Hello and welcome to The Pink Grape My name is Anthony Metzger I am a winemaker and certified
sommelier.
Here at The Pink Grape I interview winemakers from all over the planet.
I conduct my interviews via Skype and record them live to bring you face-to-face with winemakers
from all over the world.
So please enjoy the show and be sure to subscribe.
Simona welcome to the show The Pink Grape thank you for joining us today.
Thank you for inviting me Anthony I am glad to be here with you.
Thank you, so you are a winemaker how did you become a winemaker how did you get in
the wine industry?
Well it goes back in Romania I am a Romanian winemaker I am coming from a small family
but my brother is also a winemaker.
So Romania, we don't actually hear much about Romania and wine together we don't at least
here in the US myself haven't heard much talk or I didn't even really know that they made
wine in Romania, I guess I could have assumed that but what can you tell us about Romanian
wine?
We are actually ancient in winemaking its one of the first countries where the winemaking
begun because we are just close to Georgia yup and what I can say why you don't hear
about Romanian wines is because we also had our communist period if you know about it
and in this period our contact with other countries was very restricted.
Have you traveled, I know you are going to South Africa in two days but have you traveled
before and made wine?
Yes of course.
What countries have you made wine in?
I started in France as I have told you then I went to United States in Maryland region
that's quite new that's surprising not many people know about it but yea they are
making wine there I have been to New Zealand once in California in South Africa I have
been winemaking in Romania for more than a year and I have done a few harvests in France.
What are the main differences culturally would you say compared to your home country of Romania
and you come to the United States what kind of shocked you culturally?
In the United States you can do about everything I mean I don't know you don't really have
rules like you eat what you eat you go have fun you meet people you speak with its very
social in the United States I felt like I could say everything or do anything that I
would like to.
What did you do for fun in New Zealand I mean yea you are at the winery your working the
harvest but I mean like when you get off on a weekend what do you do for fun in New Zealand?
In New Zealand you go for a vintage its only fun you live with different people you are
working with different people so in New Zealand its winemaking and traveling in the same time
and socializing with people from different countries at Indovine we were I think people
fifty people from at least twenty to thirty countries that's a lot of exchange so we
were often even when we were doing the twelve hour shift we were have like a beer day twice
a week I was night shift so beer day started at seven o'clock in the morning that was fun
New Zealand is great for meeting a lot of people from everywhere.
You know you have traveled all over the world and have all these experiences what is it
that you love about wine most why are willing to travel all around the planet and dedicate
yourself to winemaking what is it that you love about wine so much?
Well I think everything started with passion for what I am doing than I took learning just
learning winemaking is like learning history I think wine is a part of history and is going
through centuries until now and other thing that I love about wine is it allowed me to
travel meet people and know a lot about all the countries where I have been to cultural
aspect or I don't know traveling seeing different parts.
Say it's like one of your family members birthdays and you want to, this person really
likes wine and you want to get them a bottle of wine for their birthday but you don't want
to get a traditional wine that they already know and already really like what kind of
wine would you get them that perhaps is less known but is also really nice and really unique.
So now you want like a name and kind of grape?
Well just a type of wine like for me if I am going to answer this question I really
like to get people Aszu wine from the Tokaji region I find that it is like one of the best
wines in the world it's also you know at least here in the US not as well know and
so somebody tries it they are really surprised is there any wines like that that you know
of?
Yes actually I am kind of doing that with my boyfriend because he is French I am Romanian
and when we are going to my family we kind of take French wine from his region his region
means Tavel wines or Rohn Valley Wines and when we are coming back in France we are bringing
Romanian wines, nice, we specially brought wines from where we worked because we was
both working in two Romanian wineries and other wine that we would make it discovered
here in his town.
Well I like what you said for this scenario is that when you go visit your family in Romania
you bring French wine and then when you reverse it you bring local Romanian wines I like that
because I kind of do that to when I go on my travels I always buy my favorite American
wine the wine I think is best it actually comes from Napa Valley I'll bring it, when
I was in Armenia I brought the man a bottle of like one of my favorite Napa Valley wines
and I know he really appreciated it because over there you are not able to buy this wine
and it might be the only wine in the entire country of that specific wine I brought him
so it's really cool to bring a wine that represents your home place to a different
country and exchange that with the other people.
I agree.
Very nice, okay so this is the last question I end this question I ask this question in
every interview and that is if you could drink a bottle of wine with anybody from history
who would you drink a bottle of wine with?
Okay so I was thinking to this question Thomas Jefferson and I am thinking because he was
one of the first people who brought French wines in the United States and I don't know
maybe this is how France became really well known in America.
Good luck to you thank you talk to you soon bye.
Thank you for watching an I hope you enjoyed this week's episode of The Pink Grape make
sure you check in next week as I will be releasing a new interview with a winemaker if you have
any questions you would like me to ask a winemaker in any of my interviews just reach out to
me through my social media accounts which you can find on my website thepinkgrape.com
make sure you check out my website this week as I will be releasing some really fun wine
stories thank you and please be sure to subscribe
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