Ep. 681 Russ Lorber | Voices

Welcome to the Italian wine podcast. I'm Rebecca Lawrence, and this is voices. In this set of interviews, I will be focusing on issues of inclusion diversity, and allyship through intimate conversations with wine industry professionals from all over the globe. If you enjoy listening, please consider donating to Italian wine podcast dot com. Any amount helps us cover equipment, production and publication costs, and remember to subscribe and rate our show wherever you tune in. This episode is proudly sponsored by Vivino, the world's largest online wine marketplace. The Vivino app makes it easy to choose wine. Enjoy expert team support door to door delivery and honest wine reviews to help you choose the perfect wine for every occasion. Vivino download the on Apple or Android and discover an easier way to choose wine. Welcome to the Italian wine podcast. This is Rebecca Lawrence with the voices series. This week, I'm joined by Ross Loba of wide roots imports. Welcome to the podcast Ross. Hello. Thank you, and thank you for having me on. So I start all of my conversations by asking my guests to introduce themselves to our listeners So could you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you're currently working on? Sure. Well, first of all, I'd just like to say hello to the, the Van Italy International Academy family. Glad to be a part of it, and was so nice to have met so many of you back in, in June. A bit about me, I became an enthusiast of Italian wines. And I would say I'm now trending toward being an evangelist of Italian wines, but I started the journey about nine years ago. I would just go and you know, browse the aisles of a of a store and look for different things that I hadn't tried that were in good price points. And I found all of this amazing value in in Italy, and I launched my company wide routes last year We're an importer and wholesaler here in in Maryland, and also in DC. And we're a we're an importer wholesaler of mainly Italian wines. We have, we represent ten Italian producers and one producer from from Catalonia and Spain. They're all family producers. Most of them produce between fifty and a hundred thousand bottles a year, and we do have a few that are that are bigger than that. But but our sweet spot tends to be that fifty to a hundred thousand bottle per year, family producer type. So I know a little bit about what you have done. So I have to ask, I'm afraid the obvious question, why did you switch from chemical manufacturing to wine? I mean, obviously, I know that wine's more fun, but presumably You you did have. Well, I was going to say who well, who wouldn't switch from chemical manufacturing to wine? No. Seriously, the, the change wasn't really sudden, in a sense. So I I really been, for years, have been thinking about this way to maybe simplify or make more approachable the old world and Italian wines for consumers. So here in the US, we're we're taught to think about wine by the grape. Thanks to probably fifty years of Napa Valley Marketing. Whereas in in in Europe, you you you tend to think about wine by location and authenticity of of location. And so I I I was really stewing on this idea for a number of years about how I could do this and and maybe make a business out of it. My my personal tipping point came about two years ago. I was going through a a lot of change, professionally, and also personally But I I'd reached a point in my life where I I I couldn't stop working. I still have to work, but maybe I don't have to make as much money as I was making before. I had I twenty five years in in corporate America in the chemicals business as you point out. And and I was fortunate to have had a very successful career that allowed me to build a lot of skills that believe it or not I'm using in this business today. And it allowed me to it put me in a position where I could launch this business. But it I it wormed me down after twenty five years. I I was I was really worn out by all of it. And then, my this you know, again, two years ago, my my former company offered me a buyout at that point. And over the course of a week, I had a weekend that went something like this. I started Friday night at the corner bar here in my neighborhood. Doing shots of chartreuse. And I think at one point, I said, I'm gonna be a wine importer, and and I woke up Saturday morning, and and I started researching this idea. Like, what would stop me from importing wine and bringing it into the US and and selling it? So I started doing research and and pulling information together. I I I talked about the idea with a friend in the industry that I trust a great deal. And over the course of that weekend, I put the the the skeleton of a business plan and a financial projection together, and saw a point where the numbers for it made sense. And I went to work on Monday morning, and I called my manager and told him that I intended to resign and and take that buyout. And it really it happened just like that. That's I like how it's, like, from drinking chartreuse to new business plan in, like, forty eight hours. Yeah. The moral of the story is be careful when you drink chartreuse. You might just have a very successful business in your future. Or you may not know what you get yourself into. True. So many people when they make the switch to wine, for example, like myself, I went into events, education, some go into retail, why risk the move into import, which is course, and distribution, which is, of course, notoriously difficult in the US system. Wait. You mean it's risky? Afraid so. I have a whole warehouse full of wine. I should I should have bought the Ferrari. What have I done? The the white tastes