Ep. 1014 Erika Marchesini | Wine, Food & Travel With Marc Millon

Welcome to wine food and travel. With me, Mark Millen, on Italian wine podcast. Listen in as we journey to some of Italy's most beautiful places in the company of those who know them best. The families who grow grapes and make fabulous wines. Through their stories, we will learn not just about their wines, but also about their ways of life, the local and regional foods and specialities that pair naturally with their wines. And the most beautiful places to visit. We have a wonderful journey of discovery ahead of us, and I hope you will join me. Welcome to wine food and travel with me, Mark Millen, on Italian wine podcast. Today, we travel to the beautiful wine hills of Bardellino above Lake Garda. To meet my guests, Erica Marquezini from her family Marquesini wine estate. Thank you very much for being my guest today, Erica. How are you today? I hear it's incredibly hot in the Veneto over these days. Shao Mart, buongiorno. It's a pleasure to be here. Thank you so much for this opportunity. Yeah, I'm fine. And here the summer, it's, it's incredibly hot. We are having such, unique, I hope, season. The weather is particularly warm, particularly hot, of course, and dry. So we are, of course, a bit scared about this, you know, the vines are plants. They don't need a lot of water, but what scares us, is the general situation of the word, the global warming, of course. And, you know, we have three winters with much less water with much less snow on the mountains. And so it means, now we can, we can see the problems. And so, honestly, we, we have some, yes, could. Yeah. I can understand that. It's a story I've heard, you know, from many, many other producers. The climate change, the effects are happening so quickly. The temperatures are very elevated. I guess, perhaps the pergola Vertonese is a system of training that that helps. Tell us a little bit about, firstly, about where you are, about, the Bartolino area. Describe it because our listeners would like to have a picture of this beautiful landscape with the, you know, the the beautiful lake garden on on your doorstep. I love to. I hope to be able to take you here on this eels. We are on the eels of the lake garden. Year, the climate, it's, it's particular. It's, unique. We, we, we have a particular climate, a Mediterranean climate, exactly. So, yeah, it's, a perfect place for to to grow up vines and, of course, our lives. You, you say you, you told the, some just a little bit about Pergola veronese that is, our main training system. We love the pergola, of course, because, the pergola has a special, clemate. The pergola, the bunches on the pergola veronese are hand on the plant. So they they are protected by the leaves. And, of course, the the breeze, of the lake, can keep, help us to keep the vineyard, like air conditioner, because, of course, it keeps the vanches fresh and dry. So this is the most important thing. Especially during the summer time, because we perfectly know that, drier and fresher the bunches are healthier. They are. That's that's very interesting because I think, in the past decade, some producers were deciding to not use the pergola Vernese because it's very labor intensive, isn't it? It's hard work reaching up to harvest those bunches and to Of course. Of course. The the problem, if, if it's not a problem exactly for us, but the it's, honestly expansive. It takes a lot of, investments in terms of efforts, time, of course, you know, anytime you, you work, you go in the vineyard, any job you make, it's, it's time and, of course, money. But at the same time, if we keep the formula, if we grow the grades in the right way, if we make the the selection of the grapes. If we keep the vineyard in a in a good condition, we from the pergola veronese, we can obtain very high quality grapes. Of course, in this moment, we have to the the the the bunches are protected by the leaves, but when later, in August, normally mid August, at the end of August, when the days start to become a little bit, not so hot, like now. Exactly. But, in the nights that we became a little bit fresher, we can start leaving. And so the bunches will receive a little bit more sun. Okay. So the leaves are protecting during this hot, really, blazing sunshine. Just so our listeners understand, I just want them to know that this is also one of the most beautiful and attractive systems of training. It's a looks wonderful when you visit the Bardellino, wine hills to see these beautiful peregras and the bunches of grapes hanging down. So it's very different from from Spallata or the Gil or different systems on wires. But it's it's really one of the most beautiful as well as effective for your area forms of training. So it's great that this tradition is carried on. Now, Eric, can you tell us a little bit about tradition and your family about the history of the Marquezini winery and how long your family have been involved in