Alessandro Tupputi, s ommelier of La Madernassa takes us from Puglia to Piedmont, to discover wines from very small cellars, to be paired "in reverse"
To guide Stage #40 of the Sommelier Wine Box ( July 2021 ) we turned to Alessandro Tupputi, sommelier of La Madernassa (2 Michelin stars) who told us his story:
“My passion for wine began early, when since I was a boy I was thrilled by the idea of capturing people's tastes even without knowing them. Wine has allowed me to evolve, study and improve, without ever remaining anchored to my old certainties. My first experiences in catering, after my debut in my Barletta, were abroad, in a luxury hotel in Ontario, then in Dubai and Tokyo. Upon my return to Italy, I started working as a sommelier in the Villa Maiella restaurant, in Guardiagrele in Abruzzo.
But it is at La Madernassa that I was able to fully implement my philosophy linked to small producers . Working with chef Michelangelo Mammoliti is a great opportunity for growth for me, a continuous challenge that pushes me every day to tackle complex dishes, always looking for new combinations that can worthily enhance unique flavours.
This continuous research, together with the chef's green philosophy, has allowed me to greatly deepen my knowledge of organic, biodynamic and triple A wines. Here, I had the incredible opportunity to create a wine list of seven hundred labels, a list that gives space to small producers, that is, the custodians of the richness of flavors and Italian terroirs , who produce wines of the highest quality, unique in their kind.
I always turn my attention to quality with passion and I will always continue to enthusiastically repeat my mantra: "there is no such thing as a bad wine, only bad pairings".
An important part of my work is dedicated to talking about wine, a product that the customer does not know and that I have not created: for this reason it is essential to have a direct relationship with those who produce it.
Offering the labels of small producers is a conscious choice for me , made to give customers a new experience. The same one I want you to experience in this selection."
Alessandro Tupputi