August 6, 2025 • 50 mins
Historic documents of grape cultivation on Mt Vesuvius in Campania date to 5th century B.C. Here, volcanic soils result in exceptional wines unique to Vesuvio DOC. Cantina del Vesuvio was founded in 1930 by the Russo family. Located on the southern slopes of Vesuvius with views of the sea, Cantina del Vesuvio is the ideal setting to taste Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio DOC ("Tears of Christ"), wines only produced only in his area. Cantina del Vesuvio offers lunch with wines and cooking classes.
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The Connected Table is broadcast live Wednesdays at 2PM ET and Music on W4CY Radio (www.w4cy.com) part of Talk 4 Radio (www.talk4radio.com) on the Talk 4 Media Network (www.talk4media.com).
The Connected Table Podcast is also available on Talk 4 Media (www.talk4media.com), Talk 4 Podcasting (www.talk4podcasting.com), iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, Audible, and over 100 other podcast outlets.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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(00:20):
choosing W FOURCY Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Welcome to the Connected Table Live where your hosts Melanie
Young and David Ransom. You're insatiably curious culinary couple. We
travel the world to bring you the amazing people in
places that we visit, the wines we taste, the foods
we eat, and the spectacular places where you can stay
and be inspired. We want you to expand your palate
(01:04):
and explore the world with us. Today, we're taking you
to Vesuvius. That's right, Mount Vesuvius, the largest volcano in
Europe and in the region of Campagna, which is in
southern Italy. You can see the background behind me. That
is Vesuvius, and we're going to go to talk about
(01:25):
Vesuvius wines with a wonderful family run winery that David
and I recently visited when we were there for Campagna Stories,
which is a wonderful program to educate writers like us
on the wines of Vesuvius. The winery is called Cantina
del Vesuvio and it was found in nineteen thirty by
the Russo family. And we'll be speaking with Giovanni Russo shortly.
(01:47):
But this photo behind David and I doesn't do this
winery justice. So Giovanni has graciously provided a brief video
so that you feel that you can be at Kntino
del Vesuvio with us. So we're going to show the
video and then start the conversation. So welcome to the
Connected Table. Live.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Paradise fell into the Gulf of Naples when Lucifer was expelled, Christ,
saddened by the loss of the one who had been
the best angel, wept where his tears fell. Vines were born.
Cantina Delvesuvio was created in nineteen thirty in the shadows
of Mount Vesuvio. The vines are rooted in dark and
(02:28):
porous Slavic soil. We were among the first wineries in
southern Italy to offer daily tours and tastings, and today
we are one of the most popular, both for the
quality of our wines and the gorgeous scenery. Our expert
guide will lead you through our sixteen hectares of vineyards,
pointing out the different.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
Variety of methods we use.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Here on the.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Slips of.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
Let us off to the clubhouse for lunch, overlooking the
rolling vineyards and shimmering Mediterranean. What is it Candida Devasuvio
and see how our family has worked in these hills
every day since nineteen forty eight to create a winery
which combines the rigors of organic production with the warmth
of Italian hospitality.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Well, I feel like I'm back at Contina i Asuvio.
I'm homesick, I am, and I had to just we
start talking with Giovanni. We sent some very dear friends
there recently and they have raved about it. This is
a place that is so welcoming and we really do
get the flavors of the suvio, which again is in Campagna.
(03:37):
We are in southern Italy and Giovanni Russo welcome to
the connected table.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Bonjo, Well, thank you so much for your invite. I'm
very happy to say here.
Speaker 5 (03:47):
What you do not well, we're thrilled to have you
on the show. We had such a lovely time when
we visited back in May, wasn't it, Melanie. Yeah, during
during Campagna's Stories, the press event for the world press
to come in taste the new vintages and get it
get acclimated to the regent's wines, et cetera. We've been
three times now to the Compania Stories, but it was
(04:07):
our first time to Cantina Delvesuvio, so it was really
nice to be able to visit with you and and
learn more about your family and learn more about your wines.
Why don't we kind of take it back to the
beginning of Cantina Delvaso Suvio Giovanni, and why don't you
tell us a little bit about how the winery got started,
just where it is on the slopes of Vesuvius and
(04:28):
in relation to Naples as well.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
Yes, so thank you once again for your invit. I'm
your manily, third generation of the My grandfather started this
business in nineteen thirty. You can imagine it was a
really different from today. There was a warm and also
into this piece of time daily from when my grandfather stopped.
(05:00):
He started with only the actors, producing wine only for
the family use and locals around in Then he improved
his business, becoming one of the most one of the
bigger producers of laklimachristi among the Sulus, exporting our wines
(05:22):
to Naples biosis and carriage in the nineteen forty eight
for the first time right after the Second World War,
the last eruption of the survius in nineteen forty four,
and he told me that to expose our wines from
here to Naples, it took around the six hours biosis
and age today to go from here to Naples, we
(05:43):
only need the twenty minutes of car happen. You can
imagine how difficult he was living in this area at
that time. Then year by year he bought new piece
of lens and especially thanks to my father who decided
around thirty years ago to abandoned the distribution, the selling
(06:09):
to restaurants and supermarket. He's saying, stop, I don't want
to do that anymore. I want to produce less, focus
the attention on the quality for using organic reservious wines.
So he decided to close the door to this kind
of business and open the door to the toss of
(06:29):
this area. Because we are not only on mo Resuris,
but near Pompei a Marte costs of Ento Peninsula. We
have a very huge quantity of visitors coming in this
area every day and visiting us every day. Most of
them are coming from the US, Kanada and the Europe.
(06:50):
That's why year by year we have been always very
organized of wine tastings, tools and moreso deliveries of our products.
Do to do to our divisitals. So today the characteristic
of our one is that you cannot find our wines
(07:13):
anywhere else if not here at our one.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
This is.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
This was a very hard the show is thirty years
ago all the producers of the suits were looking at
my father as a crazy man. Then the situation changed
and now all the producers and the suvis are doing
what we are, what we started a lot of time ago.
And this is good because doing one tourism producing less
(07:44):
today and where is the future? The quality is the future. Also,
to fight climate change problems of any kind, tariffs, this
is the way to find them to be strong, even
(08:06):
if you are a small family ordered winery like we are.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
I'm curious because we have been to Vesuvius, we've met
with many of the family wineries and just for everyone
watching and listening is family wineries. I mean, you've got
it's a very large area, but the family wineries are
usually very small. You've got like sixteen hectares, right.
Speaker 4 (08:31):
We have sixteen hectors. We recently both a few more rectors,
but not for the wine production, but for the olive
oil production. We are investing a lot in the recent
years on the olive oil extravage. Then the sixteen nectars
we grow x vinion mostly for three different varieties above
(08:56):
all catone empios, so they are local varieties you can
find only here. Versus Capetoni is the white grape and
pi also is the late grape. They were involved by
Golman people over two thousands and five hundred years ago
from Greece. They planted these vines around the pony here
(09:18):
on is because they took the look that the soil
was perfect for the cultivation of vines. But it's not
only for vines, for everything you cultivate in this area.
And they exposed them this wine from Bombay or the
Roman nambald and so you can imagine that how lucky
(09:41):
we are to still have the same variety of grapes
of two thousands years ago. We are one of the
fewest dooc who preserved very ancient and autotomous varieties. The
term we go Isicoanico. We consider it's like the father
(10:07):
of all the grapes of Campania region. We use Adianico
to produce usparklings in wine, the one you tasted that
your impranc here have wine, we call it. We suppose
up lay also for only one wine, the which is
a special red wine.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
You know before we get into your wines, and the
specialness of Lacroma Christie, which is reference in the video.
Let's talk a little bit about location because many people
have not may have not visited Mount Vesuvius.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
There.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
It's actually two areas Sumo Asuvius, because there's two like
chronical areas, one born from the other. Why don't you
talk about that because there are wineries on the north
Suma side and then many wineries on the south side.
Talk about that geological geographical distinction and how are different
(11:01):
for our and for everyone listening viewing. There's a national
park there we can go hiking, which we do. We
actually want to have to see a crater.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Yes, the good things, the interesting things of a volcano
or and the Surius particularly because of its shape is
the conical shape. So everything where you are, even if
you produce the same wine likely maglis, you're using the
same you have always different characteristics because of the climate,
(11:31):
because of the sun exposition, because of many factors. The
Monsmad it's the very historical, paestorical part of the volcano,
the one who was considered the entire volcano during the
eruption of seventy nine before christ because then with that
(11:54):
eruption destroy the Pompeii, the mons Maad, the Surius collapsed
inside itself. Then with the all the elctions after that,
the Resuvious were lightness, low is lolling, waking up from
the inside. That's why we have Besvious and Montezma on
(12:18):
the northern part of it. Continua is located on the
south east side, overlooking the good for Naples, not because wine,
but we think we are we have the best exposition
in terms of land escape for short. Then everyone can
(12:42):
say if the wine is better in the northern part
of the southern past, but there isn't a better wine.
