Your host, Andrea Morris, busts a popular myth that red wine should never be served chilled. During this visit to Italian winery Villa Romana, Ugo explains why the folks in Rome drink their red wine chilled, and Andrea is surprised to actually enjoy chilled Pinot Noir. Ugo and his daughter, Andrea, share their stories of creating unique and delicious award winning wines. You’ll hear about the path to starting the winery, the vision for the future and more!

Produced by: Lukas Sluzar. Recorded July 31, 2024

Show notes: Villa Romana Estate Winery: www.villaromona.ca

Wines sampled: Cenerentolo (sparkling red), Lanuvino (sparking reisling), 2023 Pinotino Pinot Gris, 2023 Scalina Vidal, 2021 Speziato Gewurztraminer, 2021 Rosellino Rose, 2020 Quatrarello Pinot Noir Riserva, 2020 Romanello Riserva blend

Meet the Makers: Ugo & Family

Andrea sits down with Ugo, the driven owner of Via Romano, whose leap from accounting into winemaking was inspired by family roots in Italy and “a little bit of insanity.” The episode is bursting with heartwarming tales of building the winery from scratch, surviving construction hurdles, and Ugo’s commitment to quality over quantity (think limited batches and meticulous estate-grown grapes).

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What’s Pouring at Via Romano?

From medal-winning whites to a show-stopping sparkling red, Andrea and Ugo sip through a dreamy lineup:

• Cenerentolo (Sparkling Cabernet Franc): A playful, slightly sweet sparkling red likened to Lambrusco—crafted thanks to Ugo’s daughter Andrea’s determination. A best-seller that flies off the shelves!
• La Nuvino (Sparkling Riesling): Crisp, lively bubbles with a refreshing hint of sweetness. Perfect for summer evenings and cheese boards.
• Pinotino Pinot Gris (Gold Medal Winner): Bursting with notes of crisp green apple and juicy pear—a gold medalist at the ACWC.
• Scalina Vidal (Late Harvest, Silver Medal Winner): Not quite an icewine, not quite a dessert wine, this limited-edition late harvest has the perfect touch of sweetness.
• Speziato Gewurztraminer (Double Gold Winner): Balanced, aromatic, and unique—don’t delay if you want a bottle; it’s in high demand!
• Rosalino Rosé: Andrea’s personal favorite—delicate, Provençal-style, with a kiss of sweetness. Another limited-production beauty.
• Cuattarello Pinot Noir Reserve: Complex, lightly chilled, and ready to drink (or cellar). Andrea’s mind was blown by how much chilling transforms this red!
• Romanello Reserve (Bordeaux Blend): Cab Sauvignon, Merlot, Cab Franc—a deep, robust blend perfect for grilled steak or a special dinner.

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Behind the Scenes: Tradition Meets Innovation

What sets Via Romano apart? It’s the blend of Italian heritage, a willingness to break wine “rules” (like chilling reds!), and a family that’s in tune with both tradition and what modern wine drinkers crave. Ugo’s daughter Andrea (yes, two Andreas!) is a sommelier who’s steering the direction with fresh ideas, leading to exciting wines like the signature sparkling red.

It’s also about community—from Roman-themed events to vineyard picnics and blind tastings. Whether you’re a wine geek or just love a good glass in your jorts on the porch, you’ll feel welcome.

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Insider Tips & Upcoming Events

• Come Early, Buy Now: With small batches, favorites like the Cenerentolo and Rosalino often sell out. Don’t wait!
• New Winery Coming Soon: Look out for a new facility featuring underground caves, a wood-oven restaurant, and an even bigger tasting room.
• Events: From Roman reenactments to artisan markets and brunches with bubbly mimosas, there’s always something fun on the calendar.

Andrea Morris [00:00:00]:
Hello, friends. I’m Andrea Morris, and welcome to another episode of Spill the Wine. As you know, Spill the Wine is a podcast about wine, and I’m visiting a lot of wineries on my home turf in the Niagara Bench region because I really think that this is a special, special place, and I wanna help promote it to people and also debunk a lot of theories about wine. Like, a wine has to be expensive in order to be good or that you have to know a lot about wine in order to enjoy it, which is, again, not true. So on this journey, we are here on this episode with, visiting a winery that I can actually walk to from my house. It’s called Via Romano Estate Winery, and we’re here with Hugo. And lovely to see you again. How are you doing?

Ugo [00:00:44]:
Good. Great. Great.

Andrea Morris [00:00:45]:
Good to

Ugo [00:00:46]:
be here.

Andrea Morris [00:00:47]:
So, Ugo, one of the first things we I do is I like to, like, kind of get the history of your winery in. What made you open wanna open up a winery?

Ugo [00:00:57]:
Insanity.

Andrea Morris [00:00:58]:
That’s that’s the that’s actually the answer that everyone gives.

Ugo [00:01:04]:
So I was born in Rome and came to Canada when I was 17 years old. That was back in 1970. Went to McGill University, got my CGA, CPA, so I’m an accountant. Started working for a major class one railroad. I was and retired as director of financial special projects. So the winery was basically a choice of life. Like, I retired, and I wanted something to do. We did have a winery in Italy just South of Rome in a place called Annuvio, so I kinda grew into a family winery.

Ugo [00:01:38]:
So I kinda know enough to be dangerous, but it was a choice. Right? There was something to do. On my retirement, I enjoyed meeting people, maybe making some nice red wines that people enjoy. So that’s my payment. And, we established the company back in 2014. We, we purchased 22 acres in Niagara On the lake, concession 7 Line 1, but that soil there was not to our liking. The water tables are only four feet. There is a sediments from the ancient lake bed, which was kinda disgusting.

Ugo [00:02:13]:
And, so long story short, it wasn’t for me to put grapes there. We sold it. Came to Beamsville in 2016, late ’20 ’16. We found this property, and, we purchased it. And the rest is history. We planted in June 1537. We’re still under development, so we’re operating out of what we call the barn. The, the building has now been approved for the winery.

Ugo [00:02:41]:
That’s fantastic.

Andrea Morris [00:02:41]:
I know you’ve been only three years for quite some time.

Ugo [00:02:44]:
Yeah. Three years to get the permits. We now have permits. Now it’s a question of cost. After COVID, the construction cost went berserk. Right? It’s insane. The interest rates are high. So we wanna be careful.

Ugo [00:02:58]:
Right?

Andrea Morris [00:02:59]:
Right.

Ugo [00:02:59]:
Rome was not built in one day. So maybe next year, we’ll start. So Via Romano will be built in,

Andrea Morris [00:03:06]:
you know, maybe two or three days.

Ugo [00:03:07]:
No

Andrea Morris [00:03:07]:
question. How many acres do you have here?

Ugo [00:03:11]:
We have 10.2 acres, and we have nine varieties of grapes. We have Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Vidal, Gerstraminer, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Riesling. The reason for the nine variety is because they’re all cold climates. Our clones are from, France, Germany, and Spain, and we wanted to do some blends. So those are the basics for the cold climates, and it worked out pretty well. We now have 17 wines in total. We have 10 medals at the last competition.

Andrea Morris [00:03:45]:
That’s fantastic. Congratulations.

Ugo [00:03:47]:
Gold on ghertz and wiener, gold on pinot green, and a bunch of silver on the other ones.

Andrea Morris [00:03:53]:
Because when I first visited you two years ago when I moved to the area, you didn’t have as many wines.

Ugo [00:03:59]:
No. Yeah. Twenty twenty is our first vintage ever. So we planted June 1537. Twenty ’20 is where the first time that we made wine. It takes about four years to get grapes going properly to to produce good wine. So Did

Andrea Morris [00:04:14]:
you ever buy any from other places? No. No? Everything is all Yeah.

