41. A Deep Dive Into Albino Armani and Wines from the Italian Northeast!

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Transcript

[00:00:00] 

Anshu: 

Hi, Dario. How are you today? 

Dario: 

Hi, Anshu. Very well. 

Anshu: 

I'm so pleased that you've been able to join us. Thank you. I know you're so busy and it's been a little while while we've been trying to find the time to connect, but now we've been able to. So I'm really thrilled that we're able to have this conversation today.

Dario: 

Yeah, I'm very happy to have the opportunity to talk about Albino Armani with you and thank you for inviting me. It has been a couple of busy months with all the European trade shows, but finally we find the time to do this interview. 

Anshu: 

And I'm really excited to do this because one of the things that I really love to do with Wineitupanotch is to share really fantastic wine stories and to share wines that I personally endorse and love to drink.

And I was telling you before we started recording that the reason that we're having this conversation is while I was doing my sparkling wine unit for my Level 4 WSET diploma course, I was blind tasting a lot of wines and going to our local store here, which is the LCBO in Ontario.

For those who are not in Ontario, it's our government owned liquor outlet and just buying a range of wines. Everything from Proseccos all the way through to vintage champagnes. And we were trying to decipher the notes in wines, quality of wine, and what was a tank versus traditional method sparkling wine.

And so I happened to purchase one of your DOCG Proseccos which was available in our market. Unbeknownst to me, I did not know Albino Armani and really enjoyed the product. I thought that it was such a high quality Prosecco for the price point that it's at, that once I was done with my exams, I felt I needed to reach out.

I want to know more. And I was thrilled when I did some online research to see just how much information you do actually provide about. where you grow your grapes, how you produce your wines and what really differentiates you. So I'm excited to have this conversation. I think it's perfect for anybody who likes Prosecco and wants to learn a little bit more about Prosecco, but also a great conversation for students 

[00:02:00] 

of wine who want to understand what makes things different in a given area and when we're drinking different wines, what really differentiates them. 

Now, before we go there, maybe I'll have you start by telling us a little bit about yourself. 

Dario: 

Sure. 

Well, first of all, congratulations for passing your exam and we are proud to be, um, uh, part of your success, and actually I think this is one of the purposes for us - we are passionate about wine producing.

So we are very happy to see also that people studying and wanting to learn more, uh, understand the quality that is in our wines. 

So my name is Dario. I'm the export manager for Albino Armani for the Americas. I've been working in the wine industry for the last 15 years.

And actually it was my first job! I'm from Treviso, which is where Prosecco is from. And actually, uh, the first winery I worked with was a Prosecco winery. So, straight out of university, I went into the wine industry with a glass of Prosecco! 

Anshu: 

Very nice! Very nice. And today you're managing for Albino Armani, the Americas region.

Dario: 

Correct. I'm based in South America, but I travel every other month to North America and also to South America to cover all our markets. The North American market is very important for us. The U.S. is our biggest customer and then Canada is growing a lot. 

Anshu: 

I'm happy to hear that. I want to see more of your product in our market. And I think we're going to talk about that in a moment. 

How about we start then with talking about Albino Armani as a brand, as a company, as a story. I think there's an amazing story that predates where we are today. So if you could take us through the history of the company and then what it represents today, that would be wonderful.

Dario: 

So Albino Armani, you said a brand, a company, but I will start by saying a family. It's a family owned winery, that 

][00:04:00] 

has its origin since over 400 years of history. So, uh, if you look in our labels, you will find the number 1607. 1607 is the first trace, the first path, uh, for the family into the wine growing industry.

The family has been wine growers for over 400 years and they started in Trentino, in the northeast of Italy and then for over 400 years, they have been growers. And then, uh, in the last 50 years, we started being bottlers also - putting into the bottle our own grapes. Before that, we used to supply other wineries with our grapes.

Anshu: 

Okay. I'm so happy you told me about 1607 because I did see that on my label and now I know why. 

I know that there's a family story as well. So the individual who's now running the estate is Albino. Yes, actually Albino, um….. generations in. So was it a grandfather, a great grandfather that started this family tradition? 