It's a subjective teams. It depends on many or many factors.
Here we are overlooking the good from Naples the peninsula,
so then I'm suddenly it's quite late. Otherwise I would
(13:04):
turn the desktop to show you something. And we also
are overlooking the Cape Island. And this is very important
for us because the winery is essentially in the middle
between the volcano and the sea at three hundred and
fifteen meters on the sea level, and this is perfect
(13:27):
for the cultivation. It's perfect for us that we are Orgainic.
We must be honest. It's very easy for us to
respect the organic regulation and certification because there is always
a blaz from the sea and from the mountain, making
sure that the vegetables part the bnes are very dry,
(13:50):
so without humidity it's hard for the bactais and illness
to attack. And this makes our wine very easy to
produce it under this point of view, and we are
very very happy and proud of it. Of course, what
makes unique these products is soil is a boll. The
(14:14):
soil we are on a volcanic soil made of ash.
Its pam is lava and a lot of mineral, a
lot of potassium. This gives a lot of straight to
the cultivation other than minds. Us is very well known
for the pinoo tomato for every coats and many other cultivation.
But what makes them very special is the soil.
Speaker 5 (14:39):
You know, Melanie, we were the shot behind us in
this in this video right now is that vineyard at
Cantina dela Vesuvio, and it really is basically like crushed
up lava. It's very it's very porous, which is a
good thing in a lot of ways because it provides
good drainage for the grapes and LUs philaxa can't grow
(15:01):
in it, which is another good thing. So a lot
of the a lot of the original root sucks are
still in play on Vesuvius and especially in this region.
Let's talk about lacrymcchristie, the wine Giovanni, because lacram Christie
is a wine, it's not a grape, and it's made
from the grapes that you grow there. But let's let's
talk about it a little bit of its history and
(15:21):
then the grapes used to make it.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
Magristi means translated, the tears kais coming from Latin tearsochis
why because there is a legend who says that kais
was here on or looking at this beautiful path of
the world, actually with this landscape, so many nice things,
(15:46):
so in recognize this is a part of paradise. Was
stalled by Lucifa when he was the center from the pilot.
So he moved and for me tears were born. The
lack in Machristie marts. Of course this is earlier agend.
Like in Machristi, is the do o C, the crew
(16:08):
the best product aft of the the Surius dio Pe consortium.
So it's the best you can find here on the Surius.
And to produce likely Machristi, you must use a certain
percentage of the grapes, and been mentioned before carritone and pilivos,
(16:30):
so the regulations say at least seventy percent. Then when
Isa allowed to use all the grapes like Gianico for
the reds, of Flangina for the whites, and a few
of the grapes, but here a cardinal except the z
before we go in the bottle with another percent of
(16:55):
our our indigenous grips, carne and plivos. The rezon is
that we want to put in the class as much
as possible of the Tejuan of what people are looking
and feeling when they are here. They look around themselves,
they can smell, they can touch the ground, and when
(17:18):
they drink our wines, they must feel that sensation even
if they are in us or someone else in the world.
And that's why we keep this uh, this tradition, in
this idea above.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
All and continued to Masubio exclusively makes with the exception
of the capital Fesco sparkling the spumante rose from Aglianico.
You exclusively produce la lacryma Christie. You do a bianco
rosato and rosso uh and then I take a pasito,
which is which is unusual for this area. See don't
(17:57):
otherwise make binaries, make a lot of other kind the
products or the most of the wineries focused only on
la Cramachristi.
Speaker 4 (18:05):
Or the winer is also produced Pompeiano g t which
is a sub nomination because you must know that to
produce like macristy, you can only use grapes from the
National Park of Resus, only from seftings on inside the
National Park Servius. Then you can still use grapes coming
(18:28):
from the entire province of Naples to produce Pompeiano, which
is as I told you, are sub denomination also the
Suvio doc because we have nomination like Magrisi of all
the suboc and Pompeiano then, but we only focus our
(18:48):
attentions on the best, like Macristy, because as a family
we don't want to do many things. We try to
keep the production and the offer easier simple also on
the said is possible, and we just want to do less. Honestly,
(19:14):
this is what we do, what we want.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
So just to be clear, Lacer mccreasty can only be
produced in the do O, which is only in the
south side of Vesuvius. Correct, in a specific sub area.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
There is a net actually but yes, mostly in the
southern side. There are part of the northern side, but
mostly yes, in the southern.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Side, and there is a required DOOC guidelines for producing
them as you said as well. So it's very specific
to the region and to the guidelines of production and
of the grapes which are the local grapes Capratoni covope.
Speaker 4 (19:58):
And you mentioned the certification from the ministry. They think
some they taste it, they do some analysis and then
they prove to us we are for using like MAGNETI.
Then they give us the ministerial label on the neck
(20:19):
of the bottle, which sapetified it's at the ocida.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
So Pierre roussa, which is the grape used to make theo.
Can tell us about the grape because it is local
to the area, and can it be used for other
kinds of wines like it t Pompeo or the only
made for Lacram used for Lacram Christie.
Speaker 4 (20:45):
It can use the for any of these three the
nomination and chan a choice of the wine. But of course,
if I'm here in the cars into the national part
of the into the red zone, the most same trick
about the denomination and I I want to produce the
(21:06):
lack of MAgric So yes poso, which means pey balloon
in Neapolitan. It's the foot of a kind of bird
that we have in this area. Yes, and that's why
it's called like that. It's a very unique gris because
(21:27):
it doesn't give you a lot of production. It's a
very low production in terms of yield, and but it
gives you gives you a lot of tehrouan with notes
of with volcanic notes like blackstone, black pepper, wetstone stuff
(21:52):
like that, to the nine to this area.
Speaker 5 (21:57):
I found this. I found the lack of Christian the
pier Resta to be a really fascinating wine. It's very unique,
had great it had lovely body to it, had a
greatest civility to it, and just a very nice one.
And I'm assuming although the vintages that we tasted were
not very old, I think that all this one we
(22:18):
tasted was a twenty seventeen. I think it's got a
real ability to age as well. Is that right, Giovanni?
Speaker 4 (22:24):
Absolutely yes, I must be honest. The reason why we
don't need a really old vintagers is because everything goes
so out, so uh take that point. Is a company
you must decided selling all. I honestly, we have been
(22:45):
selling everything because the people were asking ford and but
we hope in the future to have the opportunity to
start keeping some bat ors away so to them in
the future. I have bottos very old wines for my
(23:05):
year of bird which my father, my father took away
the talents any good and from nineteen ninety six or so,
wines from two thousand, very good vintages, and I can
see it deserves very well.
Speaker 5 (23:27):
You know, I have a question for you, Giovanni. They're
the lacomer Christie. Red and white both have to have
capertoni and pied russo, and then respectively or in reverse.
Shall we say you make it from one hundred percent
each wine, one pied rousso for the red, one hundredercent
of capertoni for the white. Can you use it use
(23:48):
a blending grape in there if you want to, or
does it have to be one hundred percent.
Speaker 4 (23:52):
It's allowed, as I told you before, it's allowed to
use all the thirty percent of I'm blending. For example,
in the leg most of the wine is Idanico, but
Ianico is a very particular attending and in our opinion,
makes the wine too similar to all the wines from Campanion.
(24:16):
Each we want a wine which not must not be
strong like more many people ask, but must be genuine
and must represent the place. The location. We all at
an hundred percent, not a seventy percent. So that's why
(24:40):
we don't blame none of our wines, etcetera. For the reserve.
But the reserve is a blend of pedivos so eighty
percent and Ianico only twenty percent. The reason gives Iannico
only in this situation is because Gianic contending gives a lot,
a lot, a lot of longevity to to the wine.
(25:01):
So we have a vizenna of over twenty thirty years.
And why they are very in very good condition, it's
because of the Ianico Iannico as this characteristics.
