Ep. 1281 Rebecca Severs | Voices Meet the Vinitaly International Academy Ambassador

By now, you've all heard of Italian wine Unplugged two point o. The latest book published by Mamma jumbo shrimp. It's more than just another wine book. Fully updated second edition was inspired by students of the Vin Italy International Academy and painstakingly reviewed and revised by an expert panel of certified Italian wine ambassadors from across the globe. The book also includes an addition by professor Atilio Shenza. Italy's leading vine geneticist. The benchmark producers feature is a particularly important aspect of this revised edition. The selection makes it easier for our readers to get their hands on a bottle of wine that truly represents a particular grape or region to pick up a copy, just head to Amazon dot com, or visit us at mama jumbo shrimp dot com. Welcome to today's episode part of another new mini series on voices about the Venus International Academy, Italian wine ambassadors who contributed to the new addition of Italian wine unplugged two point zero. This new Mamma jumbo shrimp publication was released in January twenty twenty three, and it provides a foundation for the Vin Italy in International Academy, Italian wine Ambassador course, listening as Cynthia chats with the personalities who made this revised edition possible and remember you can also tune in each Saturday afternoon to hear narrated installments of this new book or At to Amazon dot com to pick up your copy today. Hello, and welcome to voices. This is Cynthia Chaplin. And today, we are going to talk about our fabulous new book Italian Wine Unplugged two point o, which is the second edition of the textbook that we use for the Italy International Academy Italian wine Ambassador course. And it is a wonderful book for anybody who is, looking for a way to discover the wide and wonderful world of Native Italian grapes, history, culture, geography, geology. It's it's a book for wine Geeks and a book for wine students, probably about the best way to take a good look into Italian wine going right now. So this interview is part of my mini series with VINitally International Ambassador who contributed to the new edition of the book by helping us rewrite grapes in our must know grape section. So today, I'm really happy to welcome my friend and colleague Rebecca Severs to the show. Rebecca and her husband own Bari Rister Alde in Nauteca in Memphis, Tennessee, which they opened in two thousand and two. The only restaurant in Memphis that has an all Italian wine list, so we love that. And Rebecca is a certified Italian wine professional, and Avini to the International Academy Italian wine Ambassador, of course. So welcome, and thank you so much for giving us your time today. Thank you so much for having me, Cynthia. It's a huge pleasure. Huge pleasure to chat with you. You are quite new to Via compared to some other people who've been in the community for longer, but You've become a huge supporter of everything that we do. When did you first hear about Via and how did you get involved? I've I've always been interested in Vin Italy. I'm unfortunately, have never been yet, but I follow Vin Italy on Instagram, and I think It was probably in two thousand eighteen after an opera. I was watching along on social media, the whole opera wine event. And then that led me to the wine to wine, the business forum. And then some somewhere in there, I, saw a one of your ads for, do you want to be an Italian wine ambassador? And I looked I looked through it. Unfortunately, I wasn't in a position to go to verona to do the course at the time, but I knew it was something that I really, really wanted to do. And so then in, two thousand nineteen, you had one in in New York, and I was able to do it. And It was challenging. It was very thrilling. It was terrifying, but I I loved it, and I've I've I've been hooked ever since. I'm so glad to hear that. I think that's a great description of it. It's challenging and terrifying. But it it's addictive. It makes you fall in love. Meaning to the International Academy course, we all know is is a difficult one. It's pretty grueling. A lot of material to get through, but it is a a real deep dive, and it really does sort of bring out a passion for Italian wine if if it doesn't kill you in the process. But glad to say that it did not kill you. And so last year, you contributed to the new addition of Italian Wine unplugged two point o by rewriting five grapes for the must know section of the book. And aside from the fact that I bullied you into doing this, what motivated you to take part in the revamp of the textbook? Honestly, I mean, that you I couldn't believe that you asked me to do it. So I, again, was terrified and at such a they're asking me to do this very important thing. I instantly said, yes. Yes. Of course. I'd be happy to. And then and then it kinda hit me with the the importance. I was overwhelmed with just how important it was to to do this. I don't know. It just it was it was a great honor, and I'm very happy that I did it. And I'm very happy that to be a part of of this community and to even get to have an opportunity to do to do something like that. I'm really glad to hear that. That warms my heart. Believe me. And I think it's interesting this idea of the Via community and and being an ambassador. Not everybody knows exactly what that means, and I think it means different things to different people. You know, for you, how do you see your role as an Italian wine Ambassador for Via? What are you doing as an ambassador for Italian wine in Memphis? For me here in Memphis, I'm just learning You know, everything that I've I learned from the Italy academy, I bring back and I have shared with my staff and with our customers. So it's I've always loved Italian wine. That love has always been there, but I've just never had this this community to be a part of. And it's definitely empowered me and given me more confidence to put myself out there and talk more openly about Italian wine, but I'm definitely it's increased but, you know, what I buy and what what I'm buying and selling and tell you mine. And I I'm having fun while I'm doing it. It's so interesting what you said about the community, the via community, giving you confidence and and being part of that that's that's really true. I mean, what do you think it is about the VA community that has engaged you to such an extent? What makes it? I'm I feel it special. You clearly feel it special too. What what do you think gives it that specialness, this group of I think now every every person who's ever, you know, taken the course is included in the community and and we're now over eleven hundred people around the world. What makes it so special? I think. Probably that it is just that. That, you know, if if you are interested in any way and you end up signing up for a course wherever it's taught, you already have a passion, you know, for wine, and maybe you don't have the the knowledge of the of Italian wine, but it is something that just it's I think passion is contagious. And I think for me being surrounded by that many people from all over the world that love Italian wine as much as I do is it's just special. It make you know, it it just made me feel really great about it. And I think it's a a a family or a community that I never knew I was missing until until, you know, I attended the classes. That that's a great point. The family, you never knew you were missing. Yeah. So even the, you know, the I was fortunate to, attend the the one in, Verona in twenty twenty one. And that was since it was my second my second course, I was a little less terrified because I knew what I was getting into. There were even some people there that had taken the course in New York. And that's where I'm at you. And I just I don't know. It's just so inviting. Everybody's so happy and excited to be there, and it's just you instantly feel comfortable. So it definitely is. It's a family. It it is. I think it really is for all of us, and it does have that great atmosphere of a bunch of people who are excited and passionate. Who do you think the best candidates are to become via students? 