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Cramposie Selectionata

I was a bit in doubt if I find this PIWI variety as a dry single varietal wine, only few German winemakers come to my mind who might have tried it...... However, luckily, this German PIWI cross found a new home in Slovakia, where the local winemakers really bring out some greatness in this grape variety. Get more from my wine journey on Instagram 📷 References Vejrhøj "Daler" Danish Hibernal Sparkling Market in Bratislava 1. Grape and PIWI angle Hibernal is a fungus-resistant PIWI hybrid, crossed in 1944 at Germany's Geisenheim institute from Riesling and Seibel 7053. The Seibel parent carries American vine genes, and with them a resistance to mildew that lets growers spray a handful of times a season instead of a dozen. Bred in Germany, it found its home abroad, in the Czech Republic and now Slovakia. 2. The find Picked up at a Saturday craft market in Bratislava from a tiny southwest-Slovakian grower with barely a website to their name. A dry 2024 at around ten euros, likely unfiltered, from the kind of unknown producer you only stumble on in a wine region still flying under the radar. 3. The tasting Pale, faintly cloudy, 13.5% and likely unfiltered. Fresh and floral on the nose: citrus, green apple and pear from the Riesling side, riper peach from a warm vintage, a creamy lees texture and the faint green-pepper note typical of PIWI grapes. The palate is lively and lightly spicy, the acidity holding well, with a medium-plus finish. Clean and complex for the money. Wine Tasted Vino Ráchela Hibernal 2024 sec

At the Sebestyén winery in Szekszárd, a region given over almost entirely to red wine, Sebestyén Csilla opens the bottle on a rare white in the portfolio: Cserszegi fűszeres, an aromatic Hungarian crossing the family planted to start tastings and win over people who think they don't much like wine. Get more from my wine journey on Instagram 📷 1. Origin and grape Cserszegi fűszeres is a Hungarian crossing of Irsai Olivér and Roter Traminer, bred in 1960 by Károly Bakonyi and named after Cserszegtomaj, a village near Lake Balaton, with fűszeres meaning "spicy." It inherits Traminer's perfume, all lychee and spring flowers, but holds a fresh acidity that keeps it composed even in warm vintages. Early to ripen and hardy in the vineyard, it is as easy to grow as it is to like. 2. Why a red estate grows a white Szekszárd is red-wine country, some 90 percent of it, so a white here is a deliberate outlier. Csilla explains that her brother wanted one white to open a tasting with, and chose a local crossing over an international name. Planted on a plateau and fermented in stainless steel to preserve its freshness, it also appears in a lightly sparkling version that lifts the aromatics further. 3. The tasting On the nose it is unmistakably of the Traminer family, lychee, peach and flowers, aromatic without tipping into the overpowering. The palate then pulls back, more delicate and grapey than the perfume promises, carried by a medium-plus acidity that keeps it approachable rather than sweet or heavy. It is the kind of white that draws in people who claim not to drink wine, which is precisely the point. Wines Tasted Sebestyén Cserszegi fűszeres #wset #wineeducation #wine #winetasting #hungarianwine #magyarbor #whitewine #winelovers

