Ep. 918 Spreti Valente | Voices With Cynthia Chaplin

Welcome to the Italian wine podcast. This episode is brought to you by Vinitally International Academy, announcing the twenty fourth of our Italian wine Ambassador courses to be held in London, Austria, and Hong Kong, from the twenty seventh to the twenty ninth of July. Are you up for the challenge of this demanding force? Do you wanna be the next Italian wine Ambassador? Learn more and apply now at vunitly International 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. I'm Cynthia Chaplin, and today it is my huge pleasure to welcome Spretti Balente to voices. She's a certified sommelier and a wine buyer consultant with many years in the wine sector, but more importantly, she was acquainted the first female chair of the Los Angeles wine spirits competition. So let me say congratulations and thank you so much for coming on the show today. Well, thank you and thank you so much for having me. It's really a pleasure to be here with you guys. Well, we're honored. You you are the first woman and the first Latino to lead the LA International wine experience competition, which is the oldest wine competition in the USA. And considering this is the eighty seventh addition, I think it's been a darn long time coming seeing a woman and a Latino in this top spot. Why do you think it took so long for this to finally happen? You know, it's it's an interesting concept because the The people that have been behind the competition for many, many years, the last twenty three have actually has been women. But the people that have been the chairman have been men, but the gentleman which I replaced was actually the gentleman that gave me my first entrance into the wine world. Oh, wow. So so I really Right. So there's been a lot of support for women at this particular competition, but, I have been chiefing at a different competition now for four, four, five years. Yeah. That was Pacific Grim, wasn't it? Pacific Grim. Right. I was appointed their chief judge back in twenty seventeen. And, actually, he was appointed by a group of men. So There there there is a lot to be said for what's been going on behind the scenes, but officially, you're right. This is the first time that a woman in a Latina has been appointed to this competition, and we are so excited at the competition. I am so excited. You're in California. I would have thought this would have happened a long time ago. I mean, we're we're very behind the times here in Italy. Women don't get appointed to chair anything. I can promise you. Well, let me tell you. It it it takes it takes some visionary people. And it takes, you know, it takes a lot of love to just keep doing, the right thing. So to to to make sure that you know what it is that this competition is doing, it just keep plugging away. You know? Well, you must really have a lot of love for it because I know it it was in March. And, you know, you were in charge of selecting all the judges and consulting all the public tastings and the winner and executing the wine education classes at the County Fair. I mean, this is a lot stuff to take on board even though you've only just had the role for a couple of months. Given your past experience, I'm sure you can handle it, but, they didn't give you a lot of time to to sort of get get going with it. How were you how were you doing? How were your strategies? How did it go? Well, you know, you're right. It's a lot of work, but I wasn't alone. There is a great team at Fairfax, which is behind the, LA competition. And we have a great marketing team. We have our director Leah Duran, who is incredibly talented and a hard worker. And between all of us, we were able to pull it off. You're right. There is a lot of, selecting to be done. I personally like to vet my judges. Because it's not just about finding great talent throughout the US and the world because we bring in judges from other countries as well. But there's also, knowing about your, Joe's personality so that when you're creating these panels, you are truly meshing their personalities as well as their talents all towards selecting and awarding medals to the wineries that truly deserve it. So there is a lot of work, but you know what you're right. The, the experience that I have from Pacific Graham helped me a lot to get this much bigger competition off the ground along with the team that's behind it. So it's not just me. Yeah. It's it's so interesting the world of of wine judging. I judged myself and It's it's a very interesting time for for judges and selecting judges and knowing how to put these sorts of competitions together. You you yourself have been a professional line judge for many years in the US and in Europe. I know you actually judge for feminist, which I also do too. I love that competition. It is one of my favorite, and and I really miss it. I can't get wait to get back to it. For for our listeners who don't know, it's a it's in Paris. And it is a competition that is judged entirely by women. So it's a very great atmosphere. I'm I'm just wondering sort of in light of of all the changes, COVID, various different things are are look at diversity and equity and inclusion these days. Have you started to see the role of wine competitions change, in recent times? You know, at least particularly here in California, I've noticed that there is a lot more popping up, but no. I haven't really seen anyone really truly lean into what it is that we can do for the wineries at a time as unprecedented as COVID. And, I think that competitions today are much more relevant and much more useful to wineries if they enter the appropriate ones. For example, in LA with the LA International competition, we not, I call it. We give a lot of the wineries a lot of bank for their buck. We not only owe award medals, but now that the, mask mandates have been eased up on, we are returning