OPIMIAN SUGGESTS

EDITORIAL To Our Relationships

Michael Lutzmann and Greg Rinehart, Opimian Managing Directors

Throughout our Opimian experience, beginning with becoming Members, volunteering for the organization, and now as your Managing Directors, we have always valued the relationships first and foremost. We have both had the pleasure of developing friendships with fellow Members, producers, Board Members and staff.

I PÀSTINI .............................................................................................................P4 OPIMIAN SUGGESTS.................................................................................P6 COUPS DE COEUR......................................................................................P9 PUGLIA...............................................................................................................P10 NEW Paolo Leo.............................................................................................P12 The Wine People .........................................................................................P13 Le Vigne di Sammarco............................................................................P15 NEW CANTINA VALLE ISARCO....................................................... P20 VENETO.............................................................................................................P22 Giovanna Tantini.........................................................................................P23 Villa de Moreschi.........................................................................................P25 Antichello.........................................................................................................P26 TOP VALUE WINES..................................................................................P28 Montigoli ......................................................................................................... P30 Maso Maroni....................................................................................................P31 PROSECCO......................................................................................................P32 Azienda Agricola Paolo Zucchetto............................................... P34 NEW Villa Crespia..................................................................................... P38 DOMAINE ORENGA DE GAFFORY................................................P40 STEPP.................................................................................................................P46 CELLAR UP!...................................................................................................P50 COLLECTOR’S CORNER .......................................................................P55 All of this was brought into sharp focus in our first visit to a wine region since our appointment (and, of course, since COVID-19 curtailed our travel). The major wine trade show, VinItaly, had us travelling to Verona in April to meet existing partners as well as seek new and interesting producers. We also took the opportunity of the trip to visit nearby winemakers at their cellar doors. We first found ourselves in the middle of Piedmont, home of Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera d’Asti, Nebbiolo d’Alba, and a region newly presented to you last year – Roero. We met the people and heard the stories that make being an Opimian Member both interesting and unique. Opimian partners welcomed us with food and wine that shines a light on the fabulous job that our Masters of Wine do for us. The quality of the wine and the passion of the winemakers were obvious, whether we were sitting at a kitchen table or visiting a fancy tasting room. It was then over to the Lake Garda region to visit Giovanna Tantini, maker of the most successful rosé Opimian has ever offered. Her description of the amount of work that goes into every bottle and glass had us captivated. Giovanna is back on page 23. Once the wine show was in full swing, we were able to meet with dozens of producers. As diverse as the Italian winemaking community is, the consistent message we heard was how important their relationship with the Opimian Membership is to them. The fact that they can rely on an order from us each year is an essential part of their business. Our time in Italy ended with a wine industry dinner at Villa Crespia. Made in Franciacorta, the spectacular sparkling wines from this producer are so popular in the northern half of Italy that less than 15% of production is exported globally. It is an honour that Italy’s most prestigious Franciacorta winemaker reached out to Opimian based on a recommendation from one of our other producers who told them about our ability to tell a wineries’ story. The general consensus in wine circles is that the best Franciacorta now rivals and even surpasses the best Champagne. In this issue, you’ll find the first of our two German producers, Gerd Stepp. Our other German producer, Alex Pflüger, will be back in your Cellar in late summer. It bears repeating that these relationships are important. By the time you read this, we’ll be en route to Prowein, the largest wine fair in the world, and will have met with even more Opimian producers.. It will be of no surprise to you that global supply chain issues have affected everything we buy. Wine is no different. The cost of boxes, labour and other inputs is rising. Many Italian producers are in a mad scramble this year as the horrors of war impact the local industry. Ukrainian wine bottle production has been halted. Producers sometimes even have to wait months for the essentials. Thank you for your patience as we work hard every day to keep your orders moving and the prices as stable as we can. Let’s all raise a glass to the relationships we all enjoy – wine-related or not. Michael & Greg

WINE SOURCING & LOGISTICS MANAGER ANNA TARZIA ZAPPIA

Anna credits her wine education to the written words in the Cellars and the spoken words of those she has been privileged to meet and places she has been fortunate to visit. All that encompasses wine is part of her identity. A particular winemaking style has emerged as her favourite, the fabled wines of Veneto the most famous, but a style mastered in southern regions such as Puglia. Anna is appassionata about Appassimento wines!

