Ep. 1722 Ester Spasiano of Il Colle del Corsicano | Wine, Food & Travel With Marc Millon

The Italian wine podcast is the community driven platform for Italian winegeeks around the world. Support the show by donating at italian wine podcast dot com. Donate five or more Euros, and we'll send you a copy of our latest book, my Italian Great Geek journal. Absolutely free. To get your free copy of my Italian GreatGeek journal, click support us at italian wine podcast dot com, or wherever you get your pods. 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'll 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, it's my great pleasure to travel to the Chilento in Southern Campania to meet my guest Ester Spaziano, Avilcoerciano. Salvey Esther, thanks so much for being my guest today. How are you? And is it a beautiful day in Castalabate? Good morning. Yes. It is a beautiful and a sunny day here in Castalabate. Today. Oh, I can imagine that it's a very special place to be. Yes. Now, Esther, I'm really curious to know more about the beautiful and for many of us still undiscovered Chilento. An area I've visited, but only briefly. Chilento south of Naples in the province of Salerno. It's a declared UNESCO World Heritage site and the accolade granted only to the most special places in the world. So tell us about this very special world that you live and work in, the Chilento. Yeah. Exactly. Chilento is a one year, from, from, which is one of the biggest CD close to us. We can say that it's a land between sea and mountains. So you have both. You have, an explosion of colors. You have the intense blue of the sea, of the sky, and the other hand, you have the green of trees, of the olive trees and the grapes, and also it offers some of the chilento deep roots in culinary art. In food and wine. That's why this is the place of the Mediterranean diet. It is known in, all around the world. Oh, I'm really interested to explore that topic a little bit later. It sounds, just such a beautiful place. And of course, it has a lengthy history going back to antiquity. I visited the wonderful Greek ruins at paestum The Romans used to come to Chilenta for their holidays and built sumptuous villas. And even back then, it was an area that people were attracted to it by the abundance and quality. Of the food and wine. Yeah. Absolutely. It is a full of, unspoiled nature. So everything is so natural. There's not a lot of urbanistic here. Okay. Okay. It's, somewhere I really am looking forward to discovering and exploring more. Exactly. Now, as to tell us about, it's a relatively young company. Isn't it? Tell us a story. Oh, yes. It is a new company. It started exactly in, two thousand seventeen. But this is just the officially part because if we want to go back in the years, we can discover it has a long story, a long story full of traditional that made the innovation In fact, the call is the fourth generation of people cultivating grapes and olive trees on these lands. All in the family, the same family. The same family, exactly. This is, the fourth generation. And then, a failure, which is the owner decided to open this business, in two thousand seventeen, and make his wine like he wanted to do to express, all the particularity of the sealant. So the family had always had the land grew grapes, grew olives, made some wine in olive oil, but it wasn't a commercial wine company. And it was Alfredio then who decided that this land has the potential to make something important. And so that's when Cola del Corsicano was started. Yes. Exactly. It's Cola del Corsicano is a name that, takes place in the past. The name of this, little column, like a little mountain, was called, it's called a del Castigano in the past, and then it became the name of of the business. Okay. So tell us about the business. Tell us about the vineyard sites. This business has two vineyards. Like, I was saying before Silento has a part close to the coast and a part in the Hinduland. So we have, a vineyard, very close, to the sea. It's, just a few meters up to the sea, like eight meters. So very, very close. And the second, the vineyard that is, in the mountains. So we have two different parts. From the liners, close to the sea, we produce the white wine, which is a leakosa from the place where the grapes are castrated And then we have, from the second, the vineyard, the red wine, the production of the red wine. Okay. And all of the Viticulture is agriculture biologica, organic farming. Is that right? Oh, yeah. It is right. We only use a few products, for cultivating, the the grapes. And, they are, one hundred percent organic. Why was that important for Alfredio when he decided to make the business? Why did he decide to to work organically? He decided to work organically because, he don't want to destroy the land where it's from. He wants he started to make it reach and don't, change a lot to the areas. Okay. So he wanted to really make wine as his grandparents and parents had been doing before him naturally as possible. Yes. Naturally as possible and make the vineyard like a garden. In fact, if you come in the vineyard, you will find red roses, yellow roses, white roses because he really likes to make it a a place where it's nice to stay and spend time. Okay. And I'm interested too that you, first of all, told us about the two aspects of Chilento, the sea, the Terrainian sea, and the hinterland, which is wilder, and your vineyards are reflecting both those sides of Chilento. Let's first talk about the of the vineyard where you're making a white wine. I'm just going to mention those wonderful Greek temples in the Chillemptuot paestum, some of the most beautiful, dark temples anywhere in the world. And so this is really an ancient land where grapes have probably been cultivated for two and a half thousand years. 