Updated: 20 April, 2021

Hello! Welcome to As Drunk by Exotic Wine Travel, a weekly column where we feature interesting wines that we encourage you to seek out. The reviews featured in this series may be written by either one or the both of us. The featured wines can be from obscure or well-known wine regions. We hope that these wine recommendations will keep you gastronomically curious and your palate invigorated!

Zlatý Roh

One of our favorite wineries in central and eastern Europe is Slovak.

Located just outside Bratislava in the village of Devín, Zlatý Roh is a young winery with a bright future. These are minimal intervention Slovak wines. Their vineyards are located on the Danube and you can see Northern Burgenland (Austria) just across the river. Winemaker Filip Nagy works with organically farmed grapes and ferments the wines spontaneously with native yeasts.

We first visited the estate in 2018, during our second whirlwind tour through the Slovak wine regions. Filip immediately impressed us with his energy, focus, and vision. This is a small project now, just done out of a garage but the plans are to expand the vineyards and build a new winery. That’s all in the future, for now, these are some of the most exciting wines coming out of Slovakia. Get your hands on them if you can!

Wine Recommendations

You can find out more about our scoring system on the WINE RATING page.

• Zlatý Roh, Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

This is the first vintage of Zlatý Roh Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon. There are notes of blackberry, pine, graphite, and sour cherry notes. It’s all fruit at this point. Fresh and full in body with a touch of green notes on the finish. It’s young now and should round into form in a few years. For a natural red, this is very solid and should cellar well, possibly deserving an uptick in score. Score: 89/100

• Zlatý Roh, Blanc 2018

The Blanc is our favorite wine from Zlatý Roh every vintage. It’s a barrel-fermented blend of Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. Notes of sweet peach, sliced apricots, grass, lime, and a touch of white pepper. This is a full-bodied, unfiltered, and unfined white. It’s slightly cloudy with a tangy finish, no tannins. Score: 91/100

• Zlatý Roh, Pinot Noir 2018

The Zlatý Roh Pinot Noir is very old world in style, it’s more of an earthy, vegetal wine. Notes of soil, greens, fall leaves, and mushroom with strawberry. It really smells like a forest floor with a touch of forest berries. Silky smooth palate with concentration and a long finish. There is some grippy tannin. This has a future in the cellar, its made in the spirit of Burgundy. Score: 91/100

• Zlatý Roh, Veltlínské Zelené 2018

Another brilliant white from Zlatý Roh is this Grüner Veltliner, which is golden in color. Notes of lime, basil, grass, and white pepper. It’s a full-bodied, unfiltered wine. It’s so ripe that you wouldn’t expect it to be from Slovakia. Bright, focused fruit and a peppery finish. Score: 90/100

New 2019 Vintage

Zlatý Roh changed up the labels with the 2019 vintage. The style remains the same but the wines are named after the vineyard of origin. This is another set of beautiful wines from this boutique Slovak producer. The Riesling and Pinot Noir really stood out to me in this set of wines.

• Zlatý Roh, ‘Goldeck Purweg’ Blanc 2019

The Zlatý Roh, ‘Goldeck Purweg’ Blanc is a bend of Grüner Veltliner and Riesling aged in wood and amphora for 6 months. I have loved every vintage of this wine in the past. Notes of green guava, pineapple, grass, pine cone, and a kiss of oak. At this point, the nose is a little shy but the palate is where it comes to life. Plenty of explosive green and white-fleshed fruits upfront with crushed rocks on the backend. The texture is the key to this wine. There’s a lot of substance here and vibrant acidity. Long finish. Score: 91/100

• Zlatý Roh, ‘Purweg’ Riesling 2019

This Zlatý Roh, ‘Purweg’ Riesling is a beautiful, minimal intervention white. Notes of honey, white pepper, white pineapple, and green guava. On the palate, the fruit is crunchy and layered. There’s a vibrant spine of acidity that runs through the wine. The skins were in contact for 12 hours, which leaves a very faint trace of tannin. Gorgeous wine. Score: 92/100

• Zlatý Roh, ‘Goldeck’’ Veltlínske Zelené 2019 

The Zlatý Roh, ‘Goldeck’’ Veltlínske Zelené 2019 is Grüner Veltliner fermented in cask and amphora and aged for 10 months. Flavors of baked apple, grass, white pepper, and passion fruit. The wine is a bit shy right now but there’s a lot of texture here. There is a small amount of tannins and limey acidity. With time in the bottle, this could very well deserve an uptick in score. Score: 89/100 

*Check out the 2020 fermenting in the video below

• Zlatý Roh, ‘Goldeck’ Pinot Noir 2019

The Zlatý Roh, Pinot Noir 2019 is partially fermented with whole clusters (50%) and aged in cask and amphora for 10 months. Delicious, earthy Pinot Noir. Notes of sour cherry, cranberry, fall leaves, pepper, and earth. It’s unmistakably Old World Pinot Noir on the nose. Silky smooth palate with soft tannins. There’s a spiciness on the finish that’s undeniably good. Put this in the cellar and watch it bloom. Score: 91+/100

• Zlatý Roh, ‘Purweg’ Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

The Zlatý Roh, ‘Purweg’ Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend aged in oak. This has considerable alcohol levels for how far north it is grown (14.3%). It shows more earth and cool climate characteristics. Notes of cherry, earth, tobacco, and fall leaves. On the palate, it’s silky smooth and some capsicum notes emerge. Chewy tannins. Don’t expect Bordeaux but do expect a delicious, complex red blend. Score: 89/100

You might also enjoy:

Exotic Wine Travel Slovak Wine Articles

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Please note that the opinions expressed are our own and have not been paid for in any way. We do not sell editorial content as that would destroy the legitimacy of our reviews and the trust between Exotic Wine Travel and its readers. On occasion, we extend the option of purchasing the wines we review or/and the products we spotlight. Some of these product links are set up through affiliate programs, which means Exotic Wine Travel gets referral credits if you choose to purchase these items via the links we provide.

The post Slovak Wine With Style: Zlatý Roh appeared first on Wine Travel.

Moravia is a hot region right now. It’s located in the eastern reaches of the Czech Republic and over 90% of Czech wine is produced there. I’ll never forget my first visit there in 2018. The rolling hills and endless sea of vines didn’t make it seem like a ‘new’ wine region.

That’s because Moravia isn’t a new region, the Romans brought vines to the area in the 2nd century. There’s a long history of wine production here. A new wave of minimal intervention producers is putting Moravia on the map. Some of the most exciting we’ve tasted are from 7 Řádků, which translates to 7 Rows.

7 Řádků is a project of Filip Nagy, a Slovak winemaker who also happens to craft exciting Slovak wines under the brand Zlatý Roh – just north of Bratislava. The wines of 7 Řádků/7 Rows primarily use fruit from Moravia. The wines are fermented with native yeasts and Filip uses as little sulfur as possible.