Dario: 

Well, so the first document that we could find is a document signed by Domenico Armani, one of Albino's ancestors, that was purchasing a piece of land with fruit trees and grapevines. So this is where it all started. Uh, and then, we have been wine growers ever since. So, right now Albino is the 16th generation with his wife, Egle and Federico Armani, which is their son, is the new generation that just joined the company a couple of years ago. 

Anshu: 

I love that. Honestly, it's one of the things that you have to love as a wine lover, the stories, and just the deep, deep family roots, um, that often present themselves in passionate projects and to hear now the 17th generation, I suppose, is joining the company is fantastic. 

So, um, I know there's been some expansion over those 400 odd years. And today Albino Armani group, if I could call it that, 

[00:06:00] 

or the company, is a larger organization. So could you tell us a little bit about land holdings and where you're situated and the type of wines that you produce?

Dario: 

It all started in Trentino, as I told you, so northeast of Italy, but, um, I would say that northeast of Italy is in the heart of our winery.

So the family, uh, went south to Veneto, and then expanded also in the Friuli region. So the three regions that we are in are Veneto, Trentino and Friuli, which is the biggest producer area for Italian wines. I know, wines from Piedmont are famous worldwide or wines from Tuscany are famous, yes. But the biggest producing area is the Italian Northeast. 

There are a few things that are common in our estates, which are altitude, cold climate areas, wind, and then the proximity to rivers. These are all features in our estates. We have 400 hectares of owned vineyards.

Anshu: 

Now, from your perspective - obviously, I have a perspective on this as a student of wine, but I would love to hear from your perspective - what do those geographic and geological factors that you just talked about contribute to wine?

So when we say altitude, cool climate, proximity to bodies of water, such as rivers, what is that contributing to your wines? 

Dario: 

Well, this is a passion by the owner Albino Armani He always likes to be in extreme producing areas. 

Why? 

First of all, because they are hard to grow, hard to manage. So it takes a lot of effort and will get the most incredible results, because when you put your passion and you rescue grapes or you rescue vineyards from extreme areas, the result is fantastic. 

 Also we like cooler areas because we believe in respecting the grape varietal 

 so we are very gentle. 

[00:08:00]

We don't use a lot of wood in aging so to be, uh, gentle, respectful of the grape varietals. And also you have to think that we are in an era of global warming. So, we believe that what is now a cooler area is the best to preserve the quality of the grapes and the wine.

Anshu: 

Now you are certified sustainable. Is that correct? All production? 

Dario: 

Correct. We are certified sustainable by nature. I would say, uh, even before getting a certification, our efforts are to preserve the territory. And why? Because we really think wine is an expression of the territory and the terroir. So, we want to preserve nature for future generations and to be able to do that, we have to be responsible with nature and with sustainable farming, not only in terms of nature, but also with people. We care about the people that live in this wide area that is the Italian Northeast.

We believe in supporting local communities or local growers' families that help us, because wine is an expression of territory. 

Anshu: 

I have to agree with you. Would you give us some examples of some of the sustainable practices? Are we talking about cover crops? Are we talking about reusing water? Solar panels? I know there's a range of things that can be done. I'd love to hear just maybe two or three examples. 

Dario: 

So, you mentioned water. Water is, and will be, an extremely important component in winemaking in the future so water management is very important for us.

So we are converting all the, um, I didn't have the word…. plumbing? Yes. Yes. ….to do underground watering of the plants, it is to be much more efficient. 

[00:10:00]

Uh, so we will have just a single drop, when the plant needs it, and we can have more efficient usage of water. 

Another example of sustainability is sexual confusion. I don't know if you know the word, but, uh, basically it is true hormones. We can manage pest control and limit the bugs that affect the vines. And then..... 

Anshu: 

I was just going to say, if I can explain that for a moment, um, I think what some people may not realize is that at the end of the day, wine is the byproduct of agriculture.

And so things are growing out in the wild and there are a lot of pests and issues with pest control, keeping bugs and disease off of the grapes so that they remain healthy and they turn into great wine. 