Ugo [00:04:18]:
Your own We are a state winery. We we’re very meticulous at what we do. We worry about quality, not quantity. So no. I I’m not doing that. And the batches that we made are pretty small. Like, you know, in the 80 to a hundred cases, that’s it.

Andrea Morris [00:04:34]:
So once it’s gone, it’s gone? Once it’s gone, it’s gone, and some of them are gone already. Oh, no. Well, I’m so happy that I get a chance to have you on this podcast to taste your wines and talk about them Sure. Because you always have such amazing stories. So what are we gonna start with today, Ugo?

Ugo [00:04:52]:
We can start with the Cheniere and Tolo. This is a Cab Francs Barclay. It’s a creation of my daughter. She’s a sommelier. Mhmm. And it’s totally different. It’s very different. She can describe it much better than I do, I suppose.

Ugo [00:05:05]:
She she’s got she got the fancy words.

Andrea Morris [00:05:08]:
Right.

Ugo [00:05:08]:
But, you know, wine is, you either like it or you don’t. It doesn’t matter all these fancy words around. Your palate is your palate.

Andrea Morris [00:05:17]:
Exactly.

Ugo [00:05:18]:
Nobody can tell you what you’re tasting. They can give you ideas, but to me, it’s better to go blind, taste, and you like it or you don’t.

Andrea Morris [00:05:27]:
Right. Because a lot of times, the tasting notes can influence what you feel that you’re tasting.

Ugo [00:05:31]:
Exactly.

Andrea Morris [00:05:31]:
Yeah.

Ugo [00:05:31]:
Exactly.

Andrea Morris [00:05:32]:
Yeah. Cenerentolo? Cenerentolo. Cenerentolo. Which means Cinderella. Ah. But

Ugo [00:05:38]:
the male version in Italian.

Andrea Morris [00:05:39]:
Cenerentolo. Okay. It’s a beautiful deep red color, which is unusual for sparkling.

Ugo [00:05:46]:
Yeah. Cab Franc. It’s like a Lambrusco, but we can’t call it that.

Andrea Morris [00:05:50]:
Because everything is unique to that region.

Ugo [00:05:52]:
It’s also copyright.

Andrea Morris [00:05:54]:
Oh, right. Right. Well, just like champagne and That’s right. Yeah. This is really nice.

Ugo [00:05:58]:
Thank you.

Andrea Morris [00:05:59]:
It’s a little bit on the sweet side, but not too sweet. Right. But very refreshing.

Ugo [00:06:03]:
Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Make fantastic sangrias.

Andrea Morris [00:06:06]:
Oh, of course. Yeah. So saying there’s nothing like a sangria on a hot day like today.

Ugo [00:06:11]:
That’s right.

Andrea Morris [00:06:11]:
Yeah. But you could just drink this plain as well. And

Ugo [00:06:13]:
That’s right.

Andrea Morris [00:06:14]:
Would you do this as a before dinner or after dinner thing? Because it seems kind of after dinner drinky to me.

Ugo [00:06:19]:
Nah. You can do it with meals. Yeah. Definitely.

Andrea Morris [00:06:22]:
Yeah. Nice pasta?

Ugo [00:06:24]:
Yeah. Nice pasta or, any barbecues will go. Sitting on a porch, doing a barbecue. Yeah. Definitely.

Andrea Morris [00:06:32]:
Nice and chilled. It’s really lovely. Yeah. It’s like it’s, it’s just got a slight like I said, slightly sweet taste to it. And what grape is this from?

Ugo [00:06:41]:
Cab Franc.

Andrea Morris [00:06:41]:
Cab Franc.

Ugo [00:06:42]:
100% cab Franc.

Andrea Morris [00:06:43]:
Really? How do you get it to be like, because most cab Francs aren’t sweet. How do you get that slightly sweet taste from it?

Ugo [00:06:51]:
Well, we don’t add anything. I mean, whatever comes out of it

Andrea Morris [00:06:54]:
It’s probably just like the

Ugo [00:06:55]:
The laying. That’s what we do. Right? It is a it is done in a method. Right? And, you know, we do our wines at Vieni because the facility is not built yet. Right. So I tell them what I want. I tell them how it should be done. They know what they’re doing.

Ugo [00:07:11]:
But I’m the one approver in the end, so it’s gotta be done my way.

Andrea Morris [00:07:14]:
Gotta be what what what Ugo likes is what we’re having to drink. That’s really, like, kinda

Ugo [00:07:19]:
really rough. It’s our most popular right now. It’s going off the shelf, so it’s,

Andrea Morris [00:07:24]:
it’s really And that’s new because when the first time I was here, you didn’t have that.

Ugo [00:07:28]:
Just came in.

Andrea Morris [00:07:29]:
Wow. Not too

Ugo [00:07:29]:
long ago.

Andrea Morris [00:07:30]:
That’s fantastic. What a lovely way to start a wine tasting with something, like, completely different. And I like, that Lambrusco just really seals it for me because that’s one of my favorite things I used to love to drink. So perfect. So now we’re moving on to a white sparkling.

Ugo [00:07:46]:
A white sparkling. So this is a La Nuvino, it’s called.

Andrea Morris [00:07:49]:
La Nuvino?

Ugo [00:07:50]:
Yeah. It’s a 2021 Riesling. And, again, easy drinking, crisp, clean. Not overly bubbly. You know? It’s we watch the level of

Andrea Morris [00:08:02]:
snowboarding. Deli delicate bubbles. Yes.

Ugo [00:08:05]:
Yeah. That’s that’s the way we want it.

Andrea Morris [00:08:07]:
Again, slightly sweet, but really refreshing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I like a sparkling riesling. But a lot of people do sparkling chardonnays, but you chose riesling.

Ugo [00:08:16]:
Yeah.

Andrea Morris [00:08:17]:
Why was that?

Ugo [00:08:19]:
Something different? We have the grapes. Yeah. Why not? Right? We tasted the grapes. I thought it would be a nice sparkling. Sure enough.

Andrea Morris [00:08:27]:
That’s really is. Yeah. It’s really enjoyable. Yeah. Really fantastic with the well, I I would love that with some cheese. Yep. Yeah. Yeah.

Andrea Morris [00:08:34]:
For sure. Yeah. That’d be great to sit outside Yeah. Enjoy that and just have a wonderful time.

Ugo [00:08:40]:
Oh, that’s really that’s really true.

Andrea Morris [00:08:41]:
Really nice. And again, when I first came here, you didn’t have sparklings either.

Ugo [00:08:46]:
No. No. These are the So it’s

Andrea Morris [00:08:48]:
really nice to see you growing as a winery and having more and more selection and and just, like, expanding your expanding what you have to offer the the listener and the, you know,

Ugo [00:08:58]:
your customer. We’ll be a lot more happy once the building is finished.

Andrea Morris [00:09:03]:
Well, that’ll be a few years.

Ugo [00:09:04]:
The building is gonna have a wood oven restaurant Oh. A tasting room, wedding hall upstairs, a cave underground, and more importantly, the wine making facility.

Andrea Morris [00:09:13]:
A cave underground? Oh, yes.

Ugo [00:09:15]:
Wow. Really?

Andrea Morris [00:09:16]:
Cave. So cool.

Ugo [00:09:17]:
Store wines. We do our tours there. Weddings.

Andrea Morris [00:09:21]:
And then you can have your champagne where you’re, like, doing flipping turning the bottles. Oh, that’s I can’t wait for that. That’s gonna be amazing. So So what are we gonna cheers. What are we gonna taste next? I’ll give you one that won silver. Oh, fantastic. Yeah.

Ugo [00:09:37]:
And gold.