In the past, I preferred Filip’s Slovak project Zlatý Roh. The wines from 7 Řádků always seemed a little too wild and extreme for my tastes. The current vintages have me thinking twice. The 7 Řádků wines I remember had a very Laissez-faire feel to them. The current releases taste a bit more reigned in.

Filip insists that the differences are just an expression of the fruit and vintage. “There was no intention to move with our style with 7rows,” he says. “We always take the grapes and process them as we feel that would be the best thing.”  Deliberate or not, I love the latest vintages from 7 Řádků. These wines will appeal to both the natural wine crowd and those who drink more classically style wines.

• 7 Řádků, Not For Sale White 2019

7 Řádků, Not For Sale White is pure Welschriesling that saw six hours of skin contact and is aged in new oak. Bright and expressive nose of grass, white flower, baked apple, and starfruit. The nose is intense and the wood is integrated well. The palate has this great medley of fruit, acid, flowers, and minerals. These wines have been a bit too crazy for me in the past but this is clean. Full, rich, and plenty of fun. Score: 90+/100

• 7 Řádků, Dark Ages 2019

The 7 Řádků, Dark Ages is a 50/50 blend of Riesling and Grüner Veltliner that is barrel fermented. Fine notes of green mango, dried pineapple, grass, and dried lemon peel. Oak integration is stellar. Chewy and full bodied on the palate. This has a lot of sediment, so you can decant or drink it cloudy. Intense flavors of dried fruit coupled with fine acidity. Long finish. Score: 92/100

• 7 Řádků, Ryzlink Vlašsky Orange 2019

The 7 Řádků, Ryzlink Vlašsky Orange is Welschriesling macerated for 4 weeks and aged in large oak casks. An extreme orange wine with notes of dried orange peel, apricot, tamarind, and grass. The nose is very exotic. The palate is full and the generous acidity keeps the wine fresh. The tannin level is low here. This feels very much like an Austrian-style orange wine. Another example that shows this much-maligned grape can produce fantastic wine. Score: 91/100

• 7 Řádků, Qvevri 2019 

The 7 Řádků, Qvevri is Grüner Veltliner macerated and fermented for 7 months in Georgian qvevri. It’s aged in large casks. In this style, it has a brilliant nose. notes of crushed yellow flower, dried mango, dried apricot, and lemon peel. The palate is full and generous while the oak aging adds a touch of seasoning to the wine (but is not over pronounced). Bright acidity. This has the energy and pizazz to introduce people to this style of wine. Score: 89/100

• 7 Řádků, Bilé Cuvée Black Label 2019

The 7 Řádků, Bilé Cuvée Black Label is a field blend of varieties like Grüner Veltliner, Welshriesling, Pinot Blanc, Sylvaner, Müller Thurgau, and many others. Grapes are foot trodden and barrel fermented. Fine nose of cut grass, banana, green guava, dried pineapple, and white peach with a touch of flintiness. The fruit here is the real highlight, it tastes like a fruit salad with lemon sprinkled on top. The wood adds a touch of sweetness here. This is a lot of fun to drink and should improve with some bottle age. Score: 92/100

• 7 Řádků, Rosé 2019

TThe 7 Řádků, Rosé is barrel fermented Blaufränkisch that saw 10 months of aging. This has been a long time favorite of ours from this estate. Neon pink color. Notes of strawberry, raspberry, pomegranate, and a touch of white pepper. This is a complex wine that drinks like something in between a rosé and a light red. Plenty of forest fruit flavors dance on the palate. There is a small touch of tannin here that adds to the complexity. For those who want to explore, this is a beauty. Score: 92+/100

• 7 Řádků, Frankovka 2018

The 7 Řádků, Frankovka is Blaufränkisch bottled with a crown-cap. I thought this might be a Pét-nat at first. It’s a delicious, fruity red with notes of black raspberry, black cherry, tobacco, and a touch of pepper. This is ripe and full-bodied without being too extracted. It has a peppery finish and chewy tannins. Juicy with some tannins and just enough complexity, it’s an outstanding choice to put on the dinner table. Score: 89/100

• 7 Řádků, Piece of Cake 2019

The The 7 Řádků, Piece of Cake is fortified Alibernet that has 80 g/L of RS and 16.5 % of alcohol. It is foot trodden like Port. The color is pitch black. Notes of dark cherry, dark chocolate, pepper, and tobacco. It really smells like a young ruby Port. Silky and sensual on the palate. The nice thing about this wine is the lower alcohol level for a fortified wine. Chewy tannins and a lengthy finish. This is a pleasant surprise and a wine that all those with a sweet tooth should love. Score: 91/100

You can find out more about our scoring system on the WINE RATING page.

You might also enjoy:

Slovak Wine With Style: Zlatý Roh

Do you like our content?

If you like our articles and videos, we’d love for you to be a part of our community on Patreon. The support from Patreon helps keep the content coming and you access to behind the scenes content. It also gives us the chance to get to know you better. Check out the Exotic Wine Travel Patreon page by clicking the photo below.

7 Řádků provided tasting samples. The opinions expressed in this article are unsolicited and have not been paid for in any way by governmental bodies, enterprises, or individuals. We do not sell editorial content as that would destroy the legitimacy of our reviews and the trust between Exotic Wine Travel and its readers. On occasion, we extend the option of purchasing the wines we review or/and the products we spotlight. Some of these product links are set up through affiliate programs, which means Exotic Wine Travel gets referral credits if you choose to purchase these items via the links we provide.

The post 7 Řádků: Czech Natural Wine appeared first on Wine Travel.

Are they orange wines or are they amber wines? Are these wines the real deal or are they just a fad?

Whatever you want to call these wines, we love them and don’t get sick of them. That’s why we chose to attend the Orange Wine Festival in Vienna for the second year in a row. The 2018 rendition of the Orange Wine Festival saw 68 producers pour over 200 orange wines (and a few reds) over six and a half hours. The event was again held at the Museums Quartier in downtown Vienna, Austria.

The Orange Wine Festival was full again this year. Producers from Slovenia showed strong again. The western parts of Slovenia (Vipava Valley and Goriška Brda) are the epicenter of orange wine production outside of Georgia. There were also a number of excellent wines present from Austria and Italy in addition to more exotic countries like Croatia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Serbia.

Are Orange Wines A Fad?

Orange wines receive their fair share of criticism. Wine writers like the famous Hugh Johnson previously stating that they “are a sideshow and waste of time.” Ian D’Agata who is the author of Native Wine Grapes Of Italy and contributor to Vinous has also lamented these “white wines treated like reds.”

With big names in the industry attacking these wines, who will stand for them?

