Introduction
How did Prosecco lead the way for many people discovering Italian wines, and then why did it get so much hate? How can “Mamma Jumbo Shrimp” help you as a wine lover? Is food or wine the main protagonist of most meals?
In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with the founder of Vinitaly and host of the Italian Wine Podcast, Stevie Kim.
You can find the wines we discussed here.
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Highlights
- What’s the best way for you to find Italian wines you might love?
- Why does Prosecco get so much hate from wine snobs?
- What are the different types of Prosecco available now?
- Why are Etna DOC wines so popular right now?
- Where did the “Jumbo Shrimp” name come from?
- How does Stevie’s brand “Mamma Jumbo Shrimp” help wine lovers?
- What is Stevie’s controversial perspective on food and wine pairing?
- How would Stevie pair her favourite childhood food with wine?
- What’s Stevie’s top tip for wine lovers?
Key Takeaways
- The story of Prosecco’s success in helping many people discover Italian wines, and then its plunge into ridicule with snobs has so many parallels in the wine world (think Chardonnay and Merlot) and beyond (think of certain movie stars and singers). Fortunately, there’s incredible value in this sparkling wine and it will persist, or you could say my love for it will go on and on.
- I love the concept of “Mamma Jumbo Shrimp” to help wine lovers understand Italian wines.
- Despite Stevie making a strong case for food being the main protagonist of the meal, I remain a wine-first kinda of gal just like I buy the earrings, then the outfit.
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About Stevie Kim
Stevie Kim was born in Korea and raised in the United States. Today, she lives in Verona, Italy. She attended the New York University – Leonard N. Stern School of Business. After settling in Italy, she obtained an MBA at Bocconi University, School of Economics and Management. Later, she achieved a postgraduate specialization in Wealth Management at the University of Pennsylvania – The Wharton School. Stevie is currently studying for her WSET Diploma, from the Weinakademie Österreich in Rust, Austria.
As Managing Director of Vinitaly International, Stevie has launched and now coordinates a series of new initiatives connected to the Vinitaly brand. As a Professional Wine Groupie, Stevie is always seeking innovative ways to communicate Italian wine – with a strong creative emphasis on social media and educational platforms. In 2017, Stevie produced the Italian Wine Podcast, the first podcast in English dedicated exclusively to Italian wine and its personalities. Now in its fourth year of regular broadcasts, the show published its 770th episode on January 31, 2022. She also carries out various editorial projects, one of the latest being The Jumbo Shrimp Guide to Italian Wine and The Jumbo Shrimp Guide to International Grape Varieties in Italy. The books are reference guides, designed to simplify the complex world of Italian wine. Last year, Stevie started her On The Road Edition travels to wineries and regions across Italy, airing every week on the Mamma Jumbo Shrimp YouTube channel.
Resources
- Connect with Stevie Kim
- Italian Wine: Jumbo Shrimp Guide
- Stevie Kim’s Book | Italian Wine Unplugged Grape by Grape
- Attilio Scienza’s Book | Atlante geologico dei vini d’Italia: vitigno, suolo e fattori climatici
- Unreserved Wine Talk | Episode 183: Italian Wines and Wine Competitions with Vinitaly’s Stevie Kim
- Diary of a Book Launch: An Insider Peek from Idea to Publication
- My Books:
- Unreserved Wine Talk | Episode 28: Father’s Day Wines
- My new class The 5 Wine & Food Pairing Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Dinner And How To Fix Them Forever
Tag Me on Social
Tag me on social media if you enjoyed the episode:
- @nataliemaclean and @natdecants on Facebook
- @nataliemaclean on Twitter
- @nataliemacleanwine on Instagram
- @nataliemaclean on LinkedIn
- Email Me at [email protected]
Thirsty for more?
- Sign up for my free online wine video class where I’ll walk you through The 5 Wine & Food Pairing Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Dinner (and how to fix them forever!)
- You’ll find my books here, including Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines and Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass.
- The new audio edition of Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass is now available on Amazon.ca, Amazon.com and other country-specific Amazon sites; iTunes.ca, iTunes.com and other country-specific iTunes sites; Audible.ca and Audible.com.