to the fair, which is, tended by over a million people every year. During non COVID years. And with that, we, are able to host wine classes using the wines that have been awarded medals. Beyond that, we also have a public tasting event of the winning Wines, and it's called Cheers, and that one takes place in June eighteenth this year. And that's an event where the winery small or large can showcase their wines to, people who have all walked. So all this for a mere ninety five dollars when they enter. And so that's a lot of marketing power to give to the winning winery. So to me, this this is very important. Especially for the small producers who may be struggling financially and to give them something another way in which they can tell the world they have these wines because all of our panels are made up by people with extremely professional backgrounds, and all of them are very much at the top of their game. So as people look at competitions, they need to look at what these competitions offer. Not Justin, what am I gonna do with a gold medal once I win it? But a competition that is going to assist them in furthering their marketing plans. And who are their judges to? But such a good point because it's not just about a sticker on your bottle anymore. It was for a long time, and I'm not to say that's not important because many people confronted with three thousand bottles in a grocery store will look for a bottle that has a sticker on it. There's a lot of value still there. But the the point that you made about the entrance fee for your producers being ninety five dollars. I did not know that. That is generally low. So that that is hugely inclusive. That's amazing. As you said for, startups or young producers or people who are new or just very small, that opens a big door because the the entrance fees are usually prohibitive for people in that position. Right. And, you know, and and what I wanna mention also is that with, to your first question of how our competition's changing, and there's so many of them. And You really have to be careful in what your competitions enter. Who's tasting your wine? You know, at at LA International, we have prided ourselves in making sure that we bet our judges that the people that are tasting your wines are people that are not only educated, but we put panels that have a diverse, and I'm not speaking about their their their race. I'm talking about all throughout the industry whether that is a chef at a table a winemaker, a marketer, and a wine buyer so that when people go and buy a wine that has a medal from any of my competitions, you are sure to get a wine that had a very diverse and very much not a critic's point of view, but an advocate's point of view. And that's really important because that's one of the things that I've heard a lot from wineries when we approached them to enter a competition. Is they said, you know, we don't need another critic telling us about our wine. And and I said, you know, I tell my judges, don't be a critic. Be an advocate. Imagine you're the person standing at the grocery store looking at a sea of wines. Now which are the best which is the best of all of these wines that you could possibly take home? And that's kinda what we do. And that's what I not only do at LA, but I also instruct my judges to do that at Pacific Rim as well. I I love the philosophy of that. It it sounds so much more positive. You know, critic sounds critical. It is. It's snobby. It's snooty. You know? And and and and I I really wanna get away from that whole point. You know, we're trying to get more people to enjoy wine. We are trying to demystify wine. So by telling you how great I am, and I'm telling you to drink this wine, I think I'm doing the exact opposite. So by telling you that all of these people from different walks of the industry are telling you that if I only had ten dollars to spend on a bottle of wine, this is the best darn ten dollar bottle of wine we have. I think that's a lot more approachable. It it it is. And it's it's much more, educational. I like the fact that you're combining education with what you're doing too. I was lucky enough to, attend a couple of those whiting classes at the LA County fair many years ago and have. Oh, that makes me so happy. Yeah. Yeah. No. I'm a big fan, and it's I've been in Europe now for a long time, so I haven't had a chance to get back. But, yeah, I've I've had the chance to do that. And we it's very rare that that happens that education is combined with the competition. So not only are you supporting the producers and awarding them prizes, but then you're educating the consumers Yes. About these wines and letting them taste them and letting them try them and letting them hear how they got awarded whatever points they were awarded. Absolutely. That's a really unique approach. And as you said, it is much more advocating for the wine than criticizing it. Exactly. And, you know, we sit in front of them. In the in the days pre COVID, we would have, I mean, about a hundred people in our classrooms. And we always open that up to questions. And and to me, that's really important because, again, wine is still kind of a a curiosity for people. People still feel that they need to have a degree from Harbor, something to enjoy wine. And this is the opportunity to open the doors to many people to let them know that no, you were a taster since the day you were born. That's a great thing. That's a great thing to think. I never thought of it that way. Yeah. I always tell people, you know, What I always start off my classes, but what do you like to drink when you're not drinking wine? And it's you can almost see the the light come on in their in their head when you explain to them, you know, that at least hearing in the US, you know, back in the eighties, I believe I'm aging myself. We have the coke versus Pepsi challenge. Of