Speaker 5 (25:16):
You know, Melanie, that's the wine that's fairitful. One the cases,
the reserve is the one that's the most biggest seller
in the American market too.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
I must say, I must say unfortunately maybe because I
prefer the oldest, but they are not represented. But wine
is subjective. Wine depends on many things, the food that
you are paying weed. You know, in Italy we only
drink wine if failed with food. I know in the
(25:45):
US they are part of the world. You can drink
also wine with emptity so much it's not for Italian,
but we have to pay wine with food. Wine depends
also on the person while drinking wine depends or your
mood that day. Wine depends of the of the period
(26:09):
of the year. If you are in some in winter,
it depends of the time of the day of many things.
So you can choose the wine and you may like
a wine more than another according with the many things
in the US. You drink a lot of these, I
must say, you may probably eat a lot of meat.
(26:30):
They called the winds, and I must expect something like that.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
That said, though white wines are doing very well here,
I have a hunches to the warmer weather, climate change
people drinking or white wine. I have a lot of
really good friends who are white wine drinkers now and
they tend to be that I'll have a shortened ay people,
or I'll have some young people people. So let's talk
about the lack of mc christy being uncle and the
(27:00):
capratoni and explain what the characteristics are to someone that
may not be familiar with it. But you know that
there are shortening drinker or someone your black drinker pin
a grizzio drinker.
Speaker 4 (27:11):
Yeah, the white wines like is why it's actually we
produce two different white like classic in the Superdio, both
maybe with an under percent of capital grape, but in
different selections where like and grape and lip and grape
we have lower acre content or higher art content with
(27:34):
the superdo and long age in things. But the characteristics
of these wines is that they represent more than others
the the idea of minerality. They looks like safti on
the parlor. Because of the soil, of the me of
(27:59):
the potassium in the soil, they will have a very
good facility as well, not only because of the soil,
but also because of the exposition to the sea. The
acidity of these wines will meet your mont water in
a lot asking to drink more wine or to eat more.
(28:20):
And this was what makes them.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Very unique under this point of view, you know, I mean,
these are wines that are perfect for shell fish, and
there some cheeses and salads, and.
Speaker 4 (28:36):
We eat a lot of the seafood, the shell fish,
and we love to pay it with that. But of
course cheeses are perfect of vegetables as well. We have
the plant by in China. Here we add the plant
many things to pay.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Me, I know, and I think, I think actually Compania
is the only place where I eat egg plant. Compania
in Sicily, never eat it here in the United States
because we don't how to prepare it. Which actually is
a great segue because one of the most impressive things
besides the wines and this incredible setting is that Contina
Delvesuvio has a very strong hospitality program. We were able
(29:17):
to receive part of that when we were there. First
of all, you just sit there. You've got a suvius
behind you and the cea in front of you, so
it's just a perfect setting. Talk us through some of
the different visitor experiences that you offer, and here you
can again talk about the foods at the same time
as you pay this.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
Actually we all fig out very easy experience. Not many
things to makes people look difficult to show is we'd
like to bet in dialect. The main experience we all
feel exam wine they see with lunch. It's an experience
(29:55):
which includes guided tool of the vina and the sale
of course in the glass of sparkling wine. And after
the two and the visits a wine tasting of five
six courst wine tasting pained with that typical light lunch
of the air. And there is an appetites with salami.
(30:15):
She is a perfect to pay with our wines. Busqueta
with the pin and tomato our traditional there. But then
there is pasta pasta spaghetti and the main spaghetti with
the pin and tomato souzurus, and there's the surf is
a fixed menu is always like that that since thirty
years and it's a perfect menu to pay our wines.
(30:41):
Also the extra originally oil and the red wine vinega
connimental produce. Other than this experience, we also a cooking
class experience. My stepmother takes care of the cooking glasses
directly Nawa villa where we live, so people are always
doing that too, of the vignea and the cella. And
(31:02):
then then they moved to our villa to cook, eat
and bring our wines and what they have been cooking.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
That's incredible experience. And just we brought home that red wine,
n don't esther. That's what you call it? Phenomenal? Just
how would you recommend using that back here in the
United States because we're still trying.
Speaker 4 (31:24):
To actually lets do that. This is a lead wine
vinegar condiment. It is not to use like about samaic vinegar.
This the reason why it's a continent. You can use
on everything starting from seafood, grell and food, vegetables, white meat.
(31:47):
In the summer, I also put it on vanilla scream
of banana. Yes, you should try. It's it's so unique.
But it's unique this product is that it's a very
niche all that produced the cycling the skin of our
then the grapes after using them for the wine fermentation,
(32:09):
we see that the skin. We send them to the
vinegar factory as a special machine to concentrate age them
in the bubble for a few months, and then we
have this big economent and the consistence is very thick
and the very sweet at the same time, but there
are no sugar added. It's the sugar the glu cossium
(32:29):
part of the skin of the grits. Also in the
young we try to recycle everything to be sustainable as
much as possible, or that they're not gaining clear so
we don't waste editing with the white skin, we prod
uce grapha as well, the traditional Italian the jesting. So
we are I think, very close to one hundred percent sustainability.
Speaker 5 (32:52):
Yeah, well, it's almost like I could if I could
liking it to some other type of thing, it would
be like a balsamic production, but it's not made with
those grapes, and it's just a lovely, rich, kind of
almost syrupy, delicious condiment. The piano tomatoes are unique to
this area as well, and you grow some as well.
(33:13):
Tell us about those. They're kind of like a grape tomato.
Speaker 4 (33:15):
Right yes, Actually, I invite you to google the pin
or tomatoes to see the shape, the special shape of this.
You know, it's a unique variety of tomato. Goat herezulus.
We of course produce some, but not near the vineer
(33:35):
because tomato production and vimeer are not going well together.
They must. Yes, niche is is unique. Tomato is tot
seek for the vineyer, you know. That's why we produce
ten minutes away from here. Also in the head of
(33:58):
another all the odical producers who my grandfather has been
working with as well. And it's so many to find.
It's not exported anywhere. We have to book it at
least a year in advance for the next season to
make sure we are enough. And it's a very sweet
(34:19):
tomato sweat. And when people are here tasting our pasta
with piano domato, especially Americans, they ask us for cheese
because they want to put cheese on sauce pasta. It's
common for them. We stop them. We say, look, if
you you must eat Italian style exactly pasta with piano tomatoes,
(34:44):
because if you put cheese on the piano tomatoes, you
will destroy the tomato. A cild and the characteristics the
flowers and the sweetness.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Yeah, you know, Americans cheese and everything, because the vegetables
are so flavorless here. I can't even begin to tell you.
So these p and pama and are so sweet and
have such an amazing flavor to them. And then we
come back to the United States and then there's cherry
tomatoes which have no flavor and we have to cook
(35:14):
them to get any flavor out of them.
Speaker 4 (35:16):
So it's it is.
Speaker 5 (35:17):
And they're mass produced in Mexico anyways.
Speaker 2 (35:19):
Yeah, yeah, so we agree, don't put don't start salting
and peppering and cheesing your pasta in Italy. That's to
eat it the way the Italians do. Yeah yeah, yeah,
so crazy.
Speaker 5 (35:34):
One last thing, if you literally can't get enough and
you want to spend more time with you and the
and the family and the folks at the winery, you
offer cooking classes as well, So tell us a little
bit about that.
Speaker 4 (35:45):
Unique experience. My step mother, she has been doing cooking
classes for many years in Capri. She's originally from Capri Island,
so she has been hosting the people like in Capri
doing cooking classes and so on. Then my father met
(36:07):
around fifteen years ago they became a partners and got
year on. It was up at the beginning for her
to come here on Resugus. She was from Capri. You
can imagine the difference then. But then she was able
to replicate, have noow here at one with have cooking classes,
(36:33):
using fresh ingredients from our gardens, from our vineyard, and
making a very unique experience where people are able to
essentially cook and eat what they've been cooking, and of
course pay with the wines. It's a very nice experience.
(36:56):
I would invite you in the future if you in
the area to spend the most time here and do
something like that. Anybody is listening us and coming in
the area, and you have a few hours three hours
to spend the police come for the moving class. If
you have less time, a few hours, one hour enough,
(37:17):
come for the regular when they see lunch. We know
people are always in lash here because there are many
places to visit on pay creating, so they are always
asking us to be very fast. Then when they are
live here they say no, I don't want to go
in the next step. I want to stay here, howards
and enjoy everything, the food, the wine, the view and
(37:40):
so on.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
You know, I do want to agree with you on that, Jimmany.
I have friends and they tell me their plans to
visit Italy, you know, whether it's Sicily or Compania, and
they're going to stop over instrumental and stop over here.
