Our Freiburg/Basel smash and grab

 

 

Is the world shrinking in terms of diversity? PostBrexit it seems we don't get as varied a choice of wines as we used to. On the other hand consumers seem to be getting slowly more adventurous. What are we talking about? Take Swiss wine for a start. There ws a guy called Nick Dobson who between 2002 and 2012 used to import a large and fascinating range of Swiss wines. Switzerland is a hot-spot for rare grape varieties and Nick wasn't afraid to specialise in them.

The company was taken over by the redoubtable Joelle Nebbe-Mornod who has managed to keep it going until today. One has the impression that this has not been easy becuse Joelle has widened the range by including several non-Swiss wines (Beaujolais, Austria, Liechtenstein, Champagne) and if we are not mistaken, reduced the range if not the quantity of wines from Switzerland. 

Not many other importers have taken up the challenge of bringing in Swiss wine so feeling the need to replenish our tiny stock of these fascinating wines we thought why not get a day flight to Basel on airmiles and bring back a haul of Himbertscha, Lafnetscha, Resi, Bondola, Completer, Diolinoir and Rauschling? Some of these are or have been available from Alpine Wines but many are no longer listed, out of stock or very expensive at up to £80 a bottle or more in certain cases.

So it made sense or so we thought to do a 'smash and grab' in Switzerland and we knew exactly where to go for that: the venerable Ullrich shop in Basel.

Spoiler alert: things have changed even more in Switzerland itself that at Alpine Wines. None of the varieties mentioned above was available from Ullrich. We were sure the choice had been much greater the last time we were there. 

Humagne Rouge (Cornalin), Fendant and the rare Humagne Blanche

 

In fact we were only able to buy a Humagne Rouge (aka. Cornalin), a Humagne Blanche (no relation) and of course a Fendant (Chasselas) there. The staff were very sweet but didn't know a great deal about Swiss grape varieties. Could something have changed there?  There seemed to be an inordinate amount of Pinot Noir on the shelves. Later we read somewhere that Pinot Noir now accounts for 95% of Swiss red wine. 

Also, there was not one bottle of Dole to be had. We had always been impressed by the range of Dole on offer at Zurich Airport Duty Free, but here at Ullrich, not a sign. 

 

We actually bought this bottle of Dole when back in the UK

Pleasant enough.

Why did we want to buy a bottle of Dole you ask? It is a 50/50 blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay - a sort of Passetousgrains. Well, it is or was a Swiss speciality so we wanted to find out what it was that made it so. Ditto Chasselas which some say is a boring grape but it very much is a Swiss speciality so there had to be something to it.

'Cepage Freiburger'

Cave et Domaine du Petit Chateau

2023, 13.5%. Appellation d'Origine Controlle.

Thanks to an article in 'Purple Pages' we had learend about a new Swiss hybrid called Freiburger. We managed to obtain a bottle of this from Moevenpick wine also in Basel . Apart from this bottle of Freiburger, the selection there was no better than at Ullrich. 

Freiburger is also known as Freisamer and is a cross between Sylvaner and Pinot Gris.

Talking about Freiburger, our plan for the one day 'Smash and Grab'  included a side-trip to Freiburg-im-Breisgau. This was to be a trip down memory lane hearkening back to 1963 when we spend a 'Sommersemester' brushing up our 'Germanistik' at the Albrecht Ludwigs Universitaet there. That was to have been our first deep immersion into a wine-producing area and we had enjoyed discovering the then little-known and unfashionable wines of Baden-Wuerttemberg and elsewhere. 

 

Goethe

We remember in particular consumeing refreshing bottles of Steinwein (a favourite of Goethe no less). Apparently Steiwein from Franken (Wuertzburg) is the oldest surviving wine in continuous production in Germany. It can be made from Riesling (inevitably) or Sylvaner. 

 

We remember Sylvaner Steinwein in particular in ther 'Bocksbeutel,' 

 

 

Also in the Freiburg Muensterplatz restaurants, you could get nice Baden wine in their characteristic glasses which are rare these days. These wines included the mysterious Rulander which we later discovered to be Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio. 

