“What’s it like to work with such a big personality in the wine world?”

“She’s actually fantastic and listens to input and gives some flexibility in the cellar,” answered Ettore Rizzi. He’s a fiery ambitious man who is deeply involved with the production at Fattoria le Pupille. Ettore also happens to be the son of Elisabetta Geppetti.

Elisabetta is often credited for putting the DOCG Morellino di Scansano on the map. Her estate, Fattoria le Pupille produces around 500,000 bottles of wine in Southern Tuscany from 75 hectares of vineyards. Their range spans from a value-driven Morellino di Scansano all the way to their ambitious Super Tuscan known as ‘Saffredi’.

Her son Ettore is now working in the cellar and is crucial in the final blending and overall production.

Fattoria le Pupille

The first time I came across Fattoria le Pupille was during a small, intimate trade tasting in Belgrade, Serbia. Elisabetta Geppetti walked me through several of her wines including her staple Morellino di Scansano Riserva and classy Poggio Valente. The wines smelled of Tuscany and really spoke to me.

Fast forward a few years later and I found myself on a casual Zoom tasting with wine lovers and sommeliers from around the world. It just so happened that Ettore Rizzi was on the call too. I immediately appreciated his passion, understanding, and curiosity towards wine. After several calls, Ettore chose to send me the current releases from the estate.

Tasting through the latest vintages of Fattoria le Pupille was one good thing that came out of the dreaded year of 2020. The entry-level Fattoria le Pupille, Morellino di Scansano offers tremendous value for money while the reserve wines can compete with the best of Tuscany. The biggest surprise for me is the new Poggio Argentato, a wine that breaks the stereotype that all Tuscan whites are boring.

Here’s a look at the latest vintages from Fattoria le Pupille.

• Fattoria le Pupille, Poggio Argentato 2019

The Fattoria le Pupille, Poggio Argentato is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Petit Manseng, Traminer, and Sémillon. Most of the wine is kept in stainless steel while part of the cuvée is aged in oak. Notes of white pear, honey, white peach, yogurt, and a touch of white flower. This is a white that is full of flavor and is fun to drink. The Sauvignon Blanc doesn’t dominate in the blend, which is a good thing. Score: 91/100

• Fattoria le Pupille, Morellino di Scansano 2019

The Fattoria le Pupille, Morellino di Scansano is mostly Sangiovese with a touch of Alicante Bouchet and Ciliegiolo. This is the backbone of the estate. This is a fun red with notes of sour cherry, strawberry, mineral, and a touch of tangerine-peel. It’s not just a boring, simple red – it has earthiness and complexity. The sour cherry notes dominate, which I love. There are some chewy tannins here along with the juicy acidity. For an inexpensive red, this could improve with some time in the bottle. Pick this up by the case! Score: 89/100

• Fattoria le Pupille, Morellino di Scansano Riserva 2017

The Fattoria le Pupille, Morellino di Scansano Riserva is mostly Sangiovese with a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon aged in large cask for 15 months. This just screams Tuscany in the glass. Brilliant nose of sour cherry, cedar, tobacco, earthy, and even a touch of capsicum. There is so much sweet and sour cherry fruit on the front palate that it engulfs your palate. Earth and tobacco nuances come around on the end and there’s a tangerine-peel acidity on the long finish. Tannins are chewy and this can be enjoyed right away but it should keep in the cellar in the medium term. Very good, warmer climate Sangiovese. Score: 93/100

• Fattoria le Pupille, Poggio Valente 2018

The Fattoria le Pupille, Poggio Valente is 100% Sangiovese aged for 18 months in large casks. Very impressive Sangiovese from Maremma. Notes of dried cherry, raspberry, blueberry mint, and tobacco. Ripe and chewy on the palate, there is plenty of fruit here and it’s sweet red fruits. It’s a wine with plenty of structure, great oak integration, and just a touch of wildness. A ripe, concentrated, and structured Sangiovese with length and a spicy finish. This is a great Sangiovese that can stack up to the best of Brunello, Nobile, and Chianti Classico. Score: 94+/100

• Fattoria le Pupille, Saffredi 2018

The Fattoria le Pupille, Saffredi is an Italian icon and is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. It’s not big and rich, it’s got ripeness with some finesse. Notes of black cherry, black plum, hazelnut, sweet cedar, and a touch of earth. It’s full-bodied with chewy tannins. This is a baby now but should age into something spectacular. Fine-grained tannins.

This is just starting to hit the shelves now. If you pick it up, plan on cellaring it for another five to ten years. At that point, it should blossom and deserve a high uptick in the score. Score: 94/100

Fattoria le Pupille 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 Fattoria le Pupille: More Than Morellino appeared first on Wine Travel.

Portuguese wine is the gift that keeps on giving.

