#382 Six Questions with... Cristian Specogna

I have met Cristian Specogna on a couple of occasions and the main word anyone would use to describe him is passionate.  Not only does he love wine, but he is passionate about food, his company, his country, his family, his friends... you would go a long way until you found a man so enthusiastic about life.  His family's Friulian vineyards produce lovely wines, and I have reviewed them recently, but here we learn a little more about the person behind the wine.  I asked Cristian six questions...

If you were not in the wine trade, is there any job you would like to do?
Definitely a chef!! I was brought up admiring and tasting the marvels that my grandmother and my mother created in the kitchen…. With a ‘hunger’ for discovery, I would join them in our fields to harvest fruit and vegetables. For me, this was a real adventure. It was tradition for me help while they prepared the meals for the festivities, or at least I thought I was helping!I loved trying everything, and I still do!

What is your first memory of drinking wine?
It was on a hot September afternoon when I was about 8 year’s old. My friends and I had heard from our parents that the grapes that year had given a juice sweeter than ever before. Secretly, we went to a place which was then still unfamiliar to us, the cellar. We knew the juice was kept there... and we found it! It was delightfully sparkling by then (the must had already started fermenting)!  We were in seventh heaven, and so happy. We still laugh about it now when we retell the story.

Do you have any hidden talents?
Certainly... one of them is the ability to keep them secret!

Describe yourself in three words.
Optimistic, resourceful and ambitious.

Aside from Italian wines, what are your favourite wines from other countries and regions?
That would have to be wines from Champagne, Burgundy and from the Mosel… wine poetry!

Name three people, real or fictional, living or dead, that would be guests at your dream dinner party, and what would you be drinking?
Noah, Dom Perignon and my Grandfather, for each of them started the story of my greatest passions. The first two (at least unofficially) saw the birth of wine and Champagne bubbles, while my Grandfather (officially) brought the Specogna winery to life. I would like to raise a toast to them, with the wine which encapsulates me and my love for this wonderful trade… my most important creation to date: Sauvignon ‘Duality’ 2006… It would be ‘di...VINE’!

Specogna Website