Ep. 1788 Mara Lona | 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 Grapeke journal. Absolutely free. To get your free copy of my Italian GreatGeek journal, click support us at Italianpodcast dot com, or wherever you get your pods. Welcome to wine food and travel. With me, Mark Billen, 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 all learn not just about their wines, but also about their ways of life, the local and regional foods and specialties 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 Val de Chambra to meet my guest, Maralona, of the consortio cambroni doc, A small grouping of just six wine producers and two distilleries, all small family companies located in a historic wine land in the mountains above Trento. Thank you so much for being my guest today. How are you? Fine. Thank you. Good morning to everybody. Thank you for inviting me. Oh, it's a real pleasure to have you and to have you share, what sounds like a very, very special place. And for my sake, but mainly for all our listeners who are located all around the world. Can you describe where you are? Can you describe the Val di Chambra so that we can have in our minds a picture of of this very special and historic wine land. In the in the dolomites. Yeah. Sure. We are north of Trento on the dolomites. And, our landscape is completely terraced. It's a terrace landscaped since the, fourteenth. And today, we count seven hundred eight kilometer of wall. Drywall stone, the dry stone wall, sorry, that or that hold about the six hundred hectares dedicated to the cultivation of the wine. We have a river that flows through our valleys. The name is Aviso. That is really important because of the water, because of the climate. And, it, make us a big differences on the grapes because during the day, especially no boost before the harvest. We have about thirty three, thirty four degrees. So it's quite hot. And then in the evening, thanks to the river and to the wind that, comes with the rivers. We have about eighteen, nineteen degrees. So a biggest cursor, a big difference that makes our grape more aromatic rather than in rather places. Other characters that make us unique is our terroir that is porfield. Portfield is, a labic stone. And, we have volcanic area production on the mountains. And we are one of the highest that you can find here in Tarantino. Our grapes are cultivated between two hundred meters on the sea level. Deal nine hundred meters. So really high. Okay. So you've given us a vivid picture. I'm imagining these historic centuries old dry stone walls, holding the land together. It must be quite steep. Yes. That's for sure. Yeah. So we're talking about heroic Viticulture that takes great effort to attend in a beautiful backdrop to the magnificent dolomites then behind. Is that right? The snow covered dolomites at this moment. Yes. Uh-uh. Yes. Yes. Yeah. We have a snow that comes again also yesterday. And, here on the area where we product, it remains, just a few. We have more snow on the dollar mass on the hills. Chimbra Valley doesn't have so many peak. The highest mountain is about a thousand six hundred meter. Because, all the pics were, surrounded by the glatter of, Marmolada, that, make us landscape more, soft. We don't have the, the, the, the, the skit races. We don't have the, the the possibility to ski, but, the landscape is also wonderful in winter because, you can do a lot of, Chapole. I don't know how to translate of the walk in demand, on the, in the Chespole, is that snow shoes? It's no shoes. That's right. It's no shoes, through the vineyards or through our forest that are really, really wonderful. Like anania anania landscape during winter. Oh, yes. I can imagine. That sounds beautiful. Now these dry stone terraces, they're hundreds of years old. So wine has been produced here for hundreds of years, but the Chambrani dock itself. Is that relatively new? And it's a very small grouping? Yes. Is relatively new. We we just had a birthday last year, ten years of activity. So, really, it's really started, recently. The grape butter was cultivated since the fourth BC So we are one of the historical crad of the continuity culture. At the time, there wasn't the terraces, and the grape was cultivated just in the more flat, places, and the variety was red. Was, like, the most common was trolink. That is Cava. It's a red varieties. Then, at the beginning of the eighties, the arrives a new of the last century. Arise an over IT. It is Mueller to Gao that found here a a media climate, really a media place to grow. And, in ten years, Chimbra Vale became a value of from red grape to white grape. Actually, we produce eighty percent just white varieties, mainly, and, another one is the international one for the production of the classic method, the trento docks of bubble wine. And, we started a history of Jembrane ten years ago when the new markets, like, the e commerce and any communication like the social, comes, to to to to knock at our doors because, all the winery that are part of this consortium are small family run business. That follows from the land to the selling. And they hadn't the the time, first of all, and also the, the knowledge, to manage these new these new channels. And so they decided to grow together, this consortium, for the communication and then promotion of the land. We