Transcript
Stevie Kim 0:00
Prosecco is more approachable for newcomers. There’s a little bit more residual sugar. And the acidity isn’t as high. It is absolutely the number one driver for Italian wine.
Natalie MacLean 0:14
Yeah, it’s a real engine just as Ice wine was for Canada. It’s where people can come in and understand it. It’s bubbly. It’s tasty. It’s definitely still a very strange love hate relationship between consumers and connoisseurs. Do you see Prosecco continuing to gain in popularity in the next five years?
Stevie Kim 0:34
I do believe so. Especially because they’ve come up with Rosé Prosecco. I mean, how smart is that?
Natalie MacLean 0:47
Do you have a thirst to learn about wine, the love stories about wonderfully obsessive people, hauntingly beautiful places and amusingly awkward social situations. That’s the blend here on the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast. I’m your host, Natalie Maclean. And each week, I share with you unfiltered conversations with celebrities in the wine world, as well as confessions from my own tipsy journey as I write my third book on this subject. I’m so glad you’re here. Now pass me that bottle please. And let’s get started. Welcome to Episode 184. How did Prosecco lead the way for many people to discover Italian wines? And then why did it get so much hate? How can Mama Jumbo Shrimp help you as a wine lover? Is food or wine the main protagonist of most meals? You’ll hear those stories and more in Part Two of our chat with Stevie Kim, the managing director of Vinitaly International, the world’s largest wine trade show. You don’t need to have listened to Part One from last week first. But I hope you’ll go back if you missed it after you listen to this one. Now on a personal note, before we dive into the show with the continuing story of publishing my new wine memoir Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Depression, and Drinking Too Much. Years ago, when I took a Toastmasters public speaking course, the structure was tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them. In a memoir, it’s the opposite. You don’t want to repeat scenes that essentially say the same thing and don’t really move the story forward. For example, I had a scene with my partner, Myles aka Roger, where he and I are arguing about making vacation plans, and another where we’re discussing a movie night. In both cases, I got frustrated feeling like I was slipping into the Social Secretary role that I had played in my former 20 year marriage. It reveals as much about this new relationship as it does about redefining yourself as a person after a major life change. But I didn’t need both scenes. One had to go in. This is just a minor example. There were also whole chapters I’ve taken out. The writing advice, Kill Your Darlings is attributed to the author of William Faulkner. And it means to delete passages and characters and plots and even beautiful phrases if they slow the momentum. I put these in a document I call Outtakes so it doesn’t feel so murderous. And I know I can use them in the future, though, I rarely do. The result is that the book gets tighter, reads faster and I believe it’s better experience for the reader. What writing tips have you heard that have helped you? Let me know. I posted a link to a blog post called Diary of a Book Launch in the show notes at Natalie Maclean.com/memoir for this is where I share more behind the scenes stories about the journey of taking this memoir from idea to publication. If you want a more intimate insider seat beside me on this journey, please let me know you’d like to become a beta reader and get a sneak peek at the manuscript. Email me at Natalie@ NatalieMaclean.com. Okay, on with the show.
So where does the average consumer start? Do we start with Prosecco? Is that an entry point or?
Stevie Kim 5:13
We have a great small book here.
Natalie MacLean 5:15
Okay, there it is on the video. Italian Wine. I think I sent it to you. I’m not sure if I’ve seen that one, but for those who are listening on the podcast, we’ll put a link to it in the show notes. But yeah, it looks like a digestible book.
Stevie Kim 5:28
I had this great small session. And it’s the way we start with Italian wine for wine lovers who are less familiar with the Italian wines. We always start with like, if you like Cava, you know, try Prosecco. Right. Right. If you like white Burgundy, you know, try Greco di Tufo or Verdicchio di Matelica. Or if you like red Burgundy, try Barolo, Barbaresco or Etna Rosso. And on and on. So we try to hook in to something that they’re already familiar with, and they we try to propose them something that’s similar. Maybe not identical, but something that they can familiarize their palate with?
Natalie MacLean 6:13
Exactly. It’s the way Amazon does it. If you like this read, maybe you like this book, whatever. But that’s a smart way to go.
Stevie Kim 6:19
Yeah. But that is kind of our approach. And it’s been extremely popular, because it’s something they can, you know, sink their teeth into. Something they can. It’s relatable. So we’ve been doing kind of that rollout of the wine education, especially at an entry level. And that’s been somewhat successful.
