Interview: Romain Calzia, Asst. Mgr., Cave de St Paul

Romain Calzia was born in the south of France and grew up in California. He returned to France to study at the Hotel Management School of Nice. Afterwards he worked in fine dining restaurants on the French Riviera, before going back to the USA to work two years in a 2 Michelin star restaurant in Los Angeles. Currently he is Assistant Manager at the Petite Cave de Saint Paul, a 14th Century wine cellar with over 1,000 references in wine and 300 in spirits and liquors. He also organizes wine tastings and wine classes.

Why and how did you get into the wine industry?

I decided to get into the wine industry by passion and curiosity: I was always fascinated by the history around wine going back to the Romans and Greeks. During my studies I was able to learn a lot about wine, and now via my vocation I am able to live my passion daily.

What is your first memory of wine?

My first memory would be back when I was training in a Relais & Chateaux in the south of France; the head sommelier at the time let me try a Beaujolais Fleurie from an exceptional producer … this was the first time I was really astonished by the quality of a wine.

What has been the most memorable wine experience you have ever had?

I actually have two. The first was a couple years back when I was able to try two Chateau Cheval Blanc from different vintages side by side, this was an exceptional experience even though they were a little young. The second was this Christmas when I was fortunate to enjoy a 1976 Chateau Latour which was perfectly cellared: this was the first time I was able to try a premier Grand Cru from Bordeaux aged the right amount of time … just remarkable.

What wine have you recently discovered?

I recently discovered the wines from Marcillac (Domaine du Cros Cuvée 2010, by Philippe Teulier) a small wine region in the south west of France. These red wines are made almost entirely with a local grape varietal: Fer Servadou. They are very tannic and rustic with aromas of raspberry and blackcurrant. The wines are quite complex and age well between five and eight years, and pair up beautifully with grilled meats and cow milk cheeses. They are also very affordable wines – a great quality price combination considering the overall increase in the price of French wines.

What are the current wine trends to look out for?

I would pay close attention to new wine producing countries like Uruguay, Brazil or India, as well as wine made from original grape varietals like Carmenere from Chile. I would also recommend trying wines made from biodynamic vine growing practices: the wines are “clean” and usually made by passionate and professional wine makers.

How do you see the French wine scene evolving over the next five years?

The French wine scene is unique because it is composed of quality wines from almost every region in France and every grape varietal, unlike certain countries that might be famous for one type of wine (e.g. Canadian ice wine, Argentinean malbec, sauvignon blanc from New Zealand, etc.). However the drawback is that we are not as active and open minded as other countries and our chauvinism might be imposing certain boundaries to our wine scene. Bordeaux is a good example of this. If we take into consideration the standardization of the medium to high end wines in order to meet the expectations of certain markets, we can assume this leads producers to lose certain unique aspects.

The other main difference between the French wine scene and that of other countries is that the French wine market is cut into two specific categories, on one side the famous and highly acclaimed wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy that are becoming luxury items due to their ever rising prices, and on the other, sub-regions not too well known at the moment like Provence, the South West and Loire that are producing unique wines at affordable prices.

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