Hail The Grape: Opera Italian High Quality Wines

No one ever sat down to an Italian meal without some accompanying vino. Recently, Agenda caught up with Davide Valentini and Matteo Marzio, founders of Opera Italian High Quality Wines, to find out exactly what makes Italian wines so unique and which choice bottles are up for grabs.

What’s so special about Italian wine?
Well, as with most things that are related to Italy, a history of tradition, in this case wine making, that spans thousands of years. This kind of tradition is hard to find in other countries. Let’s not forget that the reason wine culture is so developed in Europe is because of the expansion of the Roman Empire that brought about the planting of vineyards in nowadays well-known wine regions such as France.

The almost unique variety of Italian wines enables a never-ending degustation experience: full-bodied wines grown in relatively dry and temperate climates, light and fresh wines come from windy and sunny hills in the chilly North, and spicy wines from the warm South. The quality of Italian wines is guaranteed by official classifications and rankings issued by the European government and enriched by the high esteem enjoyed in world-class wine contests.

What’s your favorite wine?
There are so many delicious wines that it’s hard to pick one! Amongst reds, Barolo’s power and class remind us of a red Ferrari, and is among my favorite, alongside the deeply terroir-influenced Montepulcianos. As for whites, sparkling ones and spumantes are Matteo’s favorites, while Davide prefers clear, slightly herbaceous ones with several layers of delicate aromas, such as Friuli wines from Northeastern Italy. When it comes to rosé wines we prefer those from the South, due to their richer texture and light spice. These offer a pleasant contrast to their chilly serving temperature.

What’s your favorite non-Italian wine?
Greek white wines have a very unique and appealing taste, in spite of their relatively low popularity. Portuguese wines, especially vinho verde (green wine) and reds from the Alentejo region can be outstanding wines.

What surprised you the most about the Chinese wine market?
Presently China’s wine market is already the world’s fifth largest, and it is on its way to the top three. It is also interesting to see the curiosity shown by more and more Chinese people towards wine and its degustation. China has been swept by a ‘conscious’ wine craze in which large numbers of people really want to learn more about it instead of just gobbling it down.

Who’s your typical Chinese consumer?
Typical customers are often people who have some world experience gained through traveling and studying abroad. It seems many Chinese were bitten by the wine bug while overseas. Generally speaking our customers are open-minded people willing to discover.

Why should the Chinese drink Italian wine rather than any other?
Cabernets can be found anywhere and have become some kind of trademark of the new world wine scene, while often sharing similar sensory characteristics. The feeling of terroir is therefore given up for the sake of uniformity and popularity. The same goes for many Chardonnays and Merlots. However, when talking about Aglianico, Chianti, Negramaro or Brunello, we talk about Italy and Italy only.

What’s the hottest Italian wine you’ve got for China right now?
We have several good picks: Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Riserva, Negramaro Riserva. However, the hottest wine we have right now is Sesto a Quinconce, a wine obtained from riserva-quality Aglianico made from grapes harvested from vines more than 80 years old. When Sesto a Quinconce is finally ready for consumption it provides mind-boggling sensorial experiences filled with the countless aromas and richly multilayered palate that define this wonderful liquid ruby.