Page 39 - Exploring Taste Magazine N.2

PEOPLE—GIOVANNI BONOTTO

“I’m a big fan of biodynamic wines, since I recognize they have the same slow philosophy
we follow in my company, which makes our workers proud of being a kind of artist.
It’s a human pathway that’s given me pause many times.”

that don’t stand a chance on the global market. We’ll never win over in Venice is more international because of the area’s history –
wealthy clients in Shanghai or anywhere else with products that just look at the culinary fusion which dominated between the
look and feel provincial. Our supply chain has, of course, lost the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries – we can see its inf uence
speed war, which has moved elsewhere. We have to focus on Italian today. Fusion cuisine wasn’t common across the Veneto region,
DNA – real Italianness – which can be renewed. I often say that we though, and it’s still a very Venetian thing. When it comes to food,
have to stay connected to the WiFi of the modern world, otherwise I f nd there have been a lot of movements which were successful
there’s no point in us being an artisan company. because they were regarded cool or fashionable, each of them
having their time in the spotlight. Often, fashionable things are
Quali vini amano bere, ad esempio? [for instance, which wines consumed quickly. They’re bestsellers, not longsellers. I like to
do we like to drink?] Earlier you were talking about the work think that my slow factory is a bit like Japanese cuisine, since it
done by the Bonotto Foundation which your father established tries to do the raw materials justice rather than cheating them. It
40 years ago. Do you have any unusual memories of the great will stand the test of time.
artists who used to – and continue to – visit you? What kinds of
wine do they enjoy, for instance? This makes me think of what Paolo Lopriore does in his res-
My father hosted a great many dinners, and the ones I remember taurant in Siena. His dishes – traditional Italian food – are
best are the ones where Prosecco f owed freely and, of course, the served deconstructed, meaning that diners reconstruct the
meal was rounded of with grappa. These evenings taught me the dishes to suit their tastes.
pleasure of warm friendship and happiness. Precisely. Lopriore has learned from Japanese cooks and restau-
rants – there, they even give you a burner so you can cook what
And what about you, what wines do you drink? you order to suit your tastes. This is something very authentic,
I’m a big fan of biodynamic wines [biodynamic wine production and it brings veneration – if I can put it like that – back to the
seeks to f nd a natural balance between agriculture and the land – act of eating and drinking, because it assumes there is a certain
ed], since I recognize they have the same slow philosophy we follow familiarity with the materials, an act of love for the food on the
in my company, which makes our workers proud of being a kind table and for your own body.
of artist. It’s a human pathway that’s given me pause many times. I
particularly enjoy French biodynamic wines, which are “slow” wines Your company does a lot of work in terms of education for young
because they’re produced by companies which still plough the land people. What do you think is needed to promote artistic crafts-
using horses, which I f nd incredibly poetic. manship?
At Bonotto, we have special access to students from the archi-
Which countries’ cuisines do you appreciate most when you’re tecture university in Venice, the Iuav. Everyone that comes to us
not in Italy? from there is outstanding, I have to say, better than I am by far. I
I lived in Japan between the ages of 23 and 28, and some of the keep my mind open when I listen to them and try to give them a
principles I apply in my work are rooted in my familiarity with lot of responsibility to help them grow. If there’s one thing I want
Japanese cuisine, which taught me everything I know. It’s amaz- to teach them, it’s that there’s nothing wrong with working in a
ing, because it’s based on outstanding raw materials and isn’t factory. Educational establishments should help young people to
particularly sophisticated. The cook has to be able to cut into understand, throughout their schooling and by communicating it
the exact spot to best highlight qualities that are already present ef ectively, that being a skilled artisan is a great job, perhaps the
in the materials nature gives us. In Italy, traditions are dif erent coolest job of all. Having a culture of craftsmanship will be ex-
and strongly linked to local produce and the countryside. Food tremely useful for the future of my country.

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