If you detect a bit of musicality flowing through our portfolio of wines, it’s not your imagination.
Indeed, you could say that five of our red blends hint at the melodious collaboration that is Opolo: Concerto, Rhapsody, Serenade, Maestro and Fusion.
This nomenclature is a nod to the fact that wine blends, like musical compositions, are created from separate elements that come together as a seamless whole.
Additionally, it speaks to the musical roots of Opolo co-founder Rick Quinn, a musician himself who once toured across the country with “The Balkan Strings,” a group that he formed with his cousins to celebrate their Balkan heritage. Rick played the standup bass as well as the Bugarija, which is similar to a rhythm guitar.
Musicianship and instrument making were part of Rick’s family roots while he was growing up. “My uncle was a woodworker who made instruments from walnut wood,” he says. “Music has always been a part of my life.”
While Rick rarely picks up the bass these days—“I don’t have the calluses anymore,” he says—he often lends his instrument to the bands that come play at our annual harvest parties, which feature Balkan ethnic music and dancing.
Needless to say, musical names were a natural choice when it came to creating unique identities for our blends. Rick reveals that it was Bordeaux-style Rhapsody that started it all. Concerto, a Merlot-based blend that first came out when the grape’s popularity was at its lowest, thanks to the classic anti-Merlot rant in the hit movie Sideways, was released shortly after.
“We took the word ‘Merlot’ off the label, went with Concerto and it quickly sold out,” Rick recalls. “People loved the wine and the name, and we knew we were onto something. Musical wine names have been a part of Opolo ever since.”
Experience our symphony of red blends for yourself, including the 2019 Concerto—the latest edition of one of the wines that started it all.