Opici Wines & Spirits is expanding two of its prominent Italian wine brands with Alverdi Piemonte DOC Barbera and Cesari Justo IGT, a Veronese red blend.
Alverdi, best known for its Pinot Grigio, will be launching the brand’s first DOC-appellated wine with the Piemonte Barbera. The wine is fruit-forward in style with notes of cherry and blackberry and rustic characteristics on the finish. The label will share the same unique and modern design as the rest of the Alverdi portfolio, but with a purple hue to pay homage to the deep, dark colors often found in Barbera grapes.
Famed Verona producer Cesari will be introducing ‘Justo’ which is a blend of the native Italian grape, Corvina, and Merlot. The name ‘Justo’ is a blend of two words, the English word just and the Italian word giusto meaning right; therefore, Justo loosely translates to just right. The wine is an appassimento-style wine with the grapes being dried for roughly 20 days before being pressed. This shortened drying period creates a wine that is elegant yet powerful and creates a balance that is just right. The label showcases the combination of the two words along with a rendering of the grapes as they move through the drying process.
“Our foundation has always been Italian wines, and these are two fantastic additions to our portfolio,” stated Don Opici, Managing Director of Opici Wines & Spirits. “The quality and packaging for these wines overdeliver and we are thrilled to bring them to market. We have invested heavily in these brands over the years, and these wines further cement Alverdi and Cesari as strong players in their respective categories.”
Alverdi Piemonte Barbera will retail for $9 on the shelf while Cesari ‘Justo’ will sell for roughly $14 nationwide. Both items will be available at restaurants and fine wine stores nationwide.