Natalie MacLean 6:38
Good. So why is Prosecco so loved and hated.
Stevie Kim 6:41
You know, the wine snobs, right? When everything is super popular, they think it’s not good.
Natalie MacLean 6:48
That’s true. Happened to Chardonnay.
Stevie Kim 6:51
Yeah, they have to think about why they are so special. And because to be quite honest, wine was not accessible to everybody before. You know, like the bulk wine. The white label wines. And then kind of the premium wines. But now, I think because the vineyard management and because of the winemaking techniques have improved vastly, now Italy creates wine for pretty much every budget. And Prosecco, I think got a bad rap. And I think it’s a damn shame. Because there’s good Prosecco right. First of all, I think when the Champagne became expensive with the financial crisis, right, there was an extension into the overflow into Prosecco, because it was just more affordable. But on the other hand, Prosecco is more approachable for newcomers, the new wine drinking, I think ,community because it’s easier on the palate. It’s the tank method. So there’s a little bit more residual sugar and the acidity isn’t as high so I think that is very much approachable when you start drinking wine. I think wine experts somehow, you know, associate themselves with the higher the acidity higher the tannin, you know, it’s necessarily the best. But it’s really not that way. And also Italian wine frankly has a lot to they have to really bow down to Prosecco because it is absolutely the number one driver for Italian wine. And I think Italian wine if it’s where it’s at currently, it’s also thanks to Prosecco.
Natalie MacLean 8:28
Yeah, it’s a real engine, just as Ice wine was for Canada. It’s kind of where people can come in and understand it and not be afraid of it. You don’t have to know the exact region or a vintage chart or whatever. It’s bubbly. And it’s tasty. But yeah, it’s definitely still a very strange love hate relationship between consumers and connoisseurs, I think. And do you see Prosecco continuing to gain in popularity and grow in the next five years?
Stevie Kim 8:57
I do believe so especially because you know, they’ve come up with Rosé Prosecco. Right. I mean, how smart is that? I’ve been saying this for years to be quite honest. I mean, I don’t want to necessarily take credit but I was like, people love Rosé. People love Rosé. Rosé all day and all that. Why don’t you do a Rosé Prosecco you know? And it’s been hugely popular. They can’t make the stuff enough. But on the other hand, there is kind of the premium Prosecco as well like Cartizze. You know, it’s such a small piece of land. I don’t know if you’ve been and it’s much more expensive than Barolo. It’s the most expensive area per square metres in terms of land value in Italy right now. And it’s called Cartizze? Cartizze. Cartizze. Yes, yeah, Cartizze and it’s a type of Valdobbiadene Prosecco. But it’s a smaller, specialized area. So I think also Prosecco, you know, I mean, if people like the acidity or the sippidity in Prosecco they’re also high premium Proseccos for that, right? So you’d be really, really surprised. Of course the lower quality tends to be a little bit watery and weaker as my colleague Jacobo he’s kind of the wine specialists at the office. He says that and it is perhaps you know, the acidity. He put his finger on it and he thinks that perhaps the acidity is not as well balanced in the lower price Proseccos but there’s a spectrum of everything in Prosecco. So I don’t think we should snub Prosecco. I think there are high quality Prosecco as well as you know, very affordable Prosecco.
Natalie MacLean 10:43
Yeah, absolutely. And another really trendy region or type of wine right now is you already mentioned it, Etna, Mount Etna. I was there in Sicily on the island of Sicily, just gorgeous wines. Why are they having a moment? And is it all the fuss over volcanic soils? Or is it the majesty of Mount Etna? And that kind of image of power? And what is it?
Stevie Kim 11:03
I think it’s a combination of everything. One, yes it is the romantic idea of the volcanic soil. And it’s like, we take our students, our candidates, our community to Enta, every year, in October. We do what we call the Gita Scolastica, which means a school field trip. And first of all, how can you not fall in love with Etna?
Natalie MacLean 11:25
Oh I know. It is a beautiful, beautiful island.
