This is a Vintage episode from 2010

Why This Episode Matters

Why most Pinot Grigio on the market tastes the same—and how to spot the real thing
The difference between DOC vs IGT wines (and why it actually matters in your glass)
How geography—especially Trentino-Alto Adige—shapes flavor more than marketing ever will
A candid look at wine pricing: what’s quality vs what’s branding

The Banter

Mark Pascal and Francis Schott open with stories from interviewing restaurant staff highlighting a simple truth: honesty matters more than experience, especially in hospitality.

The Conversation

Giovanni Barone of Barone Fini joins the show to break down the misunderstood world of Pinot Grigio. He explains how Italy’s regional identity, not the country itself, defines wine, and why Trentino-Alto Adige produces fresher, more food-friendly expressions due to extreme temperature swings and alpine conditions.

The discussion pulls back the curtain on the wine business: from bulk wine labeled as premium bottles to the outsized role of branding in pricing. Giovanni makes the case for purity and restraint in winemaking, contrasting it with more manipulated styles found elsewhere.

Along the way, the conversation becomes a broader philosophy of food and drink: great wine isn’t about flash—it’s about flavor, place, and how it works at the table.

Timestamps

00:00 – Interview horror stories & hiring philosophy
08:45 – Introducing Giovanni Barone & Barone Fini
10:30 – What “DOC” actually means (and why you should care)
14:00 – The realities of the wine business in Italy
20:30 – Italian wine rules, climate, geography, and flavor
27:00 – Why Pinot Grigio works with food (even rich dishes)
32:00 – Pricing, branding, and the truth about expensive Pinot Grigio
37:00 – DOC vs IGT explained simply
41:00 – Purity in wine vs mass-market production

Bio

Giovanni Barone is part of the Barone Fini family, a historic winemaking estate in Italy’s Trentino-Alto Adige region. His family’s winemaking roots date back to the late 15th century, and he has helped bring their Pinot Grigio to international markets while advocating for traditional, terroir-driven wines.

Info

Barone Fini Wines https://www.baronefiniwines.com/
The Restaurant Guys at La Petraia https://www.restaurantguyspodcast.com/2390435/episodes/16144212-la-petraia-the-guys-go-to-italy

Our Places

Stage Left Steak
https://www.stageleft.com/

Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
https://www.catherinelombardi.com/

Stage Left Wineshop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/

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