Another Bottle Down

Massimo Alois: Reviving Campania’s Indigenous Grapes and Wine HeritageWhat does it take to bring a nearly forgotten wine tradition back to life?
About Massimo Alois
Massimo Alois is part of the family behind Fattoria Alois, a winery in Campania, southern Italy, dedicated to preserving the region’s winemaking heritage and championing its indigenous grape varieties.
In This Episode
Jessica Dupuy sits down with Massimo to explore the story of Pallagrello Bianco, Pallagrello Nero, and Casavecchia, grapes that nearly disappeared and are now finding new life through the work of passionate local producers.
From Campania’s volcanic soils and the Alois family’s history to the challenges of reviving native varieties, the conversation looks at how wine connects us to a place and its past. Massimo also shares his thoughts on wine pricing, making wine more accessible, and why wine is about more than what’s in the glass. It’s part of the food, culture, and traditions that bring people together.
► SHOW INDEX ◄
00:00 – Introduction
11:29 – Meet Massimo Alois and Discover Campania
14:30 – The Alois Family’s History in Southern Italy
22:30 – Campania’s Volcanic Soils and Their Influence on Wine
25:00 – From Silk Production to Winemaking
30:00 – The History of Campania’s Indigenous Grapes
35:30 – Pallagrello Bianco, Pallagrello Nero, and Casavecchia
37:30 – Why Reviving Nearly Forgotten Grapes Matters
40:00 – Preserving Southern Italy’s Wine Heritage
45:00 – The Challenges of Reviving Indigenous Varieties
50:00 – Understanding the Wines of Alta Campania
55:00 – Wine, Food, Culture, and Affordability
1:01:22 – Misconceptions About Southern Italian Wine
1:07:15 – Exploring Campania: History, Architecture, and Culture
1:12:00 – The Connection Between Wine, Nature, and Landscape
1:13:17 – Closing Conversation
► CONNECT WITH ANOTHER BOTTLE DOWN ◄
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Website: www.anotherbottledown.com
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► CONNECT WITH MASSIMO ALOIS ◄

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►CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS ◄
Jessica Dupuy
Website: www.jessicadupuy.com
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Mark Rashap
Website: www.theilluminatedbottle.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/illuminated_bottle
#AnotherBottleDown #MassimoAlois #ItalianWine #WinePodcast

On today's show, we have a short bonus episode with Mandi Nelson, the organizer of the upcoming fundraiser, Grapes for Good. This is a wine event in Austin, Texas, presented by ATX Somms and featuring local sommeliers pouring some of their favorite wines. Come out for a wonderful evening on September 13th from 6–9pm at Wanderlust Wine Co. in East Austin.
For tickets and more information:  Gapes for Good
This year's benefactor:  Good Work Austin
More info on ATX Somms
Mandi's new brokerage company- Communal Wine and Spirits

On today's show, Mark sits down with Paolo Bava, winemaker and head herbalist of Cocchi Vermouth. In the late 1970s, Paolo's father purchased Cocchi Vermouth, and a few years later Paolo enrolled in Enology school and took an herbal infusion course. He was hooked.
Paolo describes the various infusions of wine and herbs, including Barolo Chinato, Vermouth, and Americano, in comparison to water-based bitters such as Campari. He also digs into the historical importance of these wine-based beverages, as well as the history of Cocchi Vermouth.
More on Giulio Cocchi Here
Jessica's book Italianity with a chapter on Cocchi Vermouth

Alberto Navarro has spent much of his career thinking about tequila from nearly every angle.
He began in consumer marketing before moving into the spirits world with Casa Pedro Domecq and later Pernod Ricard, where his work took him from commercial leadership into global tequila education and advocacy. He became closely associated with Olmeca, Altos and the Tahona Society, helping teach bartenders and the trade about tequila at a time when the category was still working to move beyond its shot-and-salt reputation. He later became an independent consultant and wrote Larousse del Tequila, an award-winning reference book on the spirit.
Today, Navarro is CEO and Maestro Tequilero of Loco Tequila, an ambitious project based in El Arenal, Jalisco, built around the idea that tequila can express place with the same seriousness we give terroir in wine.
Loco takes an unusually detailed approach to production, from mature estate-grown Blue Weber agave and a second, more exacting jima, to slow oven cooking, tahona and roller-mill extraction, and separate fermentations in wood, concrete and stainless steel. Those components give Navarro a palette from which to build the final tequila. For Loco Puro Corazón, the distillation is even more selective, retaining only the heart of the run rather than recovering heads and tails for later use.
Jessica sat down with Alberto to talk about his path through the tequila world, why El Arenal matters, what terroir means in a distilled spirit, and the thinking behind a tequila designed to preserve agave character rather than disguise it.
The Loco Tequila Story

On today's show, Jessica sits down with Todd Graff, Head Winemaker and General Manager of Frank Family Vineyards. A Petaluma native and UC Davis graduate in plant science and viticulture, Todd spent the first two decades of his career circling the globe — working harvests in Germany, France, Australia, and Portugal — before returning to Napa Valley to hone his craft at Stag's Leap Winery and Schramsberg Vineyards, where he developed deep expertise in sparkling wine.
He joined Frank Family in 2003 and has since become one of the valley's most decorated winemakers, earning Napa Winemaker of the Year honors and building Frank Family's reputation on quality and value. Todd's rare fluency in both still and sparkling winemaking — and his leadership in earning Frank Family's Napa Green certification — have made him an enduring and innovative force in Napa Valley.
Frank Family Vineyards
More about Todd Graff and the Frank Family winemaking team