And I think what a lot of people may not realize is how much pesticide and chemical usage there can be in commercial farming when one as a farmer is focused on yields and maybe productivity of the fields as opposed to, you know, keeping an eye on natural impact as well.

So I think what you're referring to with the sexual confusion is, as I've heard it, is it's a way to keep pests from reproducing in high numbers and impacting the grapes by way of, you know, literally confusing them instead of spraying them and killing them, which not only will remove them from their natural environment (which may not be the right answer) but also introduces so much more chemical product into the wines.

Dario: 

Correct. Yes, indeed. 

Also, another thing that we like to do is maintain biodiversity. So, for example, one project that is at the heart of the company is the conservation of indigenous grape varietals. We have a conservatory project with Um, uh, we have, uh, 15 different, indigenous grape varietals, typical of the Val d'Adige and so we believe it's very important to maintain this biodiversity.

[00:12:00]

Also, not only in vines, but also in between lines of the vines, we have vegetation growing in order to maintain full biodiversity in the environment. 

Anshu: 

That's great. Thank you for sharing those examples because it's one thing to read them in a textbook. It's another thing to know what's actually happening.

Now, we've talked about the history of Albino Armani. We've talked about some of the holdings and where you're located. Tell us about the wines. Now, I know it's probably a really large portfolio and I like that you got there before I did in terms of talking about indigenous varietals because I noticed that when I was doing my research and was really interested in hearing about that.

So you've touched on that a little, but if you could just tell us a little bit about maybe broad categories of wines that you're producing, and then if there's a couple that you think are real flagship products, please tell us about that. 

Dario: 

Sure. 

So as I told you before, we are in a wide territory in three regions, all connected. Albino drives through all the vineyards every week! So it's a manageable but quite large area, but quite large area. So one of the biggest areas and most important areas for us is the Val d'Adige which is the valley of the river Adige, which is the river that flows from Trentino from the Alps and flows into the city of Verona.

And it runs parallel of the Lake Garda. So that's where our headquarter is. And I think one of our flagship wines is the Pinot Grigio Valdadige which by the way, will soon be at LCBO, in Vintages, uh, this summer. So make sure you taste a bottle!

Valdadige is one of the best areas for Pinot Grigio - it's a single estate, uh, and it's like the, uh, a natural, uh, crib for, for, uh, such a difficult grape varietal. 

[00:14:00]

Pinot Grigio is not a simple grape - it's related to Pinot Noir, so you know how difficult it is to grow Pinot Noir. And the fact that we are in a cooler area with winds blowing helps us to maintain and deliver the best quality of pinot grigio.

I think Pinot Grigio is very important for us also because Albino is the president of the Delle Venezie consortium. So he gave his life to Pinot Grigio, which is an important grape varietal for him. And there is an exercise that I love to do with customers, which is to see how the same grape varietal delivers different quality or different style, depending on the terroir they grow in.

So Pinot Grigio is one. Then Valpolicella is another area that we love. We have a winery in Marano, which is higher altitude Valpolicella, where we make Ripasso, Valpolicella Classico Superiore and Amarone - completely unique Valpolicella because of the altitude. So higher acidity and freshness. And then Friuli is another pocket that we love because of the cooler area.

And we do Prosecco, but what I really think is unique is Sauvignon Blanc from Friuli. 

This is a very fast overview of our portfolio, even though, as you said, we have lots of wines, including some indigenous grape varietals like Foglia Tonda, which is a rescued grape varietal from the Valdadige.

Anshu: 

And that grape varietal you just mentioned, I did notice that, and it's not one I've come across before. How do I say that? 

Dario: Foglia Tonda. It means round leaf, and it is a grape varietal that Albino remembers from his youth, before Pinot Grigio in the Val d'Adige was famous, uh, so back in the 50s or 60s.

Before the big trend of Pinot Grigio in North America started by Santa Margarita, 

[00:16:00] 

uh, the Val d'Adige was full of indigenous grape varietals and also with red grape varietals. And Foglia Tonda was one of that. So one of the projects Albino did was to rescue this grape varietal and keep it alive. It makes fantastic red wines, still red wines. 

Anshu: 

I love it. So, Foglia Tonda - are there others working with the varietal now?

