Mr. Giuseppe Vaccarini's Intervieu: 2nd. Part

Jorge Irribarren, a Peruvian Alcoholic beberage specialist went to Milan-Italy, to intervieu Mr. Giuseppe Vaccarini, best world sommelier, Past-President of the ASI and ASi director.

The future of the ASI, the sommellerie field, the fake argentinian position number 10 in the world sommeliers contest 2004 and the peruvian ASI join

Jorge: How do you see ASI in 5 years more?
Giuseppe: Je! What I hope, more than I think, is that ASI must have a strong change, if not, it will definitely finish some day. We must been open to all sommeliers, not only by the associations, It’s not democratic, it’s not actualized. We have to be open to everybody, we have to change our bylaws into this direction, otherwise in more than a few years ASI could disappear, ASI will not have a future.

Jorge: So, but, what are the president, or you, doing to make this changes happens? Or what will you do against all this associations that don’t think as you?
Giuseppe: We have to work more on the sensibility of every presidents.
Maybe we will find resistance of some of them, because they have internal problems with their members and they think that if they do more changes they could probably have more problems. They are also worry about of loosing clients if ASI still accepting members in the Club, but they don’t see that if they open their minds allowing the both ways of association we could be stronger. We are trying to do it, but it’s not easy.

Jorge: So you are trying to convince them.
Giuseppe: To convince them that is a good step to do it. Some of them are convince, but some not, for this is that now we are not totally able to do this change, even if we want to.

Jorge: Do you think it will help if you are the president again, or you think that the actual president could do it properly with you out of this politically management?
Giuseppe: Je, Je, Je... Good question! Is difficult to answer this question, because I have a lot of respect to the actual president (Mr. Kostas Toulutmizni) He take his time to do many things, he think that people mature with time. I am faster, I don’t wait, some time is right, some time not, but it’s just a different way to manage the association, and I don’t think he is in the wrong way.

Jorge: What about the other countries that are not part of the ASI at the moment? What that the ASI is doing to make it well known to other countries that are not members? What are the possibilities of being a new member?
Giuseppe: I can tell you that we have more than 10 associations of different countries waiting for getting into the ASI.

Jorge: For example?
Giuseppe: For example Peru, Estonia, Ucrania, Albania, Georgia, Letonia, and there are much more.

Jorge: And for what are they waiting? Why are they waiting?
Giuseppe: Because they could probably are too news. They are more in papers than a real association, maybe not that big, or they are not really ready. We have had some problems with others that were not really association, so they didn’t act as a real association, for that is that the new rules doesn’t allow easily new members, every candidate for being a new member should probe that is a real association that works properly in the professional sommellerie field.

Jorge: So, talking about Peru, what can you tell us? What do we need to be part of the ASI? Are we in the correct way? Are you in touch with somebody?
Giuseppe: Well, we have some conversations, but first, I have to say that the communications with countries like Peru are so slow; there have been a lot of time to get answer for everything.

Jorge: But now we are here.
Giuseppe: Yes, it’s not personal, but well, as you know you have had internal problems, and that’s the only reason that make you not being part of the ASI.
We were already to accept your demand, but for the problems that you had (and still having, I think) we couldn’t. In fact, our commission will evaluate again your country and we see in a short future what happens.

Jorge: Do you have the name of the association?
Giuseppe: The only demand that we have is from the Union Peruana de Sommeliers, wich the president is Jackeline Rey[i].

Jorge: Is the only one who is trying to get into the ASI?
Giuseppe: Yes, and if we haven’t receive any other demand, one day this will be accepted. So, if there will be another demand we will think what to do.

Jorge: What do you think that Peru is missing for not being a member of the ASI.
Giuseppe: All the Know How of the professional sommellerie. Loose information and the possibilities of participate in all the international events.

Jorge: Talking about the world contests: Could you tell us about your personal experience as a participant and as organizer?
Giuseppe: As a participant I can tell you that things has change, now is more difficult. The difficult is in direct relation with the period, if there is an evolution of the profession the competition will be more difficult. As an organizer I had to be update to make the level so high. I have had a wonderful experience.

Jorge: Which contest have been the best for you?
Giuseppe: Hum... The one in Japan. In 1995

Jorge: Why?
Giuseppe: Because the organization was excellent, I could say perfect.

Jorge: Which participants impress you a lot?
Giuseppe: All the winners.

