful sunset and great wine that really enhance the vibe of place. So Yeah. And they should be happy because they're like, oh, you see with the fruit of our branches, with the fruit of of us, they make outstanding wines, and that people then enjoy here at sunset in the good season. So, yeah, I think it's pretty good for them to definitely. And I think that you don't grow over Julian in the same place. Right? Because if if, yeah, if you need, like, some cool influence, I think it's not the best place, but The only the only place perfect for the Juagulia, I think is in Pescosolido. Because there there are the unique condition, for the perfect grow of the kind of grapes. And I'm curious to know, one thing about the wine dedicated to your wife, like, what kind of wine is it, and also same for the wine dedicated to your grandma. So different styles, different grapes. Can you please just in a nutshell tell us the differences and what they are? The first one, the the one from my wife, Palaya, is a blend of of Merlo and and cabernet Solignon, and is our not most important wine, but the wine that more represents our winery. And the same for, Donna Bala is Malvasia. This is a typical grape from, this area, Malvasia Delacio, and semillon, and had the same character of my grandma. So it's a little strong, but really easy to connect with. Oh, that's beautiful. Really interesting. Thank you so much for sharing this personal information. It's really appreciated. And, so you're still so young and I guess you have so many plans also with your wife. And so how do you see yourself in the future? Well, and I plan to keep posting boundaries by experimenting with new products. I think it's in winemaking is a slow moving sector that demands serious time and financial investment. And I think staying the dynamic is key. So I hope I could be every time dynamic in in in my future. Wow. That's deep, man. Yeah. That's deep. So now back with my sneaky questions. Like, you're based in Castale romani, right, as area. Okay. So, Rome or Castale romani? Castale romani. No doubt. And why? Why? But just because there's so much Julia. Come on. I know. Why? I was born and raised in Rome, but I couldn't go back now. Here, Castelliromani now is my home. Here, we have an insane one culture. The vibe is is really different. So you're in love with your area, and I was wondering if you can describe, like, your perfect weekend at Cassellirani, but definitely like in three words. Three words. So wine, of course, culture and nature because we are surrounded with lake and boots, and we here have a many culture, and we here have many wines. That's fantastic. I guess people now feel like traveling to Casselli Romani, reach out to you, taste your wines, enjoy the nature, the culture, and maybe why not go skiing together? I think you should be also promoting the area as a touristic place, not just for amazing wine. So this is a mean question of mine, but I really wanna ask you. Making wine or skiing. Tough one. I say making wine because in the end, after a ski session, nothing is better than a bottle of wine. Fair enough. Yeah. That's true. So, basically, what you said is like skin and making fine. So I can accept that. Exactly. Yeah. It's fine. That's beautiful. So, Valenio, thank you so very much. Thank you. And if there's anything you want to say, you want to add before we wrap up the IP search, you're most welcome. It's our show, basically. So up to you. I told many parts of myself, so for me, it's perfect. Nice. Goodiful. So thank you so much again. I hope I'll be able to enjoy some of your sparkling wine traditional method made with Uva Julia. So curious about that, but as I said, it's gonna be delicious for sure. So I have no doubt you're a great winemaker, dynamic persons, experimenting, also loving the nature. So I have positive vibes. Not only that, but also your other wines. So I think it's the very much again for being our guest today, and I thank you also our listeners. And I really recommend to stay tuned for the upcoming episodes of the next generation on the Italian wine podcast. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Good afternoon.