Simon Woolf has recently authored the book Amber Revolution, a deep dive into the world of orange wines. Woolf believes that orange wines aren’t some new crazy fad and states, “It fascinates me – the deeper I go into it the more examples I find where these techniques were really the backbone of white winemaking in so many parts of the world.”

We come across a lot of orange wines throughout the year. Especially in Central and Eastern Europe. It seems like everyone is giving a go at producing an orange wine, which can be a good or bad thing depending on their competency. Regardless, it’s a telling sign of customer demand.

Whether you call them orange wines or amber wines, whether you love them or loathe them, it looks as if they are here to stay. If you’re curious to see what’s happening in this world of wine, the Orange Wine Festival is a must-visit. We tasted from the start to the finish of the Orange Wine Festival 2018 – here are some of our favorites.

Exotic Wine Travel’s Picks

My favorite wines were the Clai Sv. Jakov Malvazija 2016 from Istria, Croatia (95/100), Marjan Simčič Rebula Opoka 2016 from Goriška Brda, Slovenia (94/100), and the Batič Zaria 2016 from Vipava, Slovenia (94/100) but we’ve written about them extensively in the past. We would proudly shoe these three wines to any palate.

Mentioned wines are available for purchase at wineandmore.com.

These are fantastic wines but instead of writing about these producers again, we’ve highlighted other wines below.

• Schiefer, Weisser Schiefer 2013 – Burgenland, Austria 

Predominantly Welschriesling, Grüner Veltliner with Pinot Blanc. Austrian orange wines tend to be clean and precise, the Schiefer Weiser Schiefer is no different. It’s rich and opulent with dried yellow fruit, fall leaves, and dandelion flavors. The ripe fruit flavors are accompanied with soft tannins guiding the long finish. Score: 92/100

• OUO, Rebula Ivanka 2016 – Vipava, Slovenia

Charine adored this producer when we first tasted the wines during our Vipava Valley trip in August. This time around, I finally got the drift. The OUO Rebula Ivanka is concentrated with apricot, ripe peach, and fall leaves. It’s full bodied without overly hard tannins that can come with Ribolla Gialla. It’s full-bodied and tangy but the alcohol shows through pretty strong – which is the only detractor.  Score: 91/100

• Hager Matthias, Hager Weiss Gemischter Satz 2006 – Lower Austria, Austria

The Hager Matthias Hager Weiss Gemischter Satz really impressed both of us. Gemischter Satz means “field blend” and this example is aging beautifully. Flavors include forest floor, dried apricot, mushroom, and almond. The wine spent two weeks on the skins. It’s medium bodied with racy acidity and a long finish. Score: 92/100

• Quantum, Enigma 2017 – Lower Austria, Austria

The funky labels of Quantum winery grabbed my attention while the wine kept it. The Quantum Enigma is made from Pinot Blanc and is only 10.5% alcohol. It’s chewy, ripe, and concentrated for such a low alcohol wine. Full of pineapple, apricot, nuts, and fall leaves flavors – you can really feel the Pinot Blanc standing out. This wine is raw and has a beautiful finish with rich texture on the palate. Score: 90/100

• Valdisole, Arké 2015 – Piedmont, Italy

The Valdisole Arké is concentrated and flat out delicious. It is made from the grape Arneis. The wine is earthy with apricot, lemon, soil, and ginger notes. Rich and full-bodied, this feels weighty on the palate but never awkward thanks to the acidity. Long finish and soft tannins. 93/100

• Jure Štekar, Moros 2017 – Goriška Brda, Slovenia

The Jure Štekar Moros is a beauty made from the grape Friulano. Charine puts it best the post below. 

Score: 92/100

• Tombacco, Origine 2014 – Sicily, Italy

Made from Grillo and Zibbibo (Muscat of Alexandria), the Tombacco Origine has a sherry-like nuttiness to it. The wine was aged in Marsala casks. Full of dried yellow fruit, almond, apricot, and lime flavors. It’s full-bodied and slightly sweet with 12 g/L of RS.  This unique wine was quite divisive at the show – it’s a love it or not type of wine. Score: 92/100

• Ražman, Malvazija Antiqua 2016

The Ražman Malvazija Antiqua 2016 recently won a platinum medal the Decanter World Wine Awards – it’s well deserved. It has notes of sweet peaches, dandelion, and citrus. It’s lighter bodied for a macerated Malvazija Istarska (Malvasia Istriana). The wine has a tanginess that is sometimes missing from the grape. Soft tannins guide the long finish. Score: 93/100

• Maurer 1880 Kadarka 2016 – Subotica, Serbia

Producers at the 2018 Orange Wine Festival were allowed to bring a few red wines from their portfolio. Oskar Maurer works with a lot of unique grapes in Northern Serbia (on the border with Hungary). This wine is made from ungrafted vines of Kadarka that were first planted in the year 1880 in sandy soil. The Maurer 1880 Kadarka is full of strawberry, rhubarb, cherry, and mineral notes. The wine is soft and medium bodied with juicy acidity and easy tannins. I often describe Kadarka as tasting like a lower alcohol version of Grenache. Score: 90/100

You can find out more about our scoring system on the WINE RATING page.

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    Do you want to try Slovenian wines?    

If you’re looking to savor the exquisite flavor of Slovenian wines, look no further than wineandmore.com. With an abundance of options from different winemakers, it’s easy to find exactly what your palate desires. Not sure which bottle is best for you? Try out one of their curated wine cases and discover the perfect vintage for any occasion!

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Want to learn more about wine?

Are you ready to discover the wonderful world of wines? Come join us at wineandmore.com and let’s explore the incredible selection of delicious wines together! We can’t wait to share our passion for wine with you!

Thanks to Orange Wine Festival for providing transport and passes to the event. Please note that the opinions expressed are our own and have not been paid for in any way. We do not sell editorial content as that would destroy the legitimacy of our reviews and the trust between Exotic Wine Travel and its readers. On occasion, we extend the option of purchasing the wines we review or/and the products we spotlight. Some of these product links are set up through affiliate programs, which means Exotic Wine Travel gets referral credits if you choose to purchase these items via the links we provide. 

The post Orange Wine Festival 2018: Here To Stay appeared first on Wine Travel.

Hello! Welcome to As Drunk by Exotic Wine Travel, a weekly column where we feature interesting wines that we encourage you to seek out. The reviews featured in this series may be written by either one or the both of us. The featured wines can be from obscure or well-known wine regions. We hope that these wine recommendations will keep you gastronomically curious and your palate invigorated!

Domäne Wachau, Grüner Veltliner Smaragd 2016 Axpoint

While in transit between Iaşi, Romania and Zagreb, Croatia we found ourselves in the Vienna Airport. We had just finished judging at the International Wine Competition Bucharest. After tasting a number of interesting wines from both emerging and well-known wine regions, Charine wanted a classy well constructed Austrian wine.

