Ep. 2366 Isa Ketebaev of Monte Bianco Almaty | Asia Wine Market: Almaty Special Edition

Welcome to Episode 2366 and the sixth episode of the special series focusing on the Asian Wine Market. In today’s episode, Roza Zharmukhambetova interviews Isa Ketebaev, Managing Director of Monte Bianco Almaty.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Understand Monte Bianco’s role, operational structure and portfolio development strategy.

• Gain insights into operational realities, partnerships and bureaucratic hurdles.

• Understand consumer behavior, identify trends and market opportunities for Italian producers.

Asia Wine Market is a new podcast series from the Italian Wine Podcast that explores the fast-growing wine markets across Asia. Designed for wine professionals, importers, and producers, the series highlights regional trends, consumer behavior, and business opportunities for Italian wine exports.

Through 10 exclusive episodes, this series offers insights from key industry players and builds up to the Vinitaly Kazakhstan Roadshow 2025 — a strategic event connecting Italian wineries with Central Asian wine importers, sommeliers, and distributors. Whether you're looking to enter the wine market or expand your brand presence in Central Asia, this series is your starting point.

Link to the Episode with Artem Lebedev mentioned by Roza: https://www.italianwinepodcast.com/Episodes/ep-1780-new-territories-spotlight-on-central-asia-wine2wine-business-forum-2023/

Today’s guest: Isa Ketebaev

Since 2015, Issa has been part of Monte Bianco, a small family-run business specializing in the import and distribution of premium wines and spirits. Since 2021, he has served as the branch director in Almaty. Monte Bianco operates branches in four major cities in Kazakhstan—Aktau, Atyrau, Astana, and Almaty—and runs nine retail locations across the country. While Monte Bianco offers wines in all price segments, its main focus is on rare and exceptional wines from boutique producers. 

The portfolio includes renowned Italian wineries such as Tunella, G.D.Vajra, Braida, Travaglini, Produttori del Barbaresco Ferrari,  St.Michael Eppan, Produttori Vini Manduria, Tasca d'Almerita, Altesino, Casanova di Neri, La Spinetta,  Querciabella, Astoria, Bisol, Michele Castellani, Arnaldo Caprai, Capichera, among others.

Connect:

Website: https://monte-bianco.kz/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monte.almaty/ 

Today’s host: Roza Zharmukhambetova

Roza Zharmukhambetova has a background in foreign languages and education. She discovered her passion for wine in Beijing, where she gained two years of experience in wine sales. Since returning to Kazakhstan, she has focused on studying Italian wine and exploring its regions. 

Roza holds certifications as an Italian Wine Ambassador (VIA), Italian Wine Scholar (WSG), Langhe Wines Ambassador (BBA), and Valpolicella Wine Specialist (VEP). She is also a member of the Kazakhstan Sommelier Association. Since late last year, she has been a member of the Italian Wine Podcast (IWP) team, contributing her passion for Italian wine.

Connect:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roza.zharmukhambetova

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rozazharmukhambetova/

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Until next time, Cin Cin!