Back then people used to talk about Kaiserstuehler wines but we didn't  drink any of those at that time. So we resolved to buy some Kaiserstuhl wines in Freiburg. 

At the same time we put on the list some other German specialities otherwise unobtainable in the UK such as Trollinger (OK, that's Schiava which you can get here but not the German version), 

Beethoven

 

Portugieser, the grape of Voslau which we reckon is what Beethoven drank in Vienna when he couldn/t get his beloved Rheinland Hock, and Schwarzriesling (Pinot Meunier) and Samtrot (a clone of Pinot Meunier). 

We also discovered a variety which was new to us; Rieslaner.  This is a crossing of Riesling and Sylvaner from 1921 by August Ziegler at the Bayerischer Landesanstalt fuer Weinbau und Gartenbau in Veitshochheim near Wuertzburg. Rieslaner makes a white dessert wine and is usually rather expensive.

 

In Freiburg, we discovered a great wine merchant called Drexler. I was founded in 1899 but we had managed to miss it in 1963. 

Dr. Heger Pinot Noir and Hoefflin's Souvignier Gris 

 

both from the famous Kaiderstuhl area near Freiburg

The excellent staff at Drexler found a Spaetburgunder from the Kaiserstuhl, Dr. Heger's Ihringer 2020 which just fitted the bill and from them we also bought a Souvignier Gris by Weingut Hoefflin of Boetzingen, also in the Kaiserstuhl which should be interesting.

 

Also in Freiburg we went to the local branch of the fantastic supermarket, REWE where they had wines from all corners of Germany and elsewhere.  

Dornfelder, Samtrot and Trollinger

 

 

Samtrot is unheard-of  and Trollinger is rare in the UK.

 

Here we picked up a Samtrot and a Trollinger both from Wuerttemburg and a Dornfelder from the Pfalz. 

While researching Kaiserstuhl wines we came across a merchant in Weil am Rhein, Germany just over the border from Basel called Wein Werte. This excellent company is the brainchild of an extraordinary New-Zealander, Dr. Craig Thorrold. As well as winemerchant Craig has been a Sommelier in a Michelin starred restaurant in London, obtained a DPhil in Medieval Studies in Cambridge and lectured in languages and culture at universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. He is also part-owner of a restaurant for refugees near Basel SBB station called 'Restaurant du Coeur' and last but not least wine merchant.

 

 

On Wein Werte's list we had spotted many interesting wines including two we vere particularly keen to acquire: Heinrich's Roter Traminer 'Traminer Freyheit' an Orange wine from the Burgenland, Austria which we had throughly enjoyed previously and a true rarity of all rarities, a Mallorquin wine made by Mesquida Mora from a grape called Gorgollasa near Porreres, Mallorca.

 

It says 12.5%.

 

Apparently at the turn of the 21st century there were only 4 vines left of Gorgollasa. These were cultivated by a group of passionare winemakers  and in 2011 it became authorised in the Balearic islands. Today there are aroung 5 ha. and winemakers including Can Ribas, Oliver Moragues, Can Majoral, Selva Vins and our friend Galmes i Ribot (Cati Ribot) as well as Mesquida Mora are making wines with Gorgollasa.

Due to our impractical schedule we asked Craig Thorrold if we could pick up these two bottles from his restaurant in Basel since it lies alonside the very station we were useing to get to and from Freiburg. Not only did he agree to meet us there and hand over the bottles we had bought from Wein Werte online but he very kindly led us to the exact station platform for our train to Freiburg which thanks to him we caught with minutes to spare. You sometimes meet the most wonderful people in the wine world.

At the end of the day having checked in our 11 bottles, we took a look at Basel EuroAirport Duty Free. As in the city, things there had gone downhill over the years we were last there. In those days you could get a Gamaret/Garanoir among other Swiss wines there. Nowadays, nothing so interesting. 

