Who is Maurizio?
I was born in Alba and I’m an agro-expert specialised in viticulture and enology. My family owns a renown winery in the Langhe area, but we had different points of view on wine. So, after some time, I decided to start my career in advertising for a publishing house. Nevertheless, my passion for wine continued to grow and in 2013 I opened a gourmet restaurant by the Maggiore Lake. After four exciting years, I came to the conclusion that I was not made to be a restauranteur.
At the age of 47, I wanted to get back into the wine game and I decided to open a natural wine bar in Bra: Zero.
When did you first discover the world of natural wines?
I remember I was at Vinitaly, a national wine fair in Verona. It was a time where everyone was trying to mimic French wines, all wines tasted the same, and wineries were competing for who was more profitable. I was bored of this environment and of its conventionality, until I went outside of the fair and I found a group of wine makers that had a different approach to wine. They believed in reconnecting to nature, working in the vineyard without using chemicals and putting their love and passion into the wine itself. I immediately felt the connection with this philosophy, and understood that the wine they were talking about was the same one my grandparents were selling in their wine shop back in France.
I don’t like to use the term “natural” as it suggests that other wines are not natural. There are many wineries (conventional ones) which produce high-quality wine that is not “artificial”. I never want to draw a line, discrediting a product or the other, however I would rather use the term “artisanal”, as it entails that the product was made with passion, respecting nature and the environment, without adding or removing anything in the cellar.
What is Zero?
Three years ago I opened Zero, a natural wine bar in Bra, a small town in the Langhe region (north-west Italy), an area known for its famous Barolo, Nebbiolo and Barbaresco wines and home to several established wineries. I was one of the first ones to open a wine bar like this in the area. I had to be brave as I went into the lion’s dent and had to work a lot to create a stable clientele.
I came up with the name “Zero” one week before the opening. It summarises my mission, which is to sell wines with zero sulphur dioxide and chemicals. “Zero” as nobody typically knows much about these wines and lastly because it represents the fact that I started my life again from zero. It’s also easy to understand in every language!
It was a return to my roots as my grandparents were selling this kind of wines already 50 years ago back in France.
Why opening a natural wine bar in such a small town?
The peculiarity of Bra is that students from the University of Gastronomic Sciences live here. They are curious, sensitive and knowledgeable about this topic. However, I consider the students as friends more than clients, as they come and go every few years. The real challenge was to persuade locals to try this “funky wine” as they are traditionally used to drinking conventional wines.
My aim was never to convert people but rather to educate them to try something different from time to time, a wine that is healthier for us and for the environment as well. I find it very satisfying to explain artisanal wine to my clients and tell them about the people that are behind every bottle. Some of them perceive “Zero” as an alternative place, a place to go to when you feel like trying something new, for others it became their usual rendez-vous.
How do you select your wines?
I look for wines but also for their producers. I want to know how they work and if they share my philosophy of making nature the main character in the play, respecting its cycles and placing the vine in a rich ecosystem. Wild fermentations are as important in this process as it is avoiding to use chemicals. However, I don’t believe in using no interventions at all, as we do have the knowledge and ability to intervene when needed!
I want wines that express the elements of the terroir they come from and their grape variety to their fullest. This means that every year they will taste and look a bit different. Instead, industrial wines tend to be artificially constructed as you can choose the colour, level of acidity and aromas.
Do you think natural wines are just a trend?
I hope this is not just a trend, as trends come and go, and are just a business opportunity. I realise that many people took the opportunity to enter this market, making what I believe to be “rotten wines” and distorting people’s perception on natural wines. This is why I see the need to make some clarity around this product. I hope it will become “normal” to drink these wines and that consumers will become more aware of the importance of drinking consciously (also for their own health). A high-quality product is necessarily going to taste differently. The same way that sourdough bread can be perceived as acidic, wine is the result of what nature gave you that specific year, and you have to accept the beauty of it.
What is your favourite wine at the moment?
When I go home after work and I want to relax, I pour myself a glass of Chenin Blanc, a grape variety from Loira which I particularly appreciate for its sapidity and minerality.