Andrea Morris [00:09:39]:
Sorry. I cut out Silver and gold.

Ugo [00:09:42]:
So this is a Pinot Gris twenty twenty three, and this is a Scalina twenty twenty three.

Andrea Morris [00:09:49]:
Okay.

Ugo [00:09:49]:
The Pinotino is a gold medal, and the Scalina is silver is silver medal.

Andrea Morris [00:09:55]:
Pinotino. I love that name. The Pinotino Pinot Gris.

Ugo [00:09:59]:
Scalina is called Scalina because our girl that works here, her name is Skyler, so we named it after her.

Andrea Morris [00:10:06]:
Aw, that’s so sweet.

Ugo [00:10:08]:
She’s doing WSET courses. She wants to be a sommelier. So

Andrea Morris [00:10:12]:
And now she has a wine table.

Ugo [00:10:15]:
Have a wine

Andrea Morris [00:10:15]:
That’s fantastic. Wow. But I assume that that’s gonna be sweeter, so we would start

Ugo [00:10:19]:
with the Pinotino. Definitely.

Andrea Morris [00:10:20]:
So tell me a little bit about the Pinot Gris, the Pinotino.

Ugo [00:10:24]:
It’s, I don’t know. Like, it’s clean, crisp, easy to drink,

Andrea Morris [00:10:31]:
flavorful. It doesn’t have a very overpowering nose to it, which is like it’s very, like, kind of just almost, like, nonexistent really, but it’s very crisp.

Ugo [00:10:44]:
Yep.

Andrea Morris [00:10:44]:
It’s got a nice I feel like it’s got, like, a green apple flavor to it. Yep. With, like, a crisp green apple.

Ugo [00:10:50]:
If you wanna read the notes, this is my daughter. She writes the notes.

Andrea Morris [00:10:55]:
Uh-huh.

Ugo [00:10:56]:
So I

Andrea Morris [00:10:56]:
don’t wanna prejudice people, but it does say oh my gosh. It does say crisp green apple. I win. There

Ugo [00:11:02]:
you go.

Andrea Morris [00:11:03]:
Yay. Also, juicy pear and a hint of honeysuckle. Interesting. Really nice summertime wine. It’s almost very it’s very lightly colored, a little bit clear, but it’s just really refreshing. And on a hot summer day like it is today, this is an absolutely perfect wine. And it won gold?

Ugo [00:11:23]:
Yes. Wow. The last competition.

Andrea Morris [00:11:25]:
Which competition was that? ACWC. Okay. Wow. That’s

Ugo [00:11:30]:
Golden onion.

Andrea Morris [00:11:31]:
Nice.

Ugo [00:11:32]:
Yeah.

Andrea Morris [00:11:33]:
That’s fantastic. And on the the tasting notes say easily paired with creamy pasta, grilled seafood, fresh salads, and sushi. I would definitely have this with a creamy pasta, but I would also have it with cheese.

Ugo [00:11:46]:
Because I

Andrea Morris [00:11:46]:
don’t have anything with cheese.

Ugo [00:11:47]:
Nice carbonara.

Andrea Morris [00:11:48]:
Oh, cabonetta. Oh, yes. Are you gonna fire are you gonna have that when you have the new place? Are you gonna have some pasta?

Ugo [00:11:54]:
Oh, definitely we will. Oh. The real McCoy.

Andrea Morris [00:11:58]:
It really is. Like, I’m really tasting that crispy green apple. It’s just so refreshing. Yeah. Nice and light. Like, again That’s because

Ugo [00:12:05]:
that’s why I won. Right? And

Andrea Morris [00:12:07]:
Yeah. It’s just a lovely pinot gris. I give that a thumbs up for sure. Now the Scalina, that’s a late harvest. So this is more of an ice harvest. Late.

Ugo [00:12:18]:
What happened is we basically did not have a winter last winter. No. Right? So I say, what am I gonna do with the vidal? So I left it on the vines, the grapes. We harvest January 22. So I said I’m gonna do a late harvest and see what happened. I took advantage of the the weather. And sure enough, it won silver, and it’s one of the only one in Ontario, I would say, around the region that really won a medal. So

Andrea Morris [00:12:45]:
And what grape is this from?

Ugo [00:12:46]:
This is Vidal.

Andrea Morris [00:12:47]:
Vidal? Okay. Yeah. It’s a Scalina Vidal.

Ugo [00:12:50]:
And these are the notes.

Andrea Morris [00:12:52]:
Uh-huh. Now a late harvest for the listener that doesn’t know much about that, it’s not quite an ice wine. No. Because an ice wine has to be picked at a very Yeah. Specific temperature.

Ugo [00:13:02]:
And it’s not a dessert wine either because it’s not overly sweet. You can pair it maybe with some dessert, but as long as they’re not too sweet.

Andrea Morris [00:13:12]:
I would pair this with a really sharp cheese. Again, going back to the cheese because that’s my thing. Yeah. But to me, I think it does like, for me, if I was having this with dessert, I think it would be too sweet because I’m not a big fan of sweet wines.

Ugo [00:13:24]:
That’s right.

Andrea Morris [00:13:25]:
I mean, although this isn’t this for a Vidal isn’t overly sweet. Yeah. It’s just got I think it’s got the perfect amount of sweetness to it.

Ugo [00:13:32]:
Maybe it will go well with a lemon meringue.

Andrea Morris [00:13:34]:
Oh, something tart. Yeah. Exactly. Like a key lime pie.

Ugo [00:13:37]:
That’s it.

Andrea Morris [00:13:38]:
Yes.

Ugo [00:13:38]:
That’s it.

Andrea Morris [00:13:39]:
That would be perfect with this, I believe. Yeah. Really, really nice flavor to it. It’s very full bodied for a Vidal, but not cloyingly sweet. And a medal winner Yes. Which is fantastic. Silver. Yes.

Andrea Morris [00:13:54]:
Silver. Yeah. Yeah. Does that do you find that that influences people to buy with the wine when they find out that it’s a medal winner?

Ugo [00:14:00]:
It does. Sometimes it does. People think they they get a a different framework when they know it’s gold or silver or something. Because I guess they get, they get the sense that somebody else tasted it, and they it’s really good wine behind the other wines. But in the end, it’s what you like.

Andrea Morris [00:14:19]:
Exactly.

Ugo [00:14:20]:
You can taste a platinum wine, and you taste it, and you say, I don’t like it. It’s all about you. It’s all about personality. Right? It’s very subjective.

Andrea Morris [00:14:29]:
Because and also, I think too, when you age, you’re or the more you the more you become accustomed to wine, your your flavors change and your taste change. And it’s like what you liked maybe ten years ago, you don’t like now.

Ugo [00:14:45]:
Exactly.

Andrea Morris [00:14:46]:
Or or vice versa. You know, it’s like it’s I think it’s really interesting, but I think it’s always really important. And the point of my podcast is to embrace your palate.

Ugo [00:14:55]:
Yeah.

Andrea Morris [00:14:55]:
Like, know what you like and don’t be afraid of it. No. Like, don’t be ashamed.

Ugo [00:14:59]:
Yeah.

Andrea Morris [00:14:59]:
You know, in the same family, it’s like my brother loves sweet wines. I like a a really nice chunky red, and my sister-in-law likes to put her reds in the refrigerator.

Ugo [00:15:11]:
We do too.

Andrea Morris [00:15:12]:
See? Oh, is that an Italian thing?

Ugo [00:15:14]:
Yes, it is.

Andrea Morris [00:15:15]:
Yeah?

Ugo [00:15:16]:
Our red wines are in the fridge.

Andrea Morris [00:15:18]:
Really? See, I’ve always come from that thought that red wine should never be nope.