When in Austria, the choice should be easy. Grüner Veltliner is the country’s flagship grape and most widely planted in the country. We’ve tasted several delicious Austrian Grüners throughout the years but it’s an example from Santa Barbara County that left a lasting impression on us. Ever since tasting that wine, Charine has been craving another Grüner Veltliner with both ripe fruit and long lees contact (see below).

Surprisingly, there were not many high-quality Grüner Veltliners on offer at the airport. After scouring the shelves, we came across some single vineyard Rieslings and Grüners from Domäne Wachau.

Domäne Wachau is a cooperative winery that controls about 30% of all the vineyard area in Wachau. They release a wide range of wines including several single vineyard Riesling and Grüner Veltliner bottlings. We love to support cooperatives and opted to purchase the Domäne Wachau Grüner Veltliner Smaragd 2016 Axpoint.

The Axpoint vineyard is right above the town of Spitz and is south facing. The word Smaragd is the highest quality designation within the Wachau region. Put that all together and we figured it was a wine that shouldn’t disappoint.

The Domäne Wachau Grüner Veltliner Smaragd 2016 Axpoint hits your nose immediately with white pepper, grass, lime, and yogurt notes. It’s very flinty on the palate with bright acidity. The first thing that jumped to my mind when drinking this wine is how I’d love to know it after at least five more years in the bottle. A longer finish would push this into greater levels but it’s still delicious to drink.

Dangerously easy to finish, we polished off the bottle in no time.

90/100 (You can find out more about our scoring system on the WINE RATING page.)

Find or buy on Wine-Searcher.

Please note that the opinions expressed are our own and have not been paid for in any way. We do not sell editorial content as that would destroy the legitimacy of our reviews and the trust between Exotic Wine Travel and its readers. On occasion, we extend the option of purchasing the wines we review or/and the products we spotlight. Some of these product links are set up through affiliate programs, which means Exotic Wine Travel gets referral credits if you choose to purchase these items via the links we provide.

The post Domäne Wachau Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Axpoint 2016 appeared first on Wine Travel.

Hello! Welcome to As Drunk by Exotic Wine Travel, a weekly column where we feature interesting wines that we encourage you to seek out. The reviews featured in this series may be written by either one or the both of us. The featured wines can be from obscure or well-known wine regions. We hope that these wine recommendations will keep you gastronomically curious and your palate invigorated!

Wine Not!?

There are few wine bars that really impress us, but Wine Not!? in Bratislava, Slovakia is an exception. The minute we stepped into the bar Charine exclaimed, “let’s skip the hotel and sleep here.” The bar has over 1000 labels to choose from and they focus on wines from the former Austro-Hungarian empire. There is also a heavy focus on Italian wines.

The selection of international wines is great, but it’s the selection of Slovak wines that get us really excited. There are more than twenty producers present, some of which are extremely hard to get. Including the Organic Cuvée Marie Vallis Albus made by Štefan Kasynik.

Organic Cuvée Marie Vallis Albus 2015

The village of Strekov sits in the Južnoslovenská (South Slovakia) wine region. It’s a village near the border of Hungary and most of the people are ethnically Hungarian. It has become the epicenter of natural winemaking in Slovakia. We visited in the winter of 2017 and came away impressed with the wines. The region has patches of volcanic soil and a moderating influence from the nearby Danube River. South facing slopes in the region allow enough sunlight to ripen red varieties, which can be a challenge in Slovakia.

One producer we did not visit was Organic Winery. It’s s a small winery making minimal intervention wines. Organic Winery isn’t heavily marketed and it seems like only the wine insiders in Slovakia know about the wines. Wine Not!? was kind enough to open a bottle for us.

The Organic Cuvée Marie Vallis Albus 2015 is a blend of Pinot Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Welschriesling, and Muškat Moravsky. It’s an orange wine (amber wine) made without added sulfites.

The wine has notes of apricot, yellow flower, honey, and citrus peel. This has a chewy texture and low level of tannins for a macerated white wine. It’s clean and not oxidized – which can turn many people off when it comes to orange wines. It’s very good vino and is knocking on the door of greatness, if the finish was a tad longer it would move up to levels of rarified air. We can’t wait to taste more wines from this producer’s portfolio on our next trip to Slovakia. 

Score: 90/100

(You can find out more about our scoring system on the WINE RATING page.)

The post Organic Cuvée Marie Vallis Albus 2015 appeared first on Wine Travel.

Hello! Welcome to As Drunk by Exotic Wine Travel, a weekly column where we feature interesting wines that we encourage you to seek out. The reviews featured in this series may be written by either one or the both of us. The featured wines can be from obscure or well-known wine regions. We hope that these wine recommendations will keep you gastronomically curious and your palate invigorated!

Vinocentrum Wine Bar

Braño Bahna moved to Svätý Jur about fourteen years ago. He decided to set up a wine bar called Vinocentrum which would serve wines only from the village. The problem is that very few were bottling their own wine. Nearly every producer in the village made wine. but for their own consumption with friends. Braño set out to change that.

Now Vinocentrum has over 100 wines in stock and pours 16 different wines daily, all from the village. Every year Braño and his wife travel around the wine world, bringing back wines for all the local producers to taste. When we visited, he had recently returned from Alsace, France.

We got the chance to spend two evenings in the wine bar. Both nights were packed. “Everywhere I travel around the world, I’m looking for a wine bar like this,” Braño said of Vinocentrum. Vinocentrum is fun and unpretentious. It’s full of antique furniture, photos of Braño’s family, and wine books written in several different languages.

If you’re in Bratislava, the village of Svätý Jur is only a 15-minute train ride away. It’s worth the trek to make it to this place. Who knows, you might bump into Braño himself. FYI, Vinocentrum also makes a great cup of coffee with beans from a local roaster.

Braño Bahna Veltlín 2017

Braño Bahna Winery is located in the village of Svätý Jur. He farms three hectares of vineyards organically and produces less than five thousand bottles of wine per year. Braño is very dedicated to low impact in the vineyards, even in a wet summer like 2018, he refused to spray.

This year downy mildew hit his vineyards hard, like in most of Europe. However, Braño isn’t discouraged. He does what he can each year and the labels he produces depends on the vintage.

Braño had just bottled some of his 2017 whites when we visited and the Veltlín is our favorite. The Braño Bahna Veltlín 2017 sees two days of skin contact. It’s fermented with native yeasts and spends the rest of the time in stainless steel until bottling. Flavors include lime, grass, and a touch of green herbs with some oxidation from the skin contacts. Tangy with bright fruit. Chewy texture with a bright fruity finish, it doesn’t have the searing acidity that can be common in the region. Beautiful and easy to drink for this style of wine.

88/100 (You can find out more about our scoring system on the WINE RATING page.)

