Agronomist and oenologist by profession Mourad Ouada, who has lived in Italy for many years, in the course of his more than thirty-year career has “created” more than 1000 wines.
He currently follows 24 companies, of which 7 in France, a dozen in Italy and the others in various European countries. Its link with wine was born in the late 1980s when Italy, after the scandal of methanol wines, made a change in production by greatly elevating quality and making a significant leap forward.
At that time Mourad Ouada had won a research position at the University of Tuscia in Viterbo and then began to collaborate with Riccardo Cotarella, a partnership that lasted 16 years, until 2015.
They have been very important years. Today Mourad Ouada is a truly well-known consultant and works at 360 degrees, following the winemaking process from the bunch to the bottle.
One of his maxims is “We are children of a tradition, but fathers of progress in the field of wine. The secret lies in finding the right balance between tradition and innovation, between past and present “.
At the Oschiri Wine experience he will conduct a tasting on Merlot. We ask you: why this choice?
Merlot does no one wrong, it is a vine that we all have in the vineyard, it has given and still gives a big hand to all winemakers, I call it the parsley of wines. It gives us a hand in the sense that it is easy to grow in the vineyard, it also performs well in the cellar, it is easy to vinify and gives softness to the wines. It is the second most present grape variety in the world, after Cabernet-Sauvignon, and it also marks the territory a lot, in the sense that despite having its own personality, it adapts a lot to the territory that hosts it. Those who participate in this beautiful tasting at the Oschiri wine experience will taste eight or nine Merlots, and with surprise they will feel that they are totally different wines, even though they are almost all Merlot in purity. It will be an interesting and surprising tasting.
Sardinia and the world of contemporary wine, what do you think?
I know Sardinia well, also from an enological point of view, I have been a consultant for the Sardus Pater winery in Sant’Antioco for ten years. I have been saying for five or six years that Sardinia will soon become one of the most important regions from an enological point of view. There have been many local and international investments in Sardinia, which bode well. I see only one criticality: the quantity of the product. Sardinia must increase the quantity of grapes, because it does not produce enough. However, the climate change underway will not disadvantage production, on the contrary.
Today wine tourism is also making its way. After the Covid pandemic, people expect and want a more peaceful, natural, no-rush vacation. So the stay in the wineries is ideal, they offer hospitality on a human scale, surrounded by greenery and relaxation. Nowadays there are many companies that give hospitality, that make tastings and restaurants. The Tuscans, the “Bordeaux people of Italy” as I call them, were among the initiators of wine tourism in Italy, others followed, because foreign tourists especially like this type of tourism and facilities. Here too Sardinia can express itself well. I look forward to seeing you at the Oschiri wine experience then.
Interview by Alessandra Guigoni – © All rights reserved – www.lestradedelvino.com