Renowned for his exceptional expertise and deep-rooted passion for wine, Mattia Antonio Cianca stands as a leading figure in the global wine industry. An award-winning sommelier with extensive experience across prestigious restaurants worldwide, Mattia’s journey into the world of wine began in Australia and has since evolved into a remarkable career marked by accolades and innovation. As a co-founder & Vice President of the Sommeliers Association of India (SAI), he is dedicated to elevating wine education and culture in India, bridging global wine trends with the country’s growing community of enthusiasts and professionals. In this exclusive interview, Mattia shares insights into his inspiring journey, the challenges and opportunities in India’s wine scene, and his vision for fostering a more inclusive and knowledgeable wine community.
What inspired you to become a sommelier, and how did your journey in the world of wine begin?
I was working in a Restaurant called Galileo Buona Cucina in Perth, Australia. I was looking to be sponsored for visa purposes. The Chef-owner Vincenzo Soresi was a very passionate wine lover and he was in charge of the wine selection. He showed me the wine list, more than 400 references, 90% were Italian and I didn’t know anything. I felt so embarrassed that as soon as I got the job I enrolled for a WSET course in Margaret River, in November 2011 and since then I never stopped learning.
What motivated you to co-found the Sommeliers Association of India, and how does it reflect your passion for wine?
I was participating at the Best Sommelier of the World in Paris in 2023 and my friend and business partner Amrita Singh was in the audience as a supporter. During the 3-day programme, she asked me: “where is the Indian candidate?” and I said I am not sure, perhaps you don’t have a candidate from India because you don’t have an association or even if you do, perhaps it’s not linked to the ASI (Association de la Sommellerie Internationale). She got very upset because India is the largest country in the world with the youngest average age in the world, and a country such as India should definitely be present in those events and competitions. She looked into it and we found out that India never had this association so we started to look at the process with the guidance of the ASI, and we started the rigorous and long process of creating a non-profit organization in India that was also following the international regulations and standards of the ASI. In January 2024 the Association was formed together with two other co-founders, Salvatore Castano and Vinod Abrol, and in February 2024, during the ASI annual general assembly, SAI was accepted into the ASI family as a College of Applicants. Finally, India will have its presence on the International stage and it is linked to this amazing network of more than 65 countries worldwide.
What unique challenges did you face while promoting wine education and culture in India?
This is the very beginning of our wine education, so it is hard to speak about challenges. I can say that the initial challenge is the fact that India never had something like this before, so it is a bit hard for the audience to be understood. Education is also linked to tasting and the challenge that I see at the moment in the Indian market is the lack of variety of good classic examples from the major wine regions in the world. People who are exposed to wine education need those examples of wine to improve and grow.
Can you recall your first memorable wine-tasting experience and how it shaped your passion for wine?
The first memorable experience was a Magnum of Dom Perignon 1988 tasted in 2013. I found this bottle at an online auction while working at Attica restaurant in Melbourne. I wanted to share this with all my front-of-house colleagues and during a work dinner I opened it and we had a glass each. This wine was absolutely stunning. At the time I didn’t know that Champagne could age for so long and develop so many different aromas and flavours. It was magic. That one glass lasted me for three hours, the more I smelled it the more it kept changing, and the more I didn’t want to drink it. There was honey, coffee, truffle, mushrooms, there was complexity, freshness, depth, length… There was everything! From that very moment, I realised that special wines that give life-changing experience are those that are so special and emotional on the nose that you don’t want to drink them, simply because if you drink them you can’t smell them anymore. Since then, I have created my own rule for exceptional wines: wines that the emotions they give you on the nose are far superior to those on the palate, are unique and magical wines. This moment really shaped my passion for wine and more specifically for Champagne.
How does the Sommeliers Association of India help enthusiasts and professionals stay updated with global wine trends?
SAI has a newsletter and Social Media calendar, so it covers all the topics for the members and readers to stay updated. Being part of the ASI, we are connected with more than 65 countries so we consistently hear about what happens globally and share it. Also, we all work in different sections of the wine industry and we are exposed to those trends daily, plus 3 out of the 4 co-founders are studying for the 2 hardest wine exams in the world, MS (Master Sommelier) and MW (Master of Wine) and competitions as well, so this really help to have full exposure that we can then pass on to the community.
How do SAI & You recommend enjoying wine responsibly, and what are the potential health benefits of moderate wine consumption?