@branobahna is an easy subject to shoot. There’s this innate joy about him that comes through the photos. #BranoBahna first commercial vintage was 2003. Today, he makes around 5,000 bottles every year. The white wines are made from grapes from his own vineyards, which are planted with vines that are 40-45 years old. The red grapes are bought. All of his wines are made with spontaneous fermentation with no temperature control in the cellar. Braño was very kind to open some of his archive wines and I enjoyed plenty. For his current release, I am particularly fond of his Veltlín 2017. It has good fruit concentration on the front palate and finishes fresh with acidic strength and mineral undertone. There’s a hint of sweet brown apple, but I won’t consider the wine oxidized or over-macerated; the characteristic actually helps to balance out the precise lime note of the wine. This is linear, refreshing #GrunerVeltliner that shows extra flesh because of 2-day skin contact. #summerready #svatyjur #slovakwine #travelstory #drinkadventurously #travel_captures #wineroad

A post shared by Exotic Wine Travel (@exoticwinetravel) on Aug 12, 2018 at 1:11am PDT

 Braño Bahna and Vinocentrum provided accommodation for our visit. The opinions expressed in this article are unsolicited and have not been paid for in any way by governmental bodies, enterprises, or individuals. We do not sell editorial content as that would destroy the legitimacy of our reviews and the trust between Exotic Wine Travel and its readers. 

The post Braño Bahna Veltlín 2017 & Vinocentrum appeared first on Wine Travel.

Slovakia is at the northernmost reaches (latitude) where grape growing is possible. The grape growing regions are in the south of the country between the latitudes of 47.5N and 48.5N. In other words, it’s pretty cold in Slovakia for growing wine grapes.

Despite the challenges, there are some excellent wines being made in the country. One area that wineries are excelling at is sweet wines. Slovakia has a small part of the Tokaj region within its borders and those wines need no introduction. Sweet wine production isn’t limited to Slovak Tokaj. There are a number of delicious sweet wines being made in all wine growing areas of Slovakia.

After two intense weeks of tasting throught he country, you can see a few of our favorite sweet wines below.

Sweet Slovak Wine Labeling

Slovakia has adopted Austria’s Predikat labeling system for quality wines with residual sugar.

Late-Harvest: Neskorý Zber

Auslese: Výber z Hrozna

BA/Beerenauslese (Berry Selection): Hrozienkový Výber

TBA/Trockenbeerenauslese (Dried Berry/Noble Rot Selection): Cibébový Výber

Ice Wine: Ládové Vino

Straw Wine: Slamové Vino

Our Thoughts

We were very impressed with the ice and straw wines throughout Slovakia. These wines were all well made and offered exceptional value for a low price. Check out more of our thoughts on the sweet wines of Slovakia in the video below (~ 8 mins).

Exotic Wine Travel’s Picks

(You can find out more about our scoring system on the START HERE page.)

• Château Belá, Veltlínské Zelené Ládové Vino (Ice Wine) 2006

The Château Béla Veltlínské Zelené (Grüner Veltliner) ice wine is an exceptional wine. Full of mango chutney, fresh cut grass, dried fig, and mineral flavors. The aged notes of petrol and fall leaves come into play as well, the list of flavors goes on and on. It’s rich, complex, and thought-provoking. A great dessert wine from a fantastic vintage. Château Béla is owned by the famous German producer Egon Müller.   4.5/5

• Château Belá, Alibernet Ládové Vino (Ice Wine) 2012

Do you want a completely different sweet wine experience? Then try the Château Belá Alibernet ice wine. It has red raspberry, forest strawberry, tomato, and blood orange flavors. This has high acidity and has a red fruit and orange peel finish. This is one of the most intriguing sweet wines that we’ve come across. It gives you unexpected flavors and makes for a marvelous drinking experience.    4.3/5

• Château Rúban, Milia 2017

Château Rúban is a new project in South Slovakia. They have state of the art winemaking facilities and a beautiful guesthouse. They purchase all of their grapes. The Cháteau Rúban Milia has 36 g/L of RS making it medium sweet. This grape is a cross between Müller Thurgau and Traminer. It has flavors of green apple, white flower, and pineapple. Floral and fruity with crisp acidity. It’s a refreshing sweet white wine. This is a crowd pleaser that everyone will enjoy.    3.7/5

• Château Topol’čianky, Rizling Vlašsky Ládové Vino (Ice Wine) 2016

Château Topol’čianky is one of the big players in Slovak wine. They produce a large portfolio of wines, spanning from inexpensive retail wines all the way up to premium wines. Their sweet wines were outstanding for wines priced below 15 Euros. The Château Topol’čianky Rizling Vlašsky (Welschriesling) ice wine has notes of grass, melon, cantaloupe, and minerals. This is syrupy on the palate and rich in flavor. Acidity could be a touch higher but this is still high-quality ice wine.    4.0/5

• Chateau Topol’čianky, Palava Slamové Vino (Straw Wine) 2008

The Château Topol’čianky Palava ice wine is made from a grape cross of Gewürtztraminer and Müller-Thurgau (similar to Milia). It has flavors of petrol, honey, dried apricots, and fall leaves. This is uber complex on the palate with toffee flavors and finishes with a fiery, lemon finish. The mid-palate needs a little more umph, which keeps it from reaching higher levels.    4.2/5

• Frtus, Milia Hrozienkovy Vyber 2015

Rado Frtus has put substantial investment into rejuvenating his family’s vineyards and producing quality wine. He is already producing wines of good quality and we have no doubt he will be an outstanding producer in the coming years. This is his best seller, the Frtus Milia has over 100 g/L of sugar. Lemon, white peach, and white pear. It is sweet but not clumsy on the palate due to the high amount of acidity. The finish is fresh and lemony. It’s a wine that is not difficult to understand and is very delicious.    3.9/5

• Karpatská Perla, Dílemúre Aurelius TBA 2013

Karpatská Perla (Carpathian Pearl) is one of the largest producers in Slovakia. They produce a wide range of quality wines and their sweet wines really pop. This grape is a cross between Neuburger and Riesling.

The Karpatská Perla Dílemúre Aurelius is a TBA wine affected by botrytis. It has 100 g/L. Fall leaves, apricots, honey, and lemon. The acidity keeps this wine very fresh on the palate. It is more citrus fruit driven than honey. Medium finish for a sweet wine. This is 10% ABV.    4.2/5

• Karpatská Perla, Pálava Slamové Víno (Straw Wine) 2011

The Kárpatská Perla Pálava is a straw wine (made from dried grapes). It’s golden in color with flavors of green herbs, yellow flower, and white peach with a touch of fall leaves. Full of 200 g/L of RS. This is fresh and herbal. Despite the vintage, this sweet wine has resisted aging, it could go on for much longer. Fresh and delicious, but luscious on the palate.    4.1/5

• Trnovec, Rulandské Biele Ladové Vyber (Ice Wine) 2016

Trnovec is a small producer near the city of Nitra. They are famous for their Pinot Blanc (the grape is called Rulandské Biele in the Slovak language. The Trnovec Rulandské Biele is an ice wine with 160 g/L of RS. Clear notes of white pear, hazelnut, and green apple. This is rich and dominated by white fruits with a limey finish. Good value for money.    3.7/5

The Trnovec Rulandské Biele Ice Wine 2013 vintage from the Trnovec Facebook page.

Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are unsolicited and have not been paid for in any way by governmental bodies, enterprises, or individuals. We do not sell editorial content as that would destroy the legitimacy of our reviews and the trust between Exotic Wine Travel and its readers.

The post Nine Sweet Slovak Wines appeared first on Wine Travel.

The minimal-intervention aka “natural” wine scene is alive and well in Slovakia. While the modern wine industry is fairly young (the late 1990’s), there are several producers who have eschewed conventional production. During our time in Slovakia, we found in interesting that the minimal intervention producers referred to conventional production as “technology wines”.

We visited two areas where the minimal-intervention wine scene is thriving, the villages of Levice and Strekov.

“Natural” Slovak Wines

Around the village of Levice, there are a group of three producers branding themselves as “Wines From Under The Volcano.” These vineyards are planted on the dormant volcano known as Sitnu, which towers over the area. This association is made of the wineries, Pivnica Čajkov, Pivnica Brhlovce, and Marvla Tindo. All three producers produce wines of minimal intervention and several are in the process of getting their vineyards certified organic. Of the three, we didn’t get a chance to taste the wines from Pivnica Brhlovce.

We really enjoyed our visit with Marvla Tindo. They are a fairly new producer looking to make a name for themselves. There is consistency across all the bottles and vintages we tasted – which can be a problem for this type of wine production.

The village of Strekov, south of Levice, is the more famous of the two villages. The population of Strekov and the surrounding villages is predominantly Hungarian. We visited three excellent producers Kasnyik, Mátyás, and Strekov 1075. Two more producers who follow this school of winemaking are nearby too, Tibor Melecsky (Strekov) and Bott Frigyes (village of Mužla).

All of these producers are producing good to very good wines. Stekov 1075 has made a name for themselves and the wines can be found in hip wine bars around the world. Mátyás makes bio wines that conventional wine drinkers will appreciate and Kasnyik has a distinctive house style. One of Bott Frigyes’ wines even made our Top 17 Wines of 2017.

Finding the “poopy barrel” at Strekov 1075, one of our most memorable cellar visits in 2017. We’re looking for the stinkiest barrel with sherry-style wine.

You can see our thoughts on the Slovak minimal intervention wine scene in the video below (~ 8minutes).

Exotic Wine Travel’s Picks

(You can find out more about our scoring system on the START HERE page.)

• Kasnyik, Nabobuliach Veltinske Zelené 2015

The Kasnyik Naboluliach Veltinske Zelené is made with semi-carbonic maceration. Whole berries of Grüner Veltliner are put into the barrel and topped up with fermenting grape juice. Beautiful notes of perfume, yellow-fleshed fruit, grass, and lime make up the flavor profile of the wine. It is a unique wine with rich texture and a slightly spicy finish.   4.0/5

• Kasnyik, Maria Cuvée 2015

The Kasnyik Maria Cuvée is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. It’s a natural, fruity Bordeaux blend. It has blackberry, black plum, candlewax, and black olive flavors. This is ripe, delicious, and medium bodied. The wine has a long and spicy finish, it’s nowhere near its peak yet.   4.2/5

The Kasnyík Maria Cuvée 2015 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. I wasn’t excited to taste this wine neither was I ready to be impressed because “it’s yet another Cabernet”. Besides, can these varieties really ripen well in Slovakia? Oh yes. This wine shows a discreet hint of capsicum on the nose and lots of black olive. On the palate, the Cabernet Franc dominates with bright flavors while the Cabernet Sauvignon kicks in on the end palate. It’s enviably luscious and round on the palate with intense fruit flavors.

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• Marvla Tindo, Albina 2016

Named after the owner’s grandmother, the Marvla Tindo Albino is a single vineyard white wine made from Pessac Leanka, Pinot Blanc, and Traminer. It’s a bigger bodied natural wine, full of salinity, flowers, and white-fleshed fruit. The mineral notes take center stage on the buttery finish.  4.2/5

• Marvla Tindo, Murum Cuvée 2013

The Marvla Tindo Murum Cuvée is a blend of Alibernet, Pinot Noir, and Andre (a cross of Frankovka x St. Laurent). Dark fruit, grass, fall leaves, and sweet cedar flavors jump out of the glass. As a dense red wine from a cooler area, it is full bodied and has a lot of complexity. The tannins are ripe and rich. It’s a delicious wine that begs for more bottle aging.   4.1/5

• Mátyás, Somlyó 2016

A cuvée of different batches of Pinot Blanc made in different ways and unfiltered. This is wild with bright tropical fruit and yeast flavors. The Mátyás Somlyó is rich in texture, this is crazy-cool and exciting. In between a quirky natural wine and a clean conventional wine.   4.2/5

• Mátyás, SaraDora 2013

The Mátyás SaraDora is named after Mr. Mátyás’ two granddaughters who were born in the same year. This is varietal Welschriesling on the skins for two weeks and one year in the barrel. Amber in color, this is very cloudy. Dried apricots, fall leaves, pumpkin seed oil, and tangerine peel. Full bodied amber wine with juicy, citrus acidity and chewy tannins. Outstanding stuff that should be sought out.   4.3/5

• Pivnica Čajkov, Traminer Kruhe 2015

The Pivnica Čajkov Traminer Kruhe is a macerated white wine made with Traminer (Gewürtztraminer). It has notes of tea leaves and brown apple mixed with the Traminer flavors of lychee and intense yellow flower flavors. Very mineral and medium bodied macerated wine with a slightly spicy finish.    3.8/5

Yay! Had the chance to try another amber wine from Slovakia. The nose shows immediate signs of oxidative style but yet the “brown apple” and “tea” notes aren’t overpowering. The intensely sweet and floral varietal characteristics of Traminer are retained here. On the palate, it’s juicy. The finish brings a hint of spiciness along with appropriate sweet tannins. It’s an enjoyable wine. Don’t mind doing it again.

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• Slabodne Vinárstvo, Partisan Cru 2012

Slabodne Vinárstvo is located in the Nitrianská Region. We didn’t visit this producer because of schedule constraints but managed to buy a bottle in a restaurant.

