This holiday season treat them to a bottle from OIC’s own collection of exclusive wines and spirits!
Osteria IL Centro takes pride in offering the finest wines and premium spirits to our guests. Recently OIC has added to this collection by partnering with highly-acclaimed U.S. producers to create exclusive OIC-branded wine and spirit choices to enjoy while dining at the restaurant – or for purchase for at-home pairings! They also make exceptional holiday gifts. Learn more about these unique offerings below.
The GJ Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
OIC proprietors Gregg Johnson and Brent Wittrock have such a deep passion for wine that they decided to partner with one of their favorite California wineries to produce an exclusive bottle for OIC and another for sister restaurant, Minsky’s Pizza. The project started with the two traveling to Sonoma County to visit Trentadue Winery, where they worked with winemaker Miro Tcholakov to craft two unique wines, the OIC’s GJ Reserve and Minsky’s Pizza Red.
Trentadue Winery handles every step of the winemaking process, from growing and harvesting the grapes in their Alexander Valley vineyards to fermenting, aging, and blending excellent expressions of California wine. The Trentadue family knows the terroir of this valley well having grown grapes there for 55 years – in fact, some of the vines date all the way back to 1886 when the land was used to breed and improve fruit trees for sale around the western US. To preserve and elevate the quality of the wine produced at Trentadue – and to be better stewards of the land – the winery follows only sustainable agriculture practices. The resulting wines demonstrate their practices work well.
The GJ Reserve carries an abundance of varietal aromas – a delightful blend of blueberries, blackberries, and black licorice balanced expertly with herb and olive notes. Thanks to aging in French oak barrels, a hint of vanilla, cocoa, and toast add depth to the wine. Casual wine drinkers and connoisseurs alike can enjoy this wine’s soft tannins and fresh, juicy acidity.
The Pizza Red
The GJ Reserve was not the only wine Johnson and Wittrock produced with Trentadue Winery. They also created a bottle for Minsky’s Pizza, a blend that would pair deliciously with a gourmet pizza – or most any Italian food. Pizza Red is a fruit-forward Rhône-style red blend of predominately old vine Zinfandel with Petit Sirah, Carignane, and Merlot. It’s youthful and bright with a wide variety of flavors working together to make this wine approachable, yet complex. Notes of black cherry, blueberry, cola, and ripe plums are grounded by ones of vanilla, cocoa, oak, and toast, followed by a long, memorable finish.
Elijah Craig Bourbon Whiskey Private Label
When it comes to Bourbon, few others can compete with the quality and expertise of Elijah Craig, which has been producing Bourbon since 1789 and is affectionately titled the “Father of Bourbon.” OIC’s Private Label Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon is velvety smooth and expertly structured with a warm woodiness accented by soft spice, slight smoke, and a hint of nutmeg.
Rieger Rye Whiskey Private Stock
Another exciting partnership for OIC is with J. Rieger, one of Kansas City’s very own historic distilleries. In fact, J. Rieger was a whiskey powerhouse back in the days before Prohibition, reaching national success as the largest US mail-order whiskey producer. Now, J. Rieger is continuing the tradition and producing incredible whiskeys, including OIC’s Private Stock Rye Whiskey. It’s aged for 4 years in American oak barrels and then transferred to French oak cabernet casks for 16 months, adding subtle tannins that give the whiskey a creamy finish and mellow out the intense rye spiciness.
