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australia, austria, skin contact wines, slovakia, slovenia, yarra valley -

skin-contact wines

White wine is almost always made the same way. The grapes are pressed to gently extract the juice which is fermented with the skins removed (they can be used for grappa, added to a compost pit, or put back in the vineyard as organic matter: waste not, want not). This is to produce fresh, crisp, clear wines. There are exceptions. Because Riesling is never aged in new oak, the grape juice is often left in contact with the skins overnight to add structure and texture to the wine without interfering with the aromatics. Sauvignon Blanc sometimes has a short period...

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asturias, chile, dão, itata, portugal, slovenia, spain -

always on the look-out for the unexpected

In a wine world dominated by the same grape varieties made in more or less the same way, it’s always exciting to discover something different. More unusual, esoteric varieties are often connected to the history of a region, made by experimental mavericks, and stand out for the individuality of the wines. Take, for instance, Fran Ascencio and his Urogallo winery (named after a spectacular looking local bird) in Asturias in northern Spain. Asturias is a cool, wet, beautiful region, between Basque Country and Galicia, rising from the Atlantic Ocean into the Cantabrian mountains. It’s most famous for its cider as...

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Friulano, Goriška Brda, Hárslevelű, hungary, Nagy-Somló, Pesecká Leanká, slovakia, slovenia -

the unsung wines of central europe

  Winemaking is shaped by politics, culture, and the market, as well as by nature. I’ve recently been tasting wines from central European countries whose wine industries are still recovering from communist rule. The neglect and lack of investment hurt the wine industries of these countries; at the same time, the wines retain traditional winemaking practices and local grape varieties, making them feel authentic and distinctive. This is an ideal moment to explore these wines and the history behind them. Hungary is most famous for Tokaji and its world-class sweet wine. In the twentieth century, such a prized, expensive wine...

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