better. It's it's funny that you you mentioned education because in a sense launching this business, I I part of our mission is about education and and inclusive approachable education. But I I wanted to wrap that in in a product offering. And and and what I was really, passionate about getting and as I said, I was going through a lot of change. I was really assessing what it was, how did I wanna spend my time? And and it wasn't doing what I was doing before. But but I had the opportunity to do some wine tourism and and visit producers in Europe, including Italy, every time I had the opportunity to do that, it felt like I not only was I visiting a winery and tasting wines, but I was invited into someone's home. It was a family gathering that I was invited into. That that feeling really stuck with me. And I think that was part of what I wanted to bring back, but it was also part of how I wanted to spend my time. And I wanted that opportunity to travel and build those relationships and turn it into a business. And and naturally that led to the decision to import, along with some of my background in in chemicals, I have a lot of supply chain. I'm a little bit different than the typical person that that comes into this business. And if you talk to my freight forwarders, they'll probably tell you that I ask different questions than a lot of people tend to ask. But at this time, in particular, with with ocean freight traffic being what it is, it it really comes in handy. But but anyway, I think that decision really came natural. It it was part of this this transition I was making two years ago. And and I don't know if you ever saw a movie called The Way. It's about walking the camino de Santiago. There but there's a line in in in that movie. It's it's it's I I've watched it repeatedly, and it's one of the few movies that I watch repeatedly. But there there's a line from that movie, and it gives me chills every time I hear, and the line goes something like this. You don't choose a life. You live one. And and and I was had reached that point where I felt like I was making a choice for how to live my life differently. And and so I think that's how how this all wrapped up into into starting this wine importing business. I remember talking to an an ex boss of mine when I first started with his company, he was in retail, about how he had come to start it, because he did the same thing. He worked in another industry for a long time. And I said, oh, you're not worried about the risk. And he was like, oh, look around. And I'm standing in a shop with, you know, hundreds of lines of wines, thousands of bottles. And I was like, yeah. He was like, Well, you know, if it all goes to pot, then I can drink myself happy and just go back to what I was doing, but and I just thought that was a really nice way of looking at it, like, really positively. Like, I have to try. I want I want a new life myself and And now I'm surrounded by wonderful wine. So that's kind of a win win. Right. There's definitely a downside downside mitigation plan of having all this wine on hand. And and and I I think the other, you know, the other way you could look at it too is there's a risk of of staying put and who knows the toll that that that takes on us as well. But I I'll I'll be honest with you. I have not looked back since I made this decision. And we have a lot of work to do, but but we're gonna get there. So I have to ask why the name wide routes? Well, it it goes back to my experience with travel and and also visiting family winemakers. I'm I'm actually a big proponent of travel and and getting out and seeing the world. I I I think the more that we we do this, we realize that as as people, we have these really interesting cultural differences among us. But at the center of all of that, there's this commonality where we all like to celebrate. We all value spending time with our families and with our friends. And for probably most of the people in the world, that's what's most important. And when when you visit a a family winemaker, you visit the great wine regions of the world. This that's no matter where you are, that's what this is about. And in that case, you've got wine as a facilitator for that for that celebration. And so the wide roots is a bit of a metaphor. So there's a shared humanity that we all have in this celebration. And the metaphor is the flower would be, you know, us us as individuals, but we have these roots that spread all over the world into different places. And the the the commonality of of going to those different places is just that value of celebration, family, friends. That's what I that's the message of wine that that I'm bringing. Not that it's something mysterious or unapproachable or exclusive, but this should be at the center of what we're all about as as human beings. I love that you bring up this idea of approachability because this really seems from what I've seen to be truly the heart of what you're trying to do. And I read that one of the foundations of what you wanted to do was make old world wines and regions seem more approachable. So why did why did you start to focus perhaps on Italy and Spain initially and not somewhere like the obvious, you know, I say the obvious but France, which has, you know, many people quaking in their boots when they look at Appalachian Systems. Yeah. You know, it's, I I I think it, a lot of it goes back. I mean, just at a basic level, a lot of it goes back to reframing the way we think about about wine. So again, here in the US, you you you're taught to think of it by the grape. And in Europe, it's more about location. I think it's I I I think when when you help people break down what they see on a label, and