It's up of here, and I'm like, wait a minute,
do it Italian South there's something called le don't che farnie,
and that's what you have to do. You have to
(38:03):
savor the time and the luxury of time. That's how
the Italians, I truly believe. That's how the Italians say
so healthy and have long lives. They do la dolcia ferniente.
They don't rush through things too many Americans have to
check off. And we met we met a lot of
Americans Stavid and they were doing the Grand Tour and
they were like two days here, two days here, and
one day here. We had friends and there were there
(38:25):
were speed driving through Sicily. I'm like really, and Capania
is large, has many regions, so my advice would be
pick an area and just go to that area. I
mean just Vesuvius alone has so many beautiful attructions. There's
the wineries and visiting Cantina Delvesuvio there's the park. Go
David and I hiked up to the Crator. There's Pompeii,
(38:48):
there's Ercolino and a whole other set of ruins, and
we didn't even get to go see and take your
time and immerse you know it's not worth the rush.
Speaker 4 (39:01):
I agree. I thought i'd agree with you. Thank you
for seeing that.
Speaker 2 (39:05):
I believe it all the time. And when we go
on these trips we're on in ainerary. But I've told
David from now on when we go, we're going to
take time at the end to do a little ladulta
farniente of our own, because it just adds that sweetness
to the trip and is so amazingly special. Now I
have a question for you, uh and I know that
you and just I want to make sure our listeners
(39:27):
and viewers know that it's Cantina Delfasuvio dot it. You
ship the wine, so you have to order the wines
and the wonderful Donna ester and the olivel available and
you direct ship. This is not these are not wines
you'll go to your local package store and get. So
that's the important experience exponential part of getting to know
(39:47):
Giovanni and visiting, you can literally establish a relationship with
you also do a pasito, and I was wondering if
you do any other products? Could people because your pasito
was fabulous.
Speaker 4 (40:00):
Pacido is a very exclusive production. You weren't likely to
taste it when you can hear because it's almost so doubt.
We produce around four hundred and fifty bottles five hundred
bottles per year because to use pacific we only use
as small all the press, all the Skype press, a
(40:24):
sect and quantity limits, so as the date after the capacity,
we're not able to produce more. And pacito in this
case is and a little bit of phalangina. Phalangina is
also another very common white grape around here in company region.
In this case, we need the phalangina as well as
(40:46):
the reserve. And it's iannical to give a certain balance
and structure. Because to keep a structure of a dessert wine,
it's very hard trying to make it sweet but not
too much to be like a great Jewish, I mean,
we must show complexity at the same time show local
(41:11):
terrooi characteristics. It's very hard to make a pacito from
who can show you can explain the tee and not
making it with an internation of flavor.
Speaker 2 (41:28):
This pasito really is like drinking necture of the gods.
I had. There's an orange blossom, there's honeysuckle figs. It's beautiful.
You know, we should have just brought one and brought
it home, David, because really together to have a pisito
from any producer, especially because they are a limited quality,
and as Giovanni said, there's like four hundred bottles, you know,
when it's a good time to produce them. It's just beautiful.
(41:50):
And I know that a lot of people drink pisito
for dessert and that's great, but to me, it is
the dessert. I don't know anything with it.
Speaker 4 (41:57):
I just have it.
Speaker 2 (41:58):
Maybe a little piscott or something, but it's just pure nectar.
Do you also do it other than olive all and
the donaster? Do you do any other types of food
that you sell?
Speaker 4 (42:12):
Actually, we just started a few weeks ago with honey
because we start a collaboration with the local persil from
three cars here, who install twelve behaves in our vinyon.
Each one hosts over one hundred thousand bees, and we
(42:35):
start to produce honey from our vinyard in the vineo
is very important for many things for devoldination and the
healthy the health of our property and the visible point
of view. And at the same time they give us
(42:55):
this nectar the honey and it's a very extremely limited production,
so we are not selling that online needed as well,
but only allowing people coming here to taste it and
if they want to buy a small jug decame. But
(43:16):
it's very limited. But as I told you before, we
are investing a lot on the exta vaginallyve oil. In
the future we have a few more extra vaginallyve oil
kind the type varieties as well. So because the extravaginally
oil as well as the wine products, who can transfer
(43:42):
informations on the plat and also the olive oil is
a very healthy product with a lot of polypheno santioxidant,
is good eye it as pong job ex extravaginal oil
every day before breakfast and it's is very good for
(44:02):
the health. For many reasons. We we love to invest
in the eggs olgin.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
We use a lot of In fact when we go
to Italy, that's all we bring back. Or like a
don't as to a product that is so special that
we know we can't get it here. We also brought
back I know that you know producer, but the Vesuvio,
the Consortio had these amazing wine soaked chestnuts from Vesuvio
that were phenomenal, right, David, Yes, they.
Speaker 5 (44:29):
Were absolutely delicious. We have actually a jar in the
cupboard right now.
Speaker 2 (44:32):
Yeah, there was one that was the red wine and
the white wine and they were amazing. I mean, the
food in this area is just incredible. Some of my
favorite food anybody else in the.
Speaker 4 (44:44):
Between of Naples in the peninsula, so name doing the
marcos so so you can imagine how is the influence.
And we also keep your tradition from the the area
only plus the other areas and long knots and so
it's a lot of stuff.
Speaker 2 (45:03):
We can't wait to come back and visit because it
really is. Campagna is just jaw dropping region by region
by region, and we're here. We're only talking about one area,
but many people only go to the Maulfi coast and
they never go anywhere else. They may pop over to Pompeii,
but we want everybody to think about taking the time
(45:24):
to go visit the wineries of Vesuvius and tasting these
very unique wines. And I think you know, continue we
visit I think six wineries when we in our two trips,
I think contained del Vesuvio offers probably one of the
most satisfying wine experiences because you get this incredible, thoughtfully
prepared lunch in this extraordinary setting. But everyone needs to
(45:44):
take the time and do this and don't rush the
trip because you'll have a better experience as a result.
Speaker 5 (45:53):
You know, and I want to point out before we
wrap up, is that because you do not sell in stores.
For the American visitors that come and visit you at
the winery and want to have it at home, you
actually keep a warehouse in the United States with your wines,
so you actually ship from the United States to their
home when they buy the winery. So that's a really
(46:13):
key point because they don't have to wait a long
time for it to show up and it's already it's
already gone through the shipping shop.
Speaker 4 (46:20):
Yeah. Yes, it's not only because so they don't need
to wait a lot of time. Not only because the
shipping costs are actually nothing to compaire to sip the
wine from here Italy to the US in fact, for
the visit of free sheeping if they buy wine free. Yes,
(46:44):
because sheeping wine might container once twice a year from
here to the US to the werehouse instead of sheeping
single sheepments from here to the US. It's much more
cheaper and at the same time the most important things
is more the wine is much more protected because when
(47:07):
we ship from here to the it's refrigerated all the
time and we can sleep off one under cushions that
the wine will be delivered in perfect condition. This is
for us because we don't need the to end suf fights.
And we also are approving of gaining from the American
(47:31):
authority other than the Italian European authority. The American authority
with the FDA, they check as well together with the
local authority and they give us the organic production. They
check in the American wellouts and they can fim the
organic production. We are one of the few wines is
(47:53):
where if you ship our wines you will see the
American label approved with o GAINIC certification. Most of the
wineries when they shoot to America they use a conventional
or even if they are of baby because it's much
very very hard to get all these certifications in the US,
(48:16):
but thanks to organizations organization it's much easier for us.
Speaker 5 (48:22):
Those are great points too, Melanie.
Speaker 2 (48:25):
Yeah, well, Giovanni, you love talking with you. Gosh, this
has been great, Thank.
Speaker 5 (48:30):
You, wonderful. So for those interested in booking a visit,
if you're going to Naples and you want to visit
the winery again, it's Cantina del Vesuvio dot it and
there is an English English component to the website. I'm
on it right now and you can book a reservation
and go visit them there. You can also purchase the
wine from that site as well, so.
Speaker 2 (48:52):
Start booking your trip. Well, thank you again, Giovanni. So
we appreciate your time.
Speaker 4 (48:58):
In US. I to see you and your followers. CEO
money for the one listening. If you're coming, let me
know when you come. You'll be listening these a podcast
and I always see it so when we find me,
my wife, my father, and my step mom that you
(49:19):
will always find amending of the family. This makes your
experience and also our experience with you very unique, and
I hope to see you soon here.