are not, a consortium of, certification, but just of branding. We do events. We're gonna events we organize, the annular tourism. So visit every days and also experiences in the land, like dinner, in the landscape or harvest, hard the tourist harvest also. And, since the five years, we also open a restaurant where we can, valorize, we can, give, more value to our wines productions with the good dishes Okay. That's a really good overview of a small area with a historic pedigree, but now a small grouping of small family businesses producing wines and distillates of great character. So the Cembrani dock falls within the larger Trento dock for the sparkling wine. Is that correct? That's correct. And for the sparkling Trento dock, and for the still wine, the Trentino doc, bath in Chimbra Valley. We have the superior Chimbra Valley. We have, obtained this, this recognition in, two thousand seventeen. Is one of the work of the consortium because, we'd we've shown that, through the years, our grape, especially that one of riesling, Mueller Turgau, scava and pinot noir were more aromatic rather than in the other areas for the climate that we have that is really special and for our terroir that is the warfare. And, so we obtained this new classification. Of superior Trrentino Do you see for these varieties at Chimbra Valley. Okay. That's very important. So the wines from the Chimbra Valley really have their own character that is distinct from anywhere else within the Trentino dock. Yes. For the exposure also, we are Southeast. So we have a grape always, that, have a lot of sun and they are really hot in taste. Let me say so. And, three of the characters that make us unique, one of the minerality. Our wines are really minerals. One is the stupidity that you have, it seems like, quite salty sometimes. And also, the aromas are really intense. Never sweet, not sweet, because we we cultivate it at high level, on the sea level. So the the sweetness part doesn't evolve so much. It doesn't develop so much, but the aromas that the primary aromas, especially fruity and flowers are the characters of all of our production. And, related to the fact that we have Gerard Portfir, so volcanic stone, our wines doesn't, they have a long life actually, we are selling the vintage two thousand twenty. Because now it's the the good winter, the good year to have the best performance of our wines. But, as usual, we organize quite, every week. The, the the tasting with the ancient, the ancient vintages. For example, last day, two days ago, we had a Mueller Turga tasting, and we started from Mueller Turga of nineteen ninety eight. And it was still fresh related to the tour. Wow. That's amazing. Yes. Amazing. No. No. It's really amazing. And this something is a new consciousness, that we are growing, in the last years. And, we decided to celebrate this, this factor during a festival that we, we collaborate for the organization in October. And the name is Dolo Vini Mitty. So the wines in the heart of the dolomites, dolom wine mites, that it always had, place, take place the second weeks of October. When the vintage, when the harvest is finished and when we have the beautiful, landscape with the foliage. The changing colors. The changing colors of the grapes, of the of the wines. Because related to the fact that we cultivate from two hundred meter to nine hundred meter, we have a lot of varieties I'll, located in the best, the highest, and in the best exposure. We have, but, as I said, mhmm, riesling, carner, felt cleaner. That's all for the white. For the red, we have a, and, like, grinder. And, all these plants has a different color, have a different color during the the autumn. So it's really wonderful from red to orange to yellow to brown. I invite you to come. I would love to come. It sounds absolutely beautiful. And I'm sure the wines are. Yes. You know, too, it's really fantastic. I I will try to to come up and see you sometime. Now tell me about two wines that I noted. The seven zero eight kilometer Cimbrani Bianco and the seven zero eight kilometer Cimbrani Rosa. Is that from one producer or is that a name that's used by all of the producers. No. This is, our, visit card. Okay. This is a line that we created with, selected, wines from our, winery that belongs to Temvranidocq. We produce seven or eight kilometer that is how long are the walls in Chimbra Valley to is dedicated to the landscape. Also, the lab is a is a long wall No. It's longer as the bottle. It's really particular, also the marketing project. Okay. Yep. And inside, we have a sixty percent Mueller Tourgo and forty percent riesling for the white. Sixty percent Scava, forty percent lagrange for the red. We ask our producer to bring to consortium. For the white varieties, the most aromatic, and for the red variety, the more fruity parts that they produce. And is a small production just two thousand five hundred butters yearly. Because this arrives from special lender that they can produce more. So it's just, from one place, the largest production that we can do. And we use these wines, especially, to show how the wine is characterized by the terroir of Chembraale. In the white and the red. Okay. That sound that's a very interesting project. The project is a completed, sir, if I interrupt you from a train to dock, train to DSC, also two