A meeting point between high quality cuisine and wine culture, the Grotta Azzurra Gourmet is the place where every dish and every bottle tell a story to be discovered, immersed in the eternal charm of Capri.
Behind the oenological direction of this corner of excellence is Adelmo Viva, a Caprese doc, a professional with a refined soul and tireless curiosity. With a path built in the field behind him, between dining room, level catering and continuous training, Adelmo has transformed the Grotta Azzurra Gourmet’s cellar into a true treasure chest of refined labels and reasoned choices. We met with him to let him tell us his story, his approach to wine and the philosophy that makes each proposed bottle the result of a meeting of passion, study and territory. Because, as he tells us himself, his selection is alive and constantly evolving. Just like the wine he loves to tell.
Adelmo, can you tell us how you started your journey in the restaurant business?
“I started very young, I was only 14 years old. My first job was in a restaurant in the Migliara area here in Capri. I was in the dining room, taking care of the simplest things: water, wine, bread. A humble approach, but essential to learn the basics.”
And how did your career path then evolve?
“Over time I took on more responsible roles. By the time I was 18, I was already working at a club on the island where I managed a restaurant, snack bar, and bar. Later, I had an important experience as a manager at a restaurant in downtown Naples while I was attending university, carrying on work and study at the same time.”
You have also gained experience in event planning and catering, right?
“Yes, I worked with various event and catering companies. I was very fascinated by that kind of work: it was dynamic, challenging, every day a different set-up, a different location.”
How did your passion for wine come about?
“It was born gradually. In the first restaurant where I worked we were already starting to talk about wine, then over time I got to delve deeper. I remember that, thanks to Enzo Pollio esteemed distributor of Wine and Spirits and his representative, today Master Sommelier, Gabriele Massa, I began the first tastings the first courses and the first purchases of my personal wine collection. From there I developed a growing passion that today is reflected in the selection of our cellar.”
Tell us about the Grotta Azzurra Gourmet cellar. What is the philosophy that guides it?
“Ours is a winery designed for all budgets. We select each label after careful tasting, without being influenced by fads or awards. We have more than 700 wines and about 60 champagnes. The selection ranges from small estates to large maisons, but each bottle is the result of study and passion. Behind every bottle I offer are dozens of books read, tastings and travels. For me, you cannot really get to know a wine without stepping on the land from which it comes. Presenting a bottle is not just a commercial gesture: it means telling the story of the winery and the land that gave birth to it.”
How do you balance local and international wines on the list?
“It depends on the years, the tastings and the period. Sometimes there is more room for French wines, other times for wines from Campania. I never follow a fixed line, but the central element is always the quality and the emotion that that wine conveys. That’s how we choose what goes into the cellar.”
And how do you recommend a bottle to customers?
“I like to work in conjunction with food. I don’t think of myself as just a merchant-I’ve been a waiter, I’m a sommelier, and for me it’s critical to understand why a customer is buying a bottle. Maybe it’s a gift, but if it’s a dinner or an aperitif, I always try to know the dish or the menu planned for the occasion, so that I can propose a wine that goes best with it.”
Have you noticed a change in customers’ tastes in recent years?
“Absolutely. Before, people drank “for fashion,” today there is more knowledge. Customers are more curious, informed, open to discover. Even in Capri restaurants, which used to offer almost always the same labels, today there is a wide choice of varied and interesting proposals.”
With such an international clientele, are there any particular preferences?
“When it comes to bubbly, champagne remains the quintessential choice for foreign customers. Despite the high quality of Italian sparkling wines, champagne still has an unsurpassed aura. Thanks to a great winemaker friend from Trentino and Franciacorta, I was able to refine my knowledge for bubbles. However, as far as Campanian whites are concerned, I have seen a great change: today they are in demand even by Americans, who until recently drank only Pinot Grigio.”
Even the least expensive labels, chosen with the same passion and care, can offer high-level experiences…
“Absolutely. Every wine offered, even the most affordable, is the result of careful and conscious selection, on par with the most renowned champagne. I firmly believe that quality is not a matter of price or emblazoned label. Often, behind a 30 euro bottle, there are small producers, surprising territories and authentic stories that deserve to be discovered. And it happens not infrequently that it is precisely these wines that make their mark, surprising even the most demanding palates.”
Does this also help to enhance the area?
“Of course, and this is a very important thing. Promoting wines from Campania means telling who we are, enhancing our identity and supporting local producers who work with passion and expertise. Every Campania bottle we offer is a piece of our territory, its traditions, its evolution. It is a way to let our customers, especially international ones, know the richness and variety of our oenology, which today has nothing to envy to more emblazoned realities. And when a customer chooses a wine from the territory, he is not just tasting: he is having a cultural experience.”
Can you tell us an anecdote related to the winery or your work?
“There would be many! A recent one: last year we were contacted by a yacht moored off Salerno. The captain asked us for a selection, we sent our list and delivered it on board. It was a beautiful moment: a personalized service that tells of the care we put into everything we do.”