course. I remember it well. People just picked them. Yeah. So people picked the coke versus Pepsi nobody explained to them why, and that's okay. You just picked it up, you know. And so for me, I use that because a lot of people can identify that. A lot of people can identify, choosing, their favorite soda flavor over the other. And it is my job to explain to them why. And I said you've been tasting the whole time. Now let me tell you how to translate that into wine. That's fantastic. And it just it changes people. And I and I it, you know, That's part of my mission in doing all of this. It's just to make people more comfortable around wine. It's so much less intimidating. Much less intimidating. Yeah. I it's I've I love how open you are about it because, you know, these these competitions that you are running that, especially, LA International, these aren't really prestigious events and and can, you know, really sort of be a springboard for new wines to to break into the scene. So keeping in mind that idea of including and opening the door and making a bigger table to bring more people to drink wine together. I think that's really special. It's it is definitely unique. It doesn't happen at all line competitions as we know. No. And, you know, I and I do like I said, you know, but pacific rim, we're doing the same thing. We're, a younger nut will even that one's also celebrating thirty five years this year, and we're doing that one in April. And We're also focusing on more that one seems to attract a lot more of the obscure regions of the US, such as Michigan and the East Coast, which in California, they're obscure because we don't get to see those wines very much. So it's an opportunity to tell the world, you know, there's this grade that exists called diamond. There's this other boy that's made. And so that's the whole point of of competition is to tell the world what the producers and what other people are drinking. I think it it it they're they're very important today. If, again, you enter the right ones, you know, the right ones. Well, that's always that's always the question. Make sure you're entering your best wines aside from the wine competitions, I do wanna ask about your work in retail because I know you were the buyer for Anne's boutique wines and won the top wine shop in Orange County. And I'm I'm just wondering because when you were doing that, it it was still, you know, was it was still early days and and tricky times in our industry, which tends to be, you know, very closed minded about a lot of things, which I wish it would change. I think we're getting there. But do you see under representation of of BIPOC owned wineries in retail? What do you think the US industry can do to combat that? Absolutely. Italian wine podcast. If you think you love wine as much as we do, then give us a like and a follow anywhere you get your pods. What I what I really well, I got started. I cut my teeth as a wine buyer in the industry altogether in a tiny little shop that, specialize in carrying nothing but small producers. So one of our ways of buying those wines was my attending wine competitions which is where you tend to see a lot of these small wineries. So I created a wine club within, our shop where we only featured small production wines. You know, so you you as a small producer or any producers listening You need to find those people that are championing you and support them. Do events with them. If you think that it doesn't make a difference, you might be incorrect because it does. I know that many of our producers were able to get a panel with us. And and we were able to give them a platform where they could talk about that. Now what can the industry do, you know, is have more events where they For example, let me use Mexico as as as a big example. I just remembered, you know, I work with the importer of Mexican wines to the US, the largest one. They're called La Quintinsa. And one of the things they were really brilliant about doing is a lot of them banded together. And put together buying trips, and it's called Baja on Court, and they brought group of buyers into the area and truly open all of our eyes to what we were missing out of. So I think that's one of the ways that, small producers can do it. I'm hoping that some people can create these groups so they can self promote and support those wine shops, events, places like that that will give them the platform to be heard. So there is ways of doing it at. You know, and I see it with my clients, because as a consultant now, that's who I specialize in is a small unknown area still small producers. And that, to me, that's still a joy to be able to find an incredible line that sometimes can be produced as little as fifty cases or as large as two thousand cases. And again, you know, back to the competitions, find the competitions to champion you at LA International we actually have a category called limited production. So we are actually having your wine compete with wines that are produced at the similar numbers. That's really important. It looks so much more fair, Act. Actually. That's that's really interesting. Exactly. So you're not gonna compete with the gallows of the world, you know, not you know, and and that's to me, that's an added edge. That's a little extra help. From within our own competitions. But again, you know, look for those people that are supporting you. Go out there, find out, ask questions, get together with other wineries, support each other. Yeah. I I like that idea of of forming a collaboration to to build a platform I know when I'm presenting. It's very successful. Yeah. It's true. And I I love to talk about producers that people haven't heard of before, and you see the smile on someone's face when they taste the wine. Oh, that's so good. I wasn't expecting it. Yeah. Who is this? Who made this? And then, you know, they end up