This small country packs a punch when it comes to wine. It’s not a secret that I adore Portuguese wine and jump at the opportunity to taste it whenever possible. The world needs what Portugal has to offer. Delicious wines made from unique grapes at more than fair price points.

This year, thanks to COVID, it looks like I will miss my annual trip to Portugal. Thankfully, many producers have softened the blow by sending samples to taste. One of those organizations that came to my rescue is the Family Wine Growers Portugal.

Family Wine Growers Portugal

The Family Wine Growers Portugal is an agency that helps smaller producers distribute and export their wine all over the world. They reached out to me and asked me to taste several of the producers they represent. Based on what I tasted, they’ve chosen a fine set of producers for their portfolio.

“We make an assessment based on quality, family heritage, and ability to respond to export processes,” says Dora Caseiro, a co-owner of Family Wine Growers Portugal. “If a producer scores 90% in all of our parameters, we accept to manage their exports.”

All of the wines I tasted for this article show export potential. All of the wines are available in Portugal for less than 17 Euros on the shelf, many of them hovering around or under the 10 Euros range. Around the world, these wines should be able to be found at wallet-friendly prices. When it comes to price-quality, all of these wines deliver. The more Portuguese wine available, the merrier.

Wine Recommendations:

Portuguese White Wine

• Valle do Nídeo, Códega do Larinho / Rabigato 2017

The Valle do Nídeo, Códega do Larinho / Rabigato has notes of quince, white apricot, white peach, and a touch of yogurt. Full body and chewy, this tastes like it was barrel fermented. There’s a nice streak of acidity that keeps the palate fresh. Longer finish. This is a rich, full-bodied white in the true Douro style. Score: 90/100

• Valle do Nídeo, Alvarinho / Viosinho 2017

The Valle do Nídeo, Alvarinho / Viosinho is a delicious, bigger style of Alvarinho with some Viosinho blended in for acidity. This has notes of lime, lemon, white flower, and cool yogurt notes. It’s a rich wine with depth and layers. The wine has length and a slight green streak to it along with a flinty, slatey finish. This will be fantastic with shellfish all the way up to creamy chicken dishes. Score: 90+/100

• S. Caetano, Alvarinho 2019

The S. Caetano, Alvarinho is a beautiful crispy white wine and a great value to boot (comes in at under 10 Euros in Porugal). Notes of lime, lemon, and seawater. This has the zesty acidity that is common with the grape on a bigger-bodied frame. This is the perfect shellfish wine. Tangy finish. Score: 90/100

• Chão de São Francisco, ‘Chão da Quinta’ Encruzado Reserva 2017

The Chão de São Francisco, ‘Chão da Quinta’ Encruzado Reserva is from the Dão and partially aged in oak. It’s a gorgeous wine. There are notes of quince, green pear, and white peach along with subtle yogurt and mineral notes. It’s an elegant, medium-bodied white that sits nicely on the palate. Bracing acidity for a barrel-aged wine and a long, salty, and mineral-driven finish. Score: 91/100

• Rama & Selas, Branco Bruto 2017

The Rama & Selas, Branco Bruto is a sparkling wine from Arinto, Chardonnay, and Baga. This has spent 9 months in the bottle. Notes of mineral, white flower, white pear, lemon, and a hint of biscuit. This has a fine bead of bubbles. Fruity and easy to drink with just a hint of complexity. This has a hint of volatile acidity, which adds to the complexity. Crisp and clean finish. Score: 89/100

• Quinta do Convento, Reserva Branco 2018

The Quinta do Convento, Reserva Branco is a barrel-aged blend of Semillon and Arinto. It is shy at first as the wood sticks out at the beginning. As the wine breathes and gains air there are flavors of white flower, white pear, white peach, and white apricot. Oily mouthfeel with well-integrated wood. There is a line of bright acidity that stretches the palate. This is good now but it really built to age. Score: 90+/100

Portuguese Red Wine

• Quinta do Daniel, Douro Reserva 2015

The Quinta do Daniel, Douro Reserva is a blend of Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, and other varieties aged in new oak for 12 months. It’s hard to believe that this is five years old, it smells like really fresh red wine. There are notes of black cherry pie, mulberry, and a little white pepper. It’s a fruit dominant red. Full-bodied and plush it has mouth-coating tannins. The fruit carries through all the way and the alcohol isn’t felt. Easy drinking, full-bodied red now but it has the potential to improve in the cellar. Score: 89/100

• S. Caetano, Vinhão 2018

The S. Caetano, Vinhão is a unique Vinho Verde Tinto made from Vinhão aka Sousão. Dark and inky with notes of blackberry, black raspberry, black cherry, and a hint of black licorice. On the first sniff, you might think that it’s a big, brooding red but there is plenty of acidity here. The acid isn’t searing like many examples of the grape can be but there’s enough of it. Soft tannins and a refreshing, fresh red to sip on without fuss. Score: 87/100