Speaker 5 (49:30):
Thank you so much, thank you, thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (49:33):
You've been listening to The Connected Table Live with Melanie
Young and David Ransom. We hope you've enjoyed this wonderful
show and you start taking some plans to go visit
Compania and Containa Delvisuvio. We want you to always expand
your palette, step out of your comfort zone and come, eat, drink,
explore and inspire with us. Follow us at the Connected
(49:53):
Table on Instagram. You can hear all our shows on
more than sixty five podcast channels on this station before
see Why and the Connected Table TV, And as always,
we want to remind you to stay insatiably curious.
Speaker 4 (50:07):
Let's scene Chopp
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(00:20):
choosing W FOURCY Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Welcome to the Connected Table Live where your hosts Melanie
Young and David Ransom. You're insatiably curious culinary couple. We
travel the world to bring you the amazing people in
places that we visit, the wines we taste, the foods
we eat, and the spectacular places where you can stay
and be inspired. We want you to expand your palate
(01:04):
and explore the world with us. Today, we're taking you
to Vesuvius. That's right, Mount Vesuvius, the largest volcano in
Europe and in the region of Campagna, which is in
southern Italy. You can see the background behind me. That
is Vesuvius, and we're going to go to talk about
(01:25):
Vesuvius wines with a wonderful family run winery that David
and I recently visited when we were there for Campagna Stories,
which is a wonderful program to educate writers like us
on the wines of Vesuvius. The winery is called Cantina
del Vesuvio and it was found in nineteen thirty by
the Russo family. And we'll be speaking with Giovanni Russo shortly.
(01:47):
But this photo behind David and I doesn't do this
winery justice. So Giovanni has graciously provided a brief video
so that you feel that you can be at Kntino
del Vesuvio with us. So we're going to show the
video and then start the conversation. So welcome to the
Connected Table. Live.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Paradise fell into the Gulf of Naples when Lucifer was expelled, Christ,
saddened by the loss of the one who had been
the best angel, wept where his tears fell. Vines were born.
Cantina Delvesuvio was created in nineteen thirty in the shadows
of Mount Vesuvio. The vines are rooted in dark and
(02:28):
porous Slavic soil. We were among the first wineries in
southern Italy to offer daily tours and tastings, and today
we are one of the most popular, both for the
quality of our wines and the gorgeous scenery. Our expert
guide will lead you through our sixteen hectares of vineyards,
pointing out the different.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
Variety of methods we use.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Here on the.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Slips of.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
Let us off to the clubhouse for lunch, overlooking the
rolling vineyards and shimmering Mediterranean. What is it Candida Devasuvio
and see how our family has worked in these hills
every day since nineteen forty eight to create a winery
which combines the rigors of organic production with the warmth
of Italian hospitality.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Well, I feel like I'm back at Contina i Asuvio.
I'm homesick, I am, and I had to just we
start talking with Giovanni. We sent some very dear friends
there recently and they have raved about it. This is
a place that is so welcoming and we really do
get the flavors of the suvio, which again is in Campagna.
(03:37):
We are in southern Italy and Giovanni Russo welcome to
the connected table.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Bonjo, Well, thank you so much for your invite. I'm
very happy to say here.
Speaker 5 (03:47):
What you do not well, we're thrilled to have you
on the show. We had such a lovely time when
we visited back in May, wasn't it, Melanie. Yeah, during
during Campagna's Stories, the press event for the world press
to come in taste the new vintages and get it
get acclimated to the regent's wines, et cetera. We've been
three times now to the Compania Stories, but it was
(04:07):
our first time to Cantina Delvesuvio, so it was really
nice to be able to visit with you and and
learn more about your family and learn more about your wines.
Why don't we kind of take it back to the
beginning of Cantina Delvaso Suvio Giovanni, and why don't you
tell us a little bit about how the winery got started,
just where it is on the slopes of Vesuvius and
(04:28):
in relation to Naples as well.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
Yes, so thank you once again for your invit. I'm
your manily, third generation of the My grandfather started this
business in nineteen thirty. You can imagine it was a
really different from today. There was a warm and also
into this piece of time daily from when my grandfather stopped.
(05:00):
He started with only the actors, producing wine only for
the family use and locals around in Then he improved
his business, becoming one of the most one of the
bigger producers of laklimachristi among the Sulus, exporting our wines
(05:22):
to Naples biosis and carriage in the nineteen forty eight
for the first time right after the Second World War,
the last eruption of the survius in nineteen forty four,
and he told me that to expose our wines from
here to Naples, it took around the six hours biosis
and age today to go from here to Naples, we
(05:43):
only need the twenty minutes of car happen. You can
imagine how difficult he was living in this area at
that time. Then year by year he bought new piece
of lens and especially thanks to my father who decided
around thirty years ago to abandoned the distribution, the selling
(06:09):
to restaurants and supermarket. He's saying, stop, I don't want
to do that anymore. I want to produce less, focus
the attention on the quality for using organic reservious wines.
So he decided to close the door to this kind
of business and open the door to the toss of
(06:29):
this area. Because we are not only on mo Resuris,
but near Pompei a Marte costs of Ento Peninsula. We
have a very huge quantity of visitors coming in this
area every day and visiting us every day. Most of
them are coming from the US, Kanada and the Europe.
(06:50):
That's why year by year we have been always very
organized of wine tastings, tools and moreso deliveries of our products.
Do to do to our divisitals. So today the characteristic
of our one is that you cannot find our wines
(07:13):
anywhere else if not here at our one.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
This is.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
This was a very hard the show is thirty years
ago all the producers of the suits were looking at
my father as a crazy man. Then the situation changed
and now all the producers and the suvis are doing
what we are, what we started a lot of time ago.
And this is good because doing one tourism producing less
(07:44):
today and where is the future? The quality is the future. Also,
to fight climate change problems of any kind, tariffs, this
is the way to find them to be strong, even
(08:06):
if you are a small family ordered winery like we are.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
I'm curious because we have been to Vesuvius, we've met
with many of the family wineries and just for everyone
watching and listening is family wineries. I mean, you've got
it's a very large area, but the family wineries are
usually very small. You've got like sixteen hectares, right.
Speaker 4 (08:31):
We have sixteen hectors. We recently both a few more rectors,
but not for the wine production, but for the olive
oil production. We are investing a lot in the recent
years on the olive oil extravage. Then the sixteen nectars
we grow x vinion mostly for three different varieties above
(08:56):
all catone empios, so they are local varieties you can
find only here. Versus Capetoni is the white grape and
pi also is the late grape. They were involved by
Golman people over two thousands and five hundred years ago
from Greece. They planted these vines around the pony here
(09:18):
on is because they took the look that the soil
was perfect for the cultivation of vines. But it's not
only for vines, for everything you cultivate in this area.
And they exposed them this wine from Bombay or the
Roman nambald and so you can imagine that how lucky
(09:41):
we are to still have the same variety of grapes
of two thousands years ago. We are one of the
fewest dooc who preserved very ancient and autotomous varieties. The
term we go Isicoanico. We consider it's like the father
(10:07):
of all the grapes of Campania region. We use Adianico
to produce usparklings in wine, the one you tasted that
your impranc here have wine, we call it. We suppose
up lay also for only one wine, the which is
a special red wine.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
You know before we get into your wines, and the
specialness of Lacroma Christie, which is reference in the video.
Let's talk a little bit about location because many people
have not may have not visited Mount Vesuvius.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
There.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
It's actually two areas Sumo Asuvius, because there's two like
chronical areas, one born from the other. Why don't you
talk about that because there are wineries on the north
Suma side and then many wineries on the south side.
Talk about that geological geographical distinction and how are different
(11:01):
for our and for everyone listening viewing. There's a national
park there we can go hiking, which we do. We
actually want to have to see a crater.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Yes, the good things, the interesting things of a volcano
or and the Surius particularly because of its shape is
the conical shape. So everything where you are, even if
you produce the same wine likely maglis, you're using the
same you have always different characteristics because of the climate,
(11:31):
because of the sun exposition, because of many factors. The
Monsmad it's the very historical, paestorical part of the volcano,
the one who was considered the entire volcano during the
eruption of seventy nine before christ because then with that
(11:54):
eruption destroy the Pompeii, the mons Maad, the Surius collapsed
inside itself. Then with the all the elctions after that,
the Resuvious were lightness, low is lolling, waking up from
the inside. That's why we have Besvious and Montezma on
(12:18):
the northern part of it. Continua is located on the
south east side, overlooking the good for Naples, not because wine,
but we think we are we have the best exposition
in terms of land escape for short. Then everyone can
(12:42):
say if the wine is better in the northern part
of the southern past, but there isn't a better wine.