buying the wine, you know, which is great for the producer. So that that spirit of collaboration to build the platform to get the message out there, I think that's really important. Yeah. I I love that. I mean, you're you're also an educator. How do you approach teaching wine to young people and people who are new to wine drinking. And we have these old traditions in wine education and language can exclude so many people. As you said, a lot of wine language is super snobby, you know, method of delivery, really formal What are you doing? You know, what are you seeing other educators do to smash some of these barriers? I, you know, with, with putting the educational classes at LA International, I've noticed that, we try to bring it down to earth. It's I'll speak for my own method, and I will not speak for my co educators. But I'd like to, what I call, speak English. So I really stay away from words like pyrazines and you know, all the technical jargon, you know, in in it doesn't mean anything to anyone that hasn't really studied one, and it shouldn't. No. Thiols doesn't tell you a thing unless you know. Yeah. It shouldn't. You know, it's kinda like going to your doctor when they or a mechanic and they start talking about parts of the car and you glaze over and you start thinking about what you're gonna have for dinner. So that I I I think that's very similar. So you have to speak English. I always tell my co educators like speak English, use everyday words. You know, instead of instead of using pure zines, maybe use words like bell pepper or things like that, things people who can relate to. Because that's the whole point. You know? A wine smells of things we all know every day. So let's use those words. So, you know, I I I try to get engaged when I start a class. Not only do I try to use English, but I try to figure out where people come from. And you can see in in in a lot of faces that this might be the first time people are chasing wine. And to me, I love those people because I I, you know, my favorite people blank canvas people. Yeah. They're my favorite people. No one has no one has tainted your brain. No one has made you feel less because you, you know, don't understand how or you don't know the steps of tasting life. I get to teach you in a manner that hopefully will, you know, stay in your head. And as you leave the door, you'll go out there and and and feel more confident. I I teach my my classes, you know, that when they're learning about wine that what they really need to be doing is when they're out shopping for food, when they're cooking, they need to smell every ingredient. And then when they pour themselves a first glass of wine, they're gonna start smelling those things that they, the ingredients in their in their cooking and then their everyday shopping. And that is translating. So what I recommend that my, students go out and truly smell the ingredients of anything they encounter as they shop, be it a banana, an apple, a pineapple, all those flavors and aromas that we pick up in wine. Most people don't understand that they are literally building up their own library of aromas and flavors every day. Just would like. You're singing my song. I this is this is exactly what I love to tell people. It's so much more fun. Exactly. I say, you know, you are already very well versed tasters. You just don't know it yet. And if you, a lot of people here in Southern California, the, farmer's markets are very popular. And I say, you know, there's no better place to teach your your your nose and your palate what it's like because All these farmers markets have samples of fruit you might not be willing to buy, or you can taste. It's so true. It's so true. I say that to people in Italy too, the street markets. They love it if you come and pick things up and taste them and sniff them. Exactly. Spell them, you know, and really get a riff of it and put it into your brain and and remember that. The difference between a Granny Smith apples to a red Washington apple. It it's it's quite it's quite there. It's palpable. And so if you remember all those things that you've been smelling and tasting, when you open a bottle of wine and you pour yourself a glass, you'll be you'll be really surprised to say, oh my god, you know, that smells just like whatever fruit you just, you know, really put in your memory. So to me, it's that's how I try to approach my tasting. It's trying to put it into a manner that is already there for people. I'm not trying to get people to remember anything other than just go to the library of aromas and flavors. They're already carrying around anyway. Exactly. And it shouldn't be scary. It should be fun. There's no wrong answer. No one no one's scared of tasting and lemonade, you know, and then tasting another lemonade with, let's just say infused lavender. No one's afraid to taste those. They taste it and they'd like it or not. No. So wine's the same way. You know, taste one, taste the next one, and find the one you like and enjoy it. That's the whole point of why. And it's so personal. It's tasting is personal. So there's absolutely. You can't be wrong about what you what you taste. Absolutely. I have people that approach me sometimes and say, oh, you know, I don't really have this sophisticated palette because I like sweet wines. I'm thinking, oh, my god. There's riesling out there that is incredibly expensive, super sophisticated, and has all these amazing qualities. And that's a very sophisticated wine. And it's sweet. So flip. Don't let your personal preference deter you from thinking that you do not have a sophisticated palette. You do. Everybody does. Everybody does. Very true. It's very true. I I I know that the fares are are coming, you know, kind of rolling up for you, but what's what's happening for the rest of your year? What are you what are you doing after the fares come to an end