Raising A Glass To Low Histamine Wines.

Sebastiano Ramello from Piedmont region Italy, grew up in one of the most important high-quality wine territory in the world, "Langa".Iin the last 10 years he has spent more than 200 days a year around the world, from America to Europe to Asia as a spokesman for high quality Italian wines. As wine expert and international Italian wines consulant, taken him to select high quality Italian wines. He also collaborated with many of food - wine magazines in Italy and abroad, Hong Kong, USA, China, where his role has always been to introduce Italian wines and wines territories and explain how to approach them.

In the last 6 years, he started  a search about food intolerant related to wines, first in the world of its kind, working closely to some of the best Italian wine maker, wine test laboratories recognized by the Italian Government and doctors, and thus giving rise to the selection certification brand "Low Histamines" certifying wines with histamine content of less than 0.5 mg / liter, wines due to their uniqueness, as stated by many doctors, can be recommended to wine sensitive and histamines food intolerant.

In October 2016 he received the highest award, the gold medal, by the “Israel Master Chef Academy" as one of the best selectors of high quality Italian wines in the world. His selector brand "Wine Selection Sebastiano Ramello" is known in the main continents. Sebastiano is currently traveling with his partner Franca Demaria (international Italian food consultant) in South India, to deepen our culinary culture, Indian wine production and as a spokesman for high quality Italian wines, early to late February is back in Kolkatta before continue his trip to Hong Kong and China.

Where did your interest in wine start?

My interest in wine started right away at an early age, when my grandfather (my mother‘s father) "Jo" started taking me in the cellar and teach me how to make the wine.  At the young age of eight years I got to taste it. My grandfather owned a small winery in Piedmont region Italy. One the most important region for high quality wines in the world. For me as a child, the arrival of the harvest was always a big party, my grandfather gave me half a glass of wine and explained to me how to appreciate it. I grew up with a passion for wine, the desire to discover the world, the passion for communication and the great passion of the different cultures, taught to me by my father Francesco, who works with me in the wine. (My father is the president of an association that promotes Italian wine and wine region in the world which is called " Piemonte Sweet Home"). As soon as I could, I put together all my passions, it is I've done my job.

What's trending in wines for 2017?

The Barolo Docg continues to be the most important Italian wine in the world, but also the demand for organic wines in general continue to increase and the every month, there are more request and interest on "Low Histamines". Also this year will see me again in my travels across the North America, Europe and Asia, where I will be present at the main wine fairs and the most important salons of the industry. The year 2017 is also the year that will see me more in India, country that I love and that I decided to devote more time.

Any exciting new things wine producers are doing?

The most important innovation in the wine world is bringing forward by the Winery "Veglio Michelino & Figlio", a small, historic, family winery (5 generations of producers), situated in the heart of the Langhe wine territory in the region of Piedmont in Italy, in the municipality of Diano D'Alba, who along with researchers and the group “Low Histamines", followed directly from my person as the person that start the search food intolerant related to the wine, after 6 years of research has succeeded in producing the first wines DOC and DOCG "Low Histamines" with content of histamines less than 0.5mg / liter (normal red wines have a histamine content that varies from 4 to 20 mg / liter), wines that due to their uniqueness, as declared by different doctors and nutritionists can be recommended to wine sensitive and histamines food intolerant (mean at all those people who drink wine, especially red can create headaches, migraine, colitis and other allergies). To do this, the wine maker Veglio Osvaldo managed to find out how to control mold and bacteria that produce histamines in a totally natural way. This is for sure the greatest innovation in the world of wine production in the past 30 years. You can found more information on the website www.lowhistamines.com.

Some countries around the world produce great wines. Any countries that are front runners in your opinion?

The driving countries in the world for what concerns high-quality wines are Italy (the largest wine producer in the world) and France. The two countries who have years of wine history. Italy is  more then3,000 years that produce wine. And the most important Italian wine region are Piemonte and Toscana. But it is good to see that in recent years many countries as also India have started to improve in wine production.

What are your tips for those who are new to the wine on how to get the most out of their favourite variety?

My advice is to taste as many wines as possible and different wines from different wine region. Trust in wine experts that came from a wine territory, who can give elementary notions of how to taste and appreciate a wine. Also I suggest taste the wines with food. The best way to appreciate a good wine is paring with a good meal. For example I suggest Chicken Biryani rice, combined with a Dolcetto d'Alba DOC, or with a Dogliani DOCG, both a great indigenous red wines from Langa area in Piemonte region.

What do you think is the most common mistake most people make when it comes to wine?

It is to follow the famous labels and not the personal taste. I always suggest if can to do a short wine course, even elementary, and follow your own taste. Wine is pleasure.

There are a lot of myths and “facts” about wine. Is wine healthier than we think?

The wine, if done well by following the right rules, is a very healthy product, a food, but we must always remember, however, that contains alcohol, and should be drunk in moderation. Currently thanks to research, certainly, among the healthiest wines there are those selected "Low Histamines", as they are sensitive to the problem of food allergies, which are increasingly growing in the world. In my area, where I live in Italy, always the wine is seen as part of the daily diet, many wines contain important principles such as polyphenols, that are good for our body.

Is Wine a smart Investment? If we were to invest in wine now, what should we be looking at?

Since many years I teach my clients worldwide as investing in wine. The wine can be good source of investment and profit. But absolutely it is not easy, to do this we must rely on experts, consultants, that completely understand the product, the trend of the international market and the production of individual vintages. The only Italian wine on which you can invest is the Barolo DOCG, as it is a wine that can be storage for 40 years, and that improves over time by increasing the price, especially for those exceptional years that you sell and consume quickly. I suggest you invest on the vintage 2016 as in the Piedmont region has been a wonderful year.