Episode 364 of I’ll Drink to That! was released recently. It features Alex Sanchez, who works with the Brovia sisters at the Brovia family winery in the Piemonte, Italy.
Alex Sanchez refers to Barolo in this interview as a wine of “many faces,” with many different personalities. Brovia is a winery that highlights those differences in particular, as they make four individual crus bottlings of Barolo with exactly the same winemaking technique across the board. The production protocol is the same for the four wines, but the results are very different. Alex goes into detail in the interview about what they do at the winery, and what he has recognized as the different facets of the vineyards. If you have been following Brovia’s rise to the top league of Barolo producers, you may find what he has to say helpful in understanding the improvements that have occured in the vineyards. Hearing Alex break down the differences in the crus is a good chance to understand better some of the key vineyards of Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga d’Alba. There is also a nice amount of background information from Alex regarding little known bottlings like the Brovia Freisa (which includes fruit from the Villero vineyard), and the Solatio Dolcetto. There is also a Moscato bottling to come, and the reasoning behind it that Alex shares is very much worth thinking about and considering. All in all, this is a in-depth Brovia and Barolo tour, led by a thoughtful guide who enjoys discussing the fine nuances of the subject.
This episode also includes a Warm Up from Erin on single vineyard expressions of Barolo.
Listen to this episode:
I’ll Drink to That is the world’s most listened-to wine podcast, hosted by Levi Dalton. Levi has had a long career working as a sommelier in some of the most distinguished and acclaimed dining rooms in America. He has served wine to guests of Restaurant Daniel, Masa, and Alto, all in Manhattan. Levi has also contributed articles on wine themes to publications such as The Art of Eating, Wine & Spirits magazine, Bon Appetit online, and Eater NY. Check out his pictures on Instagram and follow him on Twitter: @levi_opens_wine
