Ep. 2004 Riccardo Brighigna of Cantina Tollo   | 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 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 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, I'm delighted to begin a special new subseries that highlights the winners of the prestigious five star wines and wines without walls competition that took place in April just prior to Vinitalee twenty twenty four. Over the course of three long days, and they were long days, more than two thousand two hundred wines were tasted by an international jury of wine professionals that included Italian winemakers, sommeliers, Italian and international journalists and wine writers as well as Italian wine ambassadors and Italian wine experts. Those wines that scored more than ninety points were awarded certificates and have been included in the five star wines and wines without walls twenty twenty four book. While the very best wines in each category were singled out for special awards. My guest today is Ricardo Bregina, the winemaker at Cantina Tollo in which won the five star wine's best Rosay wine award for its Cera swallow da bruso, D o p, Davi twenty twenty two. Welcome Ricardo. Congratulations and Thanks for being with us today. How are you? Hi. I'm very well, Marco. Thank you for having me. Well, thank you for being with us. I know I know it's a busy time as always. But for our listeners, I want to give them an impression of where you are of Tolo and the landscape of the Kieti vineyards or Cantina Tolo is. I know it's a really beautiful and majestic area. So can you just drive where you are. Hey, Abruzzo, if you ever been in Abruzzo, the the name, they call it, the green region of Europe. It is a really green region. Abrutso, for example, is home to three natural parks. They are brutso, natural park, grants us, so in the multidelalaga national park, which constitute the vast protect area. Dedicated to conservation of the nature, wildfire. For example, we have, several, wild animal lives such as the Marcy cam browse bear, opening walls, chamois, and DSO. It's a very green, and incontaminated region. It's between, in the in the in the central part of Italy. The same latitude of Rome on the Adriatic sea is, from the Adriatic sea to the mountains. It is important to say that we have the two highest mountain in the upper city of Italy. So up to three thousand meter, very interesting points. Okay. That's very interesting. Yeah. Okay. Well, that's a good picture. And this proximity of the Adriatic and the high mountains, pennines that rise that go all along the spine of Italy are very much a feature of a brussel. Yeah. Now Ricardo, Cantina Tolo was founded in nineteen sixty at a time when people from Abruzzo were being forced to leave their homes in search of better lives. Can you give us a very brief history of Cantina Tolo. Cantina Tolo was born in the sixteen, back to the sixteen, was, founded from a group of, Viticulturists in not easy period, the the time they decide to find this winery to try to approach the market, altogether and, to try to sell the wine both in the domestic and the international market. Now or Cantinato group, because now we have also another brand that is, failed on Tico. It's our premium brand with the separate wineries, very close to Cantinato. And without continue to group take care of two thousand five hundred hectares, sir, around seven hundred, associated grape robots, members. And, we produce around, eighty one eight million bottles. Halloween continue to be one of the most important wine business in Italy for boutique impact on the role of a national and regional level and the international market. Mhmm. So last year was was not a lucky vintage for Peronoster, but, in the average canteen at all, just to give you an idea of the dimension, works, fifty thousand tons of grapes, around the alpha and alpha white varieties and red. It is based in the tall low commune just in the center of the of the town. It's a very suggestive position because it's just in the center of the town. The the position is our signal as I mentioned earlier between the Adriatic Sea and the Maiella, massive. Okay. That's a very good description. And I think it's important to emphasize to our listeners that Cantina Tolo was born out of a desire to find ways to bring grape growers together to help market the wine, take them to national and international markets, and and it's been very successful. It's one of the most important cooperative wineries in Italy producing, really extensive and impressive range of wines. Ricardo, the mission of Cantino is to celebrate the territory of a brusso. We do say above all using the native grape varieties. Exactly. We are we feel, ourselves, the ambassador of the indigenous grape varieties of our of our roots because we are the biggest winery with the great tradition, and so we try to to confirm the quality of the our indigenous varieties. If you want that, I described you, this, this varieties, and our wines. Yes, please. I think if we could do that, that would be good. Yeah. Yeah. We have Our main, historical grape variety is the Trebiano. We have two clones of the Trebiano. Trebiano, Davruzzo, is a separate clone, and the Trebiano Tuscano is a Tuscany Tribiano. Is developing, in the center of Italy, mainly also in, in the in the area, but in a brusso, develop a a