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STARS
– & WINE –
What is your favourite wine?
Marchesa Gavi Gold Label, from Piedmont. I also enjoy
wines from Tuscany and Sardinia. Chianti never lets you
down either. I also like Californian Chardonnays and
wines from Burgundy. I have nothing against Argentinean
reds and as far as whites go, I tend to serve myself glasses
of Pinot Grigio and Chablis.
Was there one wine, above all the others, that pleasantly
surprised your discerning palate during filming of
your food documentary?
In the episode focusing on Sicily, I was lucky enough to meet
Arianna Occhipinti, a Nero d’Avola organic winegrower
who specialises in Frappato. She runs a small estate and
her wines are very traditional and made with love, which
you can feel! Sicily is the poorest region in Italy and is
unfortunately not very well known yet for the quality of its
wines, despite the fact that they are remarkable.
What was the main thing you learnt when you hosted
your ‘Vine Talk’ show?
The aim of the programme was to promote wine from
different aspects. How to buy it, choose it, taste it, uncork
it, savour it and above all make people understand that
this is not just a world for connoisseurs. Every week, we
would present a new wine region and taste wines blind.
We’d also invite a celebrity and a sommelier so that they
could share their common passion with us!
Are you the type to collect outstanding vintages in a
firmly locked cellar?
I’m not a big spender when it comes to buying wine.
I come from a family that used to live from hand to
mouth. I understand the value of money only too well.
Saying that, I can buy good wines but when I do, I don’t
have the patience to wait. I uncork them as soon as I get
a good opportunity to do so!
112 SPRING 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE