OPIMIAN SUGGESTS

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.

SANT'ONORATA 1953 DOC LUGANA NUNZIO GHIRALDI, 2019, LOT 3696, P31

OUR PICKS FOR THIS CELLAR

CORTESE BOSCOPIANO IGP TERRE SICILIANE, 2019, LOT 3711, P20 PEARL MORISSETTE NIAGARA VINEYARDS COUP DE CŒUR, VQA LINCOLN LAKESHORE, 2021, LOT 3678, P11

MONFERACE DOC GRIGNOLINO D'ASTI, 2017, LOT 3754, P51 MALVIRÀ BAROLO BOIOLO VERTICAL TASTING CASE, LOT 3685, WEB POP-UP HARRIS BEACH CASK CLUB, LOT 3690, P5

MANAGING DIRECTOR MICHAEL LUTZMANN

Michael has level 3 training from WSET. Before discovering more about wine through training, he only drank heavy reds. While those are still favourites, his palate pleasers now include the full spectrum with dessert/ fortified wines edging toward the top of his list. The expanded selection of Beaujolais has him looking to add fantastic lighter reds to his collection.

MASTER PIECE The Treasure Hunt

Igor Ryjenkov MW was the first in Canada to earn the prestigious Master of Wine credential.

Italy is the top world wine producer and relies on its native grapes to accomplish that. Paradoxically, very few Italian grapes are planted or excel elsewhere, making the country the treasure-trove of unique grapes and wines.

Historically – and today – each region has had its own traditions and cultural context which extend to food and wine. The locals are fiercely loyal to their cuisine – and their grapes. Thus, Abruzzo relies on its hearty Montepulciano grape to make deeply coloured, black-fruited great value reds. Verdicchio, Marche’s ace white grape, makes wines with quince, almond and citrus notes and with good acidity and weight. The white Glera grape, shared by Veneto and Friuli, is responsible for the tank-fermented, Asian pear-scented super-popular sparkling Prosecco. Let’s go in for a closer look at some more highlights. In hot and arid Sicily, the grape-growing flourishes largely thanks to the well-adapted local grapes and the higher elevations, such as provided by Mount Etna. The Etna Rosso DOC reds, based on Nerello Mascalese alone or blended with Nerello Capuccio, show a mineral streak and surprising freshness with floral, herbal and red fruit notes. The Etna Bianco DOC could be either entirely or mostly Carricante with two Catarrattos – Bianco Commune or Lucido rounding the blend. The wines have fresh acidity with citrus, minerality, floral and smoky notes yet are fleshy and rich. The red Nero d’Avola and white Grillo are but two of other many grapes of interest. Nero makes a deep-coloured, well-structured red with plum, cedar, herbs and minerally notes. Grillo keeps its acidity well and is fresh and citric. But it is the Etna wines that are undisputedly the up-and-comers of Sicily and, arguably, the entire country.