particular character because as I mentioned, you earlier, a brusso enjoy the infrared the climatic influence of the Adriatic sea and the mountains, you know. For example, Tolo is just in the middle. In a in a strike line, we are at the ten kilometers from the Adriatic sea and around thirty kilometers from the a three thousand meter altitude. No? So we have been in the night, the influence of the mountains. During the day, the sea breezing that cooled down the temperature. And so the great in a brutes or retain acidity and flavors because of the eye during the range between the day and night. No. Okay. So we have a a particular character. The best region where you you can grow to the piano is a brutes. So it's just a a brute So then we have a pecorino. Mhmm. Pecorino is, a recent discovery back to around twenty years ago, was discovered by a white maker in LaMar region. Then, pecorino spread more in in a brutal than in the market. We have now a lot of pecorino at the different altitude, the different exposure, and pecorino is very sensitive to altitude, temperature, and urinal range. You can find pecorino along the the cost with the it's a fuller body, richer, more spicier, a stone fruit character, and you find pecorino close to the mountains with that develop more bread through it. I would say, sauvignon black light character, you know, Tariolic, character, with the higher dune red. Then we have, passerina is a indigenous variety of both the lemarque region and the brusso. Pasadena is a late ripening variety, retain a lot of acidity, freshness, pleasant, phenolic finish that, add the freshness of this variety. That's very interesting. Then we have only in a brusso, our doctors varieties, is a cocoa chola. Mhmm. It is very, very interesting that it's, in my opinion, is the variety that is adapting best to climate change. Because even in, in a warm, vintage, retain a lot of acidity, freshness, almonte carater, chamomile, it's a very, very interesting variety. It's very interesting because it's only our variety though, because pecorina, you can find pecorino, Labarca, and the Pasadena as well. And the Coca Cola is only from a Brute. So it's a good potential. No? Do you think we'll be seeing more Coca Cola? We don't see a lot of Coca Cola. Yes. I Do you think that's a great variety that will grow in importance? Yes. I think so. I think so. I think that a BRutso would invest more in this variety because of these our varieties as also as I mentioned earlier, Coca Cola is the variety that is adapting best to climate change. So in my opinion, Coca Cola is a variety with the really with the great potential. That's very interesting. And then the our latest discovery, the the first bottling data back, of, two, three years, sir, is my olika. Okay. My olika is a red kind of variety, thin skinned variety with the pale ruby color, more elegance than power. So it's just to give you an idea. It's similar to grenache or pinot noir, since it's variety. It's a it's a profile that very appealing to the, modern consumer, I think. Isn't it? Yeah. That's interesting. I've not tasted a majorlica. Yeah. And the Katina Tolo was, among the the first producer that bottle of majorlica. We age majorlica both in amphora and in the food and, with the whole bunches. It it's a very interesting variety. Okay. That's very interesting. And then, of course, your great red grape that people know and love. It's a multiple channel. You mean, sure. Of course. Of course. Of course. Is our historical variety, and, multiple channel is the icon of a, of a brusso. In my opinion, multiple channel is already undervalued variety, you know, because can express really great, great wines, with the great potential for aging as well. But, overall, there's a variety that shows, a great versatility You can produce with, multiple channel, great, Rosier, for example, the Chera swallow, you can produce fluid driven wines, easy to drink, and all get fresh. And you can produce full body, tonic, age work, this style of channel. Mhmm. It's a great versatility, and in a brutal, even more in the different landscape, along the coast, they're close to the mountains. So a a great potential to show not a monolithic product, you know, and the case shows a a wide range of size. That's very interesting. I support that. In this market, there's a great potential. I think that's very important, very important for our listeners to understand as they see multiple China da brusso wherever they are in the world to understand this range of wines that can be produced of different styles and different quality levels. 