Kiralyleanyka was long thought to be the same grape as the Romanian Feteasca Regala, bit genetic analysis confirmed that those two grape have nothing to do with each other... A classic and refreshing white wine, popular throughout Hungary, but especially in the Eger region, where it is part of the Egri Csillag blend. Get more from my wine journey on Instagram 📷 ⁠Instagram⁠ Wine Tasted Bolyki Kiralyleanyka 2025 Bolyki Winery ⁠Website⁠ Description Eger's "little princess" is one of Hungary's quiet workhorses: a fresh, structured white that lends backbone to the Egri Csillag blend. Long dismissed as a cheap summer wine, it's taken seriously again by producers like Bolyki, whose crisp, citric, almost spritz-like version shows what it can do. Its real fascination is genetic: for decades it was thought identical to Romania's Fetească Regală, until DNA proved the two unrelated, leaving Leányka as its confirmed mother and its father a mystery. Királyleányka, the "king's daughter," is an Eger native with a tongue-twisting name and a tangled past. In the vineyard it's a fussy, small-berried diva prone to rot; in the glass, at least in Bolyki's hands, it's all green apple, lemon and salty freshness, with a faint carbonic tingle. Once assumed to be the same grape as Fetească Regală that simply crossed from Romania under two names, it was shown by Wine Grapes' genetic work to be something else entirely: the daughter of Leányka, by an unknown father. A crisp, easy-drinking Eger white that's far more interesting than its mass-market reputation suggests. Királyleányka anchors the Star of Eger blend, and Bolyki, working from a spectacular quarry winery with famously playful labels, makes a vivid, spritzer-fresh example. Behind the wine sits a genetics detective story: the long-held belief that it was Romania's Fetească Regală under a Hungarian passport, undone by DNA that revealed no relation at all and left the "little princess" with a known mother, Leányka, and a lost father.

Frankovka, as they call Blaufränkisch/Lemberger/Kekfrankos here in Czech Republic fits perfectly to the terroir of Nemcicki. Despite warmer temperatures, he does not see a problem for the future. With regards to the more difficult vineyards, Jan uses Blaufränkisch-based PIWIs to reducing labor hours. Vitiforestry and breaking up monoculture are also at the center of efforts here. Planting fruits and vegetables in the vineyard, interrupting the rows of vines to create "connection channels" for the forest parts, and ultimately, as Jan did, having planted more than 3,000 trees, replant forests. For Czech Republic and its wines, Jan is optimistic for the future. But it needs effort to placing Czech Republic better on the export markets. Instead of many different varieties, especially the ones difficult to pronounce, he would prefer that winemakers focus on two or three signature varieties, Frankovka, Pinot Noir, Palava for example to show the dedicated work and signature of Czech wines.

I always had a crush on Hárslevelű, the aromatic backbone of the Tokaji Aszu blend. However, this grape deserves much more attention than it gets, especially in a dry style, where it really performs when made by talented winemakers like Demeter Zoltán. Get more from my wine journey on Instagram 📷 Instagram Wine Tasted Demeter Zoltán Szerelmi Hárslevelű 2024 Demeter Zoltán Winery Website Description Hárslevelű is Tokaj's second white after Furmint, widely known as the aromatic backbone of Tokaji Aszú, yet far too rarely drunk as a dry wine in its own right. The name explains the wine: hárs is the linden tree, levelű means leaved, so this is the linden-leaved grape, named both for the rounded leaf in the canopy and for the acacia honey, linden and pine-needle aromatics in the glass. The linden itself carries weight in European folklore as the tree villages gathered under to hold court and sign peace treaties, and, in literature again and again, as the place where people fall in love. The bottle is a single-vineyard 2024 from Demeter Zoltán, who together with István Szepsy pioneered dry winemaking in a region the world had only ever known for its sweet wines. The fruit comes from Szerelmi, from szerelem, Hungarian for love, so loosely the lovers' vineyard. The Demeter name is a coincidence rather than a nod to the biodynamic body: it is an occasional Hungarian given name, the equivalent of the Greek Dimitris. He works largely by hand and aims to draw out the character of each site individually, from a cellar in a house dating to 1790 in the village of Tokaj, where visits and tastings are worth booking ahead. In the glass the colour is deep yellow with golden reflections, and the wine carries 14.5 percent alcohol, fully dry but a clear signal that Tokaj is moderate to warm rather than cool, which is exactly why noble rot and its dessert wines work so well here. The nose brings peach and ripeness, the linden and pine-needle signature, herbal hints and a faintly oily richness, with malolactic and lees-contact depth adding a savoury, almost parmesan note. The palate is salty, fresh and mineral, the alcohol well integrated rather than hot, with a firm acid backbone. A wine to spend a whole evening with, and a reminder of how good this grape is when taken seriously.

Zéta is one of the six grapes permitted in Tokaji Aszú, and one you'll almost never see on its own. It's rare enough as a dry, single-varietal wine that I doubted I'd find one at all — until a wine shop in the village of Tokaj turned up a bottle.Get more from my wine journey on Instagram 📷 https://www.instagram.com/uncorkmywine_official/Zéta is a fitting name. In Géza Gárdonyi's Hungarian novel, Zéta is a Greek slave who moves unseen through the court of Attila the Hun — an invisible man. The grape is nearly as invisible: around 110 hectares, almost all in Tokaj, and mostly used as a blending partner in Aszú rather than bottled alone.It's also a modern variety. Zéta was crossed in 1951 by Ferenc Király — a breeder so fond of the letter Z that its half-siblings include Zenit, Zengő and Zeusz. It was called Oremus until 1999, when it was renamed to avoid confusion with the famous Oremus vineyard and winery. Among the six Tokaji Aszú grapes it earns its place by ripening early and taking botrytis readily, which makes it a useful backbone for the noble-rot sweet wines.The wine here is a dry, 100% Zéta from a small family estate run by Péter Ákos, between the villages of Tokaj and Tarcal, aged in old oak. Pale and greenish, 13% alcohol, and more complex than I expected: citrus and lime, an underripe-peach freshness, wet-stone minerality, and a chemical, almost bergamot edge on the nose, with a light creaminess and roundness from the barrel. Medium-plus acidity, good structure, fresh and lively with a medium finish — a terrace wine that also handles light fish or a cheese plate.

My first Romanian grape of the project, tasted deep in Transylvania near Dracula country. Fetească Regală, the "royal maiden," is grown almost nowhere but Romania, and at the Liliac winery I taste it two ways: a fresh, steel-tank white full of peach and citric acidity, and a serious, oak-aged Private Selection with the substance to age. I get into the grape's royal naming in 1928, the hundred-year mix-up over its parentage that DNA has only recently corrected, and why cool, green, rainy Transylvania gives it such freshness. One of Romania's most planted whites, and far better than its simple reputation suggests. Full notes at uncorkmywine.com: https://uncorkmywine.com/grapes/feteasca-regala

In 1522, the Turk’s were abandoning a siege, because they saw the locals drinking bull’s blood, the famous Egri Bikaver red wine blend…Eger has been one of my first wine trips ever. So, I am especially excited to share this 20-minutes wine travels report with you and introduce you briefly to some of the top wines here. Get more impression from my wine journey on Instagram📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkmywine_official/Discover the Eger wine region with me. Located 90 min North-East of Budapest, it offers not only beautiful architecture and exciting history, but also a bunch of quality winemakers taking local grape varieties, and the famous local blends to the next level. Egri Csillag is the famous Eger white wine blend, translating to “the star of Eger”. Only local white wine varieties are allowed, Furmint, Harslevelu, Leanyka, Kiraleanyka, and Zenit. Introduced in 2010. Much more history is on the back of the bull’s blood blend, the Egri Bikaver. Heavy red wines dominated by the famous Hungarian grapes Kadarka and Kekfrankos, and supported by international varieties such as Merlot, Syrah, and Pinot Noir. Often oak matured and alcohol-heavy, these red wine blends can age for decades and only get smoother with time. Wines tasted:1. Gal Tibor, Egri Csillag 2025, Eger, Hungary2. St. Andrea, Merengo 2022, Egri Bikaver Superiore, Eger, HungaryGal Tiborhttps://galtibor.hu/en📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/galtibor.titi/St Andreahttps://standrea.com/en📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standreawinery/#wset #wineeducation #winemaker #wine #winetasting #hungary #winelovers

Leányka is Eger's "maiden grape," and the reference books are unkind to it, soft, unexciting, usually blended away. I disagree. Tasting a steel-tank Leányka from the Eger legend Tóth Ferenc, I make the case for it as a fresh, saline, high-acid white with real charm, and tell the stories around it: the 1552 Bull's Blood siege, the naming rivalry during Hungary's War of Independence, why it is not the same as Romania's Fetească Albă, and how it became the parent of Királyleányka, the little princess. One of Hungary's coolest wine regions, one of its most underrated whites. Full notes at uncorkmywine.com.

