Ep. 1893 Michael Albarello of Fongaro | Wine, Food & Travel With Marc Millon

The Italian wine podcast is the community driven platform for Italian wine Geeks 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 GreatGeek 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 pots. 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 a wine zone between Virona in Vicenza, that is less well known, but which certainly deserves to be better known. Montelissini. My guest this morning is Michael Alvarelo from the Fongaros Pumonte Meto Locico wine estate. We'll tell us all about the area, and it's wonderful sparkling wines. Thank you so much for being my guest this morning. How are you? I'm very good. Good morning. Thank you for having me here. It's my pleasure. Now Michael, as I say, the Montelissini area is is not as well known for our listeners around the world as perhaps areas close by, such as a salave or Valpoli channel, but it's a very important source of some wonderful wines that deserve to be better known. So I'm looking forward to hearing more from you about this area. But to give our listeners a chance to really understand where you are, can you describe the Montelicini area and what it's like, the landscape where you are precisely so we can gain a picture in our minds. Yes. Of course. So the landscape is very beautiful and you know, heartbreaking. So, technically, the one that is located in your own cap, which is in province of Corona. Okay? And it's part of the Michigan National Park. Okay? We are, we're an expensive volcanoes left us a fantastic solar structure composed of bezel. So the area is, like, between Verona and Bicenza in the Venatal region. So we are less than an hour away from Venice. And an hour away from God's Lake. And they are very close also to the arena of Verona. It's here that we keep our tradition alive with native variety of Duranda Gray. Okay. It sounds absolutely stunning. And I know that, volcanic soil, which we'll discuss in more detail as we as we continue our chat is one key to the wonderful lines that you're producing, but it sounds like a stunningly beautiful area, this Laisenia Natural Park Yeah. It really, really does sound like a beautiful area for visitors for all sorts of reasons. I'm imagining it's quite a tourist area. Is that right? It's not actually a very touristy area. It's kind of in the middle of nowhere, you know, and godly, and Solave takes most of the tourists in this area. So it's kind of a forgotten corner of the of the province, actually. So we are trying to get people know about this corner and having them come in here to visit us and visit our Beautiful local wines and food. So it's an undiscovered area. That makes it even more enticing. It is. And I hope that our listeners, our listeners who are around the world, perhaps when they come to Verona or indeed to Venice will make the effort to find you. I have to say that, you know, I myself don't know the area as well, and I've been to to Verona many, many times. So it's certainly on my list, and I'll look forward to perhaps meeting on my next visit. Now, Michael, tell us about the story of the phone girl, spumante me to do classical wine estate, how it began, and everything about it. Yeah. Of course. So the phone girl winery was born in the nineteen seventy five. From the fashion and commitment of the founder, we're in Fundero. Since the beginning, the founder strongly believe that cultivating a Neti grave was the best the best thing for our company. And the Neti Grace that we are will be living it's the the Durala. The name of the grape also gives the name of the type of the wine. So Durala, the grape, and Durala is the wine. The Durala is one of the oldest and most difficult vines in the the filling mountains, the area where we are. In the nineteen seventy five, the formula one winery decided to focus is activity on exclusive production of classic metal sparkling wine, which was a big gamble for us, you know, because by the time there was not too many classic methods made out of the out of the umbrella. Also, we embraced the new challenge in the nineteen eighty five, and we completed with our agriculture in a organic organic agriculture. So we are completely organic since nineteen eighty five. That was the second big gamble that, Fungaro, decided to to to embrace. And to date the management of the company has passed into the hands of a young white maker, which name is Danita Danese, which is a young agriculturalist and on onologist who has long been linked to the founder of family. With her skills experience. She is expanding the vision of the winery and linking the tradition of innovation. Okay. So it's a it's a really interesting story that goes back to the nineteen seventies then. So I I guess that was a big leap of faith to begin to make Mato Locico bottle fermented sparkling wines. From this grape that very few people will have known. I think one of the most interesting things about Italy as a whole, and certainly in this case, is that, you know, grapes such as Dorella is probably grown in Montelicini and nowhere else. Yep. I've not encountered Dorella elsewhere. That's part of the fascination of Italian wines is to be able to find a grape that's grown and particularly well suited to its terroir, the locality where it's always been grown. Yep. Now you mentioned the volcanic soil, which is a key to growing Dorella. And, you know, we talk about volcanic soils and how it contributes to wine in many ways. We have volcanic soil nearby and swave, for example. But in the Montylicini, it's a particular volcanic soil. It's the basalt that you mentioned. These formations, almost geometric rocks that underlie the sub sort. And they they're particularly important to adding character to the Durala grape. Is that right? It's obviously right. So, actually, the Durala extract is that cell on the bezels, on the on the blue can of soils. Okay? And that's, like, what makes our wine unique? Because added to the activity