Wine critic Antonio Galloni in his interview with Blick: “I taste more than 10,000 wines every year”

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Anyone expecting Parker’s former stepson, Antonio Galloni, to be an outgoing, cheerful person will likely be surprised when they meet him in person. Galloni is the opposite: deep and reserved. His life is spent tasting wine and writing reviews. Of course, the famous score should not be missing either. In a rare interview, Galloni gives us an insight into his professional and personal life.

Opinion: How many different wines do you taste each year?
Antonio Galloni: I taste over 10,000 wines every year.

Which wine region is most represented in your private wine cellar?
Definitely Piedmont. They were also the first wines I dealt with extensively.

How does tasting a 100-point wine make them feel?
A wine like this touches all my hedonistic senses with its immense complexity. It makes you completely happy. There’s nothing else you can add to a wine like this, it’s simply perfect.

Three new wine regions to consider?
The first is the Santa Rita Hills in California, just north of Los Angeles. It is a very cool growing region and is especially suitable for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Secondly, small Bordeaux satellite appellations such as Fronsac or Côtes de Castillon, where the wines are increasingly beautiful and tasty, but also inexpensive. The third is the Alto Piemonte wine region. There are more and more small wineries creating great wines in the bottle.

Which wine critic do you like the most?
Englishman Neal Martin. He has the rare ability to taste very complex wines and write his reviews and articles in understandable language and in a very short time. It is extremely productive.

What is the most overrated wine region right now?
Here is Burgundy. But this is not the winemakers’ fault. So much so that only three percent of Burgundy vineyards are classified as Grand Cru. At the same time, there are a lot of people who want to buy such wines. This creates a huge price pressure in the market. Frankly, I don’t know what the solution is, but there is no doubt that Burgundy is the region where wines are least available and most in demand.

What dishes do you recommend with an aged Barolo?
Preferably something simple to go with Nebbiolo wines. Traditional Piedmontese cuisine such as carne cruda, hard-boiled eggs with or without truffles, as well as tagliolini with truffles. I also like veal with Barolo because the white meat is strong enough to stand up to the wine.

Do you still remember a funny moment working with Robert Parker?
Bob once invited all the wine critics who wrote for him to dinner. I asked him if he had half an hour for me beforehand. It was a Spanish tapas restaurant. So I arrived 30 minutes early and Bob ordered two appetizers just for us. However, the portions were very large. He had a big appetite, so we fed him. It was funny because we feasted like hungry pigs for 30 minutes. This moment reminds me of how much Bob loved to live, laugh and have fun.

You recently tasted the bottled Bordeaux wines of the 2021 vintage. Your decision?
It’s very heterogeneous. Weather conditions in Bordeaux in 2021 were like in the 80s. However, many wineries today have modern technologies and a high level of know-how to deal with such situations. Wineries that had money and people to work professionally in the vineyards and cellars could produce great wines. But there are also many weak wines.

What is Antonio Galloni’s favorite activity outside of the world of wine?
Play the guitar.

Source : Blick