Dario: 

It's just us and another winery. 

Anshu: 

Okay, well, maybe if I could ever get my hands on that, I definitely need to try that, don't I? 

So, that's a great overview. And you've shared a lot. I am getting this real sense, which I got even from the wine that I drank - a passion for the land, a passion for wine, a passion for people and serving people through fantastic wine and looking after the environment.

Um, I think all of these things are critical and just a beautiful thing to know as a consumer, when you're picking out which product you're going to try and which product you're going to support. 

How would you say, or what would you say, really differentiates Albino Armani in the marketplace then?

Because I think one of the challenges is that, you know, for a casual consumer of wine or even an educated consumer of wine, there are so many options. So differentiation, I think, you know, when we talk about the business of wine is important and everybody wants to differentiate in some way. So as the individual that's responsible for the Americas, how do you talk about the differentiation of Albino Armani?

Dario: 

Well, I like to say that authenticity is very important in our wines. So, um, sometimes we are a little bit less commercial, and less accessible in terms of mainstream wines, but, um, I think this is what makes us different. They are very educational wines, especially for people like you that like to experiment and discover new wines. They are very clean, respectful, with higher acidity, and great for food pairing, for example. 

[00:18:00] 

Anshu: 

Beautiful. And could you tell me a little bit about production levels? How many cases, or thousands of bottles, do you produce? 

Dario: 

In cases we do 250,000 - 300,000 cases more or less and most of it is exported, uh, North America, the biggest market for us, but then also Europe, South America, Asia.

So let's say we are a family owned, but medium to big size in the Italian industry. 

Anshu: 

Excellent. Now, let's talk about the wine that I had, which I have in front of me here. There we go, I've got it. So we have the Albino Armani Conegliano DOCG Prosecco. And this is the bottle that turned me on to Albino Armani, as I explained. I bought this thinking I was just buying a Prosecco and I have to say I really enjoyed it.

Um, I will separately at some stage post my own tasting notes around this wine on my social media. Uh, I will just start by saying it's off dry, very light, ethereal. It's got layers and layers of notes. And it's an excellent price point for what you get in the glass, which is what really impressed me in my market.

It's sort of sub $20 if you can find it now. Um, so I would love for you to share a little bit more about this wine. And as I mentioned, it may or may not be available at the time that someone is hearing this in their market, but I think it gives a really good sense of what the brand and the company, the family, what the organization stands for and what's available throughout the portfolio.

And of course, then if you can find the wine, then you can try it and know what to expect! 

Dario: 

Well, yeah, thank you! 

It is a Prosecco DOCG coming from the area of Valdobbiadene and Conegliano. Actually we are in the Valdobbiadene which is the original area for Prosecco, where Prosecco was invented.

[00:20:00]

Um, so it's the DOCG appellation. I know you might be already familiar with DOC, in 2009, is when the appellation DOC was created and Prosecco since then has been a phenomenon worldwide. 

Actually, I read an article yesterday about the biggest, the largest wine imported, uh, in the U.S. - Prosecco! Wow! It's great for a category that didn't even exist 15 years ago when I started. I remember the first day I was walking into a restaurant in New York and that was 2007 and nobody knew about Prosecco. Now you cannot get into a, uh, a restaurant in New York without finding a Prosecco!! It's incredible. 

But anyway, let's go back. This is the original area - Valdobbiadene-Conegliano. The grape varietal is Glera, 100%. This wine is the only wine that we don't have our own estate in. But as you know, we are farmers, wine growers. So we collaborate with some farmers in the area. We oversee the whole operation during the whole year, from the pruning to, uh, the harvest, and then the vinification process. The wine undergoes a secondary fermentation in stainless steel, sealed tanks. 

Prosecco, it's tank fermented, it is not bottle fermented. Why? Because Prosecco has to be fresh. It's a young sparkling wine. We want to preserve all the aromas of the grape varietal that is almost an aromatic grape. And it has to be drunk within a year and a half. So it's a very young sparkling wine.

