Below is a translation of an interview of me that appeared in the January 23, 2023 edition of Le Cronache – a newspaper based in the Southern Italian City of Salerno, Italy. Salerno is the “gateway” to the Amalfi Coast. The interview article is entitled “Salerno to Boston – a chat with an American advocate of wines from the South”
Salerno to Boston — a chat with an American advocate of wines from the South
In the wake of the success of Salerno national organic-wine exhibition, we had a chat
with Bob Griffin, Italian-Irish-American wine connoisseur with his heart in
Basilicata
The long wine-wave of the Salerno-held national Italian exhibition of eco-friendly
oenology, and its new “guidebook” cataloguing all organic wineries (Guida Bio,
directed by Antonio Stanzione), has broadened so to inebriate the New World’s
shores and tickle the interest of one of Boston’s most well-read (and well-drunk, we
suppose) authoritative connoisseurs of Southern Italian wines — Bob Griffin, whom
we reached by phone. Italian-Irish-American with his head in New England but his
heart in Basilicata (his grandparents’ native Corleto Perticara), retired civil lawyer
specializing in health care and nonprofits, and a previous experience in state
government for various health agencies, Bob wields a sharp vis politica devoted to
civil and environmental rights on which a passion for volunteerism and good
products was soon “grafted” — chiefly those of his beloved Southern Italy. He and
his wife Roseann, travel-savvy visitors of the South as well as friends of an endless
list of vintners, winemakers & oenologists, and tour operators, belong to that circle of
acquaintances that gets soon included among cherished friendships.
Why the interest in wines from Southern Italy and in particular from the
Province of Salerno? My focus was initially on Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello — the
“Killer B’s”. Then my cousin Michael Bonadies, famed NY restaurateur, wine expert
and an international consultant on hospitality services, encouraged me to explore
Southern Italian wines: greatly improved of late, competitive prices, and relating to
our heritage (our Potentini grandparents, Rocco and Felicia). I began to explore the
various wine regions of the South, while searching for roots… vine-wise and family-
tree-wise.
How do you select wineries to visit? Recommendations first, then by research on
the internet. The first winery that we visited was recommended by an importer, and
we were smothered with what I refer to as “Southern Hospitality”. Our new friends
recommended wineries for us to visit including one in Salerno. And so on… It’s also
fundamental to visit enoteche and ask the proprietor for recommendations. I research
blogs with a focus on Southern Italian wineries and the promotion of local eco-
friendly products — organic certification or adherence to principles thereof,
natural/low intervention winemaking and/or biodynamic production. No interventions
that will change the characteristics of the wines. I direct my efforts for the most part
to family-owned wineries that have an annual production of less than 50,000 bottles.
A passion that became an out-and-out voluntary work! How and to what extent
is it carried out? 110 wine producers! Many of whom in the area of Salerno. The
aim is to promote wine in the US by means of connecting producers and importers,
conducting wine tastings with the proceeds of the events for the benefit of nonprofit
organizations, donating bottles to be part of auctions to raise money for nonprofit
organizations, holding and attending tastings at which our friends from the South are
showcasing their wines… encouraging family and friends vacationing on the Amalfi
Coast to visit Salerno wineries: in fact, my son and daughter-in-law had their
wedding at an Amalfi Coast winery! It all boils down to educating and promoting.
What is the current US (i.e., Boston) market for wines from Salerno? A difficult
market for wines from Salerno and the entire South. Americans prefer wine by the
name of the grape varietal: Cabernet or Merlot or Malbec or Chardonnay wine, with
little interest in where the wine is produced. It troubles me when US restaurants
specializing in Southern Italian cuisine have few, if any, wines from Southern Italy
available to order by the glass. But it must be said that quality wines from Salerno are
a recent phenomenon: of “my” 17 Salerno-based wineries, almost all commenced
operations recently — many other eco-friendly ones opened. However, paradoxically,
the current supply of Salerno-based eco-friendly wineries far exceeds the demand
from US importers, distributors and drinkers. It is necessary for wine educators,
sommeliers, and consumers to be made aware of the excellent quality of your organic
wines.
Do you have any advice for wine tourism? Salerno has a great asset: the Amalfi
Coast: a built-in customer base for wineries in the area. But Cilento and Irpinia
(Avellino) areas must be promoted as well! One can think of a collaborative network
with the Pompeii-Naples and Amalfi-coast points of convergence, attracting tourists
who prefer less frequented places or “educational” groups interested in teaching
farms. It is equally crucial to structuralize connections with extra virgin olive oil
(EVOO) producers, for which there is a faster-growing US market. The Salerno area,
with its wine and food, is an attractive destination for foodies and a sort of tourism-
sorting hub — but we need to work together and not each for oneself, aiming at the
common growth and not just personal profit.
Bob’s website: https://southernitalywine.com