winemaker. Okay. So my the business has started with my grandfather, Blenya, in nineteen seventy. My grandfather was a poor, farmer. He was a sharecropper for the count of Lexize from the for the count of Tabatoka. He worked as a sharecropper for many years. And, in the, in this, fifties, he was able to buy the vineyard of his auntie. So the vineyard, the work that has shed proper for this time. And so he was really proud of this, it this vineyard is a vineyard will take in the herd, of course, because it is the first vineyard he bought with them. Ten years later in the sixties, he bought the vineyard here in, the vineyard of La Valle Zanna, where we have today the the the seller and, one actor of Vineyard, the close to the to the to the vineyard of La Valizana, we have a, our house, and this house had a small underground cellar. So from that moment, from the seventies, he decided to transform his passion for winemaking into a business. So it was the time. It was a very good time, for the Bartolino wine and the seventies and the eighties were a very, very good, period for the Bartolino wine, of course. Bartolino was the main red wine for the Italian. So the wine to take every day on the table. It started the business in the right moment course, he was good in winemaking for sure. And he started selling this wine, selling the Bardolino all over the north of Italy. He was, he delivered the wine door to door with his truck. Ten years later, in the eighties, my father who has, other working other working experiences in a, you know, the one that is here around for ten years, decided to join my father, my grandfather, and they worked together for almost thirty years because, unfortunately, my grandfather, worked since the last, hours of his life. Today, my sister is working with beside my father, my sister, Georgia is anologist. She had the the graduation in the Technology University of Verona after a couple of years of, where she worked in other wineries here around, she decided to start to work here with my father. So today, she is following the vinification, of course, the the the jobs in the vineyards. I'm more front office, because I'm following the relationships with our importers with our customers, the wine tastings, of course, and all the office jobs. And so we are, all all the family is, is working here. Of course, my mother is helping us in anything. That's a that's a really beautiful and important story, Erica, to hear how from the seventies. This is the Metatria you're talking about. Is that right? Okay. And so the family had been sharecroppers, as you said, perhaps cultivating a little bit of everything because you were a self contained little farm then. And then your your grandfather was able to purchase land and actually become a producer in his own right. That's, an important story in the story of Italian wine as well because, you know, it was such a social change when The Mitsadrio was stopped. And it's not that long ago. We're talking about just a couple of generations. And then the winery was built up by your father, and now the next generation is there. So it's a it's a really important story. And I think that that's important for that continuity in the wines. Let's talk about the wines, the grapes you grow then, and the wines that you make. So, we are based, in Bardalena wine region, exactly in Laziza. So in, the classical Bartolino wine region, in the heart of the wine region, and, our grapes, our main grapes are four out of ten grapes. The Corvina, Corvina, Romvina, and Molinara. They are, of course, probably, you, you know, for sure, the Corvina and Corvina, because they are the green grapes of verona. They are our favorite grapes, of course, to give spiciness and ready for its notes to the wine, but at the same time, we'll have allowed the Eronvinala and the moronara. And Eronvinala and moronara, our grapes are mineral grapes. They we use them both for, Bardolino and quereto. So these two wines that are broader wines because they are obtained by the same rates are fresh and fruity wines. They are exactly mineral wines because, of course, the minerality that comes from our soil, from the particular soil we have here on the lake, it's, the most characteristic is the characteristic of this to wine. It's a Thank you for listening to Italian wine podcast. We know there are many of you listening out there, so we just want to interrupt for a small ask. Italian wine podcast is in the running for an award, the best podcast listening platform through the podcast awards, the people's choice. Lister nominations is from July first to the thirty first, and we would really appreciate your vote. We are hoping our listeners will come through for us. So if you have a second and could do this small thing for us, just head to Italian Wine podcast dot com from July first to the thirty first. And click the link. We thank you and back to the show. Okay. So we're talking about a similar Uvajo or blend of grapes