Welcome to Episode 1206 Stevie Kim moderates Clubhouse’s Ambassadors Corner – In this episode Arlene Oliveros interviews Francesca Vaira. These sessions are recorded from Clubhouse and replayed here on the Italian Wine Podcast! Listen in on this series as Italian Wine Ambassadors all over the world chat with Stevie and their chosen wine producer. Which producer would you interview if you had your pick? Guest-Moderator Co-Moderator - Arlene Oliveros is a Filipino-Canadian Chef , Certified Sommelier and serial entrepreneur behind World of Wines Canada and skincare company Fraiche Vinotherapy and Enocosmetics. This year, she started her own vineyard project in the Philippines and launched Olive Rose Farmhouse, a terroir-focused restaurant, wine bar and bottle shop. Always driven by a “Higher purpose” in life, her business ecosystem transforms Philippine communities by creating more jobs and opportunities for underprivileged farmers, fishermen and artisans. She influenced Philippines’ first investments on vineyards and now impacts the viticultural landscape by encouraging a shift from table grapes to wine grape cultivars. In 2019, she received the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World Award for her trailblazing career in wines and as a Thought Leader and Innovator of sustainable Vitis Vinifera skincare Fraiche. She is the curator of The Food and Wine Guru, a digital platform for food and wine connections that are kind, more “human”, meaningful and purpose-driven. To learn more visit: Facebook : Arlene Oliveros ; The Food and Wine Guru Instagram: @thefoodandwineguru ; @pinaysomm Twitter: Arlene Oliveros @pinaysomm LinkedIn: Arlene Oliveros Website : www.oliverose.ph About today’s guest producer: Francesca Vaira and G.D. Vajra Wines represents one of the most important winemaking families of Barolo and refers to herself as the “front woman” of G.D. Vajra Barolo. The Vaira family— Francesca with siblings Giuseppe & Isidoro and parents Milena and Aldo refer to themselves as instruments of nature and have been cultivating native grapes from a farm owned by their family since the 1920s. The family patriarch Aldo Vaira is lovingly referred to as the “artisan of the land” and pioneered organic viticulture in the 1970s. He is a revered Barolo traditionalist and an exemplary viticulturalist who witnessed the early years of discovering some of Piedmont’s indigenous grapes including Arneis, Favorita and Nascetta. The Vaira Family is passionately dedicated to sustainable organic vineyard practices and champions the preservation of Italian native grapes. They are known to produce some of the most memorable classic Barolo wines. The prized ones are produced from their Bricco delle Viole crus, known to sit on pure Tortonian soil and situated at the highest elevation among historic vineyards that looks out the Alpine range. To learn more visit: Facebook: Francesca Vaira ; Vajra Barolo Instagram: @gdvajra_barolo ; @fvajra Website www.gdvajra.it/it/homepage More about the moderator Stevie Kim: Stevie hosts Clubhouse sessions each week (visit Italian Wine Club & Wine Business on Clubhouse), these recorded sessions are then released on the podcast to immortalize them! She often also joins Professor Scienza in his shows to lend a hand keeping our Professor in check! To find out more about Stevie Kim visit: Facebook: @steviekim222 Instagram: @steviekim222 Website: vinitalyinternational.com/wordpress/ Let's keep in touch! Follow us on our social media channels: Instagram @italianwinepodcast Facebook @ItalianWinePodcast Twitter @itawinepodcast Tiktok @MammaJumboShrimp LinkedIn @ItalianWinePodcast If you feel like helping us, donate here www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/