Ugo [00:15:23]:
Nope. Ask her especially.

Andrea Morris [00:15:28]:
Well, now now I see yeah. That makes that that makes complete sense to me.

Ugo [00:15:31]:
Warm wine is no good. Let’s put it that way. Like, even yesterday, we had people in, and they said, oh, this is fantastic. It’s chill. That’s what we like. Mhmm. So a lot of people understand that, you know, a little bit colder than wine, even red, it’s better.

Andrea Morris [00:15:47]:
That’s interesting.

Ugo [00:15:48]:
Much better.

Andrea Morris [00:15:49]:
But it’s the whole thing in Italy. What’s Oh, absolutely.

Ugo [00:15:51]:
Italy is too hot. Like, when you got 40 degrees, I would

Andrea Morris [00:15:54]:
say drink up room temperature wine. Right? Yeah. I get it. Okay. So I heard your daughter talking earlier about the Gewurztraminer.

Ugo [00:16:02]:
Yes.

Andrea Morris [00:16:03]:
And this is a new one for you. Right?

Ugo [00:16:05]:
It is.

Andrea Morris [00:16:05]:
Yes. The Speziato? Speziato. Speziato.

Ugo [00:16:09]:
It was 100% Gewurztraminer. The 2021 won double gold and a bronze across Canada, so it was fantastic. Twenty twenty three is just as good, maybe even better, I would say. But we didn’t enter on a competition because we already had it. Right. So people are loving it. You can tell by the shelf that it’s gone.

Andrea Morris [00:16:33]:
Oh my gosh. It’s

Ugo [00:16:35]:
We’re waiting for another batch to come in.

Andrea Morris [00:16:37]:
So don’t get attached, listener.

Ugo [00:16:41]:
They’ll have to go on the waiting list. We started waiting list, So Wow. We should be getting the next batch because we’re bottling and labeling now. Mhmm. But maybe within the next month.

Andrea Morris [00:16:50]:
It doesn’t have, like a lot of Gewurztraminer have a very floral, aroma to them.

Ugo [00:16:55]:
Not this

Andrea Morris [00:16:56]:
This doesn’t have it’s more of a it’s a very light leachy.

Ugo [00:17:00]:
Yes.

Andrea Morris [00:17:00]:
It’s not overly leachy. It’s just it’s just really lovely.

Ugo [00:17:05]:
And, again, if we read the notes that my daughter wrote right?

Andrea Morris [00:17:09]:
It’s not even that sweet, which is interesting because most reverse taminers are really sweet, but this one isn’t.

Ugo [00:17:15]:
It’s It’s got a floral blue gray. Right? And it’s, light on the palate

Andrea Morris [00:17:20]:
Very light.

Ugo [00:17:20]:
With aromas apple blossoms. Yes.

Andrea Morris [00:17:25]:
I can taste more apple than lychee. And normally with the a Gewurztraminer, it’s very lychee and very floral.

Ugo [00:17:32]:
There is some lychee?

Andrea Morris [00:17:33]:
There’s some flint? Very, very slight.

Ugo [00:17:35]:
Yep. Yeah.

Andrea Morris [00:17:37]:
But it’s really interesting because it’s so different from any other Gewurztraminer I’ve ever tasted. Yep. Yeah. Really cool. That’s right. It’s Winnie Metals. Because it’s unique and different. Yeah.

Andrea Morris [00:17:50]:
It’s really nice.

Ugo [00:17:51]:
And we’re we’re fortunate to have this land, and this land is producing award winning wines. We are starting to get recognized that we’re making wines that could go internationally as well. So Ontario, especially the Bench area, is becoming famous for really good wines.

Andrea Morris [00:18:08]:
Well, and especially with the way the the climate is changing and the winters aren’t as rough as they have been, I think the Bench area really serves that much better because we have a higher elevation.

Ugo [00:18:18]:
Yep.

Andrea Morris [00:18:19]:
And and the soil is different. Yep. Now is your soil a lot of clay content?

Ugo [00:18:24]:
Clay loam. Yes. Water table is about twenty, twenty five feet. So they gotta go deep. They get the minerality, the sandstones, and everything else, and then maybe that’s what makes it fantastic. Right?

Andrea Morris [00:18:36]:
Right. Because the different the the the difference in the in the, earth really affects the taste of the grapes. So

Ugo [00:18:43]:
yeah. There is so many variables out there, right, when you grow grapes. They’re all reflects on the wines. And, you know, you gotta be very careful, very meticulous where you spray, how many leaves you’re gonna leave, expose the clusters, all kinds of details that makes a difference.

Andrea Morris [00:18:59]:
It’s kind of a science.

Ugo [00:19:01]:
You could say that.

Andrea Morris [00:19:02]:
Yeah. Well, I I think that you have to know about a lot about the terrain. So you have to know a lot about gardening. Yeah. You have to know a lot about science and some and weather because the weather really affects

Ugo [00:19:15]:
Oh, absolutely.

Andrea Morris [00:19:15]:
So much.

Ugo [00:19:16]:
But in the end, like, it’s mother nature that dictates what is gonna come out. Right?

Andrea Morris [00:19:21]:
Did you panic when we had those few days of really torrential rains and go like, oh, no. It’s gonna be too wet?

Ugo [00:19:27]:
Well, it has been wet, for sure.

Andrea Morris [00:19:29]:
Yeah.

Ugo [00:19:29]:
I was more worried in the winter that it was so warm. I mean, we had 20 degrees in February. Right? Yeah. I was worried that then the frost would hit, and that would decimate everything.

Andrea Morris [00:19:40]:
Because then the grapes would start to grow because it was warmer, and then the frost would come

Ugo [00:19:45]:
Kills everything. Kills all the buds. That’s what happened in ’22. Twenty ‘2, that’s we lost about 50% of the crop.

Andrea Morris [00:19:52]:
That was a horrible year for everybody around here.

Ugo [00:19:55]:
Yeah. And a lot of people lost their vines completely. Yeah. Yeah. Now weather is a major factor. I mean, if you look in BC, last winter, 95% or 97% of the winery lost everything, all their vines. And now it’s gonna take you three to four years to regrow. That’s a major blow for the industry.

Andrea Morris [00:20:15]:
Oh, for sure. Because their wine industry is basically at a standstill.

Ugo [00:20:18]:
Yeah. That’s it. A lot of them a lot of them are closing because they can’t afford it. So yeah.

Andrea Morris [00:20:23]:
And you only have so much back stock That’s it. That you can keep that you can keep selling. Yeah. Because you’ve gotta have new things developing and Yeah. What was your best year so far, do you think, for grapes for you?

Ugo [00:20:35]:
Oh, 2020. No no question.

Andrea Morris [00:20:38]:
The COVID year. No question. Yeah. Fantastic year. It’s funny how it was such a a crappy year for everyone because of COVID, but it was a great year for grapes because the weather was fantastic for that. But I heard that 2023 was a really gonna a great year as well.

Ugo [00:20:55]:
It is so far as long as it stops raining. Yeah. If it continues raining like this, it’s not it’s not good. I mean, we’re starting to see some some very little section of the downy mildew. That’s not good. Right. So we’re gonna take care of it. But Do

Andrea Morris [00:21:11]:
you chop the chop the leaves off them?

Ugo [00:21:13]:
No. We usually spray it.

Andrea Morris [00:21:14]:
Oh, okay.

Ugo [00:21:14]:
Right? So yeah. Right.

Andrea Morris [00:21:16]:
Right. So now we’re moving on to your rose. The famous Rosalino. Rosalino.

Ugo [00:21:21]:
I thought that

Andrea Morris [00:21:22]:
Rosalino. And

Ugo [00:21:23]:
So 2020 is sold out. This is 2021. Right? It’s, it’s totally different. It’s a really Soft aromas.