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. Let's focus on your award winning wine, that Charaswala da Brusoque. Yeah. It's a it's a really important style of wine in a really beautiful expression of a Rosato. Explain, tell us a little bit about this one. Absolutely. And and and what does divine mean? The vine, is a disability. It's a non center divinity linked with a part of a of a brusso. The vine, is a symbol of fertility. And, as a symbol of fertility, I think that has the rebirth of the tradition. No? Okay. Yes. The this fertility can repair the tradition because, in the last few years, due to the market trend that, you know, one prevents the size of wine, very pale in color that is not is not the chair as well. You cannot find on the label of the cera swallow, but the cera swallow. So cera swallow is a style. The first, disciplinary of the cera swallow is with the skin contact. You're able to take the skin contact. So the color is a deep pink. It's not very pale pink. Container Tolo and bassador of the tradition of a of our boots decided to create the device, respects the very typical side of the Charaswola. So it's produced like, with a very traditional metal up to eight, ten hours of skin contact before the pressing stage, then the jet pressing, and the fermentation to dryness in the bottigrami, in large oak vessels. Okay. But in at the vessel. So like the tradition around, eighteen degrees and searches, the temperature of fermentation, then the wine remain on the file list up to nine months without Baton Rouge, before boldly. Nomalo. So it's a very, very traditional lecture as well. We are so happy that the jury of the Pfizer decided for the best of Italy. So it's a it's a great, with the ninety three points was a great success for us and for the tradition of a brutal well. Yes. Certainly. And I think that's a really good description, Ricardo. For our listeners who find the from Cantino Tolo. It's a different category almost of, wine from what we think of perhaps says a rose. It's a fuller style. It it's powerful. And I would say that, ceterisolo is perhaps an a wine that's been created above all to enjoy with the foods of a bruso. Yeah. Would you say ceterisolo da brus so divine, for example, is the perfect wine to pair with. Exactly. Exactly. Great choice. Congratulations, Mike for for the choice. It's a Broadeto is a very typical, fish soup of, of a root zone. We think this is one of the best food matching, but not only with the with the fish, because the collector of, of Chera swallow is a very full body. This kind of a cera swallow is also gently awkward. It's very gastronomic. And you can pair cera swallow during the summertime. If you don't want to drink red wines, during the summer, for example, you can, use the cera swallow with a very interesting and typical food matching of a brusso such as pasta and fagioli. That is pasta and bean soup. For example, a that is a kind of, fried bolts made with cheese, eggs, and bread crumbs serve at the side dish or appetizer. It's a very typical, of a brusso. What is that called again? The name? The name is is Palotto Caccio Eovo. Okay. Palotto Caccio Eovo. Yeah. They are fried, the bolts made of cheese. Eggs and the bread crumbs. Okay. Great. That sounds delicious. Yeah. Very delicious. Yeah. Would you have the, the ceterisolo with the Arosti cini? As well. Maybe better with the Monteful channel. Sure. Yeah. The the best, food matching with Rostichini just to explain her a sort of a ski was of a greenland lamb or sheep. It's also a popular street food in Abruzzo. You are well informed. Okay. Maybe better with the with multiple channel, but they're also good with the Cheryl Swaddlers. It depends on maybe also on the seats or no. During the summer, maybe it's very enjoyable with the, with the with the Cheryl Swaddlers as well. Okay. And, what temperature would you serve Charaswolo at? You don't want it too chilled. Is that right? It depends on the style because you you can find different style of Charaswolo. You can find easy drinking, food driven, stretch with the moderate alcohol. And, you can drink this kind of Sherah swallow around ten degrees, nine, ten degrees of the temperature. And, you can find Sherah swallow, like, device. This case, and you could eat better higher temperature because he's also injured in, in the body, grandi, in the in larger Okema cells. So it's very complex, full body, and maybe better around from thirteen to fifteen degrees Celsius. Okay. That's good advice. Now final question, Ricardo, can our listeners who may find themselves in Abrutso. Can they visit Cantina toll? Absolutely. Do you have, facilities for hospitality? Yes. We have. We have built very close, to the cantina toll or headquarters. A new headquarters for our premium brand, failed antico. The uniqueness of this winery is, that, it stands of an ancient Roman dealer discovered in two thousand thirteen during excavation for the winery. That's very interesting. Very interesting. So visitors can also visit the remains of the villa. It's a sort of museum inside the wine. And inside the winery, there is also hospitality and so visitors can also sleep inside. We have a four room. They can eat. In internal, restaurant, there is a chef inside the the the front door, headquarters, visitors, can also enjoy a spa, internal spa. Well, well, that's a fabulous, fabulous opportunity for wine, hospitality, and wine tourism. And I'm sure our listeners will be very interest it and we'll hope to find the way there. I would love to visit you certainly myself. Thank you. Ricardo, it's been a pleasure, speaking with you this morning for you sharing something of the story of this historic and hugely important an impressive, which has been making wine since nineteen sixty. You've given us an overview of the territory of the grape varieties and indeed we focused on this special wine which won this important award at five star wines. Ricardo, thank you so much for being my guest today. I hope you have a great day. Thank you. Thank you. The same to you, Mark, and, thank you so much for having me. 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.