It's a subjective teams. It depends on many or many factors.
Here we are overlooking the good from Naples the peninsula,
so then I'm suddenly it's quite late. Otherwise I would
(13:04):
turn the desktop to show you something. And we also
are overlooking the Cape Island. And this is very important
for us because the winery is essentially in the middle
between the volcano and the sea at three hundred and
fifteen meters on the sea level, and this is perfect
(13:27):
for the cultivation. It's perfect for us that we are Orgainic.
We must be honest. It's very easy for us to
respect the organic regulation and certification because there is always
a blaz from the sea and from the mountain, making
sure that the vegetables part the bnes are very dry,
(13:50):
so without humidity it's hard for the bactais and illness
to attack. And this makes our wine very easy to
produce it under this point of view, and we are
very very happy and proud of it. Of course, what
makes unique these products is soil is a boll. The
(14:14):
soil we are on a volcanic soil made of ash.
Its pam is lava and a lot of mineral, a
lot of potassium. This gives a lot of straight to
the cultivation other than minds. Us is very well known
for the pinoo tomato for every coats and many other cultivation.
But what makes them very special is the soil.
Speaker 5 (14:39):
You know, Melanie, we were the shot behind us in
this in this video right now is that vineyard at
Cantina dela Vesuvio, and it really is basically like crushed
up lava. It's very it's very porous, which is a
good thing in a lot of ways because it provides
good drainage for the grapes and LUs philaxa can't grow
(15:01):
in it, which is another good thing. So a lot
of the a lot of the original root sucks are
still in play on Vesuvius and especially in this region.
Let's talk about lacrymcchristie, the wine Giovanni, because lacram Christie
is a wine, it's not a grape, and it's made
from the grapes that you grow there. But let's let's
talk about it a little bit of its history and
(15:21):
then the grapes used to make it.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
Magristi means translated, the tears kais coming from Latin tearsochis
why because there is a legend who says that kais
was here on or looking at this beautiful path of
the world, actually with this landscape, so many nice things,
(15:46):
so in recognize this is a part of paradise. Was
stalled by Lucifa when he was the center from the pilot.
So he moved and for me tears were born. The
lack in Machristie marts. Of course this is earlier agend.
Like in Machristi, is the do o C, the crew
(16:08):
the best product aft of the the Surius dio Pe consortium.
So it's the best you can find here on the Surius.
And to produce likely Machristi, you must use a certain
percentage of the grapes, and been mentioned before carritone and pilivos,
(16:30):
so the regulations say at least seventy percent. Then when
Isa allowed to use all the grapes like Gianico for
the reds, of Flangina for the whites, and a few
of the grapes, but here a cardinal except the z
before we go in the bottle with another percent of
(16:55):
our our indigenous grips, carne and plivos. The rezon is
that we want to put in the class as much
as possible of the Tejuan of what people are looking
and feeling when they are here. They look around themselves,
they can smell, they can touch the ground, and when
(17:18):
they drink our wines, they must feel that sensation even
if they are in us or someone else in the world.
And that's why we keep this uh, this tradition, in
this idea above.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
All and continued to Masubio exclusively makes with the exception
of the capital Fesco sparkling the spumante rose from Aglianico.
You exclusively produce la lacryma Christie. You do a bianco
rosato and rosso uh and then I take a pasito,
which is which is unusual for this area. See don't
(17:57):
otherwise make binaries, make a lot of other kind the
products or the most of the wineries focused only on
la Cramachristi.
Speaker 4 (18:05):
Or the winer is also produced Pompeiano g t which
is a sub nomination because you must know that to
produce like macristy, you can only use grapes from the
National Park of Resus, only from seftings on inside the
National Park Servius. Then you can still use grapes coming
(18:28):
from the entire province of Naples to produce Pompeiano, which
is as I told you, are sub denomination also the
Suvio doc because we have nomination like Magrisi of all
the suboc and Pompeiano then, but we only focus our
(18:48):
attentions on the best, like Macristy, because as a family
we don't want to do many things. We try to
keep the production and the offer easier simple also on
the said is possible, and we just want to do less. Honestly,
(19:14):
this is what we do, what we want.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
So just to be clear, Lacer mccreasty can only be
produced in the do O, which is only in the
south side of Vesuvius. Correct, in a specific sub area.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
There is a net actually but yes, mostly in the
southern side. There are part of the northern side, but
mostly yes, in the southern.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Side, and there is a required DOOC guidelines for producing
them as you said as well. So it's very specific
to the region and to the guidelines of production and
of the grapes which are the local grapes Capratoni covope.
Speaker 4 (19:58):
And you mentioned the certification from the ministry. They think
some they taste it, they do some analysis and then
they prove to us we are for using like MAGNETI.
Then they give us the ministerial label on the neck
(20:19):
of the bottle, which sapetified it's at the ocida.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
So Pierre roussa, which is the grape used to make theo.
Can tell us about the grape because it is local
to the area, and can it be used for other
kinds of wines like it t Pompeo or the only
made for Lacram used for Lacram Christie.
Speaker 4 (20:45):
It can use the for any of these three the
nomination and chan a choice of the wine. But of course,
if I'm here in the cars into the national part
of the into the red zone, the most same trick
about the denomination and I I want to produce the
(21:06):
lack of MAgric So yes poso, which means pey balloon
in Neapolitan. It's the foot of a kind of bird
that we have in this area. Yes, and that's why
it's called like that. It's a very unique gris because
(21:27):
it doesn't give you a lot of production. It's a
very low production in terms of yield, and but it
gives you gives you a lot of tehrouan with notes
of with volcanic notes like blackstone, black pepper, wetstone stuff
(21:52):
like that, to the nine to this area.
Speaker 5 (21:57):
I found this. I found the lack of Christian the
pier Resta to be a really fascinating wine. It's very unique,
had great it had lovely body to it, had a
greatest civility to it, and just a very nice one.
And I'm assuming although the vintages that we tasted were
not very old, I think that all this one we
(22:18):
tasted was a twenty seventeen. I think it's got a
real ability to age as well. Is that right, Giovanni?
Speaker 4 (22:24):
Absolutely yes, I must be honest. The reason why we
don't need a really old vintagers is because everything goes
so out, so uh take that point. Is a company
you must decided selling all. I honestly, we have been
(22:45):
selling everything because the people were asking ford and but
we hope in the future to have the opportunity to
start keeping some bat ors away so to them in
the future. I have bottos very old wines for my
(23:05):
year of bird which my father, my father took away
the talents any good and from nineteen ninety six or so,
wines from two thousand, very good vintages, and I can
see it deserves very well.
Speaker 5 (23:27):
You know, I have a question for you, Giovanni. They're
the lacomer Christie. Red and white both have to have
capertoni and pied russo, and then respectively or in reverse.
Shall we say you make it from one hundred percent
each wine, one pied rousso for the red, one hundredercent
of capertoni for the white. Can you use it use
(23:48):
a blending grape in there if you want to, or
does it have to be one hundred percent.
Speaker 4 (23:52):
It's allowed, as I told you before, it's allowed to
use all the thirty percent of I'm blending. For example,
in the leg most of the wine is Idanico, but
Ianico is a very particular attending and in our opinion,
makes the wine too similar to all the wines from Campanion.
(24:16):
Each we want a wine which not must not be
strong like more many people ask, but must be genuine
and must represent the place. The location. We all at
an hundred percent, not a seventy percent. So that's why
(24:40):
we don't blame none of our wines, etcetera. For the reserve.
But the reserve is a blend of pedivos so eighty
percent and Ianico only twenty percent. The reason gives Iannico
only in this situation is because Gianic contending gives a lot,
a lot, a lot of longevity to to the wine.
(25:01):
So we have a vizenna of over twenty thirty years.
And why they are very in very good condition, it's
because of the Ianico Iannico as this characteristics.
Speaker 5 (25:16):
You know, Melanie, that's the wine that's fairitful. One the cases,
the reserve is the one that's the most biggest seller
in the American market too.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
I must say, I must say unfortunately maybe because I
prefer the oldest, but they are not represented. But wine
is subjective. Wine depends on many things, the food that
you are paying weed. You know, in Italy we only
drink wine if failed with food. I know in the
(25:45):
US they are part of the world. You can drink
also wine with emptity so much it's not for Italian,
but we have to pay wine with food. Wine depends
also on the person while drinking wine depends or your
mood that day. Wine depends of the of the period
(26:09):
of the year. If you are in some in winter,
it depends of the time of the day of many things.
