Ep. 1586 Gianluca Calì | Voices With Cynthia Chaplin

Since two thousand and seventeen, the Italian wine podcast has exploded. Recently hitting six million listens support us by buying a copy of Italian wine unplugged two point o or making a small donation. In return, we'll give you the chance to nominate a guest and even win lunch with Steve Kim and Professor Atilio Shenza. Find out more at Italian One podcast dot com. Welcome to the Italian wine podcast. I'm Cynthia Chaplin, and this is voices. Every Wednesday, I will be sharing conversations with international wine industry professionals discussing issues in diversity, equity, and inclusion through their personal experiences, working in the field of wine. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and rate our show wherever you get your pods. Hello, and welcome to voices. This is Cynthia Chaplin. And today, I'm very happy to welcome John Lucacalli from Alcantara winery in Sicily to the show. Alcantara covered themselves in glory at the five star wine selection this year. They won not only the best Rose, but also winery of the year for two thousand and twenty three. So many, many congratulations, and welcome to the show, Janluca. Thank you so much, Chizia. Nice to meet you. It's great to have you here. I was in the room when you were awarded your trophies and your capital of the winery presented our audience with beautiful poetic, really emotional response to winning winery of the year. So It was lovely to have you all here. And I know you're the sales manager for Alcantara, and you must be really excited about these very prestigious awards. So since, the five star selection, which was in April, Have you seen an uptick in interest or sales when your winery wins an award? Does it show up in the sales department? Yes. After I've been Italy, we are very proud. We are very happy of this this receive, these, awards in particular with the rosette. And for our sales, we, growth, growth our sales, in, particular, in abroad, and also also in Italy. But in abroad, in particular, in USA, because he is, the first market, for us, also in Sicily. Because we have different customers that request our wines in particular, rosette. They are very curious of this product, in particular for this season, summer and also in spring. This is the best season for this spring. Let's talk about this Rosay, the best Rosay of two thousand and twenty three. Many of my listeners know that I have a particular interest in Italian Rosay. And in fact, I'm writing a book about them. The award winning wine is called Mordidi Fimina, and it's made with one hundred percent native Norello Maschalese grapes, And I had the pleasure of tasting this wine. It's a lovely rich color, really delicious, lovely say line, macia aspect to it. But tell me about the name. What does the name mean? I'm sure I produced pronounced it wrong because it's sicilian dialect. And where did the name come from, and how is the wine being made? Yes. The name is, Amuri Dimaci. The meaning is, love for for women, love for mother. And and the love for nature in, in total. There is a connection with the arts poems and wine. And for this motive, we, we use this name also. And, this etna, Edna Rosette, you see one hundred percent of Andrea. This wine spent, six months, on the steel and, six eight months, on on the on the bottle for, for aging. In particular, we, before the harvest, we select the grapes only for produce this, wine, this wine, and, pick up, in different areas, and choose, this great, only for produce, for produce this product. There is a short, moderation on the skin, for four, five hours. Very short maturation. In fact, the color is, the color is the skin of onion. When, when you smell, this, wine, you can smell a yellow fruit. It's a different different, yellow fruits, like, beach, apricot, papaya, banana, and so. And then your in your mom's is, is a rich of diamonds because, the grapes is a red and and the beautification in rosette. The star is a is a reaching structure. In my in the same time, there's a freshness, elegant, and the good, and the good is, savory in your mom's. I can attest to all of those things. That was a great description of the wine. It's it's such an interesting one. And again, to know that it's a hundred percent Nerello Maskaleesi, which is the key red grape on Aetna. I think it says a lot about how Alcantara is investing in native grapes and investing in the in the region and and particularly in the Aetna DOC. So I wanna talk a little bit about the winery itself while I have you with me. I know Alcantara takes its name from a river on the slopes of Mount Aetna, and you've got about twenty hectares of vineyard there. So tell us a little bit about where you're located specifically and and the territory there. Yes. So we are located in north of Aetna at about six hundred and fifty meters on the sea level. And, in total, we have, twenty hectares, but, we have, fifteen hectares of beanyards, three hectares of olive oil because we produce also olive oil, martial art, the Latna, variety. And the two actors of, forest. And in this in this moment, we're bottling one hundred thousand, bottles every year, sir. We are near, Alcantra River. In fact, we call Alcantara for two motives for two motives. The first motive because it's the river Alcantara. And, the second motive, but because Alcantara in Arabic means, the bridge. Is the article and Cantara Bridge in Arabic. This bridge for us is the union of arts arts poems, wine. For this motive, our labels are c c e an artistic labels. There is this link. Between, our products? The labels are absolutely stunning, all with original artwork. And I know that art plays a huge role in your cantina. You know, the labels are so spectacular. You've won awards for your packaging. And I love this company philosophy of being a bridge between the wine, the art, the poetry from the region. How do you choose the, you know, the the poems and and the names that you use for the wine. Who's in charge of choosing that? The own error, decide the the names of, our products, our labels, because, he has, a very passion, not only for wine, but also for poems, and, arts, in general. We realize also, you know, museum in our