CARLOMAGNO PRIMITIVO, IGP PUGLIA, APPASSIMENTO, 2021, LOT 3473, P16

OUR PICKS FOR THIS CELLAR

INTEGRO NEGROAMARO, IGP PUGLIA, ORGANIC WINE, 2021, LOT 3471, P13 GUARANO, APPASSIMENTO DA UVE SELEZIONATE, NEGROAMARO, IGP SALENTO, FRANCO RIZZELLO SELEZIONE, 2020, LOT 3462, P17

VERSO SUD SUSUMANIELLO, IGP PUGLIA, I PÀSTINI, 2020, LOT 3451, P5 STEPP RIESLING, PFALZ, 2021, LOT 3508, P52 ZUCCHETTO BACCARAT, EXTRA BRUT, PROSECCO ROSATO, DOC, TREVISO, PAOLO ZUCCHETTO, 2021, LOT 3455, P34

MANAGING DIRECTOR GREG RINEHART

Greg's wine style gravitates towards less serious styled rosés and whites. He believes that all events should start with a glass of bubbly! However, when done right, there is no better red grape for producing lighterbodied wines of elegance and complexity than Pinot Noir.

MASTER PIECE The Many Styles of Veneto

Jane Masters MW is Opimian’s Master of Wine

Romeo and Juliet’s city of Verona is a stone’s throw away from the vineyards of Valpolicella. Lying to the northwest of the town the original Classico DOC area is in the hills around Negrar, Marano and Saint Ambroglio.

The terrain is a natural amphitheatre and the highest plots (up to 600 metres) often sit above the cloud line. Vines are trained on high trellises using the traditional Pergola system, creating a ceiling of leaves that protect the bunches of grapes hanging underneath. Many are on steep terraces, requiring work in the vineyards to be manually done. To the east lies the Valpolicella Valpantena region, also on hilly ground. The wider Valpolicella DO lies on more gentle slopes and flatter ground, allowing for greater mechanization, and stretches eastwards and overlaps with Soave. A range of wine styles with increasing complexity and body are produced from four local grape varieties – Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara. Basic Valpolicella is easy-drinking red - light and fruity with red fruit flavours and a bitter cherry twist. If the grapes were grown within the hilly Classico region, the label will show DOC Valpolicella Classico. If the label shows Valpolicella Classico Superiore, this suggests a little more body and alcohol – although, in the context of the world of wine, these are still light refreshing reds. At the other end of the spectrum is Amarone – the king of wines from the region and one of Italy’s best. It is big and sumptuous, rich and high in alcohol. A wine that is made to be matured and to be drunk with rich flavoursome foods. One might wonder how it is possible that the same grape varieties grown in the same region can make such contrasting styles. The key is “appassimento”, the partial drying of grapes. The technique has been used in the Veneto for centuries, dating back to the Ancient Romans. For this, the best grapes are picked at full ripeness. The very best – often those from the top of the cluster – are selected. Rather than fermented immediately, these are placed on racks in special rooms known as Fruttai and left for three to four months to dry. As the grapes shrivel and dehydrate, they become more concentrated and richer in flavour. The dried grapes are crushed towards the end of January following harvest, producing a viscous highly sweet juice. The elevated sugar concentration is a difficult environment for yeast to grow and so the alcoholic fermentation is sluggish, often taking 45 to 50 days to complete. After fermentation, the wine tastes dry with 5-7g/l residual sugar, producing Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG which is subsequently matured in wood. Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG spends a minimum of two years in large oak vessels of French or Slavonian origin (although chestnut, cherry