So you can choose the wine and you may like
a wine more than another according with the many things
in the US. You drink a lot of these, I
must say, you may probably eat a lot of meat.
(26:30):
They called the winds, and I must expect something like that.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
That said, though white wines are doing very well here,
I have a hunches to the warmer weather, climate change
people drinking or white wine. I have a lot of
really good friends who are white wine drinkers now and
they tend to be that I'll have a shortened ay people,
or I'll have some young people people. So let's talk
about the lack of mc christy being uncle and the
(27:00):
capratoni and explain what the characteristics are to someone that
may not be familiar with it. But you know that
there are shortening drinker or someone your black drinker pin
a grizzio drinker.
Speaker 4 (27:11):
Yeah, the white wines like is why it's actually we
produce two different white like classic in the Superdio, both
maybe with an under percent of capital grape, but in
different selections where like and grape and lip and grape
we have lower acre content or higher art content with
(27:34):
the superdo and long age in things. But the characteristics
of these wines is that they represent more than others
the the idea of minerality. They looks like safti on
the parlor. Because of the soil, of the me of
(27:59):
the potassium in the soil, they will have a very
good facility as well, not only because of the soil,
but also because of the exposition to the sea. The
acidity of these wines will meet your mont water in
a lot asking to drink more wine or to eat more.
(28:20):
And this was what makes them.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Very unique under this point of view, you know, I mean,
these are wines that are perfect for shell fish, and
there some cheeses and salads, and.
Speaker 4 (28:36):
We eat a lot of the seafood, the shell fish,
and we love to pay it with that. But of
course cheeses are perfect of vegetables as well. We have
the plant by in China. Here we add the plant
many things to pay.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Me, I know, and I think, I think actually Compania
is the only place where I eat egg plant. Compania
in Sicily, never eat it here in the United States
because we don't how to prepare it. Which actually is
a great segue because one of the most impressive things
besides the wines and this incredible setting is that Contina
Delvesuvio has a very strong hospitality program. We were able
(29:17):
to receive part of that when we were there. First
of all, you just sit there. You've got a suvius
behind you and the cea in front of you, so
it's just a perfect setting. Talk us through some of
the different visitor experiences that you offer, and here you
can again talk about the foods at the same time
as you pay this.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
Actually we all fig out very easy experience. Not many
things to makes people look difficult to show is we'd
like to bet in dialect. The main experience we all
feel exam wine they see with lunch. It's an experience
(29:55):
which includes guided tool of the vina and the sale
of course in the glass of sparkling wine. And after
the two and the visits a wine tasting of five
six courst wine tasting pained with that typical light lunch
of the air. And there is an appetites with salami.
(30:15):
She is a perfect to pay with our wines. Busqueta
with the pin and tomato our traditional there. But then
there is pasta pasta spaghetti and the main spaghetti with
the pin and tomato souzurus, and there's the surf is
a fixed menu is always like that that since thirty
years and it's a perfect menu to pay our wines.
(30:41):
Also the extra originally oil and the red wine vinega
connimental produce. Other than this experience, we also a cooking
class experience. My stepmother takes care of the cooking glasses
directly Nawa villa where we live, so people are always
doing that too, of the vignea and the cella. And
(31:02):
then then they moved to our villa to cook, eat
and bring our wines and what they have been cooking.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
That's incredible experience. And just we brought home that red wine,
n don't esther. That's what you call it? Phenomenal? Just
how would you recommend using that back here in the
United States because we're still trying.
Speaker 4 (31:24):
To actually lets do that. This is a lead wine
vinegar condiment. It is not to use like about samaic vinegar.
This the reason why it's a continent. You can use
on everything starting from seafood, grell and food, vegetables, white meat.
(31:47):
In the summer, I also put it on vanilla scream
of banana. Yes, you should try. It's it's so unique.
But it's unique this product is that it's a very
niche all that produced the cycling the skin of our
then the grapes after using them for the wine fermentation,
(32:09):
we see that the skin. We send them to the
vinegar factory as a special machine to concentrate age them
in the bubble for a few months, and then we
have this big economent and the consistence is very thick
and the very sweet at the same time, but there
are no sugar added. It's the sugar the glu cossium
(32:29):
part of the skin of the grits. Also in the
young we try to recycle everything to be sustainable as
much as possible, or that they're not gaining clear so
we don't waste editing with the white skin, we prod
uce grapha as well, the traditional Italian the jesting. So
we are I think, very close to one hundred percent sustainability.
Speaker 5 (32:52):
Yeah, well, it's almost like I could if I could
liking it to some other type of thing, it would
be like a balsamic production, but it's not made with
those grapes, and it's just a lovely, rich, kind of
almost syrupy, delicious condiment. The piano tomatoes are unique to
this area as well, and you grow some as well.
(33:13):
Tell us about those. They're kind of like a grape tomato.
Speaker 4 (33:15):
Right yes, Actually, I invite you to google the pin
or tomatoes to see the shape, the special shape of this.
You know, it's a unique variety of tomato. Goat herezulus.
We of course produce some, but not near the vineer
(33:35):
because tomato production and vimeer are not going well together.
They must. Yes, niche is is unique. Tomato is tot
seek for the vineyer, you know. That's why we produce
ten minutes away from here. Also in the head of
(33:58):
another all the odical producers who my grandfather has been
working with as well. And it's so many to find.
It's not exported anywhere. We have to book it at
least a year in advance for the next season to
make sure we are enough. And it's a very sweet
(34:19):
tomato sweat. And when people are here tasting our pasta
with piano domato, especially Americans, they ask us for cheese
because they want to put cheese on sauce pasta. It's
common for them. We stop them. We say, look, if
you you must eat Italian style exactly pasta with piano tomatoes,
(34:44):
because if you put cheese on the piano tomatoes, you
will destroy the tomato. A cild and the characteristics the
flowers and the sweetness.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Yeah, you know, Americans cheese and everything, because the vegetables
are so flavorless here. I can't even begin to tell you.
So these p and pama and are so sweet and
have such an amazing flavor to them. And then we
come back to the United States and then there's cherry
tomatoes which have no flavor and we have to cook
(35:14):
them to get any flavor out of them.
Speaker 4 (35:16):
So it's it is.
Speaker 5 (35:17):
And they're mass produced in Mexico anyways.
Speaker 2 (35:19):
Yeah, yeah, so we agree, don't put don't start salting
and peppering and cheesing your pasta in Italy. That's to
eat it the way the Italians do. Yeah yeah, yeah,
so crazy.
Speaker 5 (35:34):
One last thing, if you literally can't get enough and
you want to spend more time with you and the
and the family and the folks at the winery, you
offer cooking classes as well, So tell us a little
bit about that.
Speaker 4 (35:45):
Unique experience. My step mother, she has been doing cooking
classes for many years in Capri. She's originally from Capri Island,
so she has been hosting the people like in Capri
doing cooking classes and so on. Then my father met
(36:07):
around fifteen years ago they became a partners and got
year on. It was up at the beginning for her
to come here on Resugus. She was from Capri. You
can imagine the difference then. But then she was able
to replicate, have noow here at one with have cooking classes,
(36:33):
using fresh ingredients from our gardens, from our vineyard, and
making a very unique experience where people are able to
essentially cook and eat what they've been cooking, and of
course pay with the wines. It's a very nice experience.
(36:56):
I would invite you in the future if you in
the area to spend the most time here and do
something like that. Anybody is listening us and coming in
the area, and you have a few hours three hours
to spend the police come for the moving class. If
you have less time, a few hours, one hour enough,
(37:17):
come for the regular when they see lunch. We know
people are always in lash here because there are many
places to visit on pay creating, so they are always
asking us to be very fast. Then when they are
live here they say no, I don't want to go
in the next step. I want to stay here, howards
and enjoy everything, the food, the wine, the view and
(37:40):
so on.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
You know, I do want to agree with you on that, Jimmany.
I have friends and they tell me their plans to
visit Italy, you know, whether it's Sicily or Compania, and
they're going to stop over instrumental and stop over here.
It's up of here, and I'm like, wait a minute,
do it Italian South there's something called le don't che farnie,
and that's what you have to do. You have to
(38:03):
savor the time and the luxury of time. That's how
the Italians, I truly believe. That's how the Italians say
so healthy and have long lives. They do la dolcia ferniente.