Andrea Morris [00:21:32]:
Very light color. It’s almost the color of a French rose. Yeah. The French rose is a little bit lighter than this, but it’s a really light pink. Yep. Smells like strawberries. It’s so nice.

Ugo [00:21:44]:
Very bright acidities, you know? Soft aromas. Crabapple, maybe spice No.

Andrea Morris [00:21:50]:
I don’t even taste crabapple. I just taste I think I’m I’m really tasting strawberries.

Ugo [00:21:54]:
Okay.

Andrea Morris [00:21:54]:
Yeah. It’s just this is so refreshing. And you know I bought this from you before. This is it’s just such a beautiful rose.

Ugo [00:22:05]:
Well, that’s why there’s very little left even on the 2021.

Andrea Morris [00:22:09]:
So the thing with Vio Romano is when you come to visit, if you like it, you have to buy it. Just like when you go to Costco, it’s if you don’t buy it, it’s gone. It’s the same thing with Via Romano. I do well. You gotta come and buy it while you’re here because otherwise, it’s gone. But this, I have to say, is really one of my favorite roses.

Ugo [00:22:25]:
Thank you.

Andrea Morris [00:22:25]:
It’s just so beautiful, so delicate. Yeah. It reminds me of, like, kind of a French rose, but a little sweeter because it’s light and delicate like that, but just a tiny little bit of sweetness that just makes it so perfect for summertime.

Ugo [00:22:39]:
That’s right. Yeah. Oh, and moving to the reds. Oh. And that’s it pretty well.

Andrea Morris [00:22:44]:
I could dwell on this one forever. I have to say, Hugo. How much is that a bottle?

Ugo [00:22:49]:
This one is $23.95.

Andrea Morris [00:22:51]:
Not bad. Yeah. It’s such a nice bottle.

Ugo [00:22:56]:
Now you get into some very complex wines.

Andrea Morris [00:22:58]:
Okay. Now we’re moving on to the reds.

Ugo [00:23:01]:
Where do you want to go with?

Andrea Morris [00:23:02]:
And as an Italian, I would expect that you had nothing but spectacular reds.

Ugo [00:23:08]:
Let’s see.

Andrea Morris [00:23:09]:
You have that reputation. We’re having some oh, the the I would say the color of these reds is beautiful.

Ugo [00:23:16]:
Yeah. I’m sitting here.

Andrea Morris [00:23:18]:
So what are we starting with?

Ugo [00:23:19]:
So we’re starting with a pinot noir reserve. Oh, I love it. ’20 ’20. It’s extremely complex. It’s called cuattarello.

Andrea Morris [00:23:28]:
Cuattarello.

Ugo [00:23:29]:
Cuattarello means a young boy in Calabresse dialect. Cuattarello. When we first started going out with my wife, she mentioned the word cuattarello, and I said, what the heck is that? She goes, you speak Italian. I said, I say bandino, not cuattarello. But because it’s a young wine, but it stuck.

Andrea Morris [00:23:49]:
That’s it’s it’s got a really lovely nose.

Ugo [00:23:51]:
It’s exceptional.

Andrea Morris [00:23:52]:
It’s a very fruity nose, and it’s just a beautiful color.

Ugo [00:23:57]:
About a year in French oak. Mhmm. Herdy, yes, fresh.

Andrea Morris [00:24:02]:
And I Fruit flavors. Little bit chilled, which is lovely. Yeah. I’ve never I will be honest with you. I’ve never had a Pinot chilled.

Ugo [00:24:11]:
So this is ready to drink, but

Andrea Morris [00:24:13]:
this beautiful.

Ugo [00:24:13]:
Can go five years easy in a in a cellar. Wow. It’s spectacular. Thank you.

Andrea Morris [00:24:19]:
Really nice wine. Really just, like, I think that little bit of chill is really interesting because I’ve never chilled a Pinot, but now it makes me wanna do that. Because it just opens it up a little bit and just makes it, like Yeah. Like, gets rid of the youngness. So then it’s like, you know, you don’t feel guilty for enjoying the young boy.

Ugo [00:24:46]:
Okay.

Andrea Morris [00:24:48]:
That’s really fantastic. That’s and and this is this a winner as well?

Ugo [00:24:54]:
No. We didn’t put it into competition.

Andrea Morris [00:24:56]:
Quattorello. Quattorello. Because I don’t have my glasses on. I can’t read it. I’ll put my glasses on. I can say Quattorello. It’s beautiful. You’ve changed your label a bit.

Andrea Morris [00:25:10]:
No. No? Haven’t you? No.

Ugo [00:25:12]:
It’s still the same as before.

Andrea Morris [00:25:14]:
It’s really pretty. Thank you.

Ugo [00:25:16]:
Yeah. Yeah. We’re getting a lot of compliments on our labels.

Andrea Morris [00:25:19]:
They’re really nice. Yeah. Kind of like the estate there.

Ugo [00:25:25]:
Yeah. Being Colors are right and

Andrea Morris [00:25:28]:
Everything is perfect. Yeah.

Ugo [00:25:29]:
Thank you.

Andrea Morris [00:25:30]:
And the Reservo has the dark black Yeah. Oh, perfect. Also, listener, you can’t see this, but he’s got when you come to visit this winery, Hugo has the most wonderful, logo that he’s always explained it to me every time I’ve been here. My guest, when I bring guests here, they they love to hear the story of the logo Yep. Which is really hard because this is a podcast, and you can’t see the visual the visual. But I did take a photo of it, and we’ll talk about that because it’s really cool because it’s so complex.

Ugo [00:26:03]:
And we don’t wanna give it away.

Andrea Morris [00:26:05]:
No. We don’t. Because they have to because when you come, you have to figure it out yourself.

Ugo [00:26:09]:
That’s right.

Andrea Morris [00:26:09]:
But it’s a beautiful logo, and when you look at it, you see one thing. But the more you stare at it, you see other things. And I wanna I don’t I wanna give I don’t wanna give it away because I want you to come here and have Ugo tell you the story of what the logo is if you couldn’t figure it out yourself. I think I did. And I’ve had friends that have come and figured it out themselves. But Hugo is also famous for giving you blind tastings where he just tells you, tell me what you think this wine is. And it’s so much fun. Like, you’re just you are one of my favorite wine hosts because you do that kind of thing where you’re like, you’re like, what the what’s this wine? I don’t know.

Andrea Morris [00:26:45]:
You tell me. And then you have to really put your your thinking cap on and go, I don’t know. It tastes like this. It might be this. And if you’re new to wine, it would be hard for you. But if you’re an experienced wine taster, it’s really fun. It’s like a little game. You should have, like, tokens or something.

Andrea Morris [00:27:02]:
If you get them all right, you win something.

Ugo [00:27:04]:
Oh, okay.

Andrea Morris [00:27:05]:
Yeah. Good idea. I would just say that because you’re really good at this. Alright. But this pinot is absolutely fantastic. And I’ve like I said, I’ve never had a pinot chilled, but this is really lovely. And now, we’re moving on

Ugo [00:27:19]:
to you. Now you’re gonna be the Romanello Reserve.

Andrea Morris [00:27:22]:
Romanello. Romanello. And what is this named for?

Ugo [00:27:26]:
It’s obviously because I’m Roman. So Romanello.

Andrea Morris [00:27:29]:
Romanello. Small Roman.

Ugo [00:27:31]:
So this one is, again, one year in French oak, and, it’s Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Cabernet. Oh, it’s a bland? Plenty?

Andrea Morris [00:27:39]:
Nice blend.

