Puklavec and Friends

Two wines from Slovenia's Puklavec available at Waitrose

For those who either weren't around or weren't paying attention at the time, Slovenia was formerly part of a country called Yugoslavia that fell apart in a spectacular and rather grisly manner in the 1990s.

Wedged in between Austria and Croatia with just a few miles of coastline, Slovenia has always considered itself more "Little Austria" than southern slav.

Puklavec dates back to 1934 - politically prehistoric in local terms, and has existed in at least three different countries.

Geo-politics aside, of these two wines, only the white is actually Slovenian; and it is typically Slovenian in being technically well-made and combining a southern fullness with the freshness of altitude.

The red is from Macedonia, another former Yugoslav country with a possibly even more complicated history than Slovenia, and a new wine area to me. I have no idea of Macedonian regionality, so this wine needs to be judged on its own merits.

puklavec & friends Sauvignon Blanc & Pinot Grigio 2017 crisp, aromatic, fresh and mineral; yellow stone fruits, white flowers and a shake of white pepper. A wine of tension and contrast, full yet fresh, ripe yet crisp.

Good.

Drink as an aperitif or match with an aromatic starter.
 
puklavec & friends Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot 2017 coffee-cherry merlot nose, bramble fruit and plum with spice and a sour-cherry rasp; savoury and supple with gentle yet firm tannins.

Good.

Drink with red meat.

Slovenia's Puklavec and Friends, Waitrose

Two white wines from Slovenia's Puklavec and Friends from Waitrose

Just across the border from Austria and with an - admittedly rather short - Adriatic coastline, Slovenia is less Balkan and more Mediterranean / central European than other former Yugoslav countries.

These two wines from Puklavec and Friends are clean, precise and well-made - the aromatic Sauvignon/Pinot Gris blend is the more familiar in style, while the Furmint has more textural interest.

Both are available at Waitrose.

Sauvignon Blanc & Pinot Grigio 2015 (£8.96) crisp, fresh and expressively aromatic with a smokiness that hints at greatness. Pure, limpid and precise. 

Furmint 2013 (£9.99) characteristically almondly and substantial with fresh, juicy pear fruit. Pure and adept.

Dinner-party fact: Furmint is the Hungarian name for this grape - its Slovenian name is Šipon; it has many more synonyms (a disproportionate number, in fact, given its relative unfamiliarity).

For me, while both wines are throughly enjoyable, the Furmint is the more interesting, perhaps by virtue of being a little less obvious and expressive.

However, Richard Saxton apparently prefers the SB/PG; this is a bit like a flashy, cheapskate provincial lawyer preferring the Bull Ring shopping centre to King's College Chapel.

Other related articles
Slovenian and Croatian Wines from M&S

Two More Eastern Mediterranean Wines from Marks & Spencer

Earlier this year, Marks & Spencer launched a new Eastern Mediterranean range of wines - priced at around £10, these sometimes hard-to-pronounce wines from oenologically obscure countries would have to be good to tempt buyers away from more familiar bottles.

I've been reviewing them in pairs and these two whites from the Adriatic are definitely worth seeking out.

Quercus Pinot Bianco, 2011 Goriska Brda, Slovenia

Of all the former Yugoslav-nations, tiny Slovenia sees itself as the least Slavic, preferring the moniker of "Little Austria".

In the north of the country, it shares the same terroir as Austria's Styria, but this wine is from the Adriatic coastal region, not far from Italy (hence the Italianate grape name) with the vineyards cooled by sea breezes.

On the nose, it is citrussy and toasty with slightly floral notes and a touch of spice.

On the palate, there is ripe orchard fruit with rounded acidity; it feels mouthfilling with apples, pears, quince and medlar fruit - a touch of thick-skinned yeastiness and some spice.

Long on the palate and mouthwatering with a persistent rounded finish, it is well-made and balanced.

A versatile food wine, match with roast chicken or pork, hard yellow cheese or creamy mushroom pasta

It's actually rather lovely and proves a favourite not only with the rest of the CWB family, but also of M&S Wine Specialist Trading Support, Elizabeth Kelly

Golden Valley Graševina, Slavonija, Croatia

My memories of working in Croatia in the late '90s are of Italian levels of corruption and inefficiency; the country seemed to be on its knees with little hope of going anywhere any time soon.

With a stagnant, barter-based economy, making good wine seemed a low priority and I decided not to expect much from this beautiful but troubled country.

Fast forward just over a decade and I tasted a Gold Medal-winning Graševina at the IWC Taste of Gold event last year and, what do you know, here's another good one, too.

Herbaceous and aromatic on the nose, there are some ripe tropical notes.

The palate is mouthwatering and rounded with vibrant zesty acidity and tropical fruit; it is long with good savoury depth and a persistent finish.

Again, it feels balanced, well made and very pleasantly drinkable.

Match the aromatic notes with green herbs, such as mozzarella with pesto, white fish with a herby broth or roasted pork or chicken with a rosemary and sage rub.

Recommended wine

Both wines are very pleasant indeed and worth seeking out - for me, the Slovenian Quercus has the slight edge, but don't let that stop you from trying the Graševina as well.

Links

Marks and Spencer - website, twitter

Other related articles

Croatian Graševina tasted at IWC Taste of Gold
More on Slovenian wines generally

Slovenia's Gomila at Boutique Wineries

Slovenia is a country that seems to have come almost out of nowhere onto the wine scene.

A year ago, Slovenian wine was not on the radar and the last time I had had it was over a decade ago on a business trip to Ljublana where I was somewhat underwhelmed as I was left gurning at its harsh acidity.

But with a listing at Waitrose and Naked Wines now selling Slovenian wines, suddenly the country is the new kid on the oenological block.

As a big fan of Austrian wines, for me the most interesting part of Slovenia is Štajerska which, political borders notwithstanding, shares the same terroir as Austria's Styria, with high altitude and cooling breezes providing a long, cool growing season and a fossil shelf subsoil that gives a distinct smokiness.

The Gomila Exclusive Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (£12), sampled at the Boutique Wineries tasting,  had an aromatic smokey nose and lively, focused crisp acidity with varietal gooseberry and elderflower and a piercing finish.

The Exceptional 2010 (£13) had a more rounded feel, with greater minerality on the palate, linear acidity and a more composed finish.

To finish off, I tried something quite different - a Muscat Ottonel demi-sec sparkling (£15); crisp, elegant and light, it is well-made and refreshing with distinctive grapey, Muscat aromas.

Recommended Wine

Slovenia's Štajerska is fast becoming a viable value alternative to Styria for those who appreciate its crisp, linear, aromatic whites.

The best wine here was the Exceptional Sauvignon.

For more reviews of Slovenian wines, see here:

Links

Gomila - http://www.gomilawines.com/

UK distributor: Harlington Wine - http://www.harlingtonwine.com/

Boutique Wineries - http://www.boutique-wineries.co.uk/

Slovenia's Dveri Pax at LIWF‏

I was impressed enough with a number of Slovenian wines I have had recently to want to try out a few more at the London International Wine Fair.

A small country wedged between Austria, Italy and Croatia, Slovenia nonetheless has a number of different wine-growing areas and I opted for the one nearest the Austrian border.

Having the same terroir as Austria's Styria, with high elevation resulting in a distinctive ripe-yet-crisp style for whites, this region is known locally as Štajerska Slovenija.

I started with a Šipon (aka Hungary's Furmint) from their entry-level Benedict range . Grown on sandy clay soils, it was crisp, yet ripe with elderflower aromas. It has a Decanter Silver.

A Riesling was well made with lots of lime fruit and fresh apples-and-pears acidity. This one has a Decanter bronze and an IWC Silver.

The winery's cellars

Moving up to the Admund range, the 2007 Šipon "Ilovci" was toasty, smokey and mineral with focused yet rounded acidity and a richness from 18 months on the lees and aging in Slavonian oak (Decanter Silver).

Aerial view

The final wine, a 2009 Riesling "M", was more intense, focused and fuller than the earlier example.

It spends 6 months on the lees and a further 9 months in tank. The vineyard is near Maribor (hence the "M" name, somewhat confusingly the same as a Grüner Veltliner from Austria's FX Pichler) where the subsoil is marl, resulting in less fruit but more minerality.

Surprisingly, this last one does not seem to have any awards.

Recommended wine

These are all well-made and interesting; based on the cellar-door prices quoted, they also represent good value, too - especially when compared to next-door Styria in Austria.

For an introduction to Slovenian wines, I recommend the Riesling from the Benedict range - €8.50.

The wines are imported into the UK by Savage Selection.

Links

Dveri Pax - http://www.dveri-pax.com/

Savage Selection - http://www.savageselection.co.uk/

All images from Dveri Pax website

Fringe Wines And A Bit Of Geo-Political History‏

I recently got to know through Twitter a US blogger whose site, Fringe Wine, is dedicated to "unusual grape varietals and/or grown in unfamiliar regions all over the world".

I love this idea and went through my own Fringe Wine phase a while ago in search of something local when my business travels regularly took me to central and Eastern Europe. However, there's only so many ropey Czech wines you can try before you inevitably ask for a beer instead and move back to the classics.

However, my Romantic streak remains and in the spirit of friendly competition, I thought I would try out a few vaguely Fringe Wines at the London International Wine Fair.

I will review these separately in more detail later, but Rob, if you are reading this, here are my top Fringe Wines - they all brought back a few memories of travel to these countries as well:

Slovenia

First was a Šipon ("shipon"), the Slovenian name for Hungary's Furmint from Dveri Pax.

Tiny, rural Slovenia will never be a volume player, but I am increasingly impressed by the wines from this former Yugoslav nation now a member of the EU which look set to become of more than mere niche interest or curiosity value.

Romania

I have to say, I never really liked visiting Romania on business, but I did always enjoy the wines there - well-made and fruit-driven but still balanced and European in style, they seem to have a bright up-front openness which belies the dark, murky, inscrutable superstition that for me characterises Romania.

All the grapes here from Prince Stirbey were pretty obscure with a Negru de Dragasani, Novac and, for me the best, a Fetească neagră.

Hungary

Hungary is hardly a Fringe Wine country these days due not least to the fame of its Tokaji wines; historic Budapest is, for me, the least beautiful of the three great central European capitals (the others being stately Vienna and picture-perfect Prague).

Ryan Opaz, however, disagrees with me and prefers it to Vienna - perhaps as an American, he appreciates more its lively buzz and determination to move forward, compared to Vienna which got there years ago and no longer has anything to prove.

The most obscure (in terms of quantity produced) wine here was the Eszencia; made from the free-run juice of botrytised furmint grapes it is produced in tiny quantities.

With around 5 times the residual sugar of even a top-level 5-puttonyos Tokaji, it was extremely syrupy, yet surprisingly fresh.

Ukraine

Historically - and to this day - fought over by competing Empires, but officially independent since 1991, Ukraine is still the "borderland" that its name suggests between its vast overbearing northerly neighbour and the European Union which ends tantalisingly at its various borders with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.

Perhaps the most obscure here was a red semi-sweet sparkler, Krimart from Artemovsk winery, which included Saperavi along with Cab and Merlot in the blend; however, for quality, the most enjoyable was their dry white fizz Extra Brut.

Links

Dveri Pax - http://www.dveri-pax.com/

Prince Stirbey - www.stirbey.com

Crown Estates Tokaji - www.tokajwinetrade.com

Artemovsk Winery - www.krimart.com

Recommended reading

Borderland: A Journey Through The History of Ukraine by Anna Reid (Paperback - 6 Mar 2003) - see here

Balkan Ghosts by R. Kaplan (Paperback - Mar 1994) - see here

Image credit - http://longgame.org/2009/11/geopolitics-and-realpolitik-a-layman%E2%80%99s-view/

Tilia Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Slovenia - Naked Wines

Many years ago, I lived in Vienna and spent a summer driving to and through next-door Slovenia on business.

Although technically a Slavic nation, the Slovenians always struck me more as forward-looking central Europeans than their Balkan neighbours in former Yugoslavia - little Austrians, you might almost call them.

This was long before Slovenia joined the European Union and swapped its Tolar for the Euro, but history seems to have shown this was pretty much the right assessment.

I'm sure life in Slovenia has changed hugely for the local population since I last visited - it is a small country with a population of just 2 million; it has 46km of Mediterranean coastline after Tito apparently decreed that all Yugoslav states should have at least some (Croatia gets the lion's share at 5,800 km, bisected by 26km of Bosnia's allocation).

My recollections of driving through Slovenia are that it is green and leafy with hills and farms - geographically, it borders Austria to the north and, as the picture of winemaker Matjaž Lemut below shows, they seem to share Austria's love of bucolic hillside farmhouses.

The geographic similarity to Austria is also relevant from an oenological perspective; this Tilia Sauvignon Blanc, although from the Vipava Valley in south west Slovenia, enjoys a similar terroir to the great crisp, dry Sauvignons of Styria - a high-altitude, fossil-shell ridge with a long growing season. So, as a fan of Austrian wines from Styria, I just had to try this one when I saw it on the Naked Wines site.

One of the handy features of the Naked Wines site is the opportunity to interact directly with the winemakers, so I dropped Matjaž a note asking for more details on his terroir; he explained that his vineyards - bordered by mountains to the north south and east - face north and south west, resulting in more freshness and aroma from the grapes.

The nose is flinty, a hint of terroir, with herbaceous verbena. The palate shows some ripe tropical fruit with a herbaceous edge and a typically linear acidic structure. There is good minerality and flinty gunsmoke on the finish

Being from the lower end of the high-altitude vineyards, it is not quite as intensely structured or piercingly crisp as some of Styrian wines I have had, but then it is not quite as challenging or as expensive, either. It has an ample fullness that balances the acidity and makes this a grown-up easy drinker.

It would work as an aperitif or with a starter of mozzarella, pesto and salad leaves. For mains, try matching with roast pork with rosemary.

The list price of £12.99 feels a little steep for such a relatively obscure wine; however Angels get 33% cashback.

See here for more on Naked's Angels scheme.

Links

Naked Wines - http://www.nakedwines.com/

Styria's Tement - a New Spiritual Home for Sauvignon

Austria's Tement winery

Styria, in the south of Austria near the Slovenian border, might be considered at first glance as an oenological one-trick pony, since its single "house style" of wines is piercingly crisp and aromatic whites - especially Sauvignon.

Moreover, there is not a lot of variation from vintage to vintage as the region is reliably warmed by southern air streams from the Mediterranean.

However, whatever the region lacks in breadth of styles, it more than makes up for in terms of quality and distinctiveness; Styrian wines are intense, superbly structured and immediately recognisable.

This is largely due to local terroir, as the vineyards are exposed to sunlight and warm air yet also at altitudes of several hundred metres leading to large diurnal fluctuations in temperature which lengthens the growing season and results in wines that are steely and crisp yet also aromatic and full.

And whilst there is a strong, generic Styrian style, there are also, as I found when tasting the wines of Tement at the Annual Tasting of Austrian Wines in London recently, subtle, nuanced differences between vineyard sites.

Michael Thurner, a Wine MBA and president of Austria's Fine Brands, a trade grouping of eight Austrian wine producers, showed me a range of Tement's wines.

Tement, one of the great names in Styria and one of  my regular favourites when I lived in Austria, is based in Berghausen within sight of the Slovenian border and on a narrow plateau of pre-historic fossilised coral-reef formed around 20 million years ago.

We started with a Steirische Klassik Gelber Muskateller - part of the Muscat family, Gelber Muskateller is a grape I usually avoid, but here the resulting wine was crisp, piercing and concentrated with the classic Muscat floral "grapiness" expressed more as auxiliary overtones than dominating aromas.

The Steirische Klassik Sauvignon Blanc had a similarly linear structure and was aromatic but steely rather than lush.

"Steirische Klassik" (Styrian Classic) is the label for Tement's entry-level wines - blended across vineyards, they are fresh and fruity with lots of typical varietal character, fairly light in alcohol and generally matured in stainless steel tanks.

The more serious wines, from single-vineyard sites where differences of terroir can be expressed, are matured in oak.

All Styrian wines, being crisper and fresher in style than wines from the Wachau, are released much earlier in the year following vintage and so whilst the Wachau producers were showing nothing more recent than 2009, the Styrian producers had mainly new-vintage 2010s to show.

A Sauvignon Blanc from Grassnitzberg, a valley into which cool air flows, was richer with minty, smoky and even some vegetal aromas.

Geography does not, of course, recognise political boundaries and the vineyards of nearby northern Slovenia just over the border are on the same terroir as Styria with theoretically the same potential.

Recent history, however, has not been as kind to Slovenia as it has to Austria and whilst Slovenian wines may seem more like a novelty act than a serious contender, that won't be the case for much longer based on the Sauvignon Blanc Fosilni Breg (again a reference to the fossil-rich soil) which in quality terms is indistinguishable from the wines made on the northern side of the border.

The final wine was again a Sauvignon, this time from Zieregg - smokey, flinty and rich, this for me was as good as, but completely different from, anything I have had from the Loire, Bordeaux, New Zealand or anywhere else with claims to be a spiritual home of Sauvignon.

The Wines

Gelber Muskateller, Steirische Klassik, 2010, 12%
Sauvignon Blanc, Steirische Klassik, 2010, 12.5%
Sauvignon Blanc, Grassnitzberg, 2010, 13%
Sauvignon Blanc Fosilni Breg, 2009, 12.5%
Sauvignon Blanc Zieregg, 2008, 13%

Links

Tement - http://www.tement.at/

Austria's Fine Brands - http://www.austriasfinebrands.com/