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. Exactly. The vineyard in Puntalikoza. The exact name is Puntalikoza. In that vineyard, we have Fiano, like I was saying before, and, a little part, a small part of ayanigone. For the production of the rosé because we also produce, rosé wine. Of course, the, legosa, which is the white wine, fiano, hundred percent, fiano, authentic Italian grapes. Is one of our master fees is the wine, most most famous wine of our company. Okay. And I'm imagining that Fianna grown on the coast in, in the Chilento. Has a very different character than, for example, Fiano Diavilino from Erpina, which is inland and higher vineyards and makes a different style of wine. Tell us about the style of the fiano you produce. What sort of wine is it? We have, a few characteristics that makes this wine very particular. You can find, the smell, like, the nose, notes of fluids, white fluid, like, the white peach and also of the flowers. So it is very intense and deeply. And then when you taste it, you will find also the salinity. You you can feel it. You can feel the sin. A lot of people tell us when they drink Legosa, they can feel the the sin and all the all the land. You can tell that it's a wine from the sea. Oh, that's a beautiful description, and I'm imagining these vineyards, which you said are virtually on the sea. Exactly. Yeah. It is, on the sea. Exactly. It is, land, like a sand also, some. Oh, okay. So it's quite a sandy soil. Mhmm. It has a different, characteristic to cultivate. At Ferrier spends a lot of time to find the best way to cultivate the trees and the grapes. Are they old vines? Not very old, because, he planted, new grapes Yes. Okay. So let's go inland then to where you make your grow the grapes for the red ones. Tell us about this area. How high is it? We are, in the Hinduland up to fifteen meters from the scene. So we have different characteristics, different characteristics for the red wine. That's why we produce the red wine up from the coast. And we produce patreros. Patreros is a a Latin word that means, someone important for you, someone important in your life. It has a different, different notes of, red fruits, rebus, sharing, the small strawberries, And that's a blend of allianico and primitivo? That's a blend, yeah, of allianico, ninety five percent of allianico, and five percent of a primitivo. A very small part of primitivo. That is, in this wine, especially for, a relationship with this kind of grapes because the father of, a failure was, a lover of primitive So he decided to keep the plants, and then together they decide to blend it. And then we have the red wine. Okay. That sounds, a very successful blending. Now you're also producers of extra virgin olive oil. Is this an important part of the business? It is, yes, an important part of the business, and we have the olive trees all around the vineyard. So if you go to the coast, you will find olive trees all around the vineyard and the same on the mountain. And the olive harvest is now complete. So you're all able to enjoy the wonderful Ollio noirv or the new oil. For this year, it was a difficult year, in Italy for the olive oil. So we didn't take olive oil from the plants. It was very rainy. So we didn't do the olive oil. But we still had the olive oil of last year. There was a great olive oil, and it is good also this year. Oh, that's interesting. I've heard that from other areas of producers I know in Sicily and in Tuscany. They suffered the same problems. And is that the case with olive oil that if you have a really good year, it's often followed by a less good year? Oh, yeah. It could happen this year. In particular, we had a few months, like, May and June full of rain. Following then by, days full of heat and a lot of sun and destroyed a little bit the life of the olive trees for this year. Okay. I think it's important for our listeners to understand that olive oil, good quality extra virgin olive oil from single estates like Coli del Corsicano, the vintage variations are as important as wine. And there will be good years and when there's a lot of productivity, years when there's virtually no productivity. And we need to understand that that this isn't an industrial product that is always on tap. Exactly. We we follow-up the nature. So what the nature is doing, we have to to follow it. And, we can do, all the year, the same products. So this year, we decided to not produce at all instead of produce, a product, with a low quality. Okay. Not even a little bit just for you to use yourselves. Oh, yes. Just a little bit, but, very little bit for, family use. Chest for family use. Of course. Exactly. Yes. Now, Esther, you've already mentioned that Chilento is considered one of the centers of the Mediterranean diet. And I know that it's considered one of the best places in Campania's already one of the best regions for food in Italy. Wonderful things to eat as well as wonderful wines, but she lent to has a great reputation for the wonderful foods produced there, the produce. And can you