of the acrylics, which is very important in our case, and added to the minerals. We have the base to create, you know, a traditional method with a full public. We also we also think that Dorila will be the perfect grade for the future's graphic method because one of the most important thing of the duality to take an activity and the activity allows us to harvest the the grave when the grave is completely draining, you know, so we don't have to anticipate any you know, gray part. So that allows us to wait until the gray part ready. And then we usually, we are done harvesting the wine around the end of September beginning of October, which is dreamful for people that produce graphic method. Okay. So that's a very, very important point that the Dorella has its natural high acidity, but the grapes can still be phenonically bright. You're not picking them just before ripeness in order to maintain acidity. But they're fully ripe, but still have this backbone of acidity that's so important to making classic method, sparkling wines. Michael, would you say that as well, Dorella with its tough skin is also particularly resistant to the challenges that we've experienced in recent years with climate change, with global warming. Yeah. It's very true. The skin of the gorilla is, like, very strong can that covers and protects the grade. That's an important thing for our productions, you know. So that's why we also, most of the time, we'll leave the, you know, the grade to resting on the skins to get the best out of the it because they package, like, our wines, the color, and the body that we need to produce our fucking classic method wine. The Dorella is giving you a full and rich baseline from which to transform into sparkling. Is that right? It's a a full wine in flavor and, body. Correct. Correct. Very interesting also that it's for us. We think that it's easy to make, Dorella that age on the leaves for many months than making a young bravo, a classic metal because of the activity needs the time to round and to be, you know, we say a domesticated. So that's why we start our younger wine. It's cannot be younger than thirty six months, which means that we start from leaving the wine resting on the leaves for at least thirty six months. And that's, like, the youngest one that we that we produce and that we go on to ninety six months. The longevity of the Durala is the most important part of us. That's why we need to be very patient on the collection of our wine. Okay. Well, that's a very, very important point. Now, Michael, just to be clear, Durala is the name of the great Dorello is the name of the wine. Is that correct? Correct. Correct. Okay. And what would one see on the label then? One would one see Dorello Lecini or Dorello Monty. So right now on the DOC, name is, but it will very soon change to Moncini. Okay. That's, like, that's, like, an idea. Okay. Okay. That's important for our listeners when they're seeking these lines. Yep. Now let's talk about the Mato classico. Lucini Dorreroo can also be made by some producers by the Martinochi method. Is that right? But you've chosen the Metodo classico. Yeah. Correct. Since nineteen seventy five, we embrace the challenge on making only sparkling classic macbook wines, based off Durala. Okay? So we don't we decide to not produce any any sharp mac methods. Because we think that Google Alex Plus the fastest, the best of itself on a classic method with the with the time, and it's fine to, you know, to develop and to get best out of this. Right? Okay. Well, let's go through the methods then. I mean, oh, I want to touch on another thing that you mentioned, which I think is important. The decision to farm organically, is that difficult given the climatic conditions we've experienced in recent years with the extreme heat? Perhaps the humidity, the fungal diseases. Is that been challenging more challenging in recent years? Or, do you find that organic Viticulture actually indeed helps the the health of the vineyard and and and to cope with these challenging conditions? So it is it is actually challenging, but we are very lucky because the area where we are, it's very critical to us. So we are in a hill that's, like, hybrid between a hill and the mountains. We're located between two hundred meters above the sea level to five hundred meters to sea level, and all the all the estate direction on on the south. So we are always exposed to the sun. It's very windy. So that helps, like, the net the nature around us help us with, with agriculture. So it is it is actually challenging, but the area we are helps us a lot. So we are very lucky to be here. That's why we decided to be organic since forever. Okay. That's that's important to know. And that, position you're in presumably with that altitude in the vines on slopes, it gives a good ventilation to keep the vines healthy through the summer months. Yep. That's cool. Michael Fongero Espumante mettodoclassica produces a range of mettodoclassica wines all from entirely from the Dorella grape. Is that correct? That's correct. That's correct. We care a lot about our, you know, our our processes to make this classic match. We think that as better as as better you work in the in the field has better resolved you look at. So we start off from the hard from the wine harvest. So we do handpicking graves on the field every year. So we are able to select every every grape on the field and bring to the bring to the winery only the the grapes that we think are good for our wine. We select our grapes And from them, we do, you know, the first process. And then we we we leave the the wine resting on concrete and and iron tanks, okay, for the first five six months. This is the base wine. That's the base wine, exactly. To keep it a fusible after we bottle the wine, we live at aging on our sellers for at least thirty six months, which is our young younger younger wine. And but the oldest one is also can be ninety six months, which are which is our reserva. So we