D: How
did you get involved with wine, and how long have you known
the Gavi area?
R: I took my first steps in the sector in 1982 and of
course the first areas I became familiar with were in Piedmont
- Barolo and Barbaresco initially and later Gavi. I got into
wine out of curiosity, and also because there were new job possibilities
in this sector, which many people did not consider in that period
of widespread recession. In the early Eighties Carlo Petrini
realised there would be excellent possibilities for expansion
in our area, and in food and wine in particular, and so he decided
to focus on the wine sector – and he got me involved too.
D: How do you think the quality
and image of the Gavi area have evolved over the years?
R: The area has certainly grown. When I began working,
there were no more than 5 or 6 wineries in Gavi, whereas now
there are many more. The wine has improved too, along with the
image of the whole area. But although this is a lovely area
in terms of nature and environment, I think that it could offer
more, especially in weaker areas like restaurants and hotels.
I don’t have the winning recipe but I think that there
should be more on offer, not only in terms of wine but more
for tourists in general. |
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D: Some
people are still sceptical about projects based on promoting
the link between wine and this area. What are the advantages
of this?
R: It’s always difficult to convince sceptics about
the advantages of certain types of project, especially when
you want to involve a whole area and many businesses. But events
like “Andare per Gavi” prove that this is the right
direction. Of course a single project or event is not enough
to make an area known but if everyone takes part the results
will speak for themselves. And people shouldn’t be afraid
to be far-sighted and even move into countries that are likely
to have more difficulty in getting to know Gavi, like Australia
and the United States.
D: What would be some good objectives
for wine producers in Gavi?
R: The only objective is quality. Harder work is needed
in the vineyard to achieve this, using traditional but effective
systems and not simply talking about “thinning”
- especially when no-one then does it. In the cellar, just avoid
wasting what the vines have to offer.
D: The comments about our wines
in the “Italian Wines” Guide published by Slow Food
and Gambero Rosso are more positive and flattering every year.
Do you have any advice to help us improve even more?
R: Just carry on as you have been doing. You’ll
soon see the results. |
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