end of June time? Well, after that, I will be going on vacation, maybe. Oh, god. I well, we'll we'll find out. You know, I've learned that the last two years have taught me not to plan too much, but, and just go with the go with the flow. But I I'm, in a project with one of my, as I mentioned earlier, I consult. And one of my biggest clients is Lacoma Potzia imports, and they featured wines and, from Mexico. So right now, we're in the midst of preparing all of the wines from central Mexico that are gonna be coming into the US. So we're going to start, a lot more educational programs. And so I know that we are talking about a possible buyer's trip to central Mexico. We've been very successful with our trips to Baja and opening the eyes of a lot of people. So come summer, I believe that we're gonna be working a lot more on, how we're going to educate the US consumer on the wines of Central Mexico, and I'm really excited about that because that's a market that is has not been truly explored here in the US. That's so exciting. I mean, it you have to say, I mean, Mexico doesn't spring to mind when you think of the top wine countries in the world, but, you know, people forget Chile, Argentina are right there. There's no reason why why Mexico wouldn't be making great wines too. Mexico should they were the first was to start growing Wines, you know, they they were actually the first producer of wine outside of Europe. You know, they started making wine in fifteen ninety seven for goodness sakes. Exactly. First New World Ones. Exactly. And so it is my it is my hope that by the end of this year, many restaurants, which, you know, again, my my importer went from five markets seven years ago to now over I think we're approaching thirty markets at this point. So it is my hope that Mexican wines will become, run of the mill, like Chilean, like Argentina and things like that. So we'll see. And which would be great for the economy of Mexico too, not just the producers themselves, but absolutely elevating the the profile of what Mexico produces and has to offer to to the world. That's that's an amazing goal. And again, very unique. It's not often that I have someone on the show who says, I am out there to exalt Mexican wines. I love deciding. I I think that's great. It's it's it's one of my many projects. It's one of my I just love wine all all around. I have literally had one Mexican wine in my life, so I might have to come and visit you for this. Well, when you when you come down to Southern California, I will make sure that you get a good course in Mexican wines. We might even might even take you down to Baja and show you, which is the better way to learn anyway. Well, it's this is the best thing about wine because you can never know you can never know everything. It it never gets old. There's always something new to learn, and that's why I love it so much. Sounds like you are, let's say. I have the attention span of a three year old, you know. So for me, wine, it's the perfect thing. Not only am I meeting new people, but even if you taste the same line every year. You could have, you know, a new winemaker, maybe they tried a new technique. It's always new. What's not to love? What's not to love? And the people behind it, there's so much to love in this industry really. Well, before I let you go, today's Rudin. I know you're super busy. I have got to ask you my famous final question. If you were going to drink an Italian wine tonight, what would it be? Oh, lordy. You know, I'm I'm food I'm food geared, you know. So For me, I have a lot of what Italian wines that I really love. I am a bubbles girl at heart. Good. Good. Good. I love a good French Accord. Oh my goodness, though. I love a good French Accord. And lately, I've been enjoying Vigna Dora. Rose. Oh, good. Yes. It is oh my goodness. What a credit to Lombardi is French Accord. I absolutely love it. And still such good value because it's It is. It's not as widely known as it could or should be. I probably will be. Yes. I I I I can see that happening in the future. And that's it's part of my bucket list to head to front Chacorta and truly learn everything I can because, for a region, demaking wines of those qualities at the prices they're making, I I gotta check them out. That's just all there is to it. Well, I live in Veneta, so I'll trade you a trip to Baja when you come over here, I'll take you to French of Corte. Deal. I was wondering, of course, you know, there's so many. I feel like, you know, pulling out an a favorite Italian is so unfair because there's so many amazing producers, you know, as a as a matter of I ask people this question because I hate when people ask it of me. Oh, yeah. You know, it's if it's, like, choosing your favorite child, that's just not fair. Exactly. But there is so much in I I have a whole list. Honestly, I have a whole list, but If I'm just gonna sit in and and sip something, pass me the French Accord. Yeah. Well, I'm with you on that one. I'm with you on that one. Thank you so much. It was a joy to talk to you today, and I appreciate you taking the time out of your schedule because I know you are busy. Thank you so much. Thanks for listening to this episode of Italian wine podcast brought to you by Vineetli Academy, home of the gold standard of Italian wine education. Do you want to be the next ambassador? Apply online at benetli international dot com. For courses in London, Austria and Hong Kong, the twenty seventh to the twenty ninth of July. Remember to subscribe and like Italian wine podcast and catch us on SoundCloud, Spotify, and wherever you get your pods. You can also find our entire back catalog of episodes, at Italian wine podcast dot com. 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 labor of love and we are committed to bringing you free content every day. 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