Ep. 2238 Ilia Sakharov IWA interviews Valter Fissore of Cogno Winery | Clubhouse Ambassadors’ Corner

Feb 6, 2025

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

Welcome to Episode 2238 of the Italian Wine Podcast and Stevie Kim’s Ambassadors’ Corner on Clubhouse. In this episode Italian Wine Ambassador Ilia Sakharov IWA interviews Valter Fissore of Cogno winery.

Today’s learning objectives:

To explore the modern image of Barolo and its evolving style.
To identify new terroirs for Nebbiolo beyond Barolo and Barbaresco.
To understand the impact of climate change on vineyards and wine profiles.

Co-Moderator – Ilia Sakharov IWA

Ilia began his wine career in 2021 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, working as a sommelier in restaurants and wine bars. He later moved to Almaty in Kazakhstan, where he expanded his role to include import and distribution management.

In 2023, inspired by his first trips to Italy and a visit to Argiolas winery, Ilia decided to specialize in Italian wines. He earned the Italian Wine Maestro certification and became a certified Italian Wine Ambassador.

Now based in Baku, Azerbaijan, Ilia is the co-founder and CEO of iWine.az, a wine school, and serves as the head sommelier at its Asmat wine restaurant. He also shares his passion for Italian wines and lifestyle on his Russian-language Telegram channel, "Caxap and Wine."

Connect:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ilya.caxap

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ilya.caxap/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilia-sakharov-904a931a2/

Website: https://t.me/caxapandwine

About the guest:

Valter Fissore is co-owner and winemaker at Cogno winery. When he was a child, Valter began to come into contact with the wine world helping his grandfather Eugenio in his family vineyards in Roero. In 1983 he met for the first time Nadia Cogno, who became his wife in 1988. In 1985-1986 he started to work alongside Nadia’s father, Elvio Cogno, in La Morra. He acquired all the techniques and secrets of the wine world and started to learn about cellar management. Elvio Cogno, with his experience, was a real teacher for Valter, and supported the birth of Valter’s passion for wine.

In 1990, Elvio Cogno took the decision to leave Cogno Marcarini winery in La Morra, with the goal to build a new brand. He bought a farm built in ‘700 in Novello, surrounded by 11 hectares of vineyards, and created the winery which still has his surname: Cogno. After a working experience in an important company of automation and design, Valter decided to return to work in the world of wine and joined the company. In 1996 Elvio Cogno decided to retire and Valter, along with Nadia, began a long process of renovation of the farm, continuing the search for the highest quality in wines and enhancement of the terroir.

Connect:

Website: https://www.cognowines.com/en/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cognowines

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cognowines

Twitter: https://x.com/cognowines

_______________________________

Let's keep in touch! Follow Italian Wine Podcast on our social media channels:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/italianwinepodcast/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ItalianWinePodcast

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/itawinepodcast

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mammajumboshrimp

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/italianwinepodcast

If you feel like helping us, donate here: https://www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/

Until next time, Cin Cin!

Follow Italian Wine Podcast for more great content – winery interviews from the Clubhouse sessions!

Psssst…FYI this show is our most popular show, find out why by tuning-in!