Interview With A Sommelier – Nello Gatti

The World of Wine is beautifully showcased by an army of talented Sommeliers, who help the consumer discover their next favourite bottle, understand the different regions and pair a delicious meal with the right Glass of Bubbly.

In this feature, I speak with a gentleman from Italy, who has helped many people to discover the vast world of Wines and Sparkling Wines, his name is Nello Gatti, let’s find out about his life as a Sommelier.

It’s Great To Speak With You, Nello, Can You Tell Us A Little About Yourself & Your Journey Into The Wine Industry?

“I think to be represented with a simple but complex word: hybrid. I started working in the wine industry at an early age, but this did not come from any studies or passion handed down from my family. I was studying Business and Economics in Vienna and day-by-day, bottle after bottle, I developed my path into sales and management, merging together my daytime activities as a writer together with my overnight shifts in restaurants and events. It wasn’t easy to understand how huge the wine culture was at first sight, but I still pursued my initial impression: be inspired by professionals, be respectful to society and interact in the middle, where the culture and feeling are the directions to work responsibly and democratically. This journey has no final destination, but I am very happy to share my path following a dream: take wine back into society.”

Do You Remember Your First Experience With Sparkling Wine? When It Was And What Kind Of Wine It Was?

“The first proof of myself together with a bottle of sparkling wine is dated 1995 when I was 5 and we were celebrating my older brother’s birthday. On that occasion, I was so ‘mad’ to join the celebration that my family had to let me make a statement, make a wish and dedicate a toast to everyone. It’s funny because I just realized that my first sip had been a Mumm Cordon Rouge so not a bad start at all!

I am so lucky that I can experience many ‘first times’ since I follow a ‘never stop learning’ approach and have the pleasure of working both as a communicator and a sommelier in the wine industry. This situation allows me to get into a deeper knowledge when I face known territories and have some love at first sight when jumping into new stories and productions. If I had to pick some sparkling along my line, I’d go with Oltrepò Pavese. That’s not because of a specific producer or label, but the beauty and the unpredictable path which merge together history, culture, bad and good luck, discovery and recovery… so I strongly believe in the local community to make it born again and qualify themselves as an iconic area.”

During Your Time As A Sommelier, What’s The Most Surprising & Interesting Thing You’ve Learnt?

“A simple but very dangerous thing: we do not speak to each other! I belong to a category which has been studying and researching to get a qualification, but we easily forget where we come from and all the questions we had at the beginning. I daily face people during my job, professional or impolite, interested or not even potential customers… and my feeling is always the same: wine belongs to culture and culture has to be shared with everybody. It’s not just a drinking matter or a specific area of some professional. Wine is a key to understanding our old roots and new challenges, trends and people’s behaviour. I only aim to open doors to everyone’s contribution, trying to facilitate a fair interaction between demand and offer taking into consideration all other aspects such as society, market, environment, etc..

Today’s Sommelier can not be just a wine expert or professional, but a bright side of a society which acts responsibly and opens the wine discussion into a wider scenario. It’s not all about tasting and taking notes.”

How Do See The Trend Of Alcohol Free Sparkling Wines Making Its Way Into The Hospitality Industry?

“I wouldn’t stand into one or the other faction as it seems to be, as per other topics such as natural wine, a conflictual topic. We have to take into consideration this: in Italy, we can not produce it but the demand for it is increasing… So what are we waiting for? I mean, not in terms of silently doing whatever the market is requiring, but how we can manage something which is strongly demanded and we are not taking into consideration? In this case, I fear that the legal process to get to a solution will take much longer than the market fluctuations. On the other hand, we all know that Italy is a traditional country and for this reason won’t easily consider an alcohol free wine a ‘real wine’, but we know… rules are made to be broken! My suggestion? Forget extreme responses and get into solutions, that’s not a game but an increasing topic which needs regulation and of course, education!”

What Sparkling Wine Producing Countries or Regions Hold A Special Place In Your Heart?

