Graduated from the University of Pollenzo, Luca Santoro and Matteo Micotti have created a real brand that combines lifestyle and oenogastronomy
The passion for wine unites them. Like love for tradition and for the land. As well as the desire to look for new realities to know and to tell. Luca Santoro and Matteo Micotti are the two young founders of Not Just Wine, an oenogastronomy blog that can boast a considerable following: 33 thousand followers. Both graduated in “Gastronomic Sciences” at the University of Pollenzo, the two have created a real brand that can link lifestyle to the wine world in a fun, engaging and winning way. Georgia, Alsace, India, Colombia, USA: these are some of Luke and Matthew’s destinations. The journey as a classroom, in order to learn something new. And to attract the public, that never hurts.
How has this passion turned into “profession”?
“Once we talked about the life of two gastronomes at university. Then there was a precise moment: it showed up when we realized that our blog, Not Just Wine, had the potential to communicate the wine sector in a way never seen before “.
How has your activity on social media changed over time?
“When we reached 20,000 followers on Instagram and half a million monthly views, we realized that we couldn’t just have the time of our lives and share it online. These experiences needed to have sense, to make them flow into a winning and professional communication. The aim was to make our skills profitable as graduated in Gastronomy: teaching something to new generations”.
What are you trying to communicate to your followers?
“A very simple vision of wine: drink well and responsibly. Search for innovative labels and wineries that believe in progress, in the values of the land and tradition. Above all, they should have a winning vision of the future. Our mission is to make others understand that wine is not a product for the “chosen few”: indeed, it must be cleared by technical terminology. We must be able to leave free space to those who still get excited in front of a bottle”.
How would you describe your relationship with your followers?
“We thank them all the time: they make us proud and support us despite all the difficulties. We want the people who follow us to dream, like us, of living to the fullest “.
In your opinion, how will the wine blogger profession evolve over time?
“There is a lot of confusion on social networks: there are so many alleged “bloggers” who don’t know at all what it means to work in this field. We are not influencers but a real Personal Brand. In this light, this is a work with a bright future. But you must have the skills, you must have studied. Influencing thousands of people is a decisive responsibility for the Italian market and beyond”.
What would you recommend to aspiring bloggers? “Travel, read up, don’t sell out yourselves. Use your head, otherwise you will cause harm to yourself and others. We expect the profession to grow in quality but not in quantity. Many would like to be in our place and many try to. The sad reality is that, in Italy, the only important brands will be five or six, compared to thousands of aspiring bloggers”.
