About the Wine

Celestino Gaspari may not be a name you recognize from the Valpolicella, but his hand has touched some of the most important wines to ever come out of the region. After marrying Giuseppe Quintarelli's daughter, Celestino apprenticed with the master for a dozen years until 1997. Celestino then ventured off on his own and consulted at several top properties in the region including Bertani and Romano dal Forno. In 1999, he launched Zyme, his own project from his garage.

Zyme is Greek for "yeast". The logo for the winery and the winery itself is a pentagon, which mirrors the grape leaf. If you're ever in the area, the winery must be seen to be believed as it's an incredible dichotomy of modernity and natural winemaking built above a 15th-century sandstone quarry. There is literally an underground stream running in between the huge boulders in the cellar that help maintain natural humidity. It is a contemporary winery that oozes eco-sustainability.

Everything about Celestino and Zyme is like peeling an onion. Layer upon layer is gradually revealed in the label, the symbols, the names, the blends, and in the wines he crafts too. From the first scent of the nose on the wine, you'll be drawn in, wanting to know more about the wine, the man, and the place. The winemaker is a philosopher and a competitive person striving to experiment and tinker until he can produce the perfect wine. 

Aging: 5 Years in Slavonian Oak.

Tasting notes: 40% Corvina, 30% Corvinone, 15% Rondinella, 10% Oseleta, and 5% Croatina. Enters with appealing savouriness, mirroring the fragrances on the nose and adding fruit preserves. The palate offers delicate impressions of pepper, black licorice, and cocoa powder.

Reviews

~96 Luca Maroni's Annual Guide, "I Migliori Vini Italiani"

~95 Falstaff, German Wine Publucation

Creamy and harmonious, this full-bodied red offers a core of baked black cherry fruit, fig cake, and dried thyme flavors layered with fine-grained tannins. Accents of singed orange peel and espresso crème linger on the finish. Drink now through 2028. 766 cases made, 150 cases imported. ~93 Wine Spectator

Baked plum, pressed violet, smoke, and nutmeg aromas pave the way on this bold red. The palate combines muscle and finesse, offering prune, black cherry extract, cake spice, and tobacco framed in firm velvety tannins. The warmth of alcohol and a dollop of vanilla linger on the close. Drink now through 2026. ~93 Wine Enthusiast

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