as in Val polychala, but it's at that terroir, that soil, the rock below the soil that makes, a different style of wine, a lighter bread, would you say, Artolino, I think of as fresh and delightful bread, mainly to drink young. Yeah. Sure. The terroir makes, real the difference between the Balpolice and the Barbolino course. And, yeah, Bardolino, it's a light ruby wine. When you put the wine at the glass of wine on a white paper, you can see through, this, this wine, and because it is transparent, And, I'm I love to say that, it's like, a person that has an open, a heart, an open mind because it is, a real, easy, elegant But Belino, it's really, a wine that is it's like, a friend because that's, it's, honest, and it's, it's really a unique wine. It's, has some, characteristics. It's easy to drink. You can enjoy the a glass of Bartolino a bit fresh in the summertime, especially during this hot days. Of course, it is a a wine to enjoy. Not exactly very, very young, because it has a four, five years of potential aging for sure, but we love to enjoy it, in a in a couple of years from, from the harvest, of course. The Barbolino has the brother that is the obtained by the same grapes, of course, with the rosyvignification and the the character, it's, the young and fresh brother of the Bartolino. Okay. So the character is rosato, but quite a full colored rosato. Is that right? Is that how you make it? Yeah. The rosato, it's a lighter pale of rosé. It is it has a, some pink and purple sheets, of course, but it's not dark. It's, it's a very rosy, very rosy, color. It's it has a color that, it's really lovely, and, of course, we decided to offer this wine with a twist cap to keep this color as longer as we can because, you know, the Rosay wines are very delicate. They should change it. They can change the color very quickly. So this is why we need, an aromatic closure. Please like to please have ears, to keep the color as longer as we can. Okay. And a wine that you really wanna drink when it's fresh and young and full of zest and life Yeah. We have a a Tuesday, two carita, of course. Our carita classical is an easy drink wine, fresh wine, very elegant, and mineral, of course. And then we have Carlene. That is our work, selection of character. It comes from a selection of grapes because, we make, we reduce, of course, the the the the production per hectare in order to have more concentration of, to to combat the quality grapes. Coralina is an aromatic Jose wine because we work in the salad with the fine leaves before the fermentation in order to give more wine and perfumes to this wine. We recommend to enjoy the classical quereto in, two or three years from the bottling. Carolina, that is our selection, Rosette, our selection Carreto, it's, a wine that has a longer life. It is bottled with, with the cork, not with the twist cap. To to let the wine evolve during the aging. And it's a wine to enjoy in five, six years, from the windage, from the harvest. Okay. So, that's that's very interesting. The two different styles of Kirito, Kirito, to me is one of the most, interesting of all Italian rosatos. I love it because it has a lot of, fullness of flavor as well as being, quite light to drink on a hot summer day. Now I'm imagining at a that all means hot days when you finished in the office or your sister's finished in the cantina. You like to go down and cool off by the lake. I'm imagining laziz and Bartolino itself and all those lovely restaurants along in the waterfront, people out in boats. This is a these are wines to really enjoy and in this delightful place where you live and work. But honestly, we are enjoying, the Chareto all, all year long. Because, what makes this wine unique is that it is a very easy drink wine. So, Chareto, it amazing when it's paired together with, a pasta, but it is much more amazing when it is matched with a pizza. So you can enjoy a glass of carrots with a pizza in the winter time as well. Of course, now in this time with these updates, character is when you have a chilled aggressive glass of character, it makes you feel much better, but it is not just the summer wine, of course, especially, both the Ceralta classical and the Carolina. They are both mineral wines, so they are wines that, keep the amount clean. So if you try them with, pack foods like it could be an hamburger or fried foods, fried vegetables, fried fish. They they keep the amount refrigerated and clean. So, this is why we love to call them exactly table wines. Of course, they are DOC wines, but they are wines to enjoy every day at the table. Okay. Wines to above all enjoy with food. Now let's talk about the foods of your area. Of, of the Bardellino area, but of the veronese, the Guccino veronese. Some of the favorite dishes, some of the dishes that you and your family would eat typically at home and foods that go well with your wines. Of course, about the Bardullino, we love to match, this red wine with, the bread with