Andrea Zigrossi’s trotterwine page on Instagram offers insightful information on wine and travel. The 27-year-old from Rome chatted to Clinton Moodley this week on his favourite wine destinations and the best place to drink wine.
How many countries and wine estates have you visited?
I honestly lost count! Hahaha! In the last year, I have been to 10 countries and 50 wineries.
That sounds amazing, Andrea. Can you tell us how did this all come about?
I have worked as a sommelier in the best star restaurants in Italy and would share my work on my Instagram page. It gained a lot of traction, and that prompted me to explore more. Wine and travel is a perfect match.
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A post shared by The Diary of a Sommelier🍷📖(@trotterwine) on Aug 8, 2019 at 7:56am PDT
South Africa, especially the Western Cape province, is known for its wine farms. Have you been? If not, do you have any plans to visit?
I haven’t. I am planning to visit next year. I cannot wait to see the country.
Speaking of travel, what has been your favourite trip to date?
It has to be the 15-day road trip to Italy. We visited 7 Italian regions and 10 wineries. It was a project in collaboration with Gilbert Bages, who is considered one of the best photographers in the wine world.
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A post shared by The Diary of a Sommelier🍷📖(@trotterwine) on Jun 7, 2019 at 11:03am PDT
What do you look for when choosing a wine estate to visit?
Besides excellent wines, I want to have an experience. For example, one of my best wine experiences was at the Tenuta Santa Maria Val Verde winery in Valpolicella, Veneto. At the end of the tasting, we took the electric bikes to explore the vineyards. It may sound simple, but it was a great moment.
What are your top 5 places to visit?
Chianti in Tuscany, Valpolicella in Verona, Mallorca in Spain, Zermatt in Switzerland and Capri in Italy.
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A post shared by The Diary of a Sommelier🍷📖(@trotterwine) on Apr 27, 2019 at 8:28am PDT
And the best place to sip a glass of wine?
Under the Colosseum in Rome.
Lastly, what are your wine travelling tips?
Travellers should enjoy the experience. They should ask as many questions as they want. Wine may sound simple, but it can get complicated.