Anshu: 

And the really light ethereal quality that I got in the glass - is that coming from cool fermentation temperatures, cooler climate 

[00:22:00] 

fruit? Is there, you know, really selective picking of the fruit? Maybe you could give us some insight on that as well. 

Dario: 

Well, first of all is lower yields and selected grapes. The grapes are selected and handpicked. You will probably see some pictures of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene area, which is completely different from the flatlands in the Treviso area or the rest of Veneto. They are steep hills, which by the way, became a UNESCO heritage (site) a few years ago. So, trucks cannot go in. So it's whole hand harvested. So there is already a selection of the grapes from the vines. And then, as you said, being as close as possible - so limit the transfer from the grapes to the press and, colder, um, um, fermentation, fermentation. Yes. 

Anshu: 

Yeah. Perfect. And as you said, very fresh. I mean, that is the signature stamp of Prosecco is a fresh, young, fruity wine. I had to smile again, if someone's listening, as opposed to seeing this visually, I was smiling the whole time when you were talking about Proseccos apparent popularity in North America.

There's no doubt that you can't walk into, it would be impossible I think, to walk into most restaurants with a good wine list and not find a good selection of Prosecco because people love it so much here. And it's really become a celebration, but also an everyday sparkling wine, I would say, whereby, you know, if you're celebrating something like a Mother's Day brunch, for example, people love their Prosecco, but also it's an affordable alternative that people like to enjoy, even when they're not celebrating, 

You made a point that there's a lot of, well, first you made the point that there's a lot of Prosecco being made, which I agree with.

It's a very large area but there's also a range of geography or, or sort of topography of the area. There are the flatter lands where perhaps the grapes may not be as high quality versus coming from the hills and higher up where it's steeper where it's cooler and where hand harvesting 

[00:24:00] 

is required. So there's more selection of the fruit. And again, at this price point, um, I just really think that there's some great quality being offered in the glass. So congratulations to you guys for that. You have a fan in me for sure with this Prosecco! 

If people are interested after listening to this or watching this in Exploring Products and they're located in Ontario, they could look up Majestic. They are your importers.

Dario: 

Correct. if you're watching it from the US, we are in every Total Wine and More store. So there are 250 more stores, uh, with a pretty good distribution. We have a very wide selection of wines in their stores. 

Anshu: 

Okay, perfect. 

Well, I'm just taking a quick look here, and I think that most of the points that I wanted to cover with you, I have.

I'm going to throw one question at you I didn't prepare you for. Are you ready? 

Dario:

Shoot it! 

Anshu: 

Testing your knowledge. No, I'm not testing your knowledge. That wouldn't be fair! 

I would love to hear, as somebody with so much experience in the industry, working there, you were born in a region that's steeped in wine, you live and breathe wine, you're my kind of guy. That's what I do too….. What are some of your favorite wines? Not in your portfolio, of course, your portfolio should be amongst your favorites, but what wines do you love to drink? 

Dario: 

Well, I like drinking wine with food. So, uh, one wine that I'm drinking right now is Lugana, for example. I really love Lugana because it's becoming very popular in the area. It's great for food pairing. It has character. It's a small producing area, but, uh, still with a lot of potential. 

Anshu: 

Love it! 

And what is your favorite thing - since we talked about Prosecco - to pair Prosecco with? 

Dario: 

Well, the typical salami and aperitivo or some Parmigiano cheese. Uh, it's like, Uh, to open a meal, also it's very friendly.

It's, uh, it's a way to break the ice with 

[00:26:00] 

friends and prepare for the meal or for the gathering to come. 

Anshu: 

I love it! 

It's been such a pleasure talking to you. Thank you for sharing all this information with myself and with my listeners and followers. And I hope that people have learned as much as I have from this conversation.

I think you've shared not only about the brand, the company, the family that you represent, but also quite a bit of information about Northeastern Italy, which is always very helpful. So thank you for your time. 

And you said that you make it to North America a fair bit. So if you are in my neck of the woods, I would absolutely love to have the opportunity to share a glass with you!

Dario: 

Thank you very much. It has been a pleasure. And, we are very happy to be part of your program. 

Anshu: 

Thank you. Talk to you soon.