Jorge: Bernardo for example? He is really good.
Giuseppe: Yes, but it was not something new for me, also in the school he was really good.

Jorge: What do you expect for a candidate in a contest?
Giuseppe: That can show that is a professional sommelier.

Jorge: How many people are invited by the organization per country?
Giuseppe: In the next time 2 persons, and also some selection of journalists. The last time were 5, but it was economically heavy.

Jorge: Is there any ranking in the world competitions? Can a candidate have a position?
Giuseppe: No, its not allow to say a number of position , because we think that is not nice to give a position to candidates that are the best of their countries.

Jorge: Is there any support from the ASI to some candidate that is saying that he or she is in the position number 10, for example?
Giuseppe: Never. We never say that and we will never support that.

Jorge: What would you say or what would ASI will do with a person, that is saying that is in the position number 10. You already know that I’m talking about the fake position number 10 that Flavia Rizutto, the argentinian candidat, has invented.
Giuseppe: Well, we can’t controlled it at the moment, but if somebody ask us we will tell that is not true, she is lying, because there isn’t any official ranking. But nobody has asked us about that.

Jorge: Hummm… maybe because for us ASI, is quite far.
Giuseppe: Yes, we understand that.

Jorge: But this person is part of an association that is part also of the ASI, you could do something.
Giuseppe: Yes, in the last assembly we saw something about that, but nobody wanted to talk about it, you know, the ASI is formed principally for all the presidents, and the presidents doesn’t want to have problems with their colleagues, and that’s wrong, presidents are not really interested in the develop of the profession, they work much more for themselves than for the sommellerie field, for example when we tell every president that they could know about the results of their candidates, we had just 8 requests.

Jorge: Well, that’s not good. Talking again about the profession, which other topics beside wine, a sommelier has to do with?
Giuseppe: A professional sommelier has to do with all the beverages that go in the table: wine, water, soft drinks, beers, and every beverage that you can drink in a table. Also, taking in count the country where he is, for example in Japan a sommelier has to know more about Sake, in Germany beers, in Peru probably Pisco, etc.

Jorge: Thank you very much Mr. Vaccarini for this intervieu.
Giuseppe: You are welcome, but before we leave I have to tell you that in my class there are some students from Peru, and they are goods.

Jorge: I have a present for you, this is a Pisco from Torontel grapes, the brand is El Alambique.
Giuseppe: Yes I know, when I was in Peru I had to do a lot with Piscos and I know that this a good one. Thank you very much, and hope to see you soon.

[i] At this moment the ASI haven’t received the demand from APSOM (Asociación Peruana de Sommelier) which is now a good candidate to get into the ASI and have Alan Cayo as a president.

The Last 3 Presidents of the ASI

ASSOCIATION DE LA SOMMELLERIE INTERNATIONAL

SINCE 1969

Here the last three Presidents of the ASI

GIUSEPPE VACCARINI 1996-2004

ASI Director 2004-2008

KOSTAS TOULOUMTZIS 2004-2007

KAZUYOSHI KOGAI 2007-...

Mr. Giuseppe Vaccarini's Intervieu: 1rst. Part

Jorge Irribrren, a Peruvian alcoholic beberage specialist and investigator, went to Milan, Italy, to meet Mr. Giuseppe Vaccarini, Past president of the ASI (Association de la Sommellerie Internationale) and actual ASI Director.
They talk about Mr. Vaccarinis' start as a sommelier, the profession of sommellerie, The beginnings of the ASI, its’ present and future.
Jorge: At what age did you start your job as a sommelier?
Giuseppe: I started very early, I was 14 years old when I start working as a waitress, and in a short time more, I pushed my boss to allow me to work as a sommelier assistant. I got, for my first time, a job as a chief sommelier in England at the age of 24, then I came back to Italy after the World Competition and work more than one year more, as a sommelier in one of the best restaurant in Italy at this moment: Gero Marchesse, but then, the owners ask me to be the manager of the restaurant, and since this time I stopped working as a sommelier.

Jorge: Why have you choose to be a sommelier?
Giuseppe: At the beginning was just a curiosity, I wanted to know about all the different wines that were in Italy and the difference between them. I would like to know why they were different, so it was just a curiosity that became a passion and push me to be a sommelier, because is the best way to taste different wines. But then it was also a good way to work, so with the time it became a good combination between work and passion.