tell us a little bit about the typical foods of Cilento foods that the parallel with your wines? Cilento, like I was saying before, is the mother of the Mediterranean diet. One of the reason is that there are a lot of typical food that, like, fresh fish, like white fish, like anchovies, red, mullet, that goes very well with the white wine is not, a coincidence in fact that that, one of the most, famous wine is the white wine, because, people drink a lot of white wine here. What would be some of the fish dishes and how would they be prepared? It's a very simple cuisine. We don't change a lot, the, flavors. We don't add a lot of flavors. It is very simple. And it is full, vitamins, like that. If you don't change, if you don't cook a lot of food, you keep it all the nutrients inside the vitamins, the omega tree, in the fish, And that's the reason of the longevity also of the people in this place. Yes. And what about some other Piate TTP chief? Piate TPC. We do have also in the hinterland beans, that you can prepare, like, a super or, eat it in different ways because they cultivate beans in this area also. Okay. This is also one of the centers for the production of mozzarella de Buffalo. Is that right? It is right. It is, very close to the center where mozzarella de Buffalo, was born in Fortiva, which is thirty minutes from Silentum. He is the one of the most appreciated food, for people, for us, first of all, and then for tourists and other people. Yeah. Yeah. And I have to say that one one has the opportunity to sample really fresh mozzarella debuffalo made maybe that same day or just a day or two earlier. It's completely different from mozzarella debuffalo that is encountered elsewhere in Italy or indeed internationally because we get it sent around now, but it's not like eating it in the place where it's made, where it's almost still warm. Yes. There are a few different, because, here, where mozzarella was born when you eat mozzarella is, full, is an explosion, of flavors. So you can feel the milk. Okay. You can feel all the flavors. So it's not the same when I eat it, all around the world. They want to do the same, but it's not, it's not very easy to make it. Yes. That gorgeous creaminess that you get with that really fresh mozzarella debuffalo. It really is one of the real treats and it's worth visiting this area just for the mozzarella debuffalo, but there's so many other things too. Oh, absolutely. We have a, the oil. Like we said before, the wine and in Chilento, also the white figs. Oh, white figs. White figs of Chilento are very, very famous here in Italy, in Europe. You can find this big figs the people who used to cut it in two parts, put it on the sun, let it for a few days, like, fifteen days, and then, they keep it for all the winter. Okay. Wonderful. And you eat them fresh as well. Fresh as well. And they are, undescribable. Very, very good. Oh, gosh. I look forward to trying those one day. Now Ester, does Konadel Corsicano? Is it possible for our listeners to visit? Absolutely. We have a tour of our, winery. You can do that, on reservation. And visit the the winery and also taste the wines, the three wines that we produce, the white, the rosette, and the red wine. Okay. Also eat some local available, like, just a few, a little, affiliative to combine the wine. What would you have for the aperitif? For the aperitif, we have, bruschetta with fresh tomatoes from our garden. And your wonderful oil. And absolutely, our wonderful oil. And then we have, veggies, in front of Vegas, always from our garden for the people that comes here. Oh, that's a wonderful way to taste wines, I think, when you can actually be tasting alongside? Well, alongside the way you drink the wines yourselves then. Mhmm. Absolutely. Well, Esther, you've really shared the story of Coli Del Corsicano and also taken us to Chilento, which is a different world. It's very different from, say, Naples or the busyness of the amalfi. It's quieter. It's stunningly beautiful. There are lots of other activities to do as well. Aren't there? What do people come to Chilanto to enjoy? When people come here, they can enjoy the sea. They can enjoy the tour with the boats They can go to punta de Costa, which is, little island in front of the city of, of our coast. And, also, they can enjoy different growth inside, the ghost and the food, the mountains, all the activities, that they can do here. Well, it sounds wonderful, and I'm anxious to visit myself. So I hope that I can do that before too long. And if I can, I will certainly try to come down to Coli del Corsicano and find you? Absolutely. We will wait you, and we will be very happy to have you here. Well, I hope our listeners will also find their way to you. Our listeners are located all around the world, but many of them like nothing more than traveling to the Italian wineries that they meet through us. So I hope that they will come to find you. Colido Corsicana is a new winery, a new project, but I know the wines are already highly regarded. My Italian wine podcast colleagues told me about tasting the wines when they met you recently at Phoebe. So I'm looking forward to tasting them myself. Esther, thank you so much for being my guest today. It was a pleasure. I hope everything goes well, and I look forward to meeting you sometime in the new year. The same. Thank you. Thank you. We hope you enjoyed 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.