• Chão de São Francisco, ‘Chão da Quinta’ Signature 2015

The Chão de São Francisco, ‘Chão da Quinta’ Signature is a brilliant red wine. Made from Touriga Nacional aged in French oak. This isn’t a big bomb, there’s plenty of fruit here but it doesn’t overwhelm you with ripeness. Flavors of blackberry, black raspberry, black tea, menthol, and gravel. There’s enough fruit upfront with subtle complexities on the backend. The tannins build slowly but are never too dry. High acidity that should ensure this has a long life ahead. They call Dão the Burgundy of Portugal and one taste of this will tell you why. Score: 92/100

• Chão de São Francisco, ‘Chão da Quinta’ Premium Touriga Nacional 2016

The Chão de São Francisco, ‘Chão da Quinta’ Premium Touriga Nacional is another delicious Touriga Nacional aged in French oak. The nose draws you in right away with the notes of blackberry, red raspberry, crushed flowers, and pine. It’s a dark, inky red wine that is generous on the palate right from the first sip. The tannins are chewy and sweet, which feel great in the mouth. This is a beauty to drink now. Score: 91/100 

• Rama & Selas, Tinto Reserva 2015

The Rama & Selas, Tinto Reserva is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Baga, Syrah, and Merlot. It’s a wine that has resisted aging with notes of blackberry, black cherry, and a touch of tobacco & pencil lead. It’s a big, fruity wine that has the oak under control. There’s a mouthful of fruit up front with some grippy tannins on the back end. It’s a delicious red but doesn’t have the refinement to be great but it doesn’t have to be. At this price, this is a real winner. Score: 89/100

• Quinta do Convento, Tinto 2018

The Quinta do Convento, Tinto is a blend of Caledoc and Touriga Nacional. This is beautiful and very Portuguese in flavor. Notes of blackberry, black raspberry, bramble, stems, and pepper notes. This has plenty of ripe fruit but it isn’t a big wine, it’s more medium-bodied. Chewy tannins and vibrant acidity. Delicious and accessible. Score: 89/100

• Quinta do Convento, Tinto Reserva 2007

Quinta do Convento, Tinto Reserva is a blend of Syrah and Touriga Nacional aged in French oak. There is beautiful development here with notes of leather, tobacco, dried raspberry, dried cherry, and pepper. The palate still has substantial tannins and an earthy finish. There’s plenty of plush, developed fruit with high acidity. It acts almost Pinot Noir-esque. If you want the taste of aged wine that doesn’t break the bank, this is worth checking out. Score: 91/100

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Thanks to the Family Wine Growers Portugal and the wineries for arranging samples to be sent. 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 Portuguese Wine |The More, The Merrier appeared first on Wine Travel.

We had a fantastic time at the (Facebook) #winelover’s See You In Serbia trip. Having spent nearly six months in the country, we consider ourselves rather familiar with Serbian wines. Because of that, we oscillated between “Let’s go. I’m excited!” and “Meh. I’m not sure if we will see, taste, or learn anything new.” In the end, we committed to the trip because “Of course there’s always something new to learn and experience.” But the ultimate determinant was the friendships: to show support for an initiative that our friends work so hard for and take the opportunity to know the #winelover community.  And we’re glad we participated as we were rewarded in more ways than one.

Tomislav Ivanović, Mirjana Maksimović, Igor Luković, and Dušan Jelić did a remarkable job of organizing the trip for a large group of discerning wine lovers. Over the course of five days, #winelovers from all around the world got to taste Serbian wines from nearly 50 producers.
 

BYOB Dinner

All #winelover trips usually start off with a BYOB dinner, and this trip was no exception. The dinner was held at Steak & Wine with Dejan Živkoski, President of SERSA – Serbian Sommelier Association, as the host. All attendees brought at least one bottle of wine to the dinner. For us, it was almost a civic responsibility to share Croatian wines. We chose a Tomac Amfora 2008 and a Križ Plavac Mali 2015 to share with the group.

There were many outstanding wines that night, but the highlights were the many bottles of Hungarian Furmint and Tokaj wines that Daniel Ercsey, Koltai Piroska and Sue Tolson from WineSofa shared with us. And the “wine of the night” for us was a Paolo Bea Sagrantino from Montefalco Secco Pagliaro 2009 that Rowena Dumlao Giardina from Apron and Sneakers brought (photo below).

 

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Negotin Region

East Serbia is home to what we believe is  Serbia’s best area for red wine. The journey to Negotin from Belgrade is tediously long. We started the day in Belgrade at 7:30 AM and came back at 1:30 AM. While many people grumbled about the long bus ride—having been to the region—we felt it was vital for the group to visit Negotin.