how to recognize good value and and you get people excited about different things. I I I really saw a lot of of of benefit there. As far as Italy and Spain specifically, I think there's still a lot of good value to be to be found in those countries. So most of what you would see in in my book today, if if you see it, if if you see it on a in a store in the US, you would it would retail between fifteen or twenty dollars around that price point. What I what I really wanna show people is, you you know, you can you can have good wine drinking experience at that price point with with those bottles and it's it's about maybe overcoming that barrier to what makes you select that bottle. And and and I thought that opportunity really existed more in in Italy and Spain. France is maybe a little bit more, I I think plowed ground, if you will. And then even beyond Italy and Spain, their places like Portugal or Greece and crete, and they they have some really good wines coming from there that, you know, those are the those are definitely opportunities as well. But I I think with Italy and Spain, there are two countries that I've been to and traveled to, that I that I I love the wines, and I love going there. And so I think they they really were were going to be in my sweet spot. And I I have to tell you. I'm I I do have one producer from Spain in the book today. I am at this point, I've got my hands full with Italy. So we're we're you know, we're really that that's really where I'm focused at the moment. I I see a time in the future when we bring in more producers from Spain and even other parts of the world, but there is just so much to wrap your head around with with Italy and so many amazing things that even every week I learn about something new, and and it's just there's there's so much ground to plow there. Yeah. There's there's so much that it's a leak and offer. Like you say at that that sweet spot of price point and also across all sorts of styles for all sorts of tastes, it, for me, really offers exactly that. Like, pretty much any style that your consumer will like plus absolutely the perfect price point for, you know, something that feels like a luxury product but isn't gonna, you know, kind of do your wallet and true home. Yeah. That's it's it's great. There's there's really there's so much diversity. There's really something for for everyone. And, you know, I see this when I do consumer tastings, and somebody's eyes just, wow, that's really different. And interest thing, and I didn't know wine could taste like this, and I really like it. So different and interesting is a great segue into my next observation because I actually first heard about you without realizing it was you before we met in verona. Thanks to, an advert, like, a slot on the wine and hip hop podcast, and you're also involved with their new project, tasting notes from the streets, which I it seems like quite an unusual choice for a small importer to go in in what is quite a pioneering direction. Why did you know this would work for you? Well, I'm glad you saw the ad because that means that it's working. But as anything, you know, when you start a small business, you you you really don't know what's going to work and and and what won't work. And, I being quite honest, I I I probably did this a little bit earlier than than I should have. But I'm I'm I'm approaching this business a little bit differently than than other people or I'm trying to approach it differently than other people are approaching it. And You know, we we try to work a lot on direct consumer engagement, which gives us some it it gives us the ability to build our brands, and it it I talk about it with our retailers being a value add for them as well. But but I came across Germaine's work. Germaine Stone's work last year. I I thought he was really he was really innovative. Part of the the essence of of the wide roots mission is to be, you know, to to bring an approachable and inclusive educational atmosphere. And and the essence of of my marketing goal is to just expand this universe of people who want to try Italian wines and then end up drinking them. I I think that's an approach that worked very well here in the US and craft beer for ten or fifteen years where you saw craft brewers essentially framing their competition as other categories instead of one another. And and I I wanted to bring a little bit of that to wine and try to grow this audience. What I liked about what Jermaine was doing, what was so innovative was that he was making wine more approachable and inclusive to black audiences. And and I thought that was just an amazing fit with the the mission that we have here, which is just to grow this universe of people that we have that are interested in trying our products, and what better way to do that than to to advertise through a channel that's reaching an underserved market. So I'm I'm, you know, Germaine's great. I'm, I have been happy to work with him, and and I look forward to seeing the episode of tasting notes when it comes out. I have to admit. I've I've seen some snapshots, and I'm very excited for the episode. So I'm looking forward to to seeing the full thing. That's great to hear. I I it was a it was a fun episode to shoot. Stacy and I drove up to Brooklyn, and it's, you know, you talk about approachability and and one of the one of the things about making line approachable is just having the ability to show how it can be served with foods that people eat every day or or would eat, say, you know, say normally. And I think that's hopefully, that's part of the essence of what comes out. But we really Stacey and I had a great time doing the episode with Jermaine and his team. I think