I’ll Drink to That!: Edy Del Popolo Escaped From the Fruit

A new episode of the I’ll Drink to That! wine talk podcast was released recently. Episode 505 features Edgardo “Edy” Del Popolo, the Viticulturist and Co-Founder of PerSe and the Viticulturist at Susana Balbo Wines in Mendoza, Argentina.

Those listeners keeping a careful tally will notice that Edy Del Popolo escaped from a life dominated by fruit twice: once when he decided to take a job planting vines instead of fruit trees, and a second time when he stumbled upon an obscure hillside site festooned with white rocks and sloping away from the hot afternoon sun. The wines that result can feature a linearity and a savory quality that sets them apart from the sort of fruity Malbecs that were widely associated with Argentina only 20 years ago.

Edy speaks knowledgeably about the past and the present of Argentinian vineyards, a sizeable number of which he has planted himself. Tens of thousands of vine grafts later, Edy has the hard won experience to distinguish between the eras of Argentinian wine: from the Malbec and Criolla wines produced and consumed locally in the 1960s, to the white wine and vermouth dominated 1980s, to the massive influx of foreign investment in the 1990s, through to the export boom of the early 2000s and into a period that outsiders to Argentina still struggle to recognize: a turn towards freshness and “vertical” wines starting around 2012. Edy tells a story about vineyards being ripped up and turned toward mechanization decades ago, while a younger generation now yearns to express distinct vineyard character in their wines. A complete turnaround has happened in Argentina for wine in a handful of decades, and all it took was a few deft moves by Edy Del Popolo and his compatriots to escape the fruit.

Episode 505 is available on many listening platforms, including at these links:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

I’ll Drink to That!, one of the world’s top wine podcasts, is hosted by Levi Dalton. Levi has had a long career working as a sommelier in some of the most distinguished and acclaimed dining rooms in America. He has served wine to guests of Restaurant Daniel, Masa, and Alto, all in Manhattan. Levi has also contributed articles on wine themes to publications such as The Art of Eating, Wine & Spirits magazine, Bon Appetit online, and Eater NY. Check out his pictures on Instagram.

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