Uncorked: Renzo Cotarella

Renzo Cotarella is CEO and chief winemaker for Marchesi Antinori, overseeing the company’s estates in Italy and California, and its joint ventures in other countries like Chile. Raised in a winemaking family in Monterubiaglio in Umbria, he was put in charge of Antinori’s Castello della Sala in Umbria in 1981.

What Vintage are you? 

1954 – an awful vintage!

What bottle sparked your love of wine?

A Corton-Charlemagne ’71, but don’t ask me which one. I drank it in ’81 at a time when all the white wines we had in Italy were fresh and easy without being really interesting or with any ability to age. Tasting that Corton-Charlemagne I realised there were much better whites around.

Ambition or talent – what matters more?

You need both

What would you be as a wine?

An Aglianico – because it has a strong personality. It’s not an easy wine to get on with, but it is very sincere.

What’s your greatest vice?

I have many vices, but one of them is I am quite transparent, and sometimes that’s not good because I am not able to hide what I think and that can make me a bit impolite.

Your cellar’s underwater, which bottle would you dive in and save?

Provided I still have it, a wine like La Tâche ’78, or maybe a Latour ’61. I keep my own wines in a safer place!

What’s the best & worst thing about the wine business?

The wine business is a great business because you get the opportunity to meet people who really enjoy wine. The worst thing is when it gets too cerebral and complex, where wine is not something to drink, but only to think about. Wine has to be enjoyable and whether it’s a La Tâche or an Orvieto 2014, doesn’t matter.

Personal satisfaction (Parker points)

I’m not really into points.

Desert island vine?

If it’s cool enough – Pinot Noir, but if the temperature’s higher, then Aglianico, or maybe Sangiovese.

Which wine would you like served at your funeral?

Such a wine hasn’t been created yet … at least I hope not!