You can mouse over the picture below and play the video.

 

On the Aquastar Maxim ferry that took us through the Iron Gates gorge on the Danube River. Romania on one side, Serbia on the other, and wine lovers from all over the world on board.

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The day started with a cruise ride through The Iron Gates, a gorge on the Danube River. The Iron Gates acts as a border between Romania and Serbia. At 2,860 meters, the Danube River is Europe’s second longest river and flows through 10 countries. During the ride, we passed through the narrowest point of the river. Here’s a look at that point.

The gorge is also home to a sculpture of Decebalus. As the last king of Dacia, he fought against the Roman emperors to preserve the kingdom’s independence. At over 40 meters in height, the sculpture is the tallest rock sculpture in Europe.

After the boat ride, we arrived at Matalj Winery. The proprietor Nikola Mladenović Matalj hosted 10 wineries from East and Southeast Serbia at his winery. The #winelover attendees all had their list of favorites, and many from the group walked away impressed with the quality, if not potential, of Serbian wines. We took personal delight in the fact that the Matalj Kremen Kamen impressed many wine lovers.

 

Excellent example of Vranac and a common favorite among the #winelover people at the tasting. Lots of oak influence but well integrated into the wine: it was fruit first, then secondary profile, and only a sign of tertiary notes in this 6-year-old wine. With its high acidity and tannins, this is a candidate for longer aging. Even with 15% alcohol, it has enough fruit and extract to go some distance.

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Our surprise of the day was the fresh Chardonnay by Bukovo Monastery; the wine had a floral-accented profile along with fruit power. Their wines are made by superstar-winemaker Radovan Djordjević (owner of Podrum Čokot). Many people from the group also enjoyed the Vinarija Raj Game (Gamay) and the Aleksić Armanet (Vranac).

 

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The night ended with a trek up to the old cellars of Rajac. While not everyone appreciated the one-kilometer, uphill hike, we got a chance to taste some romača (homemade) rakija and wine, which softened the four-hour bus ride back to Belgrade.

 

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Prokupac Day

September 14 is International Prokupac Day. Our trip included passes to the annual Prokupac Conference organized by Wine Identity. The conference consisted of four workshops that were delivered at a breakneck, yet efficient manner. The conference was headlined by Master of Wine Caroline Gilby.

 

90-people strong class on #ProkupacDay.

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The class on the aging potential of Prokupac by Tomislav Ivanović caused a stir among the crowd. Tomislav presented several labels and vintages from Vino Budimir, including Budimir Triada, Budimir Svb Rosa, and Budimir Boje Lila. As the workshop showed, while there might not be examples of Prokupac (yet) that show enough fruit power to undergo decades of aging, those wines can definitely develop well in the short and medium term.

Two wines that also impressed us were the Čokot Radovan 100% Prokupac 2015 and the latest 2015 vintage of Ivanović No 1/2 (50% Prokupac, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 25% Merlot). It’s no surprise since these two producers, along with Budimir, are among the top wineries in the Župa Valley—the spiritual home of Prokupac.

One example that caught our attention was a white wine made from Prokupac. The Milanov Vinarija Prokupac Belo (White) showed that this grape might be capable of making pleasant Blanc de Noirs wine. Other new producers of red Prokupac that stood out to us included Vinarija Grabak and Vinarija Yotta.

The Exotic Wine Travel team has always been fond of Prokupac, and we believe that it has the potential to shine on the international platform; so it was exciting to witness the reactions from the #winelover group. The remarks were mostly positive. However, there was a clear divide between people who think that Prokupac wines should be blended with international grapes and others who like it as a varietal wine. Regardless, many concurred that the grape is capable of making good wines.

Wines From Šumadija and Vojvodina

The third day included a field trip to Šumadija, a wine region in Central Serbia. The first stop was Aleksandrović Winery, one of the first three privatized wineries that appeared in Serbia after the Soviet period and also one of the biggest producers in Serbia.  The rest of the afternoon saw us making stops at The Kings Cellar in Oplenac and Despotika Winery.

We enjoyed tasting with the #winelover group, which consisted of wine professionals, winemakers, wine importers,  writers, bloggers, and staunch wine lovers. It’s always eye-opening and humbling to taste wine with people with extensive and varied experience. Here’s a snap of the group at Aleksandrović. Thank you Sharon Parsons from Spaswinefood for the photo.

Our stop at The King’s Cellar provided a look at the history and lives of King Alexander and Queen Maria. While we’ve never found pleasure in drinking their wine, the visit offered a brief look into the history of Yugoslavia and the Šumadija region. We followed up with a visit to Despotika Winery, where eight wineries from Central Serbia presented their wines.

