By Dylan Dias
Where does wine take you? Maybe sometimes on a journey – like exploring prolific regions through the lens of its creators. Maybe sometimes to family and food – finding a place where you can come together and belong. Or maybe it’s across the Atlantic – a figurative waypoint of discovery that teaches you about the people and places that bottle as much love into their wine as they do a successful harvest. On a clear autumn day, in the lakeside ballroom of the Palais Royale in Toronto’s west end, that is where we found ourselves. A tour through the collections of some of Italy’s most stunning estate vineyards – as well as many others – alongside the 2024 Grand Portfolio Tasting by our good friends at Tre Amici and Vertical Wine Group.
Celebrating 20 years as a leading and influential distributor of some of the finest wine and spirits abroad, Tre Amici’s Grand Portfolio Tasting offered their guests a window into their impressive catalogue – curated by over thirty of their best producers. Restaurant partners, industry professionals, and private clients, at different points of the day, flooded the palatial, historic space. Slick black tables, warm string lights, and an endless, rotating reserve of fine cheeses, cured meats, and all the clean wine glasses a tipsy little editor could ask for. But don’t misunderstand – there were plenty of opportunities to discard and rinse as we tasted, as there should be, but sometimes you’re sipping on something quite special. Sometimes it’s Luca Fraccaroli’s Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore from Grotta del Ninfeo, for instance. A rich, ruby velvet in texture and tone; audacious, fruit-forward, and perfumed in coffee and vanilla. Seductive, silky, and a shame to waste a drop – so, I didn’t.
“Luca, I can’t, I’m dying!” I laughed, as he poured me a third glass, this time of his Amarone. Meeting Luca, one of the sons of the Fraccaroli legacy, was a highlight of my time at the tasting. Some of my favourite wines in the world and one of the sweetest creators out there. Of course, Luca and Grotta del Ninfeo represented just one fantastic producer of many. And when we started our day at this incredible event, we found ourselves first meeting the wonderful Serena from Montina Franciacorta in Lombardy.
Hailing from local lands with a complex history as far back as the 17th century, Montina’s collection of sparkling Franciacorta are some of the most elegant and pristine wines of origin I’ve had the pleasure to taste. The Extra Brut is an assertion of sophistication and summer – honey fruit and a chartreuse cast, toasted butter, white florals, and a delicate, dancing perlage that carries citrus to the nose. And the Millesimato Brut – an unforgettable, shimmering wine of clarity and depth. Soft, yellow fruit, toasted pastry, creamy and verdant – a gorgeous, flirtatious tasting of refined purity.
Somewhere between Luca and Marianna, I dropped my heart and fell to Italy.
Next – we had the chance to meet Ines and experience a small glimpse of Castelfeder from the unbelievable landscapes of Alto Adige. Indigenous to South Tyrol on Italy’s northern edge, Castelfeder’s Lagrein Rieder carries itself with beautiful structure – full, plush black fruit in a deep garnet and violet cast. Plummy and herby with a velvet acidic finish – dark, warm, and alluring. A pleasure to sip.
We then made our way to meet the wonderful Sarah from Cascina Adelaide – a stunning, contemporary estate at the foot of a medieval castle in Barolo in northern Italy’s Piedmont. The namesake collection of wine produced here – Barolo – are of an exceptional depth. Our tasting of the Riserva Per Elen was met with sharp, peppery berry, spiced cedar, sweet earth, incense, and a gorgeous cherry cast. A warm, lasting hug that leaves an impression.
One of our most memorable moments we shared on this day was meeting Giorgio from Tenuta Aquilaia – an estate in the heart of Maremma, Tuscany that pulls modernity from antiquity in its approach to winemaking. Seeking depth and tradition rooted in the ancient red earth of the Etruscan people, Tenuta Aquilaia interprets both native and international varietals into magnificent, whimsical wines. Our Vermentino – aromatic, white florals, and leafy with a soft, wheat cast. Peachy and tropical, but with an earthy minerality that feels like the salted mist of the ocean. Gentle, persistent, and refreshing – a joy.
Following that absolutely beautiful tasting, we found our way to the charming people behind Tenuta Santomè – the producers of some of the best Prosecco I’ve had the pleasure to enjoy. Always a dedicated fan of their wonderful Brut, I sipped their Rosé variety – jewelled coral, crisp and delicate effervescence, scented apple, grapefruit, raspberry and rose. Delightful, feminine, and fresh – like spring.
Finally, in what was perhaps the most poetic end to a poetic event – as wine tends to be – we had the chance to meet the passionate Marianna from Tenuta Santi Giacomo e Filippo. An Eden of pastoral green hills in the region of Marche, Tenuta Santi Giacomo e Filippo covers 460 vast hectares and has been cultivated and nurtured for generations as a family estate – producing complex and enchanting wines that honour preservation, heritage, and land. Our tasting of the Fortercole Sangiovese – light, elegant, and warming with stewed berries, red fruit, and cocoa. Earthy and evergreen with a smooth, velvet finish on a rich, garnet cast. Romantic and tender – a wine that waits for you to fall in love with it. No seduction, just adoration and wonderment. As to the wine; as to the land.
It is difficult to genuinely express how special it is to meet such exceptional people, connected to such exceptional land, who produce such exceptional wine. Each glass is a collection of notes that reference that point in time, that sense of place, where something began many years ago and continued on through the hands of artists – a patchwork of then and now; a placeholder for today and tomorrow. A big, warm thank you to Gerard and Lauren Power, and all the amazing people behind Tre Amici and Vertical Wine Group, for allowing us to experience this profound collective of passionate winemaking artists.
Somewhere between Luca and Marianna, I dropped my heart and fell to Italy.
La vita è bella. – VV
Images courtesy of Jeremie Dupont