it's really working for that approachability. And people worry that going back to this kind of how old world wines are presented that they have to be with the right food and the right experience and things like tasting notes from the streets and and the work that you're also doing on Instagram. You do a lot of lives and and a lot of great posts. It's demonstrating that actually these wines can be be drunk in so many different ways and so many different occasions with different foods, with no foods, And I think you're really kind of breaking down those expectations that people have about how these wines have to be enjoyed. Thank you. I I appreciate that feedback because it means that what we're what we're doing is is is working, and we just need to keep doing it and and keep getting that message out. And your point about working with direct to consumers is also really interesting because it's not an approach that many importers, distributors take. But it gives your feed certainly on your social such a personal feeling because you will often talk about not just a new wine partnership that you've you've found and you and you wine you've added to a portfolio, but where you can then go and try that in the local area. And you'll say, you know, it's on this list here. Go go try it. Tell them I sent you. And it just adds that extra bit of personability to something that seems to many people is like, oh, importers dispute is they they don't care who's drinking their wine. They just wanna sell it. And and you've done the complete opposite. Yeah. It can be, you know, it it can be sort of you don't wanna be this big faceless machine. I mean, look, I did that for twenty five years. And and and and and Rebecca, honestly, at the very beginning of this thing, I I'm I'm not the kind of person that really likes to put myself out there like that. You know, I I I'm a little bit uncomfortable with you know, be I I I don't want wide roots to be my personal cult of personality, but I but I did I I, you know, got feedback from people as I as I built up our social program that it it is my responsibility to be to be the face of this brand. And and I've I've learned to kind of break through that, that that discomfort and and put myself out there a little bit more. And and I'm I've I found that it really resonates with people to the point where I'm going, you know, this is this is working. I think this is what people I I think people value this and they value knowing who's on the other side of of of their products. And I I want that to go beyond me personally. I want it to also go to our winemakers. I want people to know our winemakers and and what because they're great people. And that's the essence of of what we have. So speaking of the winemakers you do have in your portfolio, I imagine that feels like quite a huge responsibility to select the wines. What's your process like when you're choosing someone new to come on board? It it is a big responsibility. And and and in in our selection, we don't just choose wines to represent, but we also choose families to represent. In in Stacey, I mentioned Stacey a a few times. Stacy Daniels, I wanna congratulate her on achieving her, wine ambassadors certification yesterday. I'm so proud of her, and I think together, she and I have made a great team. But we are we consider ourselves the faces of the winemakers here on the ground in Maryland and DC, and and Stacy has met our winemakers virtually through through Zoom. We're going to make the opportunity for her to travel to Italy and and and make that in person connection, but we we we wear their faces on the ground. And and it's it it it it's gotten to a point where sometimes we have to say no. And and it's important that we do But we we have to say no because we don't want to dilute our focus or maybe something just isn't the fit with the portfolio that that we have. But but the selection process that we undergo is to learn a bit about the winemaker and and the family and their history and and we will evaluate samples from there and look at the the the samples versus the price point where where we think we could sell it and and decide whether we think we have something that fits. In in the very beginning, I I was looking for wines, and we were looking for wines that were that were underrepresented here in the US on our shelves that are that are good prices. And so I I was looking for things that were different and maybe complimentary because I wanted to get shelf space But and now we're kinda getting to a point where we're filling specific holes. We've had a few cases where we've brought some things in, and we had a few producers inquire at once. And we actually blind tasted and made selections that way. But in in in general, that's our that's our selection process. And we've we've gotten to a point where, we we have to be more selective now than we were than we were in the beginning, but we also we wanna make sure that we're not we're we're not oversubscribing ourselves at the same time because we wanna make sure we do a good job of representing those families here. On on the note of doing a good job, is it true that in order to connect more directly with producers on on your recent trip, you actually took Italian classes? In in a sense, but maybe not in the way you might be thinking. I probably should have been taking actual formal training, but I I was studying daily using language apps. I wondered if you don't, you know, like, wine for Dummies, the Italian version, or something. Right. Exactly. Right. Well, yeah. And then, I mean, obviously, you know, with the with the Vin Italy International program, the process that I went through for Ambassador Certification