 

The Church of Saint George in Oplenac offers a stunning interior of 3500-square-meter mosaics. The Jesus on the ceiling is the largest piece.

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Many people found the wines from Virtus agreeable with their palates; the newest vintage of its Marselan was a popular favorite with its full body, deep color, high level of extract, and excellent price-quality ratio. Several of the whites from Despotika also impressed the group, including an off-dry Morava with piercing acidity. The Janko Zavet Stari (Bordeaux Blend) and Radovanović Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve also received a fair share of votes. While there were many excellent producers present, we were disappointed that the wines from Cilić weren’t there.

Here’s a shot of Despotika‘s vineyards at sunset.

 

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The group headed back to Belgrade and we concluded the day with a gala dinner at The Square in downtown Belgrade. The restaurant is located in Square 9 Hotel, and it’s often touted to be one of the best dining spots in the city. The wines of Vojvodina (North Serbia) were showcased, and the Bijelica Saga 2016 stood out to many people. Indeed, we think this blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon is perhaps the best fresh white wine in Serbia right now.

Biodynamic and Orange Serbian Wines

We finished the trip with a morning tasting of biodynamic and amber wine / orange wine from Serbia. Even though the modern wine industry is fairly young in Serbia, there is a progressive movement for minimal-intervention wine. There were five producers present at the tasting Bikicki, Dukay-Sagmeister, Imperator, Kovačevic, and Maurer.

Several people enjoyed this tasting the most out of all the ones in our program.

Oskar Maurer is probably Serbia’s most well-known producer as his wines are available at at least 10 Michelin-starred restaurants in the world.

Oskar also helps make the wine at Bikicki, a new producer that crafts a light and delicious macerated Pinot Grigio and a late-harvest Traminer among others.

The newest vintage of Riesling from Imperator drew many positive responses as well.

Dukay-Sagmeister stole the show that morning. The dry Furmint received rave reviews in addition to his elegant red made from Kadarka. Many people bought several bottles of Dukay-Sagmeister‘s wines.

Kovačevic was somewhat neglected at the tasting. Perhaps it was because there was no one from the winery to represent their wines, or maybe it was because their wines do not follow minimal-intervention farming.

 

Furmintis because it’s botrytis Furmint. 😂😂😂 Absolutely stunning Serbian dry Furmint and the best discovery from last night’s Wine Jam event. The noble rot flavors, such as honey and cotton candy, are present on the palate and show only the slightest presence on the nose. What’s stunning is those flavors are mere ‘afterthoughts’–so light-footed that they, in fact, highlight the varietal characteristics: the Furmint’s primary flavors and acidity march out straight from the textbook. Overall, it’s a really nuanced wine. We have to re-taste and probably enjoy a whole bottle to fully comprehend this wine. Yea, thankfully, we managed to buy a bottle!

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The People of #Winelover

Romania was never high up on our priority list of “exotic wine places” to explore because of the lack of an active motivation or an experiential hook. Recently, one of my best friends had a swindler-related, near-violent experience there. The limited Romanian wines we tasted also failed to impress us (although we are certain that there are excellent Romanian wines).

More than 10 Romanians attended the #winelover trip, and they offered us a window into a place that we were unfamiliar with. They were warm, funny, and enthusiastic, and we bonded during the five-day trip. Now it looks like we might have to make a trip to Romania in 2018!

Special thanks to Alexandra Sabotnicu Serban, Silviu Serban, Serban Sincai, and Simona Sincai for making us love Romania even before we’ve met it.

 

Today marks the end of the #winelover trip in Belgrade. We are so lucky to meet so many new friends during this trip, and some of them have left us hooks to visit their countries.

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Another wonderful person we met was Manuella Webber-Witt, a Brazilian making wine in Germany. On the last day, we got the chance to taste her Riesling from Pfalz. It’s a Qualitätswein with brilliant acidity and crystalline fruit flavors. All the best to Manuela as she works on making her wine a commercial product!

Everyone else on the trip touched us in one way or the other. There were a lot of laughs on this trip including Giannas Krassaki who overslept and missed the entire first day of the trip (he is not in our group photo below). Thanks to everyone who made this trip so special for us. The enthusiasm and passion that the #winelover group displayed are what make these trips so special. Thank you Luiz Alberto of The Wine Hub for the photo below.

We look forward to meeting all of you, current and future members of #winelovers, on the next trip!

 
 
You May Also Enjoy
Articles: Serbian Wine
Videos: Serbian Wine – YouTube Playlist
More photos and updates about the #winelover trip in Serbia can be found on our Facebook and Instagram.