winery, with, four hundred art works. It's possible. So visit this Eno Museum, unique, on Aetna, in our one area. It's a there is a and, mister Jofrida, decide, the names of, all labels. Wine to wine business forum. Everything you need to get ahead in the world of wine, supersize your business network. Share business ideas with the biggest voices in the industry. Join us in Verona on November thirteen to fourteen twenty twenty three. Tickets available now at point blind dot net. Well, it's it's really special. I think if anyone who's listening has not seen them, going on to your website is a must because the artwork is modern. It's very vibrant. It's very unique. All original. And I know as you mentioned, the museum that you've developed at the winery, you have artists working there, doing exhibitions there, and it's lovely to see this strong connection, between the wine and the culture of of Sicily. I wanna ask you a little bit more about the winery. I know it it only began in two thousand and five, and you've had enormous amounts of success, not only at five star wines, but also gold and silver medals from Decanter, and other awards as well. How do you think the Cantina became wiry of the year of twenty twenty three after only eighteen years? What makes Alcantara so special? And I I can, say the thanks, also, our, our winemaker is, Sabato Erizuto. He studied, he studies in, in Alba, have, has experience saying, for, few years, and they come back, in in Sicily, in special, in, in onetna because he come from a near Agrigent or Shaka, and, lives onetna in these last ten years. We, and then him, work with the, for verification with the nitrogen, is a natural gas, and, in particular, use, a press of the last generation and introduce a nitrogen for, for, low, for, work with the low suit fits, in for our, white wines and the rosette. And also for avoid the oxidation for our wines. We, we, we, when we work in organic, in, for during the humidifications, but also in, in our vineyards, because we, use, a small bin during the year bin, like, Favino, for, Sobeysho because we prepare our vineyards for, organic, for organic wines for the future. We have need of waiting about five years. We are in the first years for, for organic wines for the futures. I don't think people realize how long it takes to be come a certified organic vineyard. You said you're you're planting beans and fava beans and using nitrogen and low sulfites. How long does it actually take to become certified organic? Yeah. You have need of waiting, about five years for, request. That's a very long time to do very hard work before you get any recognition Yes. For request, for request certification. Yes. You have any double waiting. Yeah. Well, it's it's great because I know so many wineries are are heading that way particularly in Sicily. I know the sustain program is going on there as well. So I think the future of of wine is definitely, you know, in the sustainable and organic way. When we look at young consumers, they're very interested in where their food and wine comes from and how it is grown and how it is made. So I I think that move towards organic is incredibly important. Yes. Sure. Well, let me ask you before I let you go. What are the upcoming plans for for the winery. Have you got new wines in mind? What's Salvatory doing? In this last here, so we, produce also sparkling wine, spumante, classic method, of, from Nerelomascalese. Fantastic. Now explain the motive because we, with the Nerelomascalese, is our power, produce a different variations of Nerelomascalese, not only not only red wine. I also produce a white wine rosette sparkling wine, graca, passito, with, all linerlloma scalessa. That's amazing. It's a very Yeah. It's a flexible grape, and I didn't realize you were doing so much work. Yes. You like to be noir. So you're making a grata and a sparkling, and you're making a still white, so a blunt noir, a still white from a red grape? Yes. That's amazing. Let me just ask you what what sort of, characteristics does it have? How long have you been making it? Is a new for Aetna because it's not common. All if you wanna reproduce, I've never seen one. That's why I'm so curious. I've never seen one. It's a very elegant wines, because it's the rich in tannins, but, is diff is different from, Karigane. Because Karigane, there is a rich, is a rich, is a rich in, savory, savory wine, elegant, freshness, And, also, when you taste, you can send also the timings of these, grapes, and reloma scalessa. I think we're gonna have to get you to send that wine for five star next year. Okay. Yes. Sure. Also because because of this wine, I also received also, ninety points, in this last, five star wines. Absolutely. That's fantastic. So I know too. Anauturna. It's the name. Anauturna. Anauturna. Okay. I'm gonna be on the lookout for that. I have to give it a try. I have never tasted a a Norello vinnefied as a Bianco. So That's exciting for me. I love finding new wine, so thank you for that. I just wanna thank you for coming on today. I know it's busy time, it's July, busy time in Sicily and in the vineyard, and for you with your sales. So thank you so much for giving us your time today. I really appreciate it. You're welcome. It's a pleasure for me to be here with, with you in this interview. And, I hope that, people, her, us, can come in our winery, for visit, for, because we organize also when testing, it's possible visit to the seller. We have also three, older towers in La Bastone, also Museum, and, it's possible, make a nice, a great description in our wedding in Randazzo, me, near Catania. We are in Randazzo. Everyone will hear that, and I have to tell you, I I mentioned beforehand that, Aetna is is one of my particular areas of interest. It's very near and dear to my heart. So the next time I come down there, I'm coming straight to see you. I wait to you. Okay. See you next time. Bye bye. Thank you for listening. And remember to tune in next Wednesday when I'll be chatting with another fascinating guest. Italian wine podcast is among the leading wine podcast in the world, and the only one with a daily show. Tune in every day and discover all our different shows. 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