Stevie Kim 11:28
It is incredibly romantic and beautiful. And the idea of the volcano, number one. But I think it’s also the fact that they’re been quite good in marketing right? It’s a small group of producers, but they have positioned themselves well. And I did this fun experiment. I was involved in doing a blind tasting between Etna Rosso and Barolo. Blind tasting six and six with the presence of the two consortiums of Etna and Berala. And believe it or not, it’s not that easy. To distinguish? Yes. Wow. So I challenge you actually, you know, you should do that blind tasting, you know, get a few Barolos and try to do the. So I think it is positioned very well, you know, in terms of quality. But also, you know, we always say if you like Pinot Noir, you know, from Burgundy try Etna
Natalie MacLean 12:26
Because of the acidity and the smoothness and?
Stevie Kim 12:30
Yes, because of the flavours and the elegance, right? And the finish. So I think that was a very good way to communicate in a very simple way, very complex, but in a simple way. And I always think like, you associate the wine. The Professor Attilio Scienza, who is our wine geneticists director. He’s a chief scientists as I call him. He introduced this word called synesthesia in wine tasting. It is confusing the senses? Yes. synesthesia which is synesthesia I guess, I don’t know. Colour for taste or something? It’s what reminds you what your taste reminds you. Okay! So like, whenever you smell like something like baking, it reminds you of your mother, you know, baking a brioche or whatever. Like so he always says that. It is also the place that reminds you and this is why it’s key. They’ve been very, I think, very smart in bringing the people out there as much as possible and they too also have event called Contrada. Been to that. Vini Franchetti from Passopisciaro, one of the first founders of Etna in that area started kind of the. I don’t know if you’ve been is called Contrada. Yes, I have. Yes. Yeah. So that was hugely successful. So everyone wanted to just go to the Contrada and take all of the producers at once. So I think they’ve been smart in the way they communicate it. But most importantly, I think they were successful, it’s near Catania. So it’s not very far. And all of the wineries are so geographically kind of dense. It’s all located nearby. So you can kind of travel within it and you don’t have to travel a huge distance to see many of them and experience the winery visits and also the winemakers more importantly. So I think they facilitated all of this. And I think it’s been really, really fun. And they’ve been successful because of that, because like, I know you’re obsessed with storytelling. Yes. And I think they are really good in storytelling.
Natalie MacLean 14:40
They do they have their story down. I mean, it starts with a volcano that’s still active and then goes to all of these colourful winemakers who have great stories. Some of them using amphora, the clay vessel, some of them are doing ancient vines. I mean, it’s magical. It’s like walking into a storybook, a wine storybook when you go to Sicily and Etna specifically.
Stevie Kim 15:00
And let’s also remind your audience the wine has to be good. Oh, yes. Yeah, I take that for granted. But you and perhaps you and I both but like the why it is very good. It is great quality. Great price. It’s like, great bang for your bucks.
Natalie MacLean 15:18
Yeah, absolutely. You liken it to Burgundy. And I get that with the acidity and you know the smoothness and the liquid silk and all the rest of it. But there’s something also otherworldly about it. And I just wish I could have more concrete terms. But then again, maybe that would just destroy the majesty or the magic or whatever, of those wines, but they’re terrific. All right. So let us talk about Mamma Jumbo. Where did that name come from for your sort of new media enterprise? What is it? And where did that come from?
Stevie Kim 15:50
Okay, so during the pandemic, we’ve started. First of all, you know, I have the Vinitaly International Academy we’ve trained about, it’s a very intense programme, and we’ve trained about 1000 candidates, and some of them are Masters of Wines, Master Somms. It’s super geeky, right. And about 272, I believe, are certified now. So it’s a tough exam, you know, one out of four pass the exam. And the main book is this, as you can see Italian Wine Unplugged. And this is I think, only like $20 from Amazon. But as you can see, it’s like a 600 reference book, 600 page reference book. And this is actually being rewritten now by my team. But this is the textbook for our course Vinitaly International Academy. But it’s very dense, it has 400 native grapes. It divides into three different sections: the well known, the lesser known and the rare grapes. So most of the people are not interested in plowing through this, nor learn about this unless you become a highly specialized expert. So we thought why don’t we try to make this into a very, very tiny pocket book.
Natalie MacLean 17:06
Alright, guys, digestible as you said.
