While the vast world of wine can be intimidating to many of us, it's certainly no stranger to Ana Paula Bartolucci.
Originally from Mendoza, a famous land of wine and sunshine in Argentina, she was only 21 when she enthusiastically embarked on oenology.
After studying at the prestigious University of Don Bosco in El Salvador, she earned her stripes and her palate around the world before joining Chandon in 2017. Since then, she has perpetuated the innovative identity of the house.
The proof: it took him four years and 64 attempts to bring the "Chandon Garden Party" to life, a blend of Chandon sparkling wine and a macerate made from herbs, spices and natural extracts of orange peel from the province of Tucumán.
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the world of wine can be intimidating for neophytes, we asked him how to overcome this feeling to simply enjoy the tasting.
Encounter.
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Madame Figaro.-
In your opinion, why is wine so intimidating?
Ana Paula Bartolucci.-
I think the industry has come to a point where everything is intellectualized.
We imagine that to appreciate a wine, it must belong to the best, that it is necessary to achieve the perfect food-wine pairing, to use the ideal glass… We often forget the essential: pleasure.
I think it's our role, as oenologists, to be more accessible and to make wines within everyone's reach.
You can very well taste a wine without feeling obliged to make a precise analysis of its aromas or even its manufacturing process.
I still have the impression that things are changing, at least this is the case in Argentina.
We have a more relaxed approach to tasting, in which there is no right or wrong.
It is simply up to the consumer to assess what
Ana Paula Bartolucci is from Mendoza, where the first Chandon vines were planted in 1959. Chandon / Press Photo
How did you gain self-confidence when you started out in the wine world?
I was born in Mendoza, a wine region.
So I have always been immersed in the world of wine.
As a young adult, when it came to choosing a job, my father sent me to work for a winegrower friend.
I spent two months there, and I fell in love with this work.
It's a dynamic job that requires energy, teamwork, and requires juggling between several things at the same time.
I obviously faced challenges;
the wine world is intimidating, especially when you are 20 years old.
But I had a string of experiences, especially in South Africa and Spain, and I gained self-confidence over time.
What is the attitude to adopt when tasting a wine?
The key is to be curious and not be afraid to make mistakes.
I always do my best to be open-minded when faced with new things.
In my opinion, this is the attitude to adopt with wine.
What do we look for when we taste a wine?
Whether in a restaurant or elsewhere, the main thing is to feel an emotion.
A wine can evoke a memory, a feeling, a period of your life.
For example, Malbec always evokes a lot of memories for me.
It is a wine that is familiar to me, comfortable, it reminds me of home.
Don't worry about the details, it's the emotion that counts and not the intellectual side.
It's the same with food.
A wine can evoke a memory, a feeling, a period of your life
Did you bring this philosophy to the creation of the Chandon Garden Spritz?
I wanted to be disruptive and innovative in my approach.
In a classic sparkling white wine, there are two dimensions: sweetness and acidity.
With the Chandon Garden Party, I introduced a third dimension which is bitterness.
So I wanted to find the perfect balance between these three flavors.
The bitterness is perfect in my opinion because it slightly dries the mouth, which makes us want to go back immediately.
So it took me 64 tries to find the perfect recipe, get a drink that didn't show manners and that was just plain good.
The Chandon Garden Spritz is eaten with three ice cubes, a slice of dried orange and a sprig of rosemary.
Chandon
What would you recommend to a beginner
?
When you are not a wine lover, you can start by moving towards light wines, aperitifs, or simply take an interest in the people who made the product.
For example, with the Chandon Garden Spritz, we make sure to drink an ethical wine that is simply pleasing.
Empanadas, a bit of cheese and you're done.
Once again, it is the pleasure of tasting that counts!