Ugo [00:27:40]:
It’s a blend. It’s a classic Bordeaux blend. Oh, wow. The vintage.

Andrea Morris [00:27:46]:
Again, beautiful color, very deep red

Ugo [00:27:50]:
Yeah.

Andrea Morris [00:27:50]:
And slightly chilled in the Italian way. And

Ugo [00:27:57]:
So as my daughter would say, she’s got flavors of kirsch, blueberry, violet with aromas, vanilla, and forest floor. I don’t know about forest floor, but

Andrea Morris [00:28:08]:
I if you could you could ask someone is. You could ask my puppy what the florist is, and he’d probably be like, I know. It smells like this, this, and this. I don’t know about that. I can taste I definitely taste fruit in it. And it’s just a really nice wine. I think that would be really nice with a steak.

Ugo [00:28:27]:
Absolutely. Mhmm. Definitely.

Andrea Morris [00:28:29]:
Some nice pepper on that steak.

Ugo [00:28:31]:
Yeah. Any barbecue.

Andrea Morris [00:28:32]:
Mhmm. Some Romano cheese. Yeah. Yeah. Just Yeah. Instead of blue cheese, some Romano. I have a friend who’s a flight attendant that just came back from Rome and brought me some of that. Oh.

Andrea Morris [00:28:43]:
And I’m using it on everything I eat.

Ugo [00:28:48]:
Because it’s It’s like that commercial. Right? Yeah. I use that stuff on anything.

Andrea Morris [00:28:52]:
Oh my god. It’s so good. It’s just got such an amazing flavor to it. I’m like, oh, I’m having chicken wings. Maybe I’ll put some of that on top. Like, literally, it’s so good. But then I’m going, wait. Don’t don’t use it all.

Andrea Morris [00:29:07]:
No. Because then you won’t have it for the next Then you

Ugo [00:29:10]:
gotta go on a trip and get some more.

Andrea Morris [00:29:11]:
I know. I just I’ll tell her the next time she goes to Rome, just bring some back for me again. Yeah. But, oh, spectacular cheese. There’s some other cheese that she brought me from there that was like this really nice soft cheese that was absolutely spectacular.

Ugo [00:29:24]:
Asiago or

Andrea Morris [00:29:25]:
No. I don’t know what it was. It was in a little it was, like, literally a tiny little box. Oh. It was so good. I didn’t even share it with anyone. I ate it all myself within the space of ten minutes. That’s how good it was.

Andrea Morris [00:29:38]:
Yeah. Your cheese in Rome is absolutely spectacular. I need to go there.

Ugo [00:29:44]:
Yes. Nice place to visit.

Andrea Morris [00:29:47]:
But you wouldn’t wanna live there? No.

Ugo [00:29:50]:
Out of the question. Born and raised there, but no.

Andrea Morris [00:29:53]:
Is that why you left? Yeah.

Ugo [00:29:54]:
Pretty well. I came here when I was 17. Yeah. Fell in love with the country, so stayed.

Andrea Morris [00:30:01]:
Why did you leave? Because is it is it too crowded? Is it just too

Ugo [00:30:04]:
Well, I mean, there’s definitely that. I mean, obviously, like, Rome, for example, is anywhere between twelve twelve to 14,000,000 people. Anything you can be

Andrea Morris [00:30:13]:
done in the city. City? And with all the tourists?

Ugo [00:30:15]:
Yeah. And, there’s a lot of traffic, a lot of pickpockets, and a lot of crimes, small crimes. So no. Not for me.

Andrea Morris [00:30:25]:
Kinda like they talk about Paris like that with the metro where there’s the gypsies on the metro and yeah. Yeah.

Ugo [00:30:30]:
And this is our my daughter, Andrea. Come on in. She’s the sommelier.

Andrea Morris [00:30:35]:
Andrea, what a pretty name.

Andrea Morris [00:30:37]:
Thank you.

Andrea Morris [00:30:37]:
Because that’s my name too. Andrea. Andrea. Yeah. Yes. Yes. As I’m used to that.

Ugo [00:30:44]:
You could just hold it if you want.

Andrea Morris [00:30:46]:
Just Yeah. Just hold and talk. You’re you’re doing an amazing job with the wines.

Andrea Morris [00:30:50]:
Thank you. Yeah. I’m push for certain things, but yes.

Andrea Morris [00:30:54]:
Is your vision different from your father’s a lot of times?

Andrea Morris [00:30:57]:
Completely. Yeah. I’m very much, like, in the market and knowing what is actually drinking these days, which is different than what tends to be of that generation and what they like to drink. They were just raised on different wines and stuff, and, the things that we tend to gravitate to are are very different.

Andrea Morris [00:31:15]:
So did you introduce the Gewurzt demeanor then?

Andrea Morris [00:31:18]:
No. We grew that grape, but I pushed for it to be a solo wine on its own, as opposed to in a blend with the Pinot Gris and the Vidal.

Andrea Morris [00:31:27]:
And I was saying it’s a really interesting Gewurz because it’s so different than anyone I’ve tasted.

Andrea Morris [00:31:32]:
Yeah. So our Gewurz is is great because it’s actually a typical Gewurtz. When you think of what Gewurtz is supposed to taste like, this is what it is supposed to be. That’s why when we send it in for awards, I my dad was like, why why are we sending this in? And I’m like, send the Gewurtz because that will win.

Ugo [00:31:50]:
And sure enough, it did. It won a bunch

Andrea Morris [00:31:50]:
of gold medals, because it is a typical Gewurz of what that is supposed to be expressed or what it is expressing what it’s supposed to be.

Andrea Morris [00:31:59]:
Right. Because it’s not overly floral, and it’s not overly leechy. It’s more like, I had a completely different taste than I had with any other Gewurztraminer I’ve ever had.

Andrea Morris [00:32:07]:
Yeah. For sure.

Andrea Morris [00:32:08]:
Yeah. And how did you know that?

Andrea Morris [00:32:11]:
Did you Many, many years of sommelier school and tasting many, many different Gewurztraminer from all around the world, and then basically

Ugo [00:32:20]:
saying, this is what a Gewurztraminer is supposed to taste like. This is what

Andrea Morris [00:32:20]:
Gewurzt is. And then it, you know, ingrains into your brain, and when you taste it, you know it.

Andrea Morris [00:32:29]:
Do you have to manipulate the grape to make it taste that way?

Andrea Morris [00:32:32]:
No. It’s dependent on our our vintage. %. Mhmm. Like, our 2023 is good. I would argue that 2021 is a better, Gewurtz. Like, it is a better indication of what it is supposed to be. Why so? It has actually more of that lychee and a lot of more florality, but it does have a lot of minerality as well.

Andrea Morris [00:32:53]:
It’s just a really well balanced wine. This one, the season wasn’t quite as hot, and so it it won’t pull as many of those, notes. Not as strong. It still has them, but just not quite in the same, veracity as, like, our 2021.

Andrea Morris [00:33:10]:
So what’s your favorite of all the ones you have here?

Andrea Morris [00:33:13]:
Keith’s gonna get mad. The, the Cenerentolo. So our sparkling red is by far my favorite.

Andrea Morris [00:33:21]:
It’s so much fun Yeah. Because there’s not many people that run-in this region that do

Andrea Morris [00:33:25]:
We are only one of three in the entire peninsula that do sparkling red. Yeah.

Andrea Morris [00:33:32]:
And what made you wanna do that?

Andrea Morris [00:33:34]:
I have been a fan of Lambrusco or Sparkling Shiraz or any like, Molly Dooker or Bledsoe, like, any of those, for many, many, many years. And I was like, we have the grapes. Let’s do it. Like, let’s do it. And he’s like, you’re insane. You are nuts. Who who in their right mind sparkles or red wine? You’re out to lunch. And I pushed I pushed for four years.

