L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano while in Europe, I kicked off a business of mobile services for winemakers: I worked f o r c o m p a n i e s i n m a n y countries and got a chance t o l e a r n t h e d i f f e r e n c e s between their techniques, t h e a d v a n t a g e s a n d t h e disadvantages of each before I was able to come up with my own. People wanted my s e r v i c e s a n d I s t a r t e d a partnership with a French company. I also worked in S p a i n , I t a l y , F r a n c e , Argentina, South Africa, and Israel, and could understand different wine productions, as well as philosophies and needs. I was able to taste and analyze different wines and learned common issues and new problems. Tell us a bit how you learned it all. I consider myself both a chemist and a physicist. I c a l l m y s e l f a p h y s i c i s t because I don't add anything t o t h e w i n e , b u t I c a n remove what makes it bad. I am a self-learner and my current job is a combination o f s k i l l s c o m i n g f r o m chemistry, oenology, and hydraulic engineering. My j o b w a s t o d e v e l o p m a c h i n e r y t h a t f o l l o w s e n g i n e e r i n g r u l e s w h i l e achieving a chemist goal. Besides the great innovation we are seeing in winemaking nowadays, what I love the most about this work is that it's impossible to "create" a certain wine. The quality of g r a p e s i s s t i l l c r u c i a l because, as much as I can h e l p i m p r o v e t h e f i n a l r e s u l t , w h a t m a k e s t h e difference is the way you grow grapes and take care of them. Grape-growing means planning around the ground and focusing on the way you train your vineyards is very important for a good wine. My learning journey isn't over yet, though: I started school at UC Davis, to keep up with oenology and wine- production, while refining my English. How did you end up in California then? Over time, I was coming t o t h e U S t o d o s o m e research at Cal Poly. I also donated some amphorae to students so they could learn a b o u t t h e s e o l d m e t h o d s u s e d i n I t a l y . D u r i n g different conferences, I met p e o p l e f r o m t h e D e l l a Toffola USA company and even during crazy times like fire seasons. What I do is a s o r t o f f i n e - t u n i n g u s i n g physical processes: I aim to get the right balance among all the components, so the wine is not only good, but it also lasts longer. I always tell my clients that it does not matter if you have or not h a v e t h e b e s t y e a r e v e r . Unfortunately, if the wine is c o n t a m i n a t e d b y s m o k e taint, you are going to lose it all and you won't be able to d r i n k a n d s e l l i t . O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , w h e n w e r e m o v e t h e m o l e c u l e s o f s m o k e t a i n t , w e d o n ' t modify the wine, we only recover the wine taste so producers can use it. Y o u g o t h e r e r i g h t b e f o r e t h e w i l d f i r e s , h o w w a s t h a t experience? Many winemakers did not produce any wine last year. In 2021, we already made an impact as we recovered 86 thousand gallons of wine that a producer was ready to throw away. Thanks to our work, that wine is ready to be sold, as if wildfires never happened. We usually work on six thousand gallons per d a y a n d , t h r o u g h t h e m a c h i n e w e p r o v i d e , t h e company can leverage its own team to fix the product components. C a l i f o r n i a a l s o h a s m a n y s m a l l winemakers, who may not have the resources for commissioning and training. That's where our mobile services become crucial. We can help small producers by offering services per gallon, so that everyone has some resources to save the wine a n d s e l l i t . W e c a n w o r k both on getting the grapes a n d / o r t h e f i n a l p r o d u c t f i x e d , i t ' s u p t o t h e producers to decide what they need and want. What do you like the most about this job? we were always in touch. One day, the CEO said she w a s l o o k i n g f o r a p e r s o n with some unique expertise, someone who could bring m o b i l e s e r v i c e s t o t h e i r company in California. She needed an expert of mobile s e r v i c e s w h o k n e w i t a l l about membrane separation processes. Ultimately, that was right for my profile. She o f f e r e d m e t h e j o b a n d , together with Jessica and Sveva, we decided we would take this opportunity. On September 11th, 2020, after two years getting ready for this new life, we landed in California. Your job is extremely r e l e v a n t h e r e i n California, a state hit by wildfires every year. Tell us a bit more. I developed a system that allows us to remove the so- called smoke taint and save the wine production. I am proud of being able to help winemakers save their work, I help companies save the work of the full year. The passion and the dedication these companies put into t h e i r p r o d u c t i o n a r e amazing. Ensuring they can see the result of days and n i g h t s s p e n t o n t h e p r o d u c t i o n m a k e s m e proud. It's very similar to m y j o b a s a p h y s i c a l therapist: seeing a person s m i l i n g b e c a u s e t h e y a r e able to walk again is like looking at a winemaker fill the first bottle with wine after a year like the past one. I feel lucky to be able to be part of this process and taste the best wines on Earth. What's your favorite wine, and which tips do you have for us? If you like Zinfandel, I recommend trying to smell a p i e c e o f r e d w o o d b e f o r e d r i n k i n g y o u r g l a s s . T h e e x p e r i e n c e c o m i n g f r o m your nose and your mouth is going to be unforgettable, as well as unique. Lorenzo checking grapes in the vineyard (Photo courtesy: Francesca di Marco) I" developed a system that allows us to remove the so-called smoke taint and save the wine production. I am proud of being able to help winemakers save their work, even during crazy times like fire seasons. " Continued from page 30 SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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