Welcome to Episode 1355; part of our new Italian wine interview series set in Dusseldorf, Germany. Today Joy Livingston interviews Andrea Leone, Export Manager of the Cotarella Family Wineries. Stevie Kim and her team travelled to Dusseldorf, Germany this March to collaborate with ITA, the Italian Trade Agency. ITA was organizing some incredible Masterclasses featuring the best wines Italy has to offer. Each masterclass was led by the Master Sommelier Eros Teboni (awarded Best Sommelier Worldwide in 2018), and they wanted us there to document the amazing 3 days! Tune-in each Thursday as we bring you the great interviews that unfolded over the course of 3 days. More about today’s winery: The brothers Riccardo and Renzo Cotarella are two of the greatest exponents of Italian enology and their company, Falesco, produces some of the best Merlot, Cabernet, Sangiovese and Roscetto from all over Italy. Cotarella is a name to combine with Italian wine. The family, originally from Monterubiaglio , near Orvieto , began with a simple activity as local grape fermenters and wine producers that were used by larger bottlers of that important denomination. But it was the current generation, the brothers Riccardo and Renzo Cotarella, that moved far beyond these modest origins, becoming a real driving force in the Italian panorama. Riccardo Cotarella , the eldest, began his career as a winemaker of a local company, but, starting from the 80s, he forged a career, as one of the most important, probably the most important, wine consultant in all of Italy , creating wines acclaimed and award winners across the country and becoming both the president of the Italian oenologists association and also the co-president of the international association. All of this may seem enough to satisfy most people, but the brothers seem to be permanently dissatisfied with what others would consider a success and have set up their own company in Umbria , again an amazing force. Over 370 hectares of vineyards is by no means a small property, and the millions of bottles produced annually have found their way to the world’s largest high-quality wine markets. First with a series of well made and extremely pleasant wines at reasonably low prices, to demonstrate that quality and quantity are quite easy to reconcile. And, in more recent years, with a new line, clearly called “Famiglia Cotarella” , which offers superb examples of Merlot, Cabernet, Sangiovese and Roscetto , among the best wines in Italy. More about the winery: www.famigliacotarella.it/gb/experienc…and-tastings More about the interviewer: Joy Livingston is the Producer of Italian Wine Podcast. Narrator extraordinaire and Scienza whisperer Joy Livingston has been known to edit the occasional book from time to time. When Joy is not busy Producing the podcast she is also working hard on the Mamma Jumbo Shrimp YouTube channel where many of the interviews stream on video! Let's keep in touch! Follow us on our social media channels: Instagram @italianwinepodcast Facebook @ItalianWinePodcast Twitter @itawinepodast Tiktok @MammaJumboShrimp LinkedIn @ItalianWinePodcast If you feel like helping us, donate here www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/ Until next time, cin cin!