Check Out the Websites of Our #Winelover Members
Carol Lopez-Bethel’s Swirl Wine Consulting
Christina Portz’s Just the Bottle
Dušan Jelić’s Wines of Balkans
Mirjana Maksimović’s Žena i Vino (in Serbian)
Piroska Koltai’s Wine a’More Travel
Razvan Stoenescu’s Povești cu vin (in Romanian)
Sarah May Grunwald’s Taste Georgia
Tomislav Ivanović’s Vinopedia

The ideas expressed in this article are personal opinions and are not associated with any sponsors or business promotions.

The post See You in Serbia #Winelover Trip appeared first on Wine Travel.

Charine and I moved to Zagreb for a few months in late 2016/early 2017 to finish the research for our upcoming Croatian wine guide. It just so happened that there was a Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) course happening in Zagreb at the end of 2016. We decided to kill two birds with one stone and finish the wine research while getting our WSET Level 3 certification. We chose the Wine Academy Croatia as our course provider.

WSET – Wine & Spirit Education Trust

WSET is one of the big names in international wine education for enthusiasts and professionals in the wine industry. There are four levels. The first two are targeted at wine enthusiasts, level III is known as the advanced certification, and level IV is a diploma course. For those who want to apply for the Master of Wine course, it is necessary to complete the WSET level IV diploma. Confident in our wine experience and knowledge, we opted to skip levels I & II, going straight to the level III course.

The criticism of the WSET program is that it is simply a certification mill. Some people say that passing the WSET course is meaningless, apart from the WSET Diploma. Some people say it makes people robotic in their approach to tasting. Others have said that it poorly trains people to describe wine. Regardless of these complaints, we found the course to be incredibly valuable. Here are some of our thoughts on the course.

SAT Tasting Method

The WSET calls their tasting method SAT, which is an acronym for Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine. The SAT is a structured system although it still leaves some room for subjectivity. It is broken down into observing the appearance, smell, and taste of the wine to determine the quality and price level.

Prior to taking this course, we had honed our tasting skills by doing a lot of reading and massive amounts of tasting. In 2016, we tasted a little over 3,000 wines. After taking the course, we found that our tasting techniques were a little sloppy, as well as our wine descriptions.

We really enjoyed the deductive tasting process when it comes to describing the body of a wine. To consider that oak and alcohol can bring the body of a wine up while acidity can bring the perception of the body down was a game changer for us. When we tasted in the past, we measured body mostly by weightiness on the palate.

I used to wonder if a wine can have high alcohol while being medium or low in body because of the mouthfeel. Using the deductive SAT method has allowed us to answer that question by taking acidity, oak, and perception of sugar into consideration. Looking at a wine more holistically instead of relying simply on feeling alone has allowed us to state our observations with more confidence.

Winemaking Process

While I come from a farming family, we both admit our shortcomings when it comes to knowledge of the winemaking process. What we know about the winemaking process comes from constantly traveling, spending time with producers, and seeing a few harvests.  When we first started traveling for wine, many of our questions probably seemed mundane, ignorant, and dumb.

The great thing about WSET is the coursepack and powerpoints which describe the winemaking process. The flow charts created by WSET describe the winemaking process clearly. They are not intended to make you a winemaker by any stretch but they offer a broad view of the process.

There were four Croatian winemakers attending the course with us. All of them wanted to learn more about international wines. The time we spent interacting with them, asking questions, and having discussions were invaluable. We’re thankful that the Wine Academy Croatia attract these types of people into the course, which offers a new dimension of learning and experience to us.

We find all of this information to be useful in understanding wine holistically. More importantly, it will allow us to have better conversations with producers.

Tasting Choices from Wine Academy Croatia

This is where Wine Academy Croatia excels as a course provider. One of the instructors works for a wine importing business in London. Because of this, Wine Academy Croatia has access to many excellent wines from around the world that are not available on Croatia’s wine market. We tasted close to 80 wines over the duration of the course.

These were our favorite wines tasted in class.

WHITE WINES

• Dawson & James, Chardonnay 2011 – Tasmania, Australia

This is an oaked Chardonnay done right. From the island of Tasmania, this wine was tasted double blind. It has all the fresh characteristics of Chardonnay with a touch of wood and very high acidity. Banana, pineapple, tropical fruit. Extremely delicious and wonderful. A fresh approach to New World Chardonnay.   4.3/5

• Chateau Lamothe, Bouscaut 2014 – Pessac – Léognan, France

A marvelous white Bordeaux! This is a 55-45 blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. The wine is herbal with a touch of oxidation. Nice acidity. Flavors include grass, stone fruit, herb, cat pee, and sweet oak with deliberate oxidation notes. This wine has the stuffings to age. It is a beautiful wine.   4.6/5