The Wine Grapes encyclopedia describes Juhfark as "perhaps the least modern or internationally appealing of Hungarian varieties." I take a different view, so I went to Somló, a nine-million-year-old volcano in northwest Hungary that formed under an ancient sea and never erupted. Kis Tamás of Somlói Vándor farms six certified-organic hectares across twelve small parcels on the hill. We discuss why this thin-skinned, high-acid "sheep's tail" grape nearly vanished under socialism, why he sees it as a winner from a warming climate, and why Somló wines taste sharp and salty even when the numbers suggest otherwise. We also cover his use of oak, extended lees ageing, and a local fertility legend that no one can quite substantiate. Part of Uncorkmywine, a series working through the grape varieties of the Wine Grapes encyclopedia, recorded on location with the people who grow them.

Csokaszolo

Many countries in the world have their regional Muscat varieties... but often those ore mutations of Muscat Ottonel or Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains. In Czech Republic though, they were simply crossing their own Muscat variety in the 1980s. Get more impression from my wine journey ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠Youtube⁠ Muscat grows all over the world, but in the 1980s Moravian breeders were ambitious enough to make their own: Muškát Moravský, a crossing of Muscat Ottonel and Prachttraube built for a cool, continental climate. In this episode I taste two contrasting styles side by side, a bone-dry version from Sonberk in the Mikulovská sub-region and an off-dry kabinet from Zlomek & Vávra in Slovácká, and use them to tell the wider story of Czech wine: 18,000 hectares split 95/5 between Moravia and Bohemia, a tradition running back to the Romans, the clean cut of fifty communist years, and why so many Czech grapes are homegrown crossings. One of the 1,368 varieties from Wine Grapes, on camera. Full write-up and producer links at uncorkmywine.com. More about Moravia Wines tasted 1. Sonberk winery - Muskat Moravsky 2025 2. Zlomek & Vavra - Muskat Moravsky Kabinetni 2024 Wineries Sonberk Winery Zlomek & Vavra #Muscat #CzechWine #Moravia #Sonberk #winegrapes #uncorkmywine #WSET #wine

Pálava is one of the Czech Republic's signature grapes... ...and at Sonberk, near Popice in South Moravia, it produced a wine Decanter named the world's best dry aromatic white in 2017. In this episode I taste Pálava where it belongs, looking straight at the Pálava Hills it's named after. Get more impression from my wine journey on Instagram 📷 Instagram Youtube Pálava is a Czech crossing of Gewürztraminer (Tramín červený) × Müller-Thurgau, created by breeder Josef Veverka (crossed 1953) and named after the limestone hills of the Pálava region. Aromatic, spicy and full-bodied, it's made everywhere from bone-dry to sweet straw wine.Filmed at Sonberk — regarded as the first example of modern Czech wine architecture — with thanks to Kristina and the team.This is part of my project to taste all 1,368 grape varieties in Robinson, Harding & Vouillamoz's Wine Grapes. New varieties regularly — subscribe to follow the journey. Wines tasted 1. Sonberk winery - Pálava 2024, Stříbrný (Silver) 2. Sonberk Winery - Pálava 2024 VOC, Velký (Grand) 3. Sonberk Winery - Pálava 2024, Noble Rot, Velký (Grand) 4. Sonberk Winery - Pálava 2023, slámová, Velký (Grand) Sonberk Winery https://www.sonberk.cz/en/ Book a visit or tour via sonberk@sonberk.cz Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:27 Welcome 01:37 The Pálava hills 02:44 Sonberk Winery 03:31 Kristina Eibl 04:50 History of the region 07:39 Pálava grape variety 09:27 Wine 1 12:24 Wine 2 19:32 Wine 3 25:08 Wine 4 #Pálava #CzechWine #Moravia #Sonberk #winegrapes #uncorkmywine #WSET #wine

Have you tried ever tried Saphira? Let me know in the comments! Video recorded at Weingut Castellum Liechtenstein Wine tasted by Weingut Hoop, Liechtenstein Project Inspired by Jancis Robinson / Julia Harding / José Vouillamoz: Wine Grapes (2012) . (Affiliate Link) Saphira at PIWI International Saphira in the VIVC : Follow Uncorkmywine on Social Media Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Tiktok About Saphira Crossed in 1978 by German crosser Norbert Becker at the Geisenheim research insitute in Rheingau. Based von Arnsburger (a Riesling-based hybrid) and Seyve-Villard. Never really accepted by the wine growing community, today less then 20 hectares with around 11 hectares in Germany, 0.15 hectares in Liechtenstein and undefined plantings in Switzerland, the US, and Canada. Late-ripening with high acidity therefore a bit complicated to work with in the cellar. Medium lemon in color with greenish reflections. Medium-plus aroma intensity. Aromas of green apple, quince, hints of tropical like banana, very citric and a touch bitterness (grapefruit, raw almond) and some soft vegetal aromas (green haribo). On the palate, medium-plus acidity, bone dry, medium-minus body, 12% alcohol, no tannins. Well-balanced and structured with medium.plus finish. Read more about Saphira:

Have you tried a good Scheurebe? Let me know in the comments!Wine tasted by VDP. Weingut Müller-Catoir, Pfalz, Germany. https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/muller+catoir+manderling+scheurebe+trocken+bio+pays+erste+lage+germany+pfalz+haardt/1/germanyProject Inspired by:Jancis Robinson / Julia Harding / José Vouillamoz: Wine Grapes (2012).https://amzn.to/4niaJ7M (Affiliate Link)José Vouillamoz: Swiss Grapes (2020).https://amzn.to/44EYFF8 (Affiliate Link)LinksScheurebe at the German Wine Institue: https://www.winesofgermany.com/our-wine/grape-varieties/grape-variety/107/scheurebeScheurebe in the VIVC: https://www.vivc.de/index.php?r=passport%2Fview&id=10818Wine tasted by VDP. Weingut Müller-Catoir, Pfalz, Germany. https://www.mueller-catoir.de/product/scheurebe-trocken-mandelring-2023-750Follow Uncorkmywine on Social MediaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkmywine_official/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkmywine/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-eggers/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkmywineObtained in 1916 by Georg Scheu in Alzey. Originally, indicated as Riesling x Silvaner but today proven to be Riesling x Bukettraube. Circa 2,200 hectares globally of which 1,500 in Germany with Rheinhessen, Pfalz and Franken counting for 90%. Low requirements to soil as designed for the sandy soils of Rheinhessen but high demands to site when used for making sweet and dessert wines. Medium lemon in color. Medium-plus aroma intensity. Peach, apricot, quince, lemon merengue, grapefruit, raw almonds, honey. Medium-plus acidity, dry, medium-plus body, no tannins, 13% alc. Long finish with grapefruit and raw almonds. Read more about Scheurebe Grape Profile