thousand seven hundred eight kilometer. And right now, we're selling the two thousand seventeen. It's, a wine that, remains on the yeasts for forty months, and, it's just Blahnde, blank, And, we also want the silver me that are the sparkling and champagne concourse. So we we are really happy about this. And then, finally, to complete the line, we have a grappa. Because, is part of our history. Grapa is, what you distill from the Palmas, and, a is a particular grappa. It's fifty percent Kiava, distilled Bay Marie, and fifty percent, muhler took out distilled the con in the continuous steam. So two distillation, method to have one grab pad that is unique. Why we did so this, project? Because We want to, have immediately in the noosa when you smile at this grappa. You feel the rude part of the grappa that was one mentioned the characters, of the grappas. But a mouth is really elegant, thanks to the other method of distillation, that, gives immediately the taste that, now is appreciated from the customers. So it's the past and the present taste in one gras. Okay. And again, that gras being very part much part of the culture, and tradition in the Val de Chambra. Yes. Along tradition because is historical. We were part of the Azburgan Emperor. And, during this period, we were allowed to distill seventy liter Yeah. For family. Everybody had, an Alambique at home to distill the pomace because, this alcohol is, gives a lot of energy. Having a glass of grappa is like a eating, a plate of spaghetti. So you have a lot of calories. And, this, this distillate this alcohol helps, the name is, it was Odavi, because it helps again to fight the to to be healthy, you know, to during the poor period. And the cold as well. In the cold as well. And so everybody had this the machine that you needed to have, to distillate. And when we start to Italy, there was no more allowed. And so people but need this graph, but to survive and to sell, also to have some money to to survive for, always for a survivor idea. And so they continue to to produce and to sell them nothing in a legal way. And so there are also a lot of, like the, in in America. So this was, the story is quite the same. But it was to fight the the fact that there was no other economy. And so people or they do so or they have to immigrate. Sure. Yes. Of course. Now, Mara, you said that the consortio also has a restaurant. Is that correct? Yes. That that's correct. What is the name of the restaurant? Cadivaldi. Is a small restaurant with the forty seats. Actually, we're closed because we are we're changing the collaboration with the new chef. It was a restaurant before with classic. And now we want to do a new project where you sit to have a good wine related to the wine that you are going to order. You will receive the good food to pair. So it will be on a new proposal on the restoration market. Coming back to America, Venezuelan International Academy, the ultimate Italian wine qualification will be held in New York City from four to six March twenty twenty four. Have you got what it takes to become the next Italian wine ambassador? Find out at benitez lee dot com. Our listeners, and I'm sure many listening to this will want to visit the Valdi Chambra. I want to visit the Valdi Chambra. What are the Piati T Picci? The local dishes, that pair well with the ciambrony duck wines that everybody should make sure and sample. From the starter, you have to taste our salami. The name is Luganaga. Is salami that is produced. So it's eighty percent co and twenty percent pork. So it's quite, it's not so fat and, it's, fabulous. It's smoked and, well, it's retasting. And also Karne Salada is a typical dishes here that you can have raw or you you can cook. Sorry. And, it is producer from, always from cow meat. And, it's really fabulous. It's a salted, meter that, you can use a scar patch as well. What wines would would pair with? The, the, and the Karnez Sala. Yeah. You have to pair with the our white Miller Tur gal. Because of the minerality of these wines, it gives you the right balance and mouth and, it excelled the the the part of the meter, and also it cleans at the end, the fat part, and it's really easy. As a main dish, I suggest strangolapreti, that is like a produce with spinach and ricotta cheese and, really tasty. And, polenta also is really typical with, or, with tonco de Pontezel is another dish that, is typical, is produced from the not the, noble part of the cowl, but the poor part, and it's really tasty. And What was the name of that? We don't have an Italian translation for this. Okay. And it's like a Tino, but not produced not with the noble part of the animals, but from the poor part one. Okay. And you would have that with Polente as well. With Polente as well. And, Patugu is also typical. It's like a puri, but not, there is also potatoes inside. But the main part is for jolly is the the bean and, also with zucchini, and it's also mashed together, like mashed potatoes, and, it's really tasty. And some was, my mother, do it, add also, bacon. So he's no more a veggie dish, but it's really tasty. As as they said, we conclude with a good strudel. We have a lot of we produce not just wine, but also apples. And so we use a pulse for producing cake, torta de mele, or strudel, or also there are other cake that is still typical as produced with the old bread, the torta de Pane. Okay. So those sound really, really interesting and hearty dishes to enjoy with the polenta and the and the dishes that you mentioned, the Spectetino, and the you have to match with the Scawa. Scawa is, so wonderful wine that you can match from the starter to the desserts because it has the the cherries, and, and the strawberry, aromas in nose, and also mouth is really light. It's also stronger. The alcohol is about eleven degrees generally. So it's not so, alcoholic. And is the one that we always match with our dishes, sir, during the our meet, so during the lunch and during the, dinner also. Okay. And of course, that And then we, in summer, we serve it from the freak Oh, okay. Really like a is what we is it like a drink for us? Yeah. Okay. The grind would be a bigger wine. La grinder is more deeper. It's more, the the structure is more important, and this we match with the the wild meat. Okay. The chingale. Chingale chingale or, chervo. Chervo. Typical for us. Anderson, yep. Yes. Okay. And the Appful strudel, of course, that's a reminder of the Austrian influence in, in Taintino Altua de deger. What would be the wine to have with with the strudel? With the strudel, there would be a good pacito, but unfortunately, our area is not good, for pacito wines. And so we match with grappas, usually. Oh, okay. Okay. Good. We've met with GraPA and our rest. Toronto, sir. And, another dish that I forgot is very typical. Oh, of course. Yeah. That is for the Austrian culture, but we were Australian till the eighteenth. So, the our, dishes, has a lot of to do with the German culture. Can you describe the Canadian? Canadian. Canadian, to have Canadian, you have to use the old bread. You cut it. You add what you have in the fridge. So or salami, cheese, or also vegetable, and you do small bowl, you add some milk to make the bread, not so crispy. And you do small boil and then you boil it, and then you can add the or spetatino or ragu or a bother and have it in the white version. I love the canardly. It's a real specialty. These little dumplings a real specialty of trentino. Yes. What wine would you have? It depends on the which is the recipe because if you have canadilla del carne so with mita, scavo is either one. If you have canadilla with spinach, is by the name. Okay. I don't know how to say English. Can you help me? Is that horse radish? It can be. It's the it's the red one, cabbage maybe. It may be. Maybe. Yeah. But this one is also another typical, is a veggie that grows in winter. You collect in winter from from your land, and is used to produce can easily to give taste and color. And, usually, it's we we do can Italy with this, with this veggie with, cheeses. And, with this, it's better to match a pinot noir. Okay. Now final question, what about hospitality in the Valdi Chambra. What would our visitors expect if they come? We have a family of hospitality. We don't have big hotels. We also have agriturismus. So our, a lot of smaller agritory is Muso with six eight tenth room, not big houses, where you usually they are owned by one family, and, you will have, family of hospitality from breakfast that Tila, you're, leaving. This is the main typical, hospitality in our land. Okay. So it's it's, a place for people who want to really experience somewhere, genuino, staying with families, understanding, the landscape, the people, the ways of life, and of course, enjoying the typical foods and wines. Yes. We don't have just the food and wines. We also have some natural places to visit, and they are really wonderful. One is the pyramid of Segonzano that are pyramid mix up from earth, from, the rain, the rain, the sculpture, they are fantastic. Then we have a lot of lake during summer where you can swim. Oh, my. And, also have something good to eat because on the river, there are places to eat. And we have a rockalo of soak I can is really fantastic. It's, like, a clone, construct with, trees, that was used to, catch the birth. Oh, my? Yeah. Is, there are a lot of things to to visit and to to enjoy the the landscape. And also, we have a a wonderful museum of our terwar, the Perfir Museum, where you can learn everything about the Perfir, and he story of our terwar that is the stone that now is used to produce a square. You you find, in a lot of squares around the world, our power. Well, Mara, you've taken us to what sounds like a very magical land. I know it's your home, and I know it's somewhere that's very dear and important to you. So thank you very much for sharing the Val di Chimbra with us. I really enjoyed our conversation today. So thank you very much, and I hope to visit you. Thank you, ma'am, for calling me, and I hope to see you, soon. We have a lot of, occasion of all of our guests. So we start in May with the, preview of our festival. And, then we have, a festival dedicated to Mueller Turgo in July. And then, in October, we have the ten days of the Dollar Wine Heights Festival. So that is the most important event of our valley. To discover landscape people, wines, and food. Wonderful. Thank you, Mara. Thank you so much. Sorry for my English again. Not at all. I've been very clear and given a beautiful description. Thank you. Bye. Bye bye. Goodbye. See 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 wine podcast dot com. Until next time.