They don't rush through things too many Americans have to
check off. And we met we met a lot of
Americans Stavid and they were doing the Grand Tour and
they were like two days here, two days here, and
one day here. We had friends and there were there
(38:25):
were speed driving through Sicily. I'm like really, and Capania
is large, has many regions, so my advice would be
pick an area and just go to that area. I
mean just Vesuvius alone has so many beautiful attructions. There's
the wineries and visiting Cantina Delvesuvio there's the park. Go
David and I hiked up to the Crator. There's Pompeii,
(38:48):
there's Ercolino and a whole other set of ruins, and
we didn't even get to go see and take your
time and immerse you know it's not worth the rush.
Speaker 4 (39:01):
I agree. I thought i'd agree with you. Thank you
for seeing that.
Speaker 2 (39:05):
I believe it all the time. And when we go
on these trips we're on in ainerary. But I've told
David from now on when we go, we're going to
take time at the end to do a little ladulta
farniente of our own, because it just adds that sweetness
to the trip and is so amazingly special. Now I
have a question for you, uh and I know that
you and just I want to make sure our listeners
(39:27):
and viewers know that it's Cantina Delfasuvio dot it. You
ship the wine, so you have to order the wines
and the wonderful Donna ester and the olivel available and
you direct ship. This is not these are not wines
you'll go to your local package store and get. So
that's the important experience exponential part of getting to know
(39:47):
Giovanni and visiting, you can literally establish a relationship with
you also do a pasito, and I was wondering if
you do any other products? Could people because your pasito
was fabulous.
Speaker 4 (40:00):
Pacido is a very exclusive production. You weren't likely to
taste it when you can hear because it's almost so doubt.
We produce around four hundred and fifty bottles five hundred
bottles per year because to use pacific we only use
as small all the press, all the Skype press, a
(40:24):
sect and quantity limits, so as the date after the capacity,
we're not able to produce more. And pacito in this
case is and a little bit of phalangina. Phalangina is
also another very common white grape around here in company region.
In this case, we need the phalangina as well as
(40:46):
the reserve. And it's iannical to give a certain balance
and structure. Because to keep a structure of a dessert wine,
it's very hard trying to make it sweet but not
too much to be like a great Jewish, I mean,
we must show complexity at the same time show local
(41:11):
terrooi characteristics. It's very hard to make a pacito from
who can show you can explain the tee and not
making it with an internation of flavor.
Speaker 2 (41:28):
This pasito really is like drinking necture of the gods.
I had. There's an orange blossom, there's honeysuckle figs. It's beautiful.
You know, we should have just brought one and brought
it home, David, because really together to have a pisito
from any producer, especially because they are a limited quality,
and as Giovanni said, there's like four hundred bottles, you know,
when it's a good time to produce them. It's just beautiful.
(41:50):
And I know that a lot of people drink pisito
for dessert and that's great, but to me, it is
the dessert. I don't know anything with it.
Speaker 4 (41:57):
I just have it.
Speaker 2 (41:58):
Maybe a little piscott or something, but it's just pure nectar.
Do you also do it other than olive all and
the donaster? Do you do any other types of food
that you sell?
Speaker 4 (42:12):
Actually, we just started a few weeks ago with honey
because we start a collaboration with the local persil from
three cars here, who install twelve behaves in our vinyon.
Each one hosts over one hundred thousand bees, and we
(42:35):
start to produce honey from our vinyard in the vineo
is very important for many things for devoldination and the
healthy the health of our property and the visible point
of view. And at the same time they give us
(42:55):
this nectar the honey and it's a very extremely limited production,
so we are not selling that online needed as well,
but only allowing people coming here to taste it and
if they want to buy a small jug decame. But
(43:16):
it's very limited. But as I told you before, we
are investing a lot on the exta vaginallyve oil. In
the future we have a few more extra vaginallyve oil
kind the type varieties as well. So because the extravaginally
oil as well as the wine products, who can transfer
(43:42):
informations on the plat and also the olive oil is
a very healthy product with a lot of polypheno santioxidant,
is good eye it as pong job ex extravaginal oil
every day before breakfast and it's is very good for
(44:02):
the health. For many reasons. We we love to invest
in the eggs olgin.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
We use a lot of In fact when we go
to Italy, that's all we bring back. Or like a
don't as to a product that is so special that
we know we can't get it here. We also brought
back I know that you know producer, but the Vesuvio,
the Consortio had these amazing wine soaked chestnuts from Vesuvio
that were phenomenal, right, David, Yes, they.
Speaker 5 (44:29):
Were absolutely delicious. We have actually a jar in the
cupboard right now.
Speaker 2 (44:32):
Yeah, there was one that was the red wine and
the white wine and they were amazing. I mean, the
food in this area is just incredible. Some of my
favorite food anybody else in the.
Speaker 4 (44:44):
Between of Naples in the peninsula, so name doing the
marcos so so you can imagine how is the influence.
And we also keep your tradition from the the area
only plus the other areas and long knots and so
it's a lot of stuff.
Speaker 2 (45:03):
We can't wait to come back and visit because it
really is. Campagna is just jaw dropping region by region
by region, and we're here. We're only talking about one area,
but many people only go to the Maulfi coast and
they never go anywhere else. They may pop over to Pompeii,
but we want everybody to think about taking the time
(45:24):
to go visit the wineries of Vesuvius and tasting these
very unique wines. And I think you know, continue we
visit I think six wineries when we in our two trips,
I think contained del Vesuvio offers probably one of the
most satisfying wine experiences because you get this incredible, thoughtfully
prepared lunch in this extraordinary setting. But everyone needs to
(45:44):
take the time and do this and don't rush the
trip because you'll have a better experience as a result.
Speaker 5 (45:53):
You know, and I want to point out before we
wrap up, is that because you do not sell in stores.
For the American visitors that come and visit you at
the winery and want to have it at home, you
actually keep a warehouse in the United States with your wines,
so you actually ship from the United States to their
home when they buy the winery. So that's a really
(46:13):
key point because they don't have to wait a long
time for it to show up and it's already it's
already gone through the shipping shop.
Speaker 4 (46:20):
Yeah. Yes, it's not only because so they don't need
to wait a lot of time. Not only because the
shipping costs are actually nothing to compaire to sip the
wine from here Italy to the US in fact, for
the visit of free sheeping if they buy wine free. Yes,
(46:44):
because sheeping wine might container once twice a year from
here to the US to the werehouse instead of sheeping
single sheepments from here to the US. It's much more
cheaper and at the same time the most important things
is more the wine is much more protected because when
(47:07):
we ship from here to the it's refrigerated all the
time and we can sleep off one under cushions that
the wine will be delivered in perfect condition. This is
for us because we don't need the to end suf fights.
And we also are approving of gaining from the American
(47:31):
authority other than the Italian European authority. The American authority
with the FDA, they check as well together with the
local authority and they give us the organic production. They
check in the American wellouts and they can fim the
organic production. We are one of the few wines is
(47:53):
where if you ship our wines you will see the
American label approved with o GAINIC certification. Most of the
wineries when they shoot to America they use a conventional
or even if they are of baby because it's much
very very hard to get all these certifications in the US,
(48:16):
but thanks to organizations organization it's much easier for us.
Speaker 5 (48:22):
Those are great points too, Melanie.
Speaker 2 (48:25):
Yeah, well, Giovanni, you love talking with you. Gosh, this
has been great, Thank.
Speaker 5 (48:30):
You, wonderful. So for those interested in booking a visit,
if you're going to Naples and you want to visit
the winery again, it's Cantina del Vesuvio dot it and
there is an English English component to the website. I'm
on it right now and you can book a reservation
and go visit them there. You can also purchase the
wine from that site as well, so.
Speaker 2 (48:52):
Start booking your trip. Well, thank you again, Giovanni. So
we appreciate your time.
Speaker 4 (48:58):
In US. I to see you and your followers. CEO
money for the one listening. If you're coming, let me
know when you come. You'll be listening these a podcast
and I always see it so when we find me,
my wife, my father, and my step mom that you
(49:19):
will always find amending of the family. This makes your
experience and also our experience with you very unique, and
I hope to see you soon here.
Speaker 5 (49:30):
Thank you so much, thank you, thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (49:33):
You've been listening to The Connected Table Live with Melanie
Young and David Ransom. We hope you've enjoyed this wonderful
show and you start taking some plans to go visit
Compania and Containa Delvisuvio. We want you to always expand
your palette, step out of your comfort zone and come, eat, drink,
explore and inspire with us. Follow us at the Connected
(49:53):
Table on Instagram. You can hear all our shows on
more than sixty five podcast channels on this station before
see Why and the Connected Table TV, And as always,
we want to remind you to stay insatiably curious.
Speaker 4 (50:07):
Let's scene Chopp
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