Knowledge is everything, so whether you are drinking for pleasure or tasting for professional purposes, it helps to moderate yourself and enhance your experience. Of course, wine is an alcoholic beverage and it needs to be considered as such. The first advice would be to focus on quality over quantity. The more you understand and appreciate wine you will automatically have this gradual shift, prioritising quality. Wine is part of a very social industry and if I can quote the greatest Sommelier of all time, Mr Gerard Basset, “to be a great sommelier you need to love people”. This is the most important message to understand: the wine industry is a very open and social industry. When you pursue your career in wine, your reputation is very important, and I mean this in a motivational way: “Never embarrass yourself and never put yourself in a position where you cannot control what you are doing or what you are saying”. You always need to be in control and responsible for your own actions, this also dictates your consumption. Everyone responds differently to alcohol, according to your gender, age, body weight, how rested you are, whether you have eaten or not, and which part of the day it is. My approach, to being legally fine and regulating your consumption, is to have a maximum 1 standard drink per hour. This comes from my 10 years in Australia, where 1 standard drink equals 30 ml of any 40% spirits (vodka, whisky, rum, gin, etc.), a glass (100 ml) of wine, or 285 ml of beer. Drink a full glass of water every hour drink slowly by sipping your drink and never drink too fast.
Is there a significant difference in the health benefits of red wine compared to white wine?
This is more of a question for a doctor I guess. I have been travelling across different countries and lived in different countries, and I have been exposed to doctors of different backgrounds and nationalities and always had a different answer. Being Italian, we grew up with this belief that red wine is healthier than white, but as a professional, I wouldn’t say that one style has more health benefits than others. This is more of an objective medical question and I think someone that specialises in this field should answer.
Natural and organic wines are becoming popular. Do you believe they offer any specific health advantages over conventional wines?
First, we should clarify what natural wine is or what people think natural is. If we consider natural wine as a minimum-intervention or no-intervention wine, then this category alone is less invasive, I wouldn’t call them health advantages. Compared to conventional wines, both natural and organic wines have less health disadvantages than conventional wines. Most conventional wines are heavily adjusted, so talking from a health point of view this will be my answer. Regarding quality, this might be different in some cases, as some natural wines are not objectively clean or balanced and if they are put in any formal tasting they would be considered technically faulty and rejected. Regarding organic certified wines, they are not necessarily less adjusted than non-certified wines. If we take organic and conventional wines as 2 macro categories and pretend that all organic-certified wines have less addition than conventional wines, then clearly organic wines have less negative health-related consequences. However, there are a lot of organic-certified wines that have more additions than non-organic-certified wines. I am saying this because you could be a non-certified producer, so-called conventional, but that had fewer chemical interventions than a certified one.
How can one incorporate wine into a balanced diet without compromising overall health?
This is another specific doctor-related question. I would advise drinking wine during meals. I noticed that in India, many people eat a proper meal after having consumed alcohol, so the first step for a balanced diet would be to introduce wine during the meal and have it together at the same time. I strongly recommend having at least two full alcohol-free days every week.
Alcohol-free wines are gaining traction. How do they compare to traditional wines, both in taste and potential health impacts?
Alcohol-free wines are not really wines. Wine is an alcoholic beverage and this cannot be changed. There are regions and appellations where you must have a minimum percentage of alcohol to have a specific name on the label. If I need to compare the taste, in the so-called alcohol-free wines, most times it’s as if there is a layer missing. Alcohol is one of the 3 main pillars for the structure of wines, so it is like to have a non-complete product. I tried some good examples of those new styles and some of their flavours are very pleasant and balanced. Regarding the potential health impacts, we are comparing an alcoholic beverage against a non-alcoholic product, so it is clear that an alcohol-free product should have no harm to your health. However, a lot of those new products are being produced by many large wineries that use a lot of chemical adjustments so my question is: is drinking Cola or Aerated Drinks healthier than a good glass of wine?
How does SAI educate people who may feel intimidated or unsure about wine?
The first and most important ingredient in the wine industry is humility. This is something that will always be repeated as it is the only way to keep learning and to consistently have an open mind. No one should be intimidated. We encourage people to ask questions and there are never wrong or stupid questions. Everyone should feel comfortable and it is only by asking that sharing knowledge happens. It is only by asking that consumers feel more comfortable in an unknown topic and it is only by receiving those questions that professionals keep improving. How often do you receive a question you don’t know the answer to? When this happens you go and look for the answer share it with the person who asked it, and everyone wins. To feel not intimidated you can start by learning by yourself, now everything is available online and there are so many platforms you can learn from. Keep it basic, as the amount of information that you can find is huge. When you are close to people who have more knowledge than you, don’t be shy, ask them questions, take advantage, and challenge them positively, so that everyone can benefit from it in the best social and casual way. SAI offers access to easy to digest knowledge, via social media posts, quizzes, but also on the dedicated member's dashboard on our website, there will be more courses and learning activities that everyone can do privately, you can taste your knowledge and improve without any pressure.