The Slabodne Vinárstvo Partisan Cru is a blend of Frankovka, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Alibernet aged in used oak for 18 months. It’s beautiful minimal intervention red wine. Full of red fruit, white pepper, earth, and capsicum. The wine is a tad raw but it’s light and juicy. Low alcohol at 12.5% makes this enjoyable to drink.    4.0/5

• Strekov 1075, Heion 2015

Zsolt Sütó has become well known in the natural wine world and is somewhat of a local celebrity. He’s funny and enthusiastic. When he picked us up from the guesthouse it was cold and snowy. The first thing he said to us was, “welcome to winter!”

The word Heion means “on the skins”. Zsolt was inspired by Čotar (Slovenia) to start making orange wine. The Strekov 1075 Heion is made from Welschriesling that spent two weeks on the skins. Orange peel, melon, fresh apricot, and lemon flavors dominate the wine, it is very sour on the palate. The wine has a beautiful texture with low levels of tannin and a lemonade-like finish.  4.4/5

• Strekov 1075, Veltlín 2015

The Strekov 1075 Veltlin is Grüner Veltliner made in the Vin Jaune style. This was Charine’s favorite wine from Strekov 1075. It has flavors of flint, orange peel, yellow peach, and dandelion. The wine is round and rich on the palate with a spicy and a long finish. It’s a wine that would appeal to both natural and conventional wine drinkers.   4.3/5

• Strekov 1075, Portugal 2015

“Do you want to taste the best Portugieser in the world?” asked Zsolt. When somebody asks a question like that, of course, you say yes.

The Strekov 1075 Portugal is made from Blauer Portugieser. It has flavors of black fruit, brambleberry, white pepper, and earth. It’s a juicy red wine with easy-going tannins. The wine is tart and delicious, it will please many palates.  There is only one problem with this wine Zsolt told us, “after airing for five hours, the mouse is coming (mousiness on the finish) .”    4.2/5

Three reasons why you should seek out Slovak wine: 1. The best Blauer Portugieser wine we’ve tasted is this! Made in Strekov, Slovakia. I know… the “Portugal” on the label is misleading.

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Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are unsolicited and have not been paid for in any way by governmental bodies, enterprises, or individuals. We do not sell editorial content as that would destroy the legitimacy of our reviews and the trust between Exotic Wine Travel and its readers. 

The post Slovak Wines: The Minimal Intervention Scene appeared first on Wine Travel.

Orange Wine Festival 2017

The Orange Wine Festival 2017 included over 60 wineries from Austria, Croatia, Georgia, Moldova, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. There were many exciting wines at the show (along with some disappointing ones). The Austrian, Croatian, Italian, and Slovenian wines had especially strong showings.

If you are more of a visual person, check out the show’s highlights in the video below:

Amber Revolution

One of our personal highlights of Orange Wine Festival 2017 was meeting Simon Woolf in person. Simon is authoring Amber Revolution, the first book dedicated to orange wine. We spent some time with him after the show and indulged in a bottle of  Radikon Ribolla Gialla 2001 as a nightcap.  

Amber Revolution has reached its targeted funding goal on Kickstarter and the book will be released next year. We can’t wait to take a look at it. Congrats to Simon on such an exciting project.

 

Hey, look who’s here! It’s Mister Orange Wine, @themorningclaret! Check out his new Instagram feed @amber_revolution.

A post shared by Exotic Wine Travel (@exoticwinetravel) on Nov 7, 2017 at 1:10pm PST

Our Favorite Producers from Orange Wine Festival 2017

• Claus Preisinger – Burgenland, Austria

Claus Preisinger creates macerated white wines with crystalline fruit flavors and distinctive flinty notes. These are clean and well-executed orange wines. These wines were perhaps our favorite discovery at the show. We got the chance to sample his excellent Pinot Blanc in addition to his Grüner Veltliner fermented in amphora.

• Gsellmann – Burgenland, Austria

Gsellmann had four orange wines available for tasting: Neuburger, Chardonnay, Traminer, and Pinot Blanc. I found the Neuburger to be the most pleasant surprise out of the bunch. However, all four wines showed well and we were returning to the Gsellmann table often.

• Gut Oberstockstall – Lower Austria, Austria

This producer had three vintages of his orange wine available for tasting: 2013, 2014, and 2015. The Gut Oberstockstall Oran is a blend of 50% Gruner Veltliner, 45% Riesling, and 5% Traminer. Even though it’s a small proportion of the blend, the Traminer adds a wonderful floral component to this highly textured wine.

• Kaiser & Sacher – Styria, Austria

Kaiser & Sacher wines are fermented in Georgian qvevri (amphora) with low intervention. These wines have pure fruit flavors and remind us of our beloved Georgian wines. They produce two orange wines, one from Pinot Blanc (my choice) and one from Pinot Gris (Charine’s choice).

• Kristian Keber – Brda, Slovenia

Kristian Keber is the son of Edi Keber who has a well-known winery in Collio, Italy. Kristian Keber makes only one wine, a blend of Rebula, Jakot (Tocai Friulano), and Malvazija. The wine is macerated for 12 days. It’s a tame and delicious orange wine fermented with native yeasts. This wine has pure flavors and is great for newbies of the orange wine world.

• Paraschos – Collio, Italy

A tiny winery located near Radikon in Collio, Italy. These wines are pure and soft orange wines. We were especially fond of the Ribolla Gialla and the ‘Orange One’, which is a blend of Ribolla Gialla, Tocai Friulano, and Malvasia. Paraschos is a winery we will keep our eyes on.

Our Familiar Favorites:

• Clai – Istria, Croatia

Clai Winery is one of our favorite producers, not only in Croatia but in the world. The Clai Sv Jakov 2015 (Malvazija Istarska) was open for tasting. It was young but showed bright fruit flavors. This wine is consistently one of the best wines in Croatia and there’s no reason to believe that this vintage will be any different.

• Dario Prinčič – Collio, Italy

Depending on the vintage, Dario Prinčič Trebež blend can be one wine we always look forward to opening. It was on display and showed well. The Pinot Grigio also tasted great. We still haven’t visited Dario Prinčič but hope to change that in the near future.

• Movia – Brda, Slovenia

We visited Movia Winery about two months prior to attending the show. Winemaker and proprietor Aleš Kristančić stole the show when he showed up and started pouring different vintages of his Lunar wine. This wine continues to impress us every time we drink it.

• Piquentum – Istria, Croatia

Winemaker and owner Dimitri Brečević pumps out beautiful, minimal-intervention wines from Istria. His Malvazija is a lightly macerated and pure expression of the grape. His wines are also available at consumer-friendly prices, if you can track them down. It is one of the purest expressions of Malvazija Istarska on the market.

• Roxanich – Istria, Croatia

Another one of Istria’s big names, Roxanich makes several orange wines ranging from the compelling Antica (Malvazija Istarska) to the hedonistic Ines i Bijelom (field blend). The Roxanich Antica was one of our favorite wines in 2016. 