have a lot of wine talk in our in our server waiting to be taste it from Anita and make sure that the wine is, you know, when the wine and trying to understand when the wine got traded because we're trying to follow what they're not what the what they're not the natural health out, you know, because the wine is a it's like natural. So we just need to adapt to, where the wine is leading us and trying to, you know, gather gather the best, the best out of it. And then to keep it still artisanal, we do rebuild every single bottles by hand because we think that the best way to, you know, to get the yeast out of the bottle is by hand. So you don't stress out the wine, which is one of the most important thing for us. You know, don't stress out the wine that's in the bottle. And then after we just go to the wine, we just wait another three or four months until a wine towel to get ready to be drained, you know, from a very pivotal first time. Okay. I'm just gonna clarify for our listeners who may not be entirely familiar that with a Metdaughter Classic, we're talking about secondary fermentation in the bottle. So I want to go back to that base wine that you were discussing. This base wine that you've made from the Dorella grapes, fermented, and then aged in, was it concrete, did you say, for some months? Yeah. As a still wine. And that's the base one. Yeah. Fine. Now is that base wine different for a wine destined to age ninety six months compared to the base wine used to make the wine that will be aged on the leaves for thirty six months, for example? Yes. It is. And that's a very good question. So, to make our reserve off, we have a crew Okay. That's, like, on our highest field, which is on five hundred meters above the sea level. Okay? So the vines there are very old. They're about they're almost seventy years. So the roots were able to get into through the bezel blocks, break the rock, and try to feed themselves from from the rock. So that's that's what we need for a wide base that will rest for so many months on the leaves. The wide base that we need, do we use for our reserve for example, for the entry level label, the vines that are located in two hundred meters of open sea level, they're young to have a powerful body. So that's what we need for a wine that will be ready sooner than w therba. So we place our properties and parts of. And we embrace something here and the grapes that we're picking, we decide what will go on walk based on walk might be. 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. Okay. That's a really, really good explanation. And I'm imagining those very old seventy year old vines growing up at five hundred meters, reproducing a lower yield, but a higher quality in terms of concentration and flavor. And still maintaining that strong backbone of acidity. That's the hallmark of the Dorella. Yeah. That's correct. Okay. So the we've got the base wines. And at that point, the wines are bottled and, yeast is added along with a little bit of sugar would that be for the secondary fermentation? As as I said previously, we try to just follow the natural. Okay? So we just try to adapt to where the wine going. And and eventually fix it. So in that case, yes, we do add the liquor, the pureage, which is, mixed between sugar and yeast that will go on the in the bottle, and that will be court. Okay. And that will start. That will make us that will make the second fermentation starting. And then we just leave the wine with a lot of patient resting for as long as possible to get the best out of that process. Out of a second from a patient in the bottle. Okay. And so this patient aging on the lease, the lease being the sediment that falls out after the yeast is fed on the residual sugars in that, which fall out and leave that sediment. That sediment is important, isn't it? That's adding character that Yep. Autolytic flavors that develop through aging in the bottle. One of the factors that makes a Mato classico different in character to a Martinotti method or or tank fermented wine. So that's a very, very important process. Now how many years is ninety six months? That's, like, about almost eight years. Well, that's incredible. That's incredible. That's a very, very lengthy aging resulting in a in a far more complex wine. You explained as well the process of riddling the remouage. This turning of the bottles by hand to nudge this sticky yeasty sludge down into the neck of the bottle. Many producers nowadays would be using the gyro pellets that turn a large number of bottles mechanically, but this is all being done by hand. Again, you're saying this is important to to not stress the wines to treat it gently and carefully. Yep. That's correct. What the general pilot will do in four or five days, it's what we do in one month and a half by hand. So it takes time. Yeah. It takes time, and it takes strong wrists as well. It's a repetitive job that is not easy. I've done it myself. And Yep. You know, to do that, that regularly is is a a manual task that requires a lot of man hours or or human hours Yep. To undertake that. So again, another method which results in in the quality of your wines. Yeah. Now let's talk about the wines themselves, the character of the wines, and I particularly like to turn to matching your Lecini Dorilla or Montelicini wines with foods and with the foods of the region. Are your wines? Would you say gastronomic wines? Good wines to enjoy them with food? And particularly with the local foods. They are talking again about the food of our wines, make our wine very dry. The classic method also makes our wine, you know, soft and ballity on the pallet. So that you start from a good base to be able to pair, you know, local food, which is, like, the local food's very rich, long, you know, long process of cocaine. Tell us about some of the dishes. What what what local foods in particular are you thinking about? Pairing well with your wines. And so since we are in the mountains, it's very, popular here to