Jorge: And this passion began in Italy or England?
Giuseppe: Definitely in Italy.

Jorge: What was your first job?
Giuseppe: I was a waitress in a restaurant in Italy. Then in the same restaurant I was a sommelier assistant, and this job make me decided to go to France where I worked as a sommelier assistant too, but a big restaurant with a big cave, and also I had the opportunity to do many wine curses. So, my curiosity became slowly and slowly a really passion for wines.

Jorge: How have you been involved in to the ASI and what do you have to do with the ASI at this moment.
Giuseppe: Well, It’s a long story. I’m in the International World Association since 1969, I mean, since the beginning, because I was one of the founders. I didn’t do many things because I was very young, but I was there.
When I use to work in the Italian restaurants, there was a lot of Italian wines, but just in the top restaurants we have a few of French wines and probably nothing from other countries, so we needed the opportunity to new others wines. For that reason, we started with the ASI for been in touch with other countries and know a lot of different wines. Since the beginning, the ASI gave me the opportunities to travel and let me do what is my goal: know about wines and people.

Jorge: Well, but I know that you have been the President of the ASI for many years, until 2004, so now, what is your relation at this moment with the ASI?
Giuseppe: Some friends told me to stay as a president, but I decided to leave because I have been much more time. So, finally I didn’t leave it totally and stay as the Director of the ASI, which is my charge at the moment.

Jorge: What is the different between a director and a president in the ASI?
Giuseppe: The President is a political figure that represent the association and the director have to do with the operation management, so I could say that I’m still doing what I used to do before, operating to develop the ASI Association and the sommellerie profession around the world.

Jorge: Well, I have to say that we are now in your classroom in the school were you teach. What do you do besides the ASI?
Giuseppe: I have to tell you that I still doing what is my main occupation since more than 20 years ago: teaching. So, I teach in this school which is the best Hotelier School in Italy.

Jorge: What’s the name of the school?
Giuseppe: Carlo Porta, this is the name of the school. Is a school were we prepare cookers, waitress and sommeliers. It’s the only school in Italy that can teach an official sommellerie course.

Jorge: It’s a gastronomy school, isn’t it?
Giuseppe: Yes, we could say that is a gastronomy school. And we could also say that all the best Italian sommeliers come from this school, so I’m glad for that.

Jorge: Also Enrico Bernardo (best world sommelier 2004).
Giuseppe: Exactly, Bernardo has been one of my students.

Jorge: This is what I heard, and know you are confirming it to me.
Giuseppe: But there are many more. Also others, without the official title.

Jorge: Good! And talking again about the ASI, where and which countries founded the ASI?
Giuseppe: ASI was founded in France on 1969 by sommeliers from Italy and France, half Italian and half French, then, we invited the only association that where at this moment, so finally we where at the beginning sommeliers from Italy, Belgium, France and Portugal. Just 4 countries. We didn’t think at the beginning about the world, we at most thought in Europe, we didn’t imagine that the association will become so big. The first president was Jean Valente, a teacher of mine, who decide to found it in France, because there is a country where the profession borne.

Jorge: What that ASI really mean for you, I mean, you where one of the founders, so what where your principles and objectives at the beginning and how they change now?
Giuseppe: There has been an evolution of the profession. The objectives are some the same, but some of them have changed. At the beginning it was a way to meet other people relative of wines in Europe, there weren’t really a roll.
But now, everything has changed, there are a lot of changes. ASI is not just a group of some associations, is a group that includes almost all the associations in the world, is a way to develop the profession, to increase the number of sommeliers in the world, to organize world competitions and other thing relative to the profession. Plus, in the ASI there is also a professional Club only for professional sommeliers since 2004.

Jorge: This is what I read in the web. How many members do you have at the moment?
Giuseppe: There are not many yet, because there have been many problems with others associations. They say that if there is the possibility of being part of the ASI directly, they will loose clients, because nobody will want to be part of their associations, which is not true. We have found some resistances from others associations that don’t let us grow up.
Jorge: And for being a member, do you need to be also a member of other association, or been at least from a member country? Which persons are allowed to be part of the club?
Giuseppe: The most of the associations say that for being a member of the Club you have to be first member of your country association, but we think that we must be open to everybody and accept the demand from others sommeliers that are not part of others associations.

Jorge: I think that is really good.

TO BE CONTINUED…