Massimo Passaseo represents in the third generation of Italians in France. Like the previous two Massimo trades with of gastronomic products and Italian wine in France. Massimo knows like the back of his hand the country where his family moved years earlier and where he grew up living between the Italian and French cultures.
Massimo’s passion for food and wine pairings began 23 years ago, while attending the catering school.
At that time he understood the importance of the chef in the design of a tasting experience, which have necessarily to find the balance between food and wine. In other words, when you are eating you must drink the right wine!
He made his passion into a company 6 years ago. This is family-run business promoting food and Italian wine in France. The goods he sells are produced by virtuous Italian companies from 20 different regions.
Italian food & wine is considered and esteemed in France. In fact, the curiosity and openness of the French has been crucial for the success of his business.
In addition, a glass of Italian wine reminds the French of holidays, travel adventures in Italy, a tasting experience or leisure time with friends.
The wines of Lazio as well as the Piedmontese, Tuscan and Apulian ones are catching the attention of wine lovers. Promoting wine from Lazio and recording the reactions to tasting can be immensely satisfying.
Furthermore, it is interesting to check on the reaction of the clients discovering that in addition to traditional Roman cuisine, the region can disclose excellent wine. Moreover, those wines are available in different price ranges and grape varieties never encountered before.
Indeed, Bellone or Nero Buono could be surprising grapes to discover for a wine lover in France. Customers associate the wines produced with those grapes with known tastes and wines from other regions. This helps them to appreciate and acknowledge the quality of wine. They relate them with recipes of Roman cuisine and recognize their level, elegance and value.
Customers are also encouraged to approach those wines by the different price ranges, available for both bellone and nero buono wines and for the range of quality, going to medium to high. from medium to high.
There are many French people who visit Rome, for this reason a greater promotion on the Roman market would benefit the image and positioning of Lazio wine. As Massimo mentioned, many of the tourists who come to Rome seek and appreciate regional cuisine, forget to drink regional wines while they can easily notice and drink wines from Piedmont or Tuscany.
Massimo says that one of the wines that caught his attention was “Ercole”, red wine from Nero Buono grape produced by Cincinnato. Specifically, he acknowledged an interesting quality/price ratio for a red wine not being a reserve but being valuable & showing elegance and balance.
In fact, it is possible to gain the trust of wine lovers and raise awareness on undiscovered wines only showing consistency through the years with affordable wines.
Hence, there are many features making of Ercole the ideal Italian wine to be retailed in France.
In fact, Ercole is not particularly alcoholic, has the right amount of tannins, has an appreciable finesse and considerable depth.
Ercole is more than a wine to be kept in a beautiful wooden case. It is easy to drink and to be enjoyed with a great dish.
The Ercole was the starting point of Massimo’s journey to discover the wines of Lazio & Cincinnato winery. He also had the opportunity to appreciate other references, like Enyo and Kora.
All the characteristics of this surprising Italian wine allow the paring with French dishes.
Among the French recipes we can pair with Ercole it is worth mentioning beef bourguignon (boef bourguignon), beef cheek (joue de beuf) or roe deer. These are dishes that the French eat at least once a week.
We can also value Ercole’s taste by combining it with a beef tartare, a dish made with ground raw beef known all over the world.
Eating a good tartare accompanied by seasonal vegetables and homemade fries in a typical French brasserie with a sip of Nero Buono can be a unique experience.
Luck and the research for a specific combination of Italian wine and food lead to discover indigenous varieties and companies such as Cincinnato in France.
Massimo was looking for some white wines to match with with fish and shellfish that are typically among the most cooked ingredients in France and he came across Cincinnato. He appreciated the style of the bottle and the breadth and continuity of the range of products. This allowed us to meet specific customer needs, for example offering a late harvest by the glass.
From a virtual meeting to Vinitaly 2022. Massimo got to know and test the relationship firsthand and continue to build trust, which is nurtured throughout the year.
In conclusion, it is precisely the dialogue and the authentic relationship and the understanding that leads to the discovery of new mixes of Italian and French flavors.