have, you know, wild animals ragu. That's how we call it, which is, you know, as they'll cook meat that we add on offers or or a result of those. And so those are very rich flavors. Most of the time, people pair those food to, you know, red wines because they need You need a full body wine to pair to this, like, very rich food, local food. Since we have, you know, a good activity that will try out your mouth after eating this food and keep it dry and the persistency in in your mouth helps carry. It's not hard to to pair our wine to local foods because of the full body and exceed the other wine. I think that's really interesting, Michael. You know, as you say, game or, a ragu made from game from the mountains. We wouldn't normally be thinking about maybe our biggest red wines to enjoy with these dishes, but you're you're absolutely right. There's no reason why. Yeah. Because you know, we're we're thinking the tannins will help with the richness of the ragu. But that strong streak of that backbone of acidity in your classic method sparkling wines, I think would be fascinating and hugely enjoyable paired with foods of this nature. So that's a, you know, it's not something I've come across, you know, even speaking with producers from other sparkling wine regions, you know, we haven't really spoken about having a classic method sparkling with these richer, bigger flavors that come from wild meats. Yep. So that's a very, very interesting. And what are some other local dishes, perhaps, that you would say pair well with your wines? So one of the very, very local food is Sopressa De Brenton, which is a very local salami made it made it in this little valley on the top of this hill. The idea is, like, very similar to to the salami, but it's richer. And once you have a bite of it, you got, like, a very full bite as I would say. And, that's very local. So that's, like, something that we we we like to pair to our wires because both of our of both products, the wine and the salami are very local that were born here and they are something that people from here, they're a paxton. Okay. And I'm guessing that this, local, suppressor will be quite rich in fat as well. It is. And and it would be And that would be why, again, enjoying this. Maybe with your younger, your thirty six month, wine, would that be the wine to enjoy with the soapressa? Yeah. That would be also the wine that you can enjoy with plus that because the idea of that wine is to be, you know, to enjoy the thirty six months on for a period table. And here we do the productivity. The local period table here is always made made with sparkling wine, so the Dorado suppressedly burnt on and some brands. That's, like, a very, you know, local and very old culture. Yeah. That sounds terrific. That sounds like a perfect appetitivo for me. Now, Michael, what do you say that Montelicini, dark, metal, or classical? Is the sparkling wine of verona for people in verona that are drinking a glass of local sparkling wine, they would turn to your wines. It is. It's always been, like, in parking wine of verona. And, very important for us because we are giving people for on their own, enough talking, traditional metal wine made out of a massive, great. So people feel very proud of it. Awesome wines, you know, because they feel like those are the wine of the people from Verona. So that's, like, very important people. Well, I think that's important. And it's important for our listeners as well. Many of whom will be traveling to Verona too when they're in Verona, when they're in a bar, when they want that local aperitivo to ask for the Montelicini method or classical, and indeed the wines from Fongoro. Now we spoke at the beginning of our chat about in the Laisenia park, being still quite undiscovered. And I'm hoping again that this chat will encourage people to visit. Can you tell us a little bit about wine hospitality at Fongurocanar listeners? Come and visit you and discover your wines? Yeah. Definitely. We do have a wine tasting room. We do have all of our wines in the fridge. We're ready to be drink. When we host people for wine tasting, we like to have them having jewelry like a prieve to our culture. So we do bring the suppress of Brentone and some salamis and cheeses from Ronka from this area because we wanna keep it local, you know. And so we do bring people to the field. We just show them and touch them. We we we make them touch how we make them our wine, and we want to express also how much passion we put on, make our wines. And so to be able to do that, we just like to have people seeing every single part of the winery, you know, and we like to show them the, like, the process from the field to the table. Okay. So we have, like, a short visit of the winery, and then we have a short visit of the sellers, and then we sit down on table in the wine in the wine room, wine tasting room, and then we sit the wine, and we eat the local food. Well, that sounds perfect. It's something that, I would very much like to join you on when I next come to Verona. I'm going to be Yep. Visiting fairly soon. So I will try to give you a call and see if I can make a visit. I think it's important for our listeners to learn about a grape. They won't have perhaps tasted before, which is as a long pedigree. It's a native grape that certainly should be celebrated. So I'm looking forward to visiting you myself. But in the meantime, Michael, thank you very much for giving us your time this morning. For explaining your area, the beauty of it, the fossil volcanic soil that nourishes the Dorella grape to make Lecini Dorello or Montelicini Methro del classic wines at Fonguro. It's been a great pleasure talking to you, and I think you've taught us a lot about your area. So thank you very much. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Good afternoon, Michael. And I hope I hope to see you soon. You're more than welcome to come whenever you want. Okay. 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.