JULY 2022 FEATURED PREMIUM WINES
WINE ONE: STREKOV 1075 HEION
About: This wine comes from some of Zsolt’s best Welschriesling planted on clay loam. The grapes are destemmed and fermented in open-top tank for two weeks. Daily hand-plunging of the cap prevents excess volatile acidity (although there is some) while gently extracting flavours and tannins. The wine is then pressed off into neutral barrel for élevage. The puncheons aren’t topped, which encourages the development of flor and allows for gentle oxidation. The wine is bottled unfined, unfiltered, and without SO2 right before the next vintage. Less than 100 cases are made annually.
Taste: This wine is medium hazy orange-ochre-teak in the glass – you’re immediately intrigued. The nose is awe-inspiring in its expansiveness. Aromas extend endlessly in every direction, with vertigo-inducing depth and a flavour spectrum that is somehow all-encompassing and indescribable. My best attempt goes something like this: sun-warmed peaches, caraway-infused butterscotch, beaver pelts, tamarind, flax seed oil, dried mango, roasted hazelnuts, sweet parsnips, lily of the valley, green coriander seeds, patchouli, kabocha, dried yellow apple, chamomile, white pepper, and so on. The palate has a surprising amount of weight and density, considering its modest alcohol level. The tannins are present but not overwhelming, balanced by ripe fruits and a glycerous texture. The finish is infinite – I tasted it two weeks ago, and it still lingers thoughtfully. Prepare to be astounded – for better or worse.
Pairing: Remember back in the day when Model Milk had that amazing, charred cabbage dish with the Mimolette cheese and the jalapeño creme? That would be my dream pairing for this wine. Liptauer, a Slovak spreadable cheese infused with paprika, generously dolloped onto Lokše, would also make a memorable afternoon snack.
WINE TWO: STREKOV 1075 FRANKOVKA
About: Zsolt grows the grapes in his biodynamic vineyard planted on clay loam and loess. The grapes are partially destemmed and fermented in open-top tank for two weeks. The wine is then pressed off into neutral barrel until right before the next harvest. The wine is gently bottled by gravity without fining, filtration, or SO2.
Taste: This wine is deep purple in the glass. After thirty minutes in a decanter, the wine blooms into a symphonic menagerie of black plums, gunpowder, blueberries, hot iron, cocoa powder, violets, blackberry, balsam, worn leather, and sweet tobacco. The palate is wonderfully focused, crafted, smithed, utilitarian but meaningful and heartfelt. It has chiselled tannins that make for a clean and mineral finish. The acidity is fresh and cool. There’s a salinity that reminds me of black licorice candies. On the finish, you’ll find further flavours of black currant, chipotle peppers, cubeb, lavender, and resin.
Pairing: Kapustnica is a Slovak soup made from sauerkraut, fatty pork sausages, and dried mushrooms. With aromatic spices like clove, nutmeg, and paprika, it has the intensity and fat to get along with this robust yet refreshing wine. The traditional accompaniment is bryndzové halušky, a Spätzle-like dumpling with tangy sheep’s cheese.
WINE THREE: GRAPE REPUBLIC ROSSO
About: This cuvée is made from co-fermented Steuben (61%) and Niagara (10%) that spends eight days on skins, blended with a co-ferment of Steuben and Delaware (29%) that spends six days on skins. After a short élevage in stainless steel, the wine is bottled.
Steuben: This hybrid of Vitis Vinifera and Vitis Labrusca was first created in 1925 at Cornell in New York but didn’t make its commercial debut until the 1940s. The vine is incredibly productive and overcropping (dilute grapes) can be a problem if yields aren't controlled. It is resistant to most vineyard blights like mildew and has extreme cold-hardiness (-29ºC).
Niagara: This Concord offspring was bred in 1866 in western New York. It displays the often overstated ‘foxy’ characteristic typical of American hybrids. The berries grow in large bunches where their thin skins make them particularly susceptible to rot and mildew. The vines are somewhat resistant to cold, but it’s a wonder this variety has been so prolific.
Delaware: The origins of this variety are shrouded in mystery, but the most told story traces its roots back to a Swiss immigrant fleeing persecution in Europe, smuggling grape vines from Burgundy, and crossing them with local varieties in Frenchtown in Delaware County, Ohio. Until it undergoes DNA profiling, we can only guess. This finicky variety has small pink berries that ripen early. Unlike many of its hybrid brethren, it has low yields, low foxiness, and is susceptible to phylloxera.
Taste: This wine is electric, orange-tinted ruby in the glass. The nose is frisky with aromas of grape jelly, blue raspberry freezies, sour cherries, cotton candy, blood orange marmalade, cranberry sauce, sweet grass, sakura, sandalwood, and black cardamom. The palate is dry with crisp, tangy acidity. The tannins are all but undetectable, making the wine fabulously drinkable. The finish is equally chaotic with flavours of wild raspberry, currant leaf, bubble gum, kola nut, and red papaya. Truly an adventure!
LINK TO PODCAST: MP3 | SPOTIFY (Featuring Kirtyana & Thomas Von Matt of Switzerland’s Brisket, Yardbird, La Brea, and Bite restaurants!)