Wine lovers uncork exclusivity as members of import society

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This article was published 10/07/2015 (4111 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You don’t have to be a sommelier to join the Opimian society.

You don’t even need to know what sommelier means. You will, however, need to have an unquenched thirst for knowledge and different varieties of reds and whites.

“Wine can be a very intimidating topic. We try to take out that intimidation factor,” said Jane Masters, an Opimian wine consultant based out of the U.K. and the south of France.

Opimian has been running wine clubs across the country for 40 years. While informal groups featuring liquor and friends are nothing new, Opimian offers something unique — 55 to 60 wines that you can’t get anywhere else, including MLL stores or private wine outlets.

Members of the non-profit co-operative order wine by the case, in increments of six or 12 bottles, either all of the same kind, or a variety. The range per bottle is between $10 to $200 but most are between $15 and $50, said Ron Loustel, who heads up Opimian in Manitoba.

It costs $69 plus an initiation fee to join, which brings the total up to about $125, but you then get a $75 rebate on your first order. There are also regular events throughout the year at which members will get together, taste a few new wines and compare notes.

“I think all of our wines are of great quality and something special, but it’s not something snooty. It’s a bunch of people who enjoy wine, sharing wine, getting together and having fun,” Masters said.

Loustel said many of its 600 members in the province enjoy the exclusivity of being able to access wines that are otherwise unavailable. It can be fun bringing one or two such bottles to dinner at a friend’s house, too.

“Nobody else will have those bottles, unless they’re a member or a friend of a member,” Loustel said.

Masters has the enviable task of visiting wineries in countries such as France, Italy, Chile, Australia and South Africa, talking to the owners about their grapes and processes and passing on that knowledge to Opimian members.

“I set out to choose the best wines, quintessentially the best quality from each region. We want to help people explore their own taste preferences. Going to a wine store and seeing lots of bottles on the shelves, it can be difficult to find the ones you’re going to like. We try to help people expand their experience,” she said.

Masters was in town recently to meet Opimian members and participate in a couple of wine-tasting events. Several of them have been held in restaurants owned by WOW! Hospitality Concepts. Doug Stephen, president and CEO of the company that runs popular eateries such as 529 Wellington, Peasant Cookery, 295 York and Muddy Waters, said its chefs look forward to these evenings.

“They’re an opportunity for the chefs to use their creative licence and go off-menu with offerings that match the wines that these folks are bringing in,” he said.

geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca