Last March I had a wine tasting class on Central & European wines all set to go - wine purchased, notes drafted and edited, and two full classes of students signed up, when all of a sudden, Alas!, everything came to a screeching halt. Classes were eventually canceled for the rest of the year. (An attempt to hold a reduced-size, in-person wine tasting fell by the wayside as no one dared to venture out - a wise choice!)
With several bottles of tantalizing wines lounging in my cellar, I decided to make a go of it on Zoom. So, a few Saturdays ago, I held our first virtual tasting, and judging from the feedback by participants, this will be just the first of more to come until we can imbibe in person together.
This tasting offered me the opportunity to show off my latest wine preservation gizmo, the Coravin, by which a needle is inserted into a (natural) cork, wine is tapped out just a glass at a time, and the remainder is preserved for months to come, the oxygen being replaced by argon gas, and the cork left intact. (The Vacu-vin pump and stopper system does a very good job for preserving wine for up to several days in the refrigerator.)
Participants were requested to purchase one or more of the wines listed below, according to how much they wanted to open and sample. (Most were available in local Pennsylvania Wine & Spirits shops.) After an initial technical glitch (which was totally my fault as I suddenly couldn't recall or recapture my password) things got rolling and we proceeded to taste and comment on the wines. Pretty much everyone was happy to share tasting and socialize even under virtual conditions. Thanks to all for your participation and good vibes.
(If any of you readers would like to participate next time, just give me a shout out and I will put on the list. For the benefit of all, I am keeping the class size to about 12 people.)
Avia
Pinot Grigio 2018 laureateimports.com
Apparently, this wine is currently out of stock, but it's a steal at about $6 a bottle, so grab it when you can!
Origin:
Brda, Primosrska, Slovenia
Varietal:
100%
Pinot Grigio
Production/Tasting
Notes: Hand harvested; aromas of pear, melon, citrus;
crisp, lively acidity; bright white fruit flavors; bracing palate; appealing
mouth feel and structure; medium dry (Best Buy, Wine Enthusiast)
Food Pairing: white
meats; fresh cheeses; prosciutto;
risotto
Alcohol:
12.5%
Trapan
Ponente Istrian Malvazija 2017 www.trapan.hr
(The cat has dog envy!)
Origin: Sisan, Pula, South Istria, Croatia
Varietal:
100% Istrian Malavazjia
Tasting
Notes: fermented in stainless steel; clean, crisp; fresh, fruity bouquet;
minerally; pleasant bitter almond finish.
Food
pairing: seafood; shellfish; pasta with asparagus
Alcohol: 13%
Evolucio
Furmint 2017
Origin:
Tokaj,
Hungary
Varietals:
100%
Furmint
Production/Tasting
Notes: Rich, smooth palate; floral, white peach bouquet;
Food
Pairing: salads; sushi; white meats
Alcohol:
11.5%
Vina
Istria Terra Rossa 2016
Origin: Western Istria, Croatia
Varietal:
60%
Teran; 20% Borgonja (Frankovka/Blaufrankisch/Lemberger); 20% Merlot
Production/Tasting Notes: Manual harvesting, grape mulching and fermentation of varieties with maceration in stainless steel vinifiers; after fermentation, cultivation of varietals and continuation of malolactic fermentation on a fine precipitate of yeast; maturation in stainless steel continues for 10 months; dark ruby red, blueberry, blackberry, floral aromas, extremely fruity soft and full, of pleasant durability and sweet tannins.
Food Pairings: Istrian prosciutto and baby cow cheeses, spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce, margherita pizza, savory sardines, gnocchi or fuži with chicken liqueur
Alcohol:
13%
Avincis
(The Dew Prince) Red 2018
Origin: Drăgășani, DOC, Romania
Varietals:
50%
Cabernet Sauvignon; 35% Merlot; 15%
Pinot Noir
Production/Tasting
Notes: Bouquet of
blackberry and black currant; juicy berry fruit on the palate; fresh acidity
Food
Pairing: grilled meats
Alcohol: 14%
Domaine
Boyar Royal Reserve Mavrud 2015
Origin :
Thracian
Valley, Bulgaria
Varietal:
100%
Mavrud
Production/Tasting Notes: fresh, fruity bouquet; notes of cherry and vanilla and phenol (88 points, Wine Enthusiast) Food Pairings: Lamb kofte; marinated beef yakitori skewers; steak and kidney pie
Alcohol:
14%
Via
Istrum Chateau Borgozone Esperanto 2017
Origin: Danube Plain, PGI, Bulgaria
Varietals:
70%
Cabernet Sauvignon; 20% Syrah; 10% Gamza
Production/Tasting
Notes: Hand
harvested; estate bottled; aromas of black and red fruits, spice, eucalyptus;
flavors of black fruits, spice, black currant leaf, dark chocolate, cedar; long
finish
Food
Pairing: roasted meat; porcini; duck
Alcohol:
14.5%
Wine
Notes
Furmint: The name Furmint is taken from the word ‘Froment’, for the wheat gold color of the wine it produces. It is widely believed that the grape originates from Hungary; however it seems most likely that it was brought in the area in the 13th century. In recent years, DNA profiling conducted at the University of Zagreb has shown that Furmint could have a parent-offspring relationship with the modest Gouais Blanc grape, which similar research elsewhere has shown to be a parent of numerous other varieties, including Chardonnay. Furmint has also been confirmed to be the same grape as the Croatian white variety Moslavac.
Furmint is mostly grown in the Tokaj region
where it is used to produce dry wines as well as the famous sweet Tokaj wines.
To make Aszú Furmint is blended with Hárslevelü and Muscat Lunel. It is also
grown, to a much lesser extent, in the region of Somló, in the Great Central
Plains of Hungary. Furmint is found in other countries such as Slovakia where
it takes a similar role as in Tokaj, in Austria, where it is known as Mosler,
in Slovenia, Croatia, Romania and the former republics of the Soviet Union.
Furmint is an early budding late ripening grape
and particularly prone to botrytis. Its naturally high acidity level adds to
its aging potential. Furmint can be produced in a variety of styles ranging from
bone dry to extremely sweet wines.
TOKAJ
Affinitás & Evolúció come from the Tokaj
region in Hungary. Tokaj is synonym of dessert wines and takes its name from
the town of Tokaj-Hegyalja in the northern part of the country. Tokaj is a
UNESCO World Heritage site since 2002. It also has the world's oldest
classification system which started in 1730, several decades before Port wine
and 120 years before Bordeaux. The classification system was completed by
national census in 1772. Tokaj Aszú was one of the Sun King Louis XIV’s
favorite wines; he famously called it the "King of Wines, and Wine of
King's".
Tokaji vineyards are located near the border
with Slovakia and Ukraine and cover around 5000 ha, most planted against the
south facing slopes. The area stretches over 85km long and 4km wide. The Bodrog
and Tisza rivers dominate the plain and create the ideal conditions for Furmint
and Hárslevelü to ripen and develop noble rot. The climate of Tokaj is
continental with relatively high temperature variations. On the plain the
average yearly temperature is 9 to 10ºCentigrade, 21 ºC in July and -3 ºC in
January. On the Mountain slopes the average annual temperature is higher by
half a degree, yet winters are slightly colder. The average change of
temperature is 13 ºC throughout the year; this coupled with long, sunny summers
and dry and sunny early autumns allow for growing healthy and ideally ripened
grapes. The humidity from the two rivers brings the autumn fog and therefore
allows botrytis to develop. The average annual rainfall is 591 mm, due to the
proximity of the Great Plain to the south, winters are relatively cold. Tokaj
Vineyards are blessed with a wide variety of volcanic soils. This diversity of
soils, with riolit, andezit, riolittufa and andezittufa, not only retain heat
beautifully to ripen grapes evenly, they also develop the rich fruitiness in
the final wine and impart a remarkable mineral character. This combination of
fruit and minerality is the ideal combination to make exceptional wines with a
good aging potential.
Teran, in Italian called Terrano is a variety mostly found
in Western Istria, a source of a drawn-out dispute between Croatia and
Slovenia. In good positions it givesalmost purple wine of a fruity aroma that
is easy to recognize, unusually high acidity and high tannins and not too high
alcohol content: 12 – 13%. It’s usually enjoyed as a young wine, as the
traditional wisdom is that it does not age too well.
Malvazija Istarska, also known by its Italian name Malvasia Istriana is
a variety from the large group of varieties, indigenous to the region of
Istria, where it is the predominant white wine. It is a versatile variety,
allowing different styles for the wine, from young and fresh wine to be
consumed within a year, to more serious barrel-aged wine, but it will remain a
dry wine with low acidity.
Drăgășani has all the
prerequisites of a registered designation, in the French fashion. The Drăgășani
vineyard has always produced white wines that are fine, cool, with good
acidity. The red wines from the region, produced chiefly from Cabernet
Sauvignon and the local variety Negru de Drăgășani, also enjoy national and
international appreciation.
Situated on the right bank of
the Olt river, the largest tributary of the Danube in Romania, the Drăgășani
vineyard extends over a length of 60 de km, between the Getic Sub Carpathians
in the north and the Romanian plain in the south. The dominant soil in the vineyard is clay,
with traces of limestone, sand, gravel and marl. The vineyard’s climate is
temperate continental, with Mediterranean influences, and its main
characteristic is balance. Owing to its location along the Olt valley, which
has a balancing role, the Drăgășani vineyard enjoys good humidity, even in the
hottest months of the summer. Thus, other varieties have been readapted to
Drăgășani, as a result of rigorous work of grapevine improvement, at the
Research Station for Viticulture and Winemaking, founded in the area in 1936. Among
the Romanian varieties, nowadays, Crâmpoșia Selecționată, Tămâioasa Românească,
Feteasca Regală, Feteasca Albă, Negru de Drăgășani, Novac și Fetească Neagră
are grown.
Mavrud, or Mavroudi as it is known in Greece, is a dark-skinned grape variety of Bulgarian origin. Its precise provenance is generally accepted to be Asenovgrad, an appellation in the West Thracian Valley of southern Bulgaria.
The low-yielding, late-ripening vine produces small, almost black grapes with thick skins. The grape’s name is derived from the Greek mavro, meaning black, which is appropriate, as the wines it produces usually are of an inky color. They also have pronounced tannins and excellent acidity, with an abundance of stewed-fruit flavors on the palate, which gives a glycerol mouth-feel. It also has a herbal characteristic, giving the wine a medicinal finish. (Wine-Searcher)
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