Stevie Kim 17:09
Yeah, we went from this Italian Wine unplugged 600 pages into this small pocket size book. Gotcha. And so this is why I call this series Jumbo Shrimp. And of course, all of my colleagues. First of all, Jumbo Shrimp is something I think, do you guys say that in Canada?
Natalie MacLean 17:27
Yeah we do. It’s a bit of an oxymoron. But yeah.
Stevie Kim 17:30
It is an oxymoron. And people don’t say that here. You’re like Jumbo Shrimp, like the hell is that? So my whole concept and my team hated it because they’re all European. Because my whole idea was to make hugely complicated Italian wine concepts into a shrimp size booklet. So that’s why it was Jumbo Shrimp. So all of the books that we do, and there will be a whole series. We’ve done with this but we’ve also done international great varieties, all of these series are called Jumbo Shrimp series. Then we started doing Mama Jumbo Shrimp is quite easy because when I went to create the Tik Tok account first of all jumbo shrimp was taken and if you Google jumbo shrimp, all you get are like recipes.
Unknown Speaker 18:20
Right.
Stevie Kim 18:23
So I said why don’t we put Mama you know as kind of the aggregate so that we can do other projects. So Tik Tok channels called Mama Jumbo Shrimp, Pinterest, called Mama Jumbo Shrimp, and we created also the video channel as of seven months because when I went to visit the wineries I was like, why don’t we document this? You know, so we started a video channel as Mama Jumbo Shrimp and now – this is actually breaking news – we’ve started 40 maps. Oh, wow. That’s beautiful. And there’s nothing like this right now. It’s coming out soon. I’ll send you kind of like proof copies. Yeah, that’s great. 40 maps dedicated to not just Italy. Five maps for Italy. But the worldwide to study maps. And these are called Mama Jumbo Shrimp maps because there aren’t any like that. And it only started because, you know, I needed some maps. I needed to visualize you know, contextualize with the maps because also I’m getting old, you know, I don’t remember anything prior to my pregnancy. So like, this was really helpful. And I wish I had this when I was studying. So it wasn’t very altruistic. I tap this girl who was doing study maps on Instagram and I was like, why don’t we do this together? So she sent her kind of like many like very raw drawings. And it took us two years to translate like her drawings into a bonafide study maps, into infographics and there are 40 of them and we will be coming out to the public soon with that. We’ll go live with that. So all of these things we’re kind of building and they’re called Mama Jumbo Shrimp projects because taking large, very complicated concepts into bite sized chunk of information. So that’s kind of the philosophy behind it. And people don’t understand and so we’re going to just, you know, keep on saying this over and over again until people get it.
Natalie MacLean 20:23
Either that or they order an appetizer. Exactly. That’s great Stevie. So I’d like to go into the lightning round, and just ask you a few quick questions, short answers. So what is something you believe about wine which some people would strongly agree or disagree with? If anything?
Stevie Kim 20:44
Oh you’re going to hate me for this one.
Natalie MacLean 20:46
No, do it anyway. Go ahead.
Stevie Kim 20:48
No, because I know you’re crazy about the wine pairing.
Natalie MacLean 20:51
Oh, you’re not a wine pairing advocate or believer?
Stevie Kim 20:54
You know, I know there’s this huge school and it’s very polarizing. And of course, we teach how to pair your wine with the food. First of all, I believe that food is really the driver. It’s the main protagonist. And I know, I know the wine people hate me for saying that. But I’m sorry, you know, wine itself is not sexy. You know, so I really think it’s the food that is the main protagonist. And then you think about what wines can go with it. As a condiment. And every palate is different. So I recall, like, you know, when I first met Angelo, and he offered us this very generous meal. And he put all the great wines in the centre of the table. And everyone just drank whatever they wanted. There was no rule of wine. And I was like, you know what, this kind of makes sense to me. You know, and then, you know, if something is too tannic, or something is too acidic, and also in Italy, there’s a big, I would say, a tradition, a culture of bread. I think it is a single, extraordinarily popular thing to do is to take a piece of bread. So in between, I think the plates and also the wines, you can also just stick a piece of bread in your mouth.
Natalie MacLean 22:11
Oh, sure. Yeah, if it doesn’t work out have a bun or whatever. Something like that. So I get all uptight.
Stevie Kim 22:18
So I think that’s kind of one thing.
Natalie MacLean 22:21
Yeah. No. That’s great. Everybody to each their own. But I only wish that I would have Angelo Gaja setting down a bunch of wines in the middle of the table then I too would not worry about food and wine. That would be amazing. So do you recall a favourite childhood food and what you might pair with wine? I mean, you don’t want to pair up.. Maybe you don’t want to do this exercise at all, but do you have a favourite childhood food?
Stevie Kim 22:44
I guess like you know, because I’m Korean. That is the Korean and me, you know. And I love white plain rice. So my name is Stevie Kim, but in Korean “Kim” is also the seaweed brand. Ah, it’s not a Nori, but it’s the salted version. I know it’s become somewhat popular now as well. But in the past, like, you would have to fry it, you know, on a pan like the seaweed and put salt on it. And then you would cut it up with scissors and just put white rice. That was my favourite food to be quite honest. And I still love love that and now it’s conveniently wrapped in like anywhere from Costco to anyone sells that little packet. I love it. Of course, at the time I was but I think would a lot of Asian food go really well with a lot of white wines. Because of the saline characteristic of it. Even Etna Bianco of course, but even for Fiano, Verdicchio. Like those are all like, I think they’re good pair. Excellent. Even though I’m not crazy about pairing. That’s great. It was sneaky. Yes, that was very sneaky of you?
Natalie MacLean 23:59
Do you have a favourite wine book? Or would that be your own? I usually like to ask people about their favourite wine books.
Stevie Kim 24:06
I actually love Attilio Scienza’s the Atlantic Geographica.
Natalie MacLean 24:12
Okay, how does that translate? Just Atlantic Geography?
Stevie Kim 24:16
Yeah, it’s a geography Bible in a way. Okay. Of wine? Yeah, of wine and of grapes and it gives you the… to understand wine you have to understand the soil structure. It’s very geeky. And it’s excellent. It’s my favourite book because I have it right at my bedside. And if I’m suffering from insomnia, it is the perfect book to get your teeth into and then it just like that you fall asleep. No, I mean, jokes aside, it is a terribly interesting book. And it’s fascinating, because you can learn about history and also the origin of the different grapes coming from different vineyards and how it has transformed in these years. Then, and I love that book and I’ll never understand it, but I love it. You know, his name is Attilio Scienza, which means science. I mean, go figure. He is the vine geneticists of Italian wine and wine grapes.
Natalie MacLean 25:14
Okay. Wow.
Stevie Kim 25:16
And he is a true professor in that he’s been I think he says all of the wine producers are his students. Were his students in the past. So he is capable of making you a little bit curious, just enough that you don’t understand so that you would like to study more. And this is an incredible, I think talent he has because he is able to create that curiosity in you. Yeah. Well, and I think that’s why it’s my favourite book. Hmm.
Natalie MacLean 25:47
Well, we’ll put a link to it in the show notes. Absolutely. That is what education is. It’s literally inspirational takes the spirit inside and makes you want to go further and learn. If you could share a bottle of wine with anyone living or dead, who would it be and what would the wine be?
Stevie Kim 26:04
I don’t know. That’s a tough question. Because I don’t think about death. I mean, I don’t want to think about death. And all of sudden death is just surrounds me. That’s true, but I don’t think about the favourite wine. I know everyone has the island wine and all of that stuff. But I always think about who you’re with at that moment. And I think everyone becomes special because you can contextualize in that moment, right? Because even like a Prosecco if you drink it in Cartizze in this fabulous, fabulous surrounding you absolutely love that one, and you love that person who’s with you because you’ve shared that moment. So I really think the wine is not about having one favourite wines, but it’s about being able to treasure those moments. That is the greatest gift of wine.
Natalie MacLean 26:55
It is. Yeah, it’s instant recall for me as well. Like I remember who I was with everything. Yeah.
Stevie Kim 27:00
yeah. You always associate your wine with the person you were with right so.
Natalie MacLean 27:05
Yeah, absolutely. Is there one piece of advice you’d like to give other than stop pairing food and wine to our listeners?
Stevie Kim 27:15
One thing is that I would like to tell your audience, that Montepulciano. The region? Okay, it’s Montepulciano. Yeah, Vino di Nobile Montepulciano is actually Sangiovese and it’s the wine growing region. And then Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is actually the grape from Abruzzo. So Okay. The other thing is, I want to teach a trick to your audience. Is that all the greatest greatest wise except Masetto is anything that ends with “ia”. So it’s like Gaia or Sassicaia. Yeah so that’s kind of cute thing for people to understand if they’re all iconic wines. Yeah, they want to really make an impression on the I don’t know, whoever.
Natalie MacLean 28:04
dinner party bosses or whatever. What happened to Tignanello?
Stevie Kim 28:09
Yeah, Tignanello I guess. Yeah, they’re, they’re up there.
Natalie MacLean 28:12
Well, there’s always an exception, like the English language. Right. Stevie, this has been wonderful. Where can people get in touch with you online?
Stevie Kim 28:20
So I’m all over the net. Just you know, Stevie Kim, on LinkedIn. I’m what you call an open networker. So, if you don’t have a kind of a psychopathic profile picture, I will accept you into my social media.
Natalie MacLean 28:35
We don’t have those type of listeners. Don’t worry. We screen them.
Stevie Kim 28:40
Okay, all right. Good job naturally. And then my handles are usually Stevie Kim 222. Or Mama Jumbo Shrimp, Italian Wine Podcast, and of course Vinitaly International. Terrific. I’m all over the net. You can find me anywhere.
Natalie MacLean 28:56
All right. We will. We won’t stalk you, but we will find you. Alright, Stevie, thank you so much for your time today. I really enjoyed this conversation. I look forward to continuing it.
Stevie Kim 29:07
Yeah, Natalie. We gotta get you over here.
Natalie MacLean 29:12
Thanks for beeping yourself there. Ya know, I’ve got to get over to Vinitaly. I’ve heard so much about it. So yes, I can’t believe you haven’t been.
Stevie Kim 29:19
I know. I know. It’s crazy. We’ll get there. We’ll work on it for next year. Yeah, exactly. Ciao. Ciao, bella. Ciao, Natalie.
Natalie MacLean 29:31
Okay, bye for now.
Well, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed our chat with Stevie. Here my takeaways. Number one, the story of Prosecco’s success in helping many people discover Italian wines and then it’s plunged into ridicule with snobs has so many parallels, both in the wine world think Chardonnay and Merlot and beyond. Think certain movie stars and singers. Fortunately, there’s incredible value in the sparkling wine and it will persist or you could say, my love for it will go on and on. Number two, I love the concept of Mumbo Jumbo Shrimp to help wine lovers understand Italian wines. And three, despite Stevie making a strong case for food being the main protagonist of the meal, I remain a wine first kind of gal. Just like I still buy the earrings then the outfit. In the shownotes you’ll find my email contact, the full transcript of my conversation with Stevie, links to her podcast and website, how you can join me in a free online wine and food pairing class and where you can find the live stream video version of these conversations every Wednesday at 7pm on Facebook and YouTube Live. That’s all in the show notes at Nataliemaclean.com/184 or email me if you have a sip, tip, question, or would like to become a beta reader of my new memoir at [email protected]. You won’t want to miss next week when I chat with Guy Bower, host of the popular radio show The Good Life. In the meantime, if you missed episode 28 go back and take a listen. I chat about Father’s Day wines which is right around the corner. I’ll share a short clip with you now to whet your appetite. One California winery has sponsored a NASCAR event on Father’s Day for several years now. Others have taken a more direct approach in naming their wines for men. The Slammer is a robust Syrah from Big House Wines whose winery is close to a California State Prison aka the big house. The dude on the label is absolute gangster. Gnarly Head another California winery aims its marketing at men who love beer from a keg. Carnivore, a Gallo brand, uses the hashtag #devourlife aiming at millennial males. Then there’s the popular gag gift wine named Fat Bas… you can fill in the last part. I always thought that they missed a golden marketing opportunity not featuring rather rotund man on the label with jeans plunging to plumber half mast, or should I say half asked
If you liked this episode, please tell one friend about it this week, especially someone you know who’d be interested in the wines and stories we discussed. Thank you for taking the time to join me here. I hope something great is in your glass this week. Perhaps zesty Prosecco.
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