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 foods, and taking in the scenery. Now, back to the show. I think Anybody. I think you definitely need to have some kind of a a general knowledge of wine, but really anybody that is wanting to learn, if you wanna learn about Italian wine, this is is the the best way to do it. There's it is, you know, there's just so much knowledge. So I I just think it's a great course for anybody. That's so true. It it it really is. There's a lot of knowledge to to kind of ingest in the course. But in, you know, talking about the new book, which is our new textbook. So you studied from the old textbook, and now you've helped write the new edition. And you you're a wine buyer too. So in this edition, we put in these benchmark producers. And, you know, we understand that we can't put everyone's favorite producer, and we can't even put, you know, some of the producers who we think are, you know, quote, unquote, the best from Italy because they're not available all over the world. So our idea was to add benchmark producers that our students and and people reading the book around the world would be able to find and know that the wine was good. You know, how did you feel about that idea? And you looked into some benchmark producers for your grapes? How did you feel about that as, as a tool as a student and as a wine buyer. It it is kinda difficult. Like you said, to, you know, who are you gonna put in there? Who who do you are you gonna leave out? But I think as a a tool. I think everybody needs to start somewhere. And I think having those you should, you know, if you are wanting to become an Italian wine ambassador, you should know who the benchmark producers are. And it might be you know, because of the history of the the winery. But I just think you do have to start somewhere. And, no, you can't name everybody, but there there does need to be some some names in there for you for as a starting point. Yeah. I think that's that's a good point. It's it's a good starting point. So, you know, in Memphis, at your restaurant, I know your husband has an Italian family, and you travel a lot to to Italy and to pull you, and you take back what you taste and what you learn and and, you know, the emotions that that whole journey gives you when you get back to Memphis and you're sharing that with your clients in your restaurant. Do you think that, you know, formal wine education like Via is still reaching the right audience? You know, are you seeing the younger people be interested in wine? I'm wondering, you know, in the context of this new book, how can we stay relevant and and get the attention of the new generation and and bring them in and and introduce them to all, you know, how cool Italian wine is. It's not just for old people. I think, yeah, yes. We I'm seeing young people come in and, whether they might be studying for WSTT whatever level, but they if they wanna try Italian wine, they're gonna come they're gonna come to vary. And then they can taste different kinds of styles and varieties that, you know, they that aren't available elsewhere in Memphis. I think what you guys are doing with social media is is extremely relevant and should stay relevant with with younger people. The ins you know, Instagram and TikTok videos get the attention of the younger people, and they definitely want instant information. And and VIA is very good about doing that, having instant information. And even with this book, the new book that comes out, you know, I use it, I can grab it and look up a great bridal if I wanna know a certain characteristic about it. I use it for training or just talking with my servers. If they ask me a question about a wine, I'll pull out the book and, you know, we'll kinda talk through it. So it it's a very valuable book to have around. That's awesome. That was that was our hope for the book that it wouldn't just be for via students, but it would be used in other ways. I've used it as a textbook teaching, foreign students on their semesters abroad. You're using it to train your staff. I think That's that's really important. It is a it is a book that's intended to be used in all different ways, not just not just for one classroom experience. And I'm glad to hear that it's it's, you know, you're seeing young people come and be interested in testing Italian wines, at Barri restaurant in Memphis. I think that's awesome. I I know before I let you go, I've gotta ask one question because I know privately that you're an amazing photographer. So I wanted to ask you where you took your favorite photograph of Italy and what line do you think of when you look at that photo? Oh goodness. That's We know that you come to Italy a lot, so there's gotta be a favorite photo. Honestly, I don't know. The I I do every time I go to Italy and I let's see. To answer the question, I don't know. I think because of our latest trip to Verona last June, when it was so hot, if I there's if I look at an image that I took of verona, I think of Froncha Corta because that's all that we drank when we were there because it was so hot. That's a good choice. I remember it was incredibly sweaty lunch we shared. Yes. So every every meal that we had, I think we had a bottle of French, Chacorta. Yeah. So I don't know. That's a hard question to just pick one. Well, that I think that sums it up in your mind visually. The the hot the hot trip in June in June last year is surrounded with sort of a cloud of French Accord bubbles. I love that. Well, I cannot thank you enough for a helping to rewrite the must know grapes in the book. And b, being such an enthusiastic member of our Via community And most of all, thank you for coming on today. I really appreciate it, and it was great to talk to you as always. It was good to talk to you too, and thank you so much for having me. It was a pleasure. Thank you for listening. And remember to tune in next Wednesday. I'll be chatting with another fascinating guest. Italian wine podcast is among the leading wine podcasts in the world, and the only one with a daily show. Tune in every day and discover all our different shows. You can find us at Italian wine podcast dot com SoundCloud, Spotify, Himalaya, or wherever you get your pods.