• Trapan – Istria, Croatia

Bruno Trapan farms organically on the southwestern tip of Istria. He showed a new wine called Istraditional made from Malvazija Istarska. It’s a big step up from his entry-level macerated wine, Uroboros. There are layers of complexity on the palate wrapped up by a ginger spice finish.

The finest selection of

organic wines available at:

Shipping is available EU-wide and to the UK.

Check out Croatian Wines Available in the USA.

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    Do you want to try Croatian wines?    

If you’re looking to savor the exquisite flavor of Croatian wines, look no further than wineandmore.com. With an abundance of options from different winemakers, it’s easy to find exactly what your palate desires. Not sure which bottle is best for you? Try out one of their curated wine cases and discover the perfect vintage for any occasion!

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Want to learn more about wine?

Are you ready to discover the wonderful world of wines? Come join us at wineandmore.com and let’s explore the incredible selection of delicious wines together! We can’t wait to share our passion for wine with you!

You May Also Enjoy
Cracking Croatian Wine: A Visitor-Friendly Guide
15 Amber Wines (Orange Wines) to Try in Croatia
A Crash Course 0n Austria’s Biodynamic Wine

Thanks to the Orange Wine Festival and Sašo Dravineć for the invitation. Check out the Festival’s website here. The ideas expressed in this article are personal opinions and are not associated with any sponsors or business promotions.

The post Highlights from Orange Wine Festival 2017 appeared first on Wine Travel.

Wine brings people together, both from near and far.

Charine met Tom Leitner on a natural wine Facebook group. After sharing a few messages, we realized that Tom shares a passion for Croatia and Croatian wine with us. He invited us to visit him in Austria and taste some of his favorite wines. We decided to make the three-hour bus trip up to Graz, Austria from Zagreb.

Austrian Wine

Today, Austria is known more for its high-quality wines than bulk wines. The country made headlines internationally in the wine world in 1985. That year, a few wineries were found to have added a component of antifreeze into their late harvest wines, making them taste sweeter. After news of this spread, Austrian exports collapsed. It resulted in tighter government controls as well as a need for producers to focus on making high-quality wines.

We are too young to have that old prejudice in our minds. When we think of Austrian wine, we think of high quality. We’ve been really interested in Austrian wine over the last year. The few examples that we have tasted were all outstanding. In fact, two of my all-time favorite white wines (Schloss Gobelsburg Tradition and Nikolaihof Vinothek) are Austrian Rieslings.

Austria has a sizeable organic and biodynamic wine-producing community. This should be no surprise as Rudolf Steiner, the man held largely responsible for the founding of biodynamic principles, is Austrian. There are minimal intervention producers peppered throughout the country. Many of these producers make waves at natural wine fairs around the world such as RAW Wine.

Austria’s Biodynamic Wines

When Tom invited us to visit, we jumped at the chance. It was a successful weekend as we got to taste nearly 50 wines, most of them biodynamic or organic. On the first evening we arrived, Tom organized a tasting of biodynamic Austrian wine (mostly Demeter certified) and invited a few of his close friends to join us. All of his friends were new to biodynamic and minimal intervention wines but were willing to give them a shot. Tom was nice enough to share some top wines from his cellar. Some of the wines are limited edition and/or extremely hard to find.

The first bottle was corked but that didn’t dampen anybody’s spirits. The rest of the wines showed well. The evening was a rousing success. In fact, Charine said that it may be her most exciting or eye-opening tasting…ever.

We tasted through 11 wines during the evening and many of them were stunning. A couple were a little crazy and not for everyone, while some were simply great. The entire group enjoyed the tasting overall. Here are our favorites from the evening.

Exotic Wine Travel’s Picks

 (You can find out more about our scoring system on the START HERE page.)

• Franz Reinhard Weninger, Grüner Veltliner Amphora 2013

From Mittelburgenland (Middle Burgenland), only 230 bottles of this wine were produced in 2013. Franz Reinhard Weninger is a certified biodynamic producer. Full of dried pineapple, apricot, and diesel fuel flavors. This is medium bodied and has great texture along with fine-grained tannins and a long finish. Tangy for a macerated white wine. It’s subtle and really needs contemplation to enjoy, which takes some work but rewards those who are patient.   4.4/5

• Gut Oggau, Timotheus 2015

Find or buy on Wine-Searcher.

A blend of Grüner Veltliner and Pinot Blanc from Burgenland, Gut Oggau is a certified biodynamic winery. It’s a lightly macerated white wine matured in oak. This wine needs a lot of air to reach its best. The nose is full of brett, meat, apricot, and dandelion It smells like true wild macerated wine. The palate is a little different, it tastes like a raw white wine with some slight frizzante action. This is juice for hardcore natural wine geeks.   4.2/5

• Weingut Krispel, B1 2015

From the Südoststeiermark (Southeast Styria) region, this was the only wine during the evening that was not from either certified organic or biodynamic vineyards. The Weingut Krispel B1 is made from Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris that grow in vineyards with volcanic, basalt soils. It is macerated for three weeks, aged for 12 months in barrel, and 12 months in basalt rock containers. This has crazy mineral, ash, crush rock, flint, and matchstick flavors. The fruit flavor is white pear but this is mineral driven with an acidic core. A fascinating wine and one that almost everyone was amazed by.   4.4/5

• Sepp & Maria Muster, Graf Sauvignon 2012

Find or buy on Wine-Searcher.

From a certified biodynamic winery in the Südsteiermark (South Styria) region. Sepp & Maria Muster have a cult-like following. This is a lightly macerated Sauvignon Blanc aged for two years in barrel. Apricot, earth, white peach, and white flower flavors. The mid-palate is herbal and even has some juicy red fruit notes. Taste this wine blind and one might think it’s a light red wine.   4.3/5

• Werlitsch, Ex Vero II 2009

Find or Buy on Wine-Searcher.

From the Südsteiermark region, Werlitsch is a certified biodynamic producer and the Ex Vero II is their mid-range offering. It’s a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. This is full of mineral, white peach, autumn leaf, and green veggie flavors with a beautiful golden color. This is tangy with a medium body and an oily mouthfeel. The wine has high drinkability and is very enjoyable, especially for newbies to this style of wine.  4.1/5

You May Also Enjoy
Highlights from The Orange Wine Festival 2017
Gut Oggau Brutal Rosé 2016
A Night of Natural Wines in Tbilisi, Georgia

Cover photo by Tom Leitner.

The opinions expressed in this article are unsolicited and have not been paid for in any way by governmental bodies, enterprises, or individuals. We do not sell editorial content as that would destroy the legitimacy of our reviews and the trust between Exotic Wine Travel and its readers. 

The post A Crash Course On Biodynamic Austrian Wine appeared first on Wine Travel.