was priceless. And and having that having those sessions do or doing that study and then coming to verona and doing the sessions in verona, it was just it it it was priceless because I could talk with winemakers about soil and trellising systems. And I I I could just relate I I could relate to them in a much different way about what they were doing as as a result of of what I had done. I I I had so much better appreciation for the terroir effects of the Valtelina region, for example. So when I went to visit our producer in Valtelina, I could really relate that to them. But but definitely Italian language is something that I need to improve. I I did have some moments where I could say something in Italian that was meaningful and you could see that res you could see the resonation with with, with the with the wine producer, that they appreciated the fact that I was trying even though I probably sounded like a two year old Italian child and how I was communicating with them. I'm still certain. I sound like that after two years. As long as as as long as they can understand you, I'll I'll take that because it probably brings entertainment value as well for them at least. That's that's definitely true. I I did a trip with a a friend of mine who's currently studying for his MW, and anyone who travels with true wine geeks knows the kind of, like, crazy details that people wanna know, and we were hearing Balpolicella talking to a friend of mine who's a wine maker, and he speaks Italian and my friend Scott only speaks English, so he was asking me to do translations. And I'm like, I I don't know what bentonite is in Italian. I'm gonna guess it's bent on Nina, but he's asking me obviously. And I was like, I really need to go away and like seriously brush up on technical Italian wine terms if this is gonna continue. Well, that's one of the good things about wine in in in wine language is in in in a lot of cases, it can be it can be fairly close. And even if it's not right, they they will they may understand you. So and I find on on the receiving end of it, if if the person speaks slowly, I can comprehend maybe fifty to seventy five percent of of what they're telling me. So, versus everyday living, I I, you know, I have much more problems. But when it comes to wine, I can understand that. Plus, once you've had a glass of wine, it just all gets easier. Exactly. It all makes so much more sense. So you are just back from your trip. You were here in Verona for Via and successfully achieved your pin as Stacy did, gosh, last night, after this one from our record time. So you guys have two Via ambassadors. In one company. That's pretty impressive. But I wanted to ask you about your trip in particular rather than asking about Via. And if you had any highlights, because I know you went and saw a lot while you could cram the time in here, and We've already spoken a little bit about Veltelina, but what else really piqued your interest while you were here? Oh, we we did see so there was so much that we did see. And we we were in, we saw mountains the the dolanites in Trentino. We saw the mountains of Valtellina. We saw the beaches of Sardinia, and and and the rolling hills of Marque. And and there was it was just there were so many amazing experiences that we had. But but I'll give you a couple highlights from from all of that. One was our visit to the Colonial region in in Marque. And I we visited our producer there, Katia Spinzanti, who's making really amazing Coneral wines in addition to a a spumante pecorino that nobody's asking for, but but people are buying. It's just it's awesome. But Katia is not many people know this, but Katia is a bit of a Jedi master. So and and and I I say that because she just gets people to do her bidding. So she's not far from from the Portonova beach in in Marque, right under Monte Conroe. And and somehow she got us a dinner reservation at the Clandestino sushi bar right there on the beach, which apparently you can't get a reservation there until after September. And then they choose the date for you. But somehow, we we had a reservation on the night I was there. And so she talked somebody into setting up a table for us there. And then in addition to that, she has her ex husband working in the cellar. She has her current husband working the vines. And she somehow got me to drive us all the dinner that night. So she just gets people to do her bidding. But the the other moment I'll point out is it was in the Valtellina. So our producer there, Pietro Neda, they're a third generation family producer. Pietro, papa Pietro was affectionately known by the family, with second generation. And, unfortunately, he he passed away last year. And the family's very affectionate toward toward papa Pietro. And they were really affected by this. I I I didn't have the opportunity to meet him, but I had seen pictures. And and when we arrived, at the at the Cantina, his son simone greeted us, And and when I saw Simone, I I saw the resemblance to his father, and it it really moved me. And somehow, I gathered up enough Italian that I could tell him that he looked like his father. And over the course of of the day and a half that we were there, I I I felt like Simone and I just built this relationship almost feeling like we were brothers at that point. And it's you talk about things transcending language barriers. I mean, it was just a a special moment. But I I do wanna squeeze in one third, highlight. And and I you may be aware of this, but I was traveling with a documentary filmmaker. Her name's Chrisa Georgie. And she made a documentary last year about the wines of Creek that's doing really well. And and she traveled with me. She was actually at