Page 17 - 03_April-2025

“
 There is no other
beverage that is
closer to human
life than wine.”
— Eberhard Tamm of Enotri Wine
He left banking after a few years,
and returned to Germany for a winery
internship that taught him all aspects
of the industry. Over the years, he’s
travelled to every major wine region in
the world, building relationships and
working on all sides of the industry.
Since founding Enotri in 2012, Tamm
has refused to follow trends, like the
current vogue for natural and orange
wines — of which he’s not a big fan.
Tamm mainly buys the wine he likes to
drink from vineyards with which he’s
built relationships over his four-plus
decades in the industry. He curates the
wine to what he believes is meaningful
to the Alberta market — not just what’s
flying off the shelves at the moment.
“You buy these wines because it’s the
talk of the town right now and then you
taste it and you don’t like it,” he says.
His approach is based in storytelling and
helping consumers discover new favour-
ites they can return to again and again.
When sourcing a pinot grigio, for
example, Eberhard wanted to bring in
Tenuta Villanova Pinot
Grigio Ramato and the
Jean-Baptiste Duperray
Côteaux Bourguignons
pair nicely with takeout
from The Lingnan
a ramato, a copper-hued pinot grigio that was unfamiliar
to most North Americans. Industrial producers of pinot
grigio remove the colour from their wines, stripping away
some of its complexity. Eberhard was one of the first to
bring a ramato to Alberta — two years later, it caught on,
becoming a real segment of the Alberta market. Today,
you’ll find a handful of different ramatos on shelves across
the province.
“You cannot be everything to everybody,” he says. “I have
my set of criteria under which I select my portfolio and
there are no compromises.”
Despite changing cultural and economic conditions that
have put the squeeze on the industry, Eberhard describes
himself as a bon vivant — despite the challenges, he can
always return to the sociable joy of wine.
One way he does that is through his second company,
Carpe Vitae, which partners with chefs to deliver curated
events in Edmonton and Calgary, bringing together strangers
and acquaintances to enjoy good food paired with good wine.
“Usually it only takes until the second round comes
around when you have that lively conversation,” he says.
“Wine is a beverage that breaks down barriers.”
So even as restaurants close their doors and consumers
pinch pennies, he remains committed.
“We’re not giving up. We just have to change some things
and keep at it.” ED.
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