Andrea Morris [00:33:57]:
I was like, we’re doing it. We’re doing it. And finally, he’s like, okay. And now it’s like our best seller piece. People come in and buy cases of it.

Andrea Morris [00:34:05]:
Wow. Yeah.

Andrea Morris [00:34:05]:
They’re like, I’ve never tasted anything like this. And I’m like, I know.

Andrea Morris [00:34:11]:
You’re like, yeah. Pat on the bottom.

Andrea Morris [00:34:12]:
Like, yes. Yeah. Like Mhmm. Yeah. Yeah. And it’s just really funny.

Ugo [00:34:15]:
There are so many cases left.

Andrea Morris [00:34:17]:
No. We’re almost, like, sold out, actually.

Andrea Morris [00:34:19]:
Yeah. That’s fantastic. Yeah. That must, like, be, like, you know, like, I’m justified.

Andrea Morris [00:34:23]:
Oh, I just, like,

Andrea Morris [00:34:27]:
like, just just

Ugo [00:34:28]:
So I

Andrea Morris [00:34:28]:
guess you’ll be continuing to make that.

Andrea Morris [00:34:32]:
It depends on the years. So next year, we are gonna only make a couple of wines. Maybe I mean, it depends. If we sell out of the Cabernet Franc, I’d say make another batch of it. But we are gonna make a red wine. We’re gonna make a solo Merlot on its own. We’re gonna do, grab some of the Pinot and grab some of the Chardonnay and do a traditional rose sparkling, put it on leaves for three years, all that fun stuff. And then we I wanna do a Pinot Gris select.

Andrea Morris [00:35:07]:
And so what that is is where your pinot gris is left on the vine, not quite late harvest, but, like, you’re pushing the harvest date. And it still is making a table wine that is dry, but it just gives you a much more bigger mouthfeel, an oilier texture on the wine.

Andrea Morris [00:35:25]:
A little sweeter?

Andrea Morris [00:35:28]:
It’s not sweet in the sense that, like, in your actual palate, but you will get some of those sweeter notes. Yes. Because it is a much more ripe fruit. It’s just very different than a normal pinot gris and especially quite drastic from a pinot grigio. But this is gonna be very compare like, comparison to your Alsace Pinot Gris, some of those ones. Interesting. Yeah. Yeah.

Andrea Morris [00:35:49]:
That’s what I would like and what I’m pushing for, but we’ll see what gets approved.

Ugo [00:35:54]:
I have

Andrea Morris [00:35:55]:
to say your rose was one of my favorite roses in the area.

Andrea Morris [00:35:59]:
So I don’t always drink a lot of wine. But if I do, our rose is one of the the wines I drink actually the most out of well, now the tender antelope, but, like, our rose because it’s just I eat a lot of vegetarian food and, all over a lot of, like, fish and white meat. And that wine, I just find, goes with everything. You know, drinks like a red. It has all of that not or sorry. Drinks like a white, but it has a lot of the robustness of a red. And it is dry in that Provence style, which for me is what a rose should be like. So I’m I’m a big fan.

Andrea Morris [00:36:30]:
I know. It does have that little Provence feel to it, which I really like. Yeah. It just I feel like I’m in France, but also Italy at the same time. It’s like border it’s not really border at all because it doesn’t, but, you know

Andrea Morris [00:36:41]:
I know what you mean. Yeah.

Andrea Morris [00:36:42]:
Yeah. Yeah. It’s just got that it’s really, like, honestly, one of my favorite roses I’ve ever had in this area.

Andrea Morris [00:36:48]:
Well, thank you.

Andrea Morris [00:36:49]:
So yay. I’m great.

Andrea Morris [00:36:50]:
I I quit. I was like, we have to do the rose dry. Like, we’re this is not white zinfandel from The US. Like, it has to please make it dry. And it came out dry. So

Andrea Morris [00:37:00]:
Do you have to manipulate the grapes a lot when you make wine, or do you just kinda let them be what they are and just kinda No. We call we call

Andrea Morris [00:37:06]:
it fixing. So there’s, you know, the wine comes out and it makes a certain thing, but then you do need to sometimes, like, add stuff. Maybe you need to add a little sugar in it, to make it ferment a little bit longer, or you need to stop fermentation quicker. You need to maybe let it sit on itself so it can do some malolactic fermentation. There’s different things that you can do with the wines that create different flavors in the wine as it’s you’re processing through, and you won’t know it until you’re actually, like, in the wine making process.

Andrea Morris [00:37:38]:
As I was talking to a winemaker at Casaba, and he said sometimes the wine takes a completely different turn than what he thought it would.

Andrea Morris [00:37:46]:
%. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Like, that’s and, I mean, we’re

Andrea Morris [00:37:50]:
curveball of wine. Right?

Andrea Morris [00:37:51]:
Like, we’re looking at the same vines that we produce from every single year. And every single year, the the wines taste different.

Andrea Morris [00:37:59]:
Because there’s so many different factors, like weather and Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Andrea Morris [00:38:02]:
Our grapes are maturing, things like that because we’re still pretty young. But, yeah, it it changes everything for the flavor.

Andrea Morris [00:38:09]:
And you can’t anticipate that at all. Right? No.

Andrea Morris [00:38:13]:
It’s not like you’re going and, like, grabbing a grape and being, like, and eating and going, yeah. It’s gonna be like this. No. Those grapes are disgusting on the vine. Really? Oh, Oh, have you ever tried one?

Andrea Morris [00:38:22]:
Yes. I have. But I’ve tried some that have been really sweet on the vine and some that have been

Andrea Morris [00:38:27]:
Mostly, like, until they’re, like, the day that you’re picking, they’re really gross. They’re really gross.

Andrea Morris [00:38:34]:
How do you decide how much skin contact you’re gonna give a wine?

Andrea Morris [00:38:37]:
Well, depends on what the wine is. Yeah. Some wines call for a lot more, obviously. So if you’re doing, like, that Bordeaux blend Meritage, then, yes, it’s

Andrea Morris [00:38:45]:
That Bordeaux blend Meritage is spectacular.

Andrea Morris [00:38:48]:
Thank you.

Andrea Morris [00:38:48]:
I really like that.

Andrea Morris [00:38:50]:
Drink it in five years.

Andrea Morris [00:38:51]:
Lay it

Andrea Morris [00:38:52]:
for five years, and then and then come back and tell me

Andrea Morris [00:38:54]:
Yeah. That’s not gonna happen. That

Andrea Morris [00:38:57]:
that wine, I Drink

Andrea Morris [00:38:58]:
it in five years. You know what? Yeah. Hello. Yeah. Yeah. No. That one It’s too good to drink five years later.

Andrea Morris [00:39:05]:
Yeah. That one, I think, in five years will be fantastic. The tannins will smooth out a little bit more, and it will just brighten up, in terms of, like, some of the other flavors, those tertiary flavors. But, yeah, it it all depends. I mean, our rose, we do twenty four hours on our skin contact. When we do the Pinot Gris Select, if we do it, it actually will have a little bit of skin contact, but it won’t be as long as you think. Like, it won’t be the twenty four hours.

Andrea Morris [00:39:31]:
But the Pinotino is so nice.

Andrea Morris [00:39:33]:
Yeah. That’s the

Andrea Morris [00:39:34]:
one I wanted to. It’s really nice. It’s just, like, summertime, chill that, sit outside, drink a whole bottle. Yeah. Like, yeah. Don’t even leave your porch. Just grab another bottle. Yep.