the the pinning ceremony, in in Verona. And and, we we we interviewed Stevie Kim. After the pinning ceremony. And during the interview with Stevie Stevie said something, Chrisa asked her the question. I I I don't wanna give away too much because there's so many great moments that she captured, but this I think this will tell you the essence of of the project that we're working on. Chrisa asked the question to Stevie. What is Italian wine to you? And Stevie's answer was Italian wine is about Italian wine people. And my heart stopped when I heard that answer. For some reason, it was, like, the way she delivered it and and just so matter of factly and and just thinking about the big picture of of what we're doing. It just it it just made my heart stop when when she said that. So, we we captured a lot of great moments, I think, from the trip, and I would say those are those are a few that really stood out to me. That's such a beautiful way of of summing up Italian wine, and and a lot of the things we've been talking about this idea of wine being so much more than the product, you know, it's family and its experiences, and it's how you connect with people and its storytelling. And I feel like that's for me exactly what I see you doing with your presenting of your portfolio. It's not just this these are the wines we've got. Like you said, these are the wine families that we represent that we wanna bring into your lives. So I think that's the perfect point to to wrap up the interview. Alright. I yes. I think that's, I I'm I'm glad to hear that our our message is coming through the way it's intended. And, you know, we certainly want to keep that going, and and also there are a lot of great wines out there looking for homes. And and we're hoping to find some of those. So I'll I'll finish up by asking you what's next? Where where are you headed with wide roots on your Italian wine journey? Well, we we still have a lot of hard work ahead of us. As as you said, this is a a it's a difficult business. It's very competitive. But I have to tell you, I like I like where we're going. We're not where we want to be yet. We we've we're on track with our business plan. So ramping up to the point where we we have enough case turnover that we're operating profitably. But also building up our out of state presence. And and thanks to thanks to some of the work that we've done and also even through connections we've made through Ven Italy International. I'm starting to get some interest from from other states and in our brands. And I'm a big believer in our use of social media and how we're promoting our wines and our families that helps us build this national presence as as a value add to our to our business partners. So over the next eighteen months, I'm really hoping that we've accomplished all of that and have a presence, in in maybe five states by the end of next year. And then I I'd say the other thing is that there's as I mentioned earlier, I just feel like every week we learn about something new. There's some new varietal that deserves attention, and and so many interesting things out there. Hopefully we get to a point where, we we can expand our offering and have more of the the really interesting things that are out there that we can bring to people. Sounds like you've got some really exciting times ahead of you. I'm I'm super curious to see where this takes you and excited to see where where you'll be. Maybe when we'll we talk again. As long as I'm not drunk in a gutter with rain pouring over me and penniless in eighteen months, I think I think we'll probably be okay. It it seems unlikely. Thank you. I appreciate it. Thank you so much for joining me on the Italian wine podcast today. Where can our listeners find you online and on social media? The the c mentioned instagram that's that's really where we we do most of our work, and and our handle on Instagram is wide underscore roots, LLC. Facebook or on Facebook at at username as wide roots, all one word. I also have a LinkedIn page. Wide roots has a LinkedIn page, and then our website is wide roots LLC dot com. We we do have an email list there as well that you can subscribe to. And I I promise that I won't spam you. So, But if you, subscribe to our email list, you'll also see some of the things that we're doing there as well. Guys, go and check out what wide routes are doing. Super exciting. Their social media is great. You also have a really good blog with some great tips on. So shout out to that. Thank you to everyone for listening. Don't forget to follow us on social media, subscribe, and donate on the website to make sure we can keep these great conversations flowing. Russ, Robert, thank you so much for joining me today. Thank you, Rebecca. It's been a great time, and I appreciate the opportunity. Listen to the Italian wine podcast wherever you get your podcasts. We're on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Email ISM, and more. Don't forget to scribe and rate the show. If you enjoy listening, please consider donating through Italian wine podcast dot com. Any amount helps cover equipment, production, and publication costs. Until next time. Hi guys. I'm Joy Livingston, and I am the producer of the Italian wine podcast. Thank you for listening. We are the only wine podcast that has been doing a daily show since the pandemic began. This is a lay of love and we are committed to bringing you free content every day. Of course, this takes time and effort not to mention the cost of equipment, production, and editing. We would be grateful for your donations, suggestions, quests and ideas. For more information on how to get in touch, go to Italian wine podcast dot com. Now back to the show.