Can you share the secrets of identifying a high-quality wine during a tasting?
There are no secrets, there is only experience. But the main recommendation I can give is blind tasting. By not knowing the label, your brain is not influenced by what is going to be in the bottle and sometimes you have very good surprises. The main tip to identifying a high-quality wine is the balance, everything should be harmonious. As a professional is the balance, the depth, the length, and the emotions, but this is also personal. As a consumer, the more logical way to identify quality is to simply ask yourself: Do I like it? Am I having pleasure by drinking this? One main secret is not getting influenced by the look of the bottle or the label and by the price of the wine.
What are some common misconceptions about wine that you encounter?
-The more expensive, the better. That is not true. Price can be dictated by so many factors, and there is so much quality at a lower price point, which is why blind tasting can be very surprising at times.
-The older the better. Not true. Different wines, styles and categories have their picks at different times.
-Serving whites at a cold temperature and red at a warmer one. Not always true. Too often we are given white wines that are way too cold. This mutes the wine and make it less expressive. Sometimes we receive red wines that are too warm. According to the style, some lighter reds should be served slightly chilled.
-Only decant old reds. Wrong! There are so many young and powerful reds that benefit from aeration so decanting is recommended. Some very old red, should not be decanted, otherwise they would be instantly killed. Decanting in general, can be used for different styles, whites, roses and sparklings. The decanter should be used as a tool to improve the quality of the wine we are serving and to increase the experience. It can be very helpful to speed up the process to change a wine’s temperature. We need to use oxygen and time as a friend.
What is the most unique or surprising wine you’ve encountered during your travels?
The most surprising wine I’ve encountered during my travel is a dry wine from Pantelleria, a small island between Sicily and Tunisia. Normally here people make extremely sweet wines from the Muscat of Alexandria grape, locally called Zibibbo. I had this wine from a producer called Salvatore Murana, and I was blown away! It was dry and the most mineral wine I have ever tasted in my life. We are talking about a fully aromatic grape variety in a very warm climate island in the middles of the Mediterranean Sea, and this wine was so refreshing and mineral-like if it was coming from a completely different part of the world. It was truly special and totally unexpected. Wow!
Are there any underappreciated wine regions or grape varieties that you feel deserve more recognition?
If we are talking about global recognition, I think most regions in Australia, especially Victoria, deserve more recognition. Wines made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in regions like Gippsland, Mornington Peninsula, Beechworth, and Macedon Ranges are not known to most consumers worldwide.
In terms of old-world wines, I still come across so many consumers, especially in Europe, who have no idea about Germany and Austria as wine-producing countries and they produce some of the best wines in the world.
Do you have a favorite wine that you recommend for beginners?
It really depends on the person, but if I think of a variety, this would be Riesling. Very versatile grape variety, made in all possible styles from dry to sweet and from still to sparkling. A semi-sweet German Riesling from the Mosel region would be my pick.
What is your go-to wine pairing for special celebrations or holidays?
This is a very easy answer for me: Champagne! Champagne is the perfect category and the most versatile of all. Perfect as a gift, as an aperitif, as a paring. Then of course, according to the occasion and the meal we can select the most appropriate style.
What is an affordable yet exceptional quality wine available in India that you would recommend to Indian audiences?
KRSMA Sauvignon. This is one of the best wines I had in India over the past 3 years.
If you could introduce someone in India to their very first wine, which wine would you choose and why?
I would pick a red wine made from the Nebbiolo grape variety because in this style there are all the key elements at a high level of intensity to understand a wine’s structure: acidity, tannins, and alcohol. All perfectly balanced.
What are SAI's future goals or prospects?
SAI aims to create a benchmark for best practices and international standards. Future goals are to support and collaborate as much as possible with new and upcoming businesses to create a high-quality, inclusive food and beverage and hospitality community. To focus on offering dedicated training for all sommeliers and professionals working in India but also to consumers and enthusiasts that are new to this world. Also, we aim to create different regional committees so that SAI and its members can grow equally and collectively with the same principles and standards throughout India.