salami, you know, is the most popular local cold cut of Verona. Because, you know, in our tradition, we were using the past to have, the farmers had always, the pork, and they were used during the wintertime to prepare the cold cuts. So the typical Miranda, of the farmers, so the break they the break time you, they have, in the mid morning, was Bartolino wine with the bread with salami. So we keep this tradition during the harvest time as well. So when we are harvesting in September, the guys, have a normally a ten in the morning. They have a break a second breakfast with bread and salami. This is a tradition we we love to keep on. Of course, Bergulino, it fresh wine. It is amazing, put together with fish, especially with a very delicate fish, like just a, a grilling fish. Because bardolino, it's an elegant wine. It doesn't cover the flavor of the foods you are eating. Of course, here we have the fish of the lake, like the nucho, tinga. So we, the the most, popular main course here in, you know, on the lake carda is the risotto with Thinka that is a risotto that has a lot of taste, because this fish is preferred with herbs and the aromas, of course, and so the carrot both the carrot and barbudin are very nice put together with this wine. That sounds that sounds delicious. I've not had that. So that would be typical in a lakeside restaurant. Yeah. Sure. These are really typical, foods. Of course, we are, you know, in our tradition, for example, my mother is, is able to prepare the this is also with fish of lake. During the wintertime, for example, the main course of verona, the main food, the most popular and typical food of verona is the burrito with the phera. So the boiled meat with this phera is a special sauce that is made with bread, parmesana, and, and it is it has a long cook. It takes about three, four hours to make this sauce, and this sauce is normally served with boiled meat. Bartolino, it's the perfect wine for the. Oh, I've enjoyed the perea in verona. It's, it is so typical of verona. Outside of your area, you'll never see the perea. No. But you have to try it because perea, it's, it's love at first days. With simple boiled meats. Yes. Again, that Bartolino helping to cut the richness of the dish. Yep. Because we are, used to enjoy the Bampolino fresh in the summertime. But in wintertime, we serve the Bartolina at room. We are used to serve the Bartolina at room temper to it. Bardolino has an evolution during the week. It's live, and so it became spice here when it, the temperature outside, it's cooler. So this spiceness is amazing, when you when you enjoy this wine together with such a warm dish like the burrito with Bella. Yes. That sounds absolutely delicious. And some wonderful cheeses from Monte Balgo as well. Sure. The Monte Veronese is the most, yeah, Monta Veronese is the most, popular, the most famous cheese of Montebaldo. It has different aging, and, of course, it's a it's our favorite cheese. I love it both, the younger, like it could be, the fresh or the a the the the that is directly that are very intense cheeses. Sure. And again, wonderful. With your wines, Sure. Sure. Especially with the Valvolino. Well, Erica, it's been wonderful to talk to you this morning to share, to gain a, a sense of where you are. I hope our listeners have been transported to your line estate, to Lake Garda, imagining a heat that is perhaps excessive at the moment. And I'm hoping it won't be too excessive and the vines can survive. Vines are very durable. I know. But nonetheless, this is a very, challenging time for wine growers with, the lack of water as well. So I hope that the summer proceeds well, and you have a very good harvest. Now can can our listeners if they find themselves in the area visit the wine estate? Of course, we are here on our website. You can find all the information to book your wine tasting. Our wine tasting is an experience to taste our wines to together with some local cheeses and cold cuts, of course, like salami and the one that learn is it. So if you are here around, we we really love to work on anyone who wants to join us. And thank you so much, Mark, because it was a great pleasure to be here. And I really hope to take you here on this eels in the soft days, of course, and I really hope to now you have the, wish to come here on the Lake Garden. I really have the wish to come and visit and see Lake Gard again and, and visit the Marquisini wine estate. So Thank you, Erica. I hope to see you soon. Thank you so much, Mark. We hope you enjoy today's episode of wine, food, and travel. With me, Mark Millen on Italian wine podcast. Please remember to like, share, and subscribe right here, or wherever you get your pods. Likewise, you can visit us at Italian podcast dot com. 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 labor 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, requests, and ideas. For more information on how to get in touch, go to Italianwine podcast dot com.