• Domaine du Chêne, Condrieu 2013 – Rhone, France

This is the first Condrieu that I’ve tasted. Fashionable as a premium white wine made from Viognier that should always be drunk fairly young. This is full of dried stone fruit, apricot, jasmine, brioche, and almond flavors. I tend to prefer acidic white wines and Condrieu is renowned for its low acidity. My preference doesn’t matter, this is a wonderful wine.   4.8/5

• Domaine Koquelicot, Belaigra Grand Cru 2013 – Istria, Croatia

This was served to us during our practice blind tasting examination. Most people thought it was a Puligny-Montrachet (high-end White Burgundy). This winery is made up of a Frenchman and an Istrian woman. This is full of flint, stone fruit, vanilla, and oak. Flavorful, nice acidity, and very elegant.   4.4/5

RED WINES

• John Duval Wines, Entity Shiraz 2013 – Barossa, Australia

After 29 years as a winemaker at Penfold’s, John Duval left to start his own winery. This is Australian Shiraz in a big way. It is dark, full of spice and blackberry jam. The tannins are ripe and mouthcoating, you need a huge steak to make this easier to drink. It is nice now, but boy has the stuffing to age gracefully.   4.2/5

• Chateau Talbot, Saint Julien 2005 – Bordeaux, France

This vintage, as well as 2009 and 2010, are considered to be the vintages of the century thus far in Bordeaux. This producer has a track record of producing very good and fairly inexpensive wines. It has a rocking nose of tobacco, tomato leaf, cedar, and chocolate. The finish is long and the tannins are fine and gritty, this can age even more. Excellent wine and can be transcendent if the palate offers the same ommmpf as the nose.   4.3/5

• Cafaro, Merlot 2010 – Napa Valley, USA

I was wondering how the USA would be represented in this course. Most of the excellent wines from America don’t make it abroad. If they do make it overseas, they come with insanely high price tags. This wine is from a producer who recently closed his doors, what a pity. The wine is a wonderful blend of New World fruit and Old World earthiness. Leather, meat, tobacco, cedar, tomato leaf, and blackberry. Beautiful structure with a long finish.   4.3/5

• La Croix de Saint Jean, Lo Paire Minervois 2012 – Languedoc – Roussillon, France

A GSM blend (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre) from the south of France. I really enjoy the wines from Languedoc – Roussillon. Mostly Syrah, it is a big wine that has all the stuffing to age gracefully. This is chalked full of dark fruit, cedar, and licorice. High in alcohol, with medium tannins, and a voluptuous body, this wine is a pleasure to drink.   4.2/5

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

Conclusion

We were happy with the entire WSET 3 experience. Wine Academy Croatia did a fine job and exceeded our expectations with the wine tasting samples. The course was fun and dynamic. We skipped the Level I and II course and jumped straight into level III. It didn’t prove to be a big leap as we both passed the final examination.

You can find out more about the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and the course provider we used, Wine Academy Croatia, on the websites listed below. 
– https://www.wsetglobal.com
– http://www.wineacademycroatia.com
Many of the wines we tasted in class are available at Liberty Wines.

Disclaimer: This article is based on our own opinions and is NOT associated with sponsorship or business promotions of any kind.

The post Wine Academy Croatia: Advancing with WSET appeared first on Wine Travel.

Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean with an area of 9,251 square kilometers. Situated at the northeastern end of the Mediterranean basin, the country lies at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Due to its geographical position, Cyprus’s history is marked by turbulence and its culture is shaped by different influences—from the Greeks to Phoenicians, Assyrians, Venetians, French, Ottomans, and British.

The rich history of Cyprus is accompanied by the grapevines. Winemaking in Cyprus has enjoyed historical continuity through a period of more than 5,000 years. Today, wine continues to play a role in the Cypriot identity. The country offers a panorama of wine history that puts it—not in the Old World or New World but—in the ‘Ancient World’ of wine.

15 Pointers to Get You Acquainted with the Wines of Cyprus

Here are a few pointers to get you started on the wines of Cyprus. Stay tuned to our website for more articles and videos on the Cypriot wine scene.

• Before 1991, Cyprus used to produce 300 million liters of wine; most of the Cypriot wine was exported to the Soviet Union. Today, the production has dropped to about one-tenth of that.

• Like the former Eastern Bloc, Cyprus’s wine industry had to reinvent itself following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the consequent waning demand for cheap, low-quality wines. The final blow came in 1996 when a new EU directive made it illegal for any fortified wines made outside Jerez to assume the title of sherry. Cyprus gave up its ability to market certain wines as sherry, which further stimulated the drastic restructuring of the Cyprus’s wine industry.

• On 1 May 2004, the country became a full member of the European Union. To bring the wine industry in line with the membership, a controlled appellation scheme was developed. With the collapse of its main export market in the Soviet Union, Cyprus was severely affected by the EU’s Vine Pull Schemes. Many of the old vines were pulled and many vineyards were abandoned as a result.

