Opi D'Aquì

In the Languedoc wine region, where the art of winemaking dates back to at least the first century AD, the artisanal winery Opi d'Aquì makes pure and personal expressions that reflect the style of Philippe Formentin, a figure at the helm of the Domaine. After working 10 years in a local winery, Philippe spent time as a consultant winemaker for production entities scattered around the world, from California to India, via Corsica and Russia. In 2011 he bought a small estate near Clermont l'Hérault, realizing his dream of producing his own artisanal wine. Thus Opi d'Aqui was born. The winery's name comes from the Occitan language and literally means "opium from here," coined by a friend of Philippe's who lived in Thailand and compared the presence of Grenache in Languedoc to that of opium in Thailand.

The vineyards of Domaine Opi d'Aqui are planted on clay-limestone soils and enjoy different exposures. Here, the varieties cultivated, namely Grenache Noir, Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, Mourvèrdre, Syrah, Picpoul, Vermentino and Marsanne, are managed following organic and biodynamic farming principles. Processing practices involve manual harvesting of the grapes at dawn in small crates and their subsequent 24-hour storage in cold rooms. Thereafter, alcoholic fermentation occurs spontaneously thanks to indigenous yeasts, and the masses are aged in different types of wine vessels, such as steel and oak barrels, chosen according to their respective intrinsic characteristics. For reds, macerations can last 3 to 4 weeks, and throughout the winemaking process no sulfites are added and no clarification or filtration is performed for all wines.

The Opi d'Aqui winery produces different labels in terms of both type and style. The connecting line lies in the enveloping Mediterranean perceptions that Philippe's bottles are able to evoke, as well as for the surprising ability to associate expressive complexity and taste dynamism.