Andrea Morris [00:39:44]:
Yeah. I fortunately have I have a little fridge outside of my house, so I can just shove it in there and be like, yeah, I don’t even have to be on inside. It’s perfect. Everything is great. I’m I’m I’m having a great day. That’s funny. No. I’m really impressed with how much you guys have grown.

Andrea Morris [00:39:59]:
Thank you.

Andrea Morris [00:39:59]:
Yeah. It’s really nice to see that you have so many more varietals and that you’re, you’re, like, pushing the boundaries, and I think that’s really fantastic.

Andrea Morris [00:40:09]:
I think it’s just fun and, like, it’s we’re in a we’re able to do that with we’re lucky because this is just sort of a hobby. It’s not our, like, our living. Like, I have a full time other career, you know, and so does my brother. And, so we’re lucky in that sense that we can do things that are maybe a little bit outside the box or or whatnot because we don’t need to, like, necessarily, like, oh my god. We have to do the wine that sells because that’s what’s whatever. But meanwhile, you know, our channel rental low, like, I pushed for it. It’s outside the box, but now it’s selling. That’s our best seller.

Andrea Morris [00:40:42]:
So, I mean, who knows?

Andrea Morris [00:40:44]:
It always happens like that, though, doesn’t it? The thing that you don’t expect is gonna be the thing that people just, like, fall in love with. Yeah. Because it’s unique, and that’s and that’s what’s great about it.

Andrea Morris [00:40:55]:
Well, it’s the same as, like, our late harvest. Like, people, when I tell them late harvest, they’re like, oh, it’s gonna be so sweet. And I’m like, please do not serve our late harvest with dessert because it’s not sweet enough. In dessert, you always have to match sweetness to sweetness. And ours is only 65 grams per liter. Like, that is not sweet enough for dessert at all. No. Maybe like a lemon custard torte type thing.

Andrea Morris [00:41:19]:
That’s what we would just say.

Andrea Morris [00:41:20]:
Yeah. But, like, other than that

Andrea Morris [00:41:22]:
I said key lime pie.

Andrea Morris [00:41:23]:
Yeah. Like, which isn’t overly sweet. But other than that, you’re definitely looking at, like that’s like sushi right there. Like, that’s white fish. That is, spicy food. That is

Andrea Morris [00:41:35]:
Really? Because I couldn’t picture that with that.

Andrea Morris [00:41:37]:
Oh, it’s %. Because it’s so floral and you think with Indian food, like, it’s that has a lot of flavor as well. And it’s only 9% alcohol. So you want something that’s lower alcohol. Otherwise, it’s gonna burn when it goes down. But having that sweetness

Ugo [00:41:50]:
nine proof.

Andrea Morris [00:41:50]:
Yeah. That sweetness helps with, to sort of cut through it, and then it’s matching the the flavors.

Andrea Morris [00:41:57]:
That’s really, really interesting. I’m learning so much today from you guys.

Andrea Morris [00:42:01]:
That’s what everyone says. Talk to me. I’m like, oh my god. I’m info dumping on people. I’m so sorry.

Andrea Morris [00:42:07]:
Great. You know? That’s what this the reason for this podcast is to, like, explain to people that you don’t have to know that much about wine. But the more you go to wineries and you talk to people like you guys, you learn more, and then it actually deepens your appreciation. Because when the the I’ve lived out in this area for a little over two years, and I have learned exponentially so much more about wine than I ever did just by going to places like this

Ugo [00:42:33]:
Mhmm.

Andrea Morris [00:42:33]:
And sitting and talking with you guys. I remember, like, I remember the first time I came here when I first moved here two years ago. I brought my other dog, Dunfee, who has since passed away, and Ugo said, just let him run. Let him have the reign of the place, and we sat down and just talked and drank wine together. And it was just a really magical, wonderful experience to have to have that one on one time with somebody

Ugo [00:42:55]:
Mhmm.

Andrea Morris [00:42:56]:
And to not feel pressure And to just talk to you about your wines, talk to you about the reason you made things. And I think that that’s the beauty of wine tasting.

Andrea Morris [00:43:04]:
I think that’s what, like, we strive for at our, like, our place is that when you can come in, and it doesn’t matter what your palate is or what you like or what you dislike because everybody is different. And who cares? If you can enjoy wine Yeah. Great. You don’t need to be in a bow tie to enjoy wine because sitting on my porch in, like, my my jorts, my, like, you know, like, fantastic. Like, I’m it’s for everybody, and that’s the beauty of it. And we try to always create an experience that is representative of that, where it’s just easy and fun and, like, not stuffy. And that’s really important to what we wanna provide here is that it’s accessible for all.

Andrea Morris [00:43:45]:
Exactly. And you guys have this really wonderful Roman tradition where you do the the your Roman day, your Roman reenactments. And I’d love that you’re so true to your roots.

Ugo [00:43:56]:
Yeah.

Andrea Morris [00:43:56]:
But you’re also, like, you’re also ambitious in what you’re doing with your wines.

Ugo [00:44:01]:
Mhmm.

Andrea Morris [00:44:01]:
And I think that’s We

Ugo [00:44:02]:
do a market once a year now. Yeah. And, yeah, the last one was last Saturday, actually.

Andrea Morris [00:44:08]:
I saw the sign, but I was busy. So, yeah, I was actually in in Ohio. But yeah.

Ugo [00:44:11]:
Basically artisan from the region that come up. We do a charcoal reborn personal wine and a flight of wine for $25.

Andrea Morris [00:44:19]:
That’s great.

Ugo [00:44:20]:
Today. Yeah.

Andrea Morris [00:44:20]:
Yeah. Well, I’m Yeah.

Ugo [00:44:22]:
We do dinner sometimes, private dinners. August 18, we’re gonna have a Sunday brunch. So or you can eat buffet.

Andrea Morris [00:44:32]:
Yum. That sounds fantastic.

Ugo [00:44:36]:
I’m more interested in the mimosas. And they’re gonna have mimosas.

Andrea Morris [00:44:38]:
They’re like, just give me mimosas.

Andrea Morris [00:44:39]:
Okay. And they’ll be made with your with your bubbly, of course. The mimosas. Of course. Yeah. Yeah. I would just take the bubbly sans the orange juice, but that’s fine. Oh, I just

Andrea Morris [00:44:47]:
put a splash and call it a mimosa.

Andrea Morris [00:44:49]:
Yeah. Call oh, that’s okay. I like the way you think. You’re perfect.

Andrea Morris [00:44:52]:
Somewhere in that glass at one point. Like

Andrea Morris [00:44:55]:
You just wave the orange over the glass. That’s perfect. That’s exactly what you need to do.

Andrea Morris [00:45:00]:
Science class where you’re, like, like, wafting towards you. Like, don’t smell it directly. Just waft it. That’s perfect. I do that with the orange juice.

Andrea Morris [00:45:06]:
That’s the perfect mimosa for me. Yes. It’s like, oh, don’t overkill it with orange juice. Just, like, waft it over. Yeah. Well, you know what? I am so happy happy that we came here and had this time with you guys. And listeners, I really hope you enjoyed this visit with Viya Romano. It’s a real wonderful family winery with that taste of Italy that I have just had red wine chilled, which I really enjoyed, and I just think that it’s a great spot, and you guys should definitely come here.

Andrea Morris [00:45:33]:
So, you know, be sure to visit the show notes because we’ll have info on the winery. We’ll have the website. We’ll have contact info. We’ll also have some photos. And then also remember to like and follow Spill the Wine on all platforms. And if you have any topics or wineries that you would like us to explore, you can email us at podcastspillthewine@gmail.com. That’s podcastpodcastspillthewine@gmail.com. And so for now, we say cheers.

Andrea Morris [00:46:01]:
Cheers. Have a fab day, and join us on the next podcast. Thank you.