• Today, the average age of the vines in Cyprus is around 50 to 60 years old. More than 90% of the vines are goblet-trained.

• The emergence of high-quality Cypriot wine reached its tipping point about six years ago, the same time when wine bars started appearing in the cities of Cyprus.

• Cyprus escaped the phylloxera plague, so its rootstocks remain ungrafted; although sometimes, international varieties may be grafted onto the roots of local varieties (where both varieties belong to Vitis vinifera).

• The climate is predominantly Mediterranean. Climate hazards are mostly hail and frost in higher-elevation vineyards. Humidity level is low though some areas have its own microclimate that can develop Botrytis cinerea.

• Cyprus has some of the highest vineyards in Europe, reaching over 1,400 meters above sea level.

• Commandaria—the luscious, sweet wine of Cyprus—is said to be the first wine in history to receive the protection of name and geographical origin. In the 13th to 14th centuries, the Cypriot wine, along with other sweet wines from the east and Italy, fetched higher prices in the English market than the wines of France.

• Up until the late 1980s, almost all the Cypriot wines were made by wineries located near the docks of Limassol or Paphos, namely the big four: Etko, Keo, Loel, and Sodap. Today, the market is wonderfully diverse with over 60 registered wineries. Among those are two registered organic producers and more than a handful of the wineries are run by academically trained viticulturists and enologists.

• Generally, the people in Cyprus do not enjoy oak-induced flavors in wine. As such, you’ll find the market dominated by fresh, unoaked whites (made from the local variety Xynisteri) and reds (usually a blend of local and international varieties). The Cypriots also love both rosés and reds that are slightly tannic.

• The total number of indigenous varieties is estimated to be around 70, although only 20 have been registered so far. The indigenous varieties you’ll likely come across are Maratheftiko, Mavro, Morokanella, Ofthalmo, Promara, Spourtiko, Xynisteri, and Yiannoudi. While not entirely indigenous, another variety to look out for is Lefkada. Called Vertzami in Greece, the Lefkada vines arrived in Cyprus in 1956 from the island of Lefkada in Greece. As a variety, Vertzami is mostly used as a blending grape in Greece. However, in Cyprus, you’ll get a chance to try Lefkada as a monovarietal wine.

• Among the international varieties, Shiraz/Syrah is regarded as the best suited for the Cyprus’s climate, although we’ve encountered more interesting Cabernet Sauvignon wines (than Shiraz) that can take on some of its counterparts from California. Other popular international grapes that you can find in Cyprus: Alicante Bouschet, Cabernet Franc, Carignan, Chardonnay, Mataro/Mourvedre, Merlot, Muscat of Alexandria, Sauvignon Blanc, and Semillon.

• There are currently seven “Wine Routes of Cyprus” and they are Laona-Akamas, Vouni Panagias-Ampelitis, Diarizos Valley, Krasochoria of Lemesos, Commadaria, Pitsilia, and Lanarka-Lefkosia.

• Generally, wine prices at the cellar are between €5 and €18, while some vintage Commandaria and sweet wine can go up to €80. The quality-price ratio is startling and, together with its organoleptic merits, makes Cypriot wine a real treat whether you’re a connoisseur or casual wine drinker.

Navigating Cyprus

Language
The official languages are Greek and Turkish. English is widely spoken.

Accommodation
There are plenty of hotels and guesthouses in most of the towns and villages along the wine routes.

Eat
Visit the tavernas for unique local dishes. More information about the Cypriot cuisine and wine-and-food pairing tips will be available in future articles.

Getting There
More than 30 airlines operate scheduled flights from and to

1. Larnaca International Airport
– 8 km from Larnaca (Larnaka)
– 50 km from Nicosia (Lefkosia)
– 70 km from Limassol (Lemesos)
– 50 km from Agia Napa
– 140 km from Paphos (Pafos)

2. Paphos Airport
– 15 km from Paphos (Pafos)
– 63 km from Limassol (Lemesos)
– 130 km from Larnaca (Larnaka)
– 50 km from Polis
– 142 km from Nicosia (Lefkosia)

Connect with Us!

If you enjoy this rundown on the wines of Cyprus, please subscribe to our newsletter and follow our social media platforms to receive more updates, including tasting notes and specific producers in Cyprus to look out for. We tasted over 200 Cypriot wines from 30 different producers to filter out the best for you!

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Disclosure: Our trip was partially sponsored by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation, The Annabelle Hotel (Paphos), and Saint Elena Hotel (Larnaca). A few wineries provided us tasting samples, but most of them simply gave us their time. The opinions expressed in this article are our own and we are under no obligation to give favorable reviews. 

The post Your Cheat Sheet to the Wines of Cyprus, Part I appeared first on Wine Travel.