“I love to discover and interact with unknown stories, getting into those heart-breaking confessions which stimulate me to promote a specific Region or Producer. I had a wide sparkling life, with lots of bubbles from Canada to New Zealand with hundreds of Regions along the way, but what really sticks as my personal piece of my sparkling heart is Asprinio di Aversa. Ever heard about it? Its vines are cultivated with an old Etrurian method called ‘vite maritata’ and can reach up to 15 meters high, quite a skyline around there before the harvest! So fresh, so clean, Asprinio means ‘sour’ and so you can easily imagine how it can be properly developed into the Sparkling production. In addition to that, it’s planted in a close area which perfectly represents its territory, north of Naples.

Bad shadows, brave people, internal conflicts and external awareness… It’s finally time to get Asprinio’s revenge. I first discovered this impressive and very complex story thanks to Mario Soldati, one of my favourite authors, as he brilliantly describes his journey to Aversa and his impressions about those people working so hard for that native grape. So, as my origins are from Southern Italy, not far from Caserta, I took direction to Lusciano and I met Borboni, the same producer who was met by Mario Soldati and explained in the ‘Vino al Vino’ book. This has been amazing, like travelling with a time machine thanks to the stories and labels shown by the producer Nicola Numeroso and his uncle.”

What Advice Would You Give Inspiring Sommeliers?

“Never overestimate studies and don’t ever underestimate people’s knowledge. Most Sommelier studies focus their lessons on technical aspects and tasting notes, but what’s our contribution, our real understanding and our day-by-day impact if these things are outside of the real world? I suggest keeping our eyes open to a multi-sided approach and to reach benefits from other cultures and subjects in order to get a more interesting connection between each part. A sommelier can be a judge in a wine competition or an amazing hospitality professional, but is not a superhero! Keep following good examples from outside, inspiration which drives you into that knowledge to spread and share outside. We have to keep this category respectable, but at the same time getting out of the stereotype which scares most people, those old-fashioned uniforms and that cold approach made up with puzzling terms. Thanks to new Institutions, Association and the contribution of all the online aspects, including social media, we have plenty of certified sommeliers everywhere not doing it as a job, but driven by curiosity and passion. I think that’s the spirit, keep the emotions high!”

Can You Share With Us One Of The Most Memorable Experiences You’ve Enjoyed With A Glass of Bubbly?

“I never lost the pleasure to celebrate or enjoy moments with a glass of bubbly, no matter if we were together with wine professionals or not. I realized my dream of opening my own office and stepping up with my own purpose and ideas. No matter if it was a Prosecco or Champagne, we had a lot of bubbles collected through decades of experiences, gifts and friendship… and that was definitely the moment to free up that pleasure. When it’s time to share a joy, keep the labels and pairing rules away… we don’t have to be perfect but happy together in the wine world!”

Asked On Behalf Of Champagne Collectors – What’s The Oldest Vintage Champagne You’ve Tasted?

“I am honestly not the best old vintage Champagne drinker, as my professional path started alone with few resources and other requirements. But then I had the opportunity to develop better knowledge and be guided into very important occasions where to listen and discover more about Champagne and its multi-side world. Just one year ago I developed a cozy Champagne Bar in the heart of Milan and that was the perfect occasion to pull together all the past experiences and jump into Champagne, having daily occasions to learn, listen, taste and share it! During our old vintages tasting, sometimes we also faced some badly stored bottles or vinegar with “‘Champagne’  label written on top, but what really matters is to keep the emotion high… you never know! I store a very special bottle, which I am sure is in perfect condition even if it’s dated some decades ago. The only thing I can say is that it will be opened soon as I am waiting for great news to be discovered. For the moment, I can just spoil the name: Jacquesson!”

Thank you Nello, for sharing your story and experiences with us and we at Glass of Bubbly wish you the very best for the future!

Images belong to Nello Gatti. Glass of Bubbly was granted permission to use them.