Have you tried a good Müller-Thurgau? Let me know in the comments! Wine tasted by VDP. Weingut Böhme & Töchter, Saale-Unstrut, Germany https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/boheme+tochter+muller+thurgau+trocken+saale+unstrut+germany?srsltid=AfmBOorm0ylFYDIhEUpbGCVF5TzNS_18ca7i_ZGO-ptDDOqlt0WK-DpY Project Inspired by: Jancis Robinson / Julia Harding / José Vouillamoz: Wine Grapes (2012). https://amzn.to/4niaJ7M (Affiliate Link) José Vouillamoz: Swiss Grapes (2020). https://amzn.to/44EYFF8 (Affiliate Link) Links Müller-Thurgau at the German Wine Institue: https://www.winesofgermany.com/our-wine/grape-varieties/grape-variety/104/m%C3%BCller-thurgau Müller-Thurgau in the VIVC: https://www.vivc.de/index.php?r=passport%2Fview&id=8141 Wine tasted by VDP. Weingut Böhme & Töchter https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/boheme+tochter+muller+thurgau+trocken+saale+unstrut+germany?srsltid=AfmBOorm0ylFYDIhEUpbGCVF5TzNS_18ca7i_ZGO-ptDDOqlt0WK-DpY Follow Uncorkmywine on Social Media Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkmywine_official/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkmywine/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-eggers/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkmywine Müller-Thurgau has for many years been a low quality and high yielding grape, especially in Germany, where it was used for liter wines with residual sugar and Liebfrauenmilch. However, young winemakers are trying to change this and take the grape serious again. This fairly common grape variety is predominantly found in Germany, where its 10,000 hectares account for 10% of the German vineyard area. But we also find plantings in Alto Adige, Luxembourg, Eastern Europe, New Zealand, the US, or even Japan. It was crossed in 1882 by Hermann Müller, a Swiss breeder working at the Geisenheim research center in Rheingau, Germany. Müller came from the Swiss canton Thurgau, thus the name of his crossing became Müller Thurgau. He himself indicated that it was a cross of Riesling and Silvaner, thus the name “Rivaner” is often used for Müller-Thurgau especially in the Mosel and Luxembourg. However, genetical analysis has proven (Dettweiler 2000) that it in fact is a cross of Riesling and Madeleine Royale, a today insignificant 19th century grape. Wines are low in complexity with aromas of green apple, green pear, citrus, and a light minerality. The structure often provides medium-plus acidity, and in case of dry wines a light body with medium alcohol levels. Often without tannins, but natural winemakers are increasingly using it for orange wine production.

Have you tasted a good Goldriesling? Then let me know in the comments. ine tasted by Martin Schwarz: Project Inspired by:Jancis Robinson / Julia Harding / José Vouillamoz: Wine Grapes (2012).https://amzn.to/4niaJ7M (Affiliate Link)José Vouillamoz: Swiss Grapes (2020).https://amzn.to/44EYFF8 (Affiliate Link)LinksGoldriesling in the VIVC: https://www.vivc.de/index.php?r=passport/view&id=4884Wines by Martin Schwarz: https://www.schwarz-wein.de/shop/weine/Follow Uncorkmywine on Social MediaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkmywine_official/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkmywine/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-eggers/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkmywine...Wine by VDP. Weingut Martin Schwarz, Goldriesling, Sachsen, GermanyLink: https://www.schwarz-wein.de/shop/weine/

Chasselas Wine Tasted

Have you ever tasted Aubin Blanc? Let me know in the comments. Project Inspired by:Jancis Robinson / Julia Harding / José Vouillamoz: Wine Grapes (2012).https://amzn.to/4niaJ7M (Affiliate Link)LinksHumagne Blanc in the VIVC: https://www.vivc.de/index.php?r=passport%2Fview&id=759Wine tasted: https://www.domaine-laroppe.fr/produit/cotes-de-toul-blanc-bio-aubin-2023/Follow Uncorkmywine on Social MediaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkmywine_official/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkmywine/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-eggers/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkmywineAubin Blanc is an extremely rare grape variety from France, today allegedly only cultivated by the producer Vincent Laroppe on 1.6 hectares in the Lorraine. The grape is an offspring of Gouais Blanc x Savagnin and first mentioned in 1722 in a parliamental decrete in Metz, where it is excluded from a re-cultivation project, indicating that the Aubin varieties (Aubin Blanc & Aubin Vert) have been regarded as grapes worth cultivating in that time. The grape is not too expressive but providing fairly mature primary aromas of yellow apple, peach, quince, lemon curd, along with a strong floral perspective. Medium-plus acidity, dry, medium body and 12.5% alcohol make it a well-structured and balanced wine ideal for local cheese pairings of fish dishes like salmon with beurre blanc. Vincent Laroppe, Aubin Blanc, AOC Cote de Toul, France, LorraineLink: https://www.domaine-laroppe.fr/produit/cotes-de-toul-blanc-bio-aubin-2023/