A Five-Course Winemakers Dinner with Lucio Matricardi, Mezzacorona, Stemmari and Rotari Wines
La Dolce Vita
As winemaker for Mezzacorona, Rotari and Stemmari Wines, Lucio Matricardi, Ph.D. cultivates more than simply the grapevines. He also nurtures every bottle he makes, encapsulating the philosophy of the two regions from which his wine originates – Trentino-Alto Adige and Sicily.
Join us for a five-course, wine paired dinner on Thursday, July 18th, as we welcome Matricardi to Toronto for the first time in more than a decade. Hosted at the strikingly chic art-deco and Italian inspired, Oretta, we will sip our way across Italy from the cool, mountainous region of Trentino, to the centre of Mediterranean viticulture, Sicily – arguably, one of the most exciting wine regions today. WineAlign’s Michael Godel will also be on hand to help guide you through the evening.
Lucio Matricardi
About Matricardi:
“Day by day, I take care of each vine and develop an understanding of its many requirements to thrive,” Lucio Matricardi says. “Collectively, we spend 150 hours of work per hectare to provide the highest level of nurturing to the grapes.” It’s the culmination of that dedication—the ideal soil conditions, sun exposure, water content, nutrients, and much more—that allows Matricardi the opportunity to turn these grapes into full-bodied, single-varietal wines. Through his modern styles of red and white wines, he highlights the fresh-fruit character of indigenous varietals, maintaining their unique specificity to the terroir of the Dolomites and Sicily, and then uses his expertise in barrel aging to enhance their innate character, never masking it. “The goal of my winemaking approach is to look at each varietal differently and to find a way to make you feel like you’re in the vineyard,” he says. “There is an evolution of aroma and flavour, and whether the grapes are native or international varietals that grow well in our climates, I want each wine to be the truest expression of itself and its appellation. Each grape must speak its local dialect, not a global language.”
Matricardi, who joined Mezzacorona in 2004, also brings an informed scientific approach to both wineries. Trained in winemaking and viticulture at the University of Bologna, he began his career in agricultural research and was instrumental in designing the modern vineyard architecture needed in Sicily to optimize growing in the unique Mediterranean climate. He also earned his Ph.D. in viticulture and enology from the University of California at Davis, with a focus on barrique and oak aging. He has worked at wineries around the globe, mastering wines from Brunello at Castello Banfi in Tuscany to Shiraz at Miranda winery in South Australia.
Event Details:
Date: Thursday, July 18, 2019
Place: Oretta (633 King St West, Toronto, ON M5V 1M5)
Time: 6:30pm
Ticket Price: $85 (includes all fees and taxes)
Tickets are limited, so book early to avoid disappointment.
Chef Gabriele di Marco
About Chef Gabriele di Marco:
Like many chefs, Gabriele di Marco has been cooking since he can remember. When he was just eight years old, Gabe would forage for porcini mushrooms and wild asparagus in Sant’Agata di Militello, his hometown in Sicily, because he loved the thrill of discovery. He has not lost that sense of adventure. “I know it’s time to leave a position when I become comfortable,” muses Gabe, “When I no longer feel challenged.”
That’s why at the age of 27, after working in many of the classic trattorias in Southern Italy, the young chef moved to Australia to cook at La Casetta. Since then, Gabe has cooked classic French cuisine in Wickannish Inn in the wild west coast of Vancouver Island, Thai food in Bangkok and southern BBQ in Toronto’s Carbon Bar. “As a chef, you need to immerse yourself in world cuisine to fully appreciate your roots”. It wasn’t until 2013 that Gabe returned to his first love: Italian cooking, working as sous chef for the award-winning Nota Bene on Toronto’s hip Queen West. Today he is Head Chef for both Capocaccia Trattoria of Rosedale and the recently launched Oretta in Toronto’s Fashion District. Despite travelling the world, Gabe still finds the greatest pleasure in simple Southern Italian fare. When asked what his last meal would be, he replied with a wistful smile, “It would be a toss-up between the iconic involtini di pesce spada (Sicilian swordfish rolls) and lasagna di mamma”.
Tickets:
About Oretta:
Benvenuti ad ORETTA! Oretta first opened her doors in 2017 to provide Toronto’s vibrant King West area with an authentic yet modern-day Italian culinary experience. You enter Oretta’s main dining area to soaring arches that marry historic Italian architecture with stylish décor for a chic-casual dining environment that’s grounded in tradition. Our exclusively Italian menu consists of many authentic Italian classics representing various regions of Italy using only the finest of ingredients all prepared with modern-day flare. Whatever the occasion or event in our dining rooms or caffè, our over-riding commitment to our guests is to provide the best dining environment, service levels and overall culinary experience that Italian hospitality has to offer any-time of day, 7 days per week.