 

 

 

The filling of the gaps, 2025.

 

 

Filling the gaps, 2025

Vine-Works 12.5                  31 x Divico (Gamaret and Bronner)

                                             25 x Pinot Iskra (Pinot Blanc)

                    21.5                  25 x Souvignier Gris (from Rebschule Freytag)

Ryedale Vineyard 29.5         31 x Divico

                                             13 x Muscaris

Rebschule Freytag 8.6           2 x Cabaret Noir

                                              10 x Souvignier Gris

                                              15 x Calardis Blanc

                                              16 x Cabernet Jura

The Gardening Club.            2 x Regent

Toad Hall Garden Centre      1 x Black Hamburgh

Total 171 vines.

 

We presume every vineyard has 'casualties' year upon year. Vines don't live for ever and when the vineyard comes to life in the spring, casualties become apparent. By then many vine nurseries are sold out so ordering small quantities to fill the gaps is tricky to say the least. 

 

As in previous years Will Mower of Vine-Works/The Vinehouse UK has come to the rescue. Being an 'experimental vineyard' we chose two new varieties to plant. At the Vineyard and Winery Show in November last year we were very impressed by the many English wines now made from the Divico grape. We had tried Divico before with 6 vines procured at great expense from Switzerland. They all died. Now Divico is being propagated by vine nurseries elsewhere. Our 31vines from The Vine-House UK came from a French 'pepiniere.' 

 

Another standout at the Vineyard and Winery Show was VCR's Pinot Iskra - a hybrid of Pinot Blanc with a resistance partner. 

 

We were especially delighted that Will managed to secure a bundle of 25 Pinot Iskra from VCR France. VCR is 'Vivai Cooperativi Rauscedo,' the world's biggest vine nursery. 

Will was able to offer us 13 Muscaris vines as well, so we were well on our way to getting a full house, or so we thought.

 

While planting these 71 beauties, we discovered further gaps so the hunt was on to seek out more vines. After some intense googling we came across the most unlikely supply source: a vineyard in Yorkshire.

At Ryedale Vineyard just outside York, there is a wonderful man called Jon Fletcher who has set up his own extensive vineyard as well as helping others to do so in his area and as far north as Scotland. Jon doesn't seem bothered with what goes on down South such is his independence in concentrating on northerly opportunities. 

 

He has become an official importer with his own EORI import license and was happy to sell us more Divico and some Souvignier Gris. Souvignier Gris and Muscaris have become a recognised blending partnership so we were very happy indeed to add more of this to the vineyard

. 

Rather than have Jon send us the vines by Parcel Force, we decided to go and fetch them from him personally and take a peek at his Yorkshire vineyard and maybe buy some of his wine.

Pinot Meunier

Madeleine Angevine

Fruehburgunder

Pinot Noir

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

York is only 2 hours from London these days and hiring a car from York Station for the day could be done for as little as £40. 

We bought Jon's Rose and two reds

The labels say 'From God's own country'

 

Originally we planned to visit two other vineyards while up there but massive traffic jams in the York area put a stop to that. Yorkshire Heart Vineyard at Nun Monkton (very near York) and Dunesforde Vineyard at Upper Dunsforth just a bit further out from the city. 

Now we had the bit firmly between our teeth as it were. There's nothing like close contact with the ground to reveal yet further planting opportunities and indeed, we spotted further gaps and spots to the unexpected total of 31. Where to get this final batch of vines? 

 

Sourcing from Yorkshire gave us confidence nothing was impossible so spreading our net further we found a further 10 Souvignier Gris remaining in the bins of a German 'Rebschule' plus 15 Calardis Blanc to supplement our existing stock of 25 vines and 2 Cabernet Noir which went neatly to filling remaining gaps in our planting of that grape. 

 

Furthermore, we were offered 16 Cabernet Jura. There were one or two Cabernet Jura vines in our vineyard planted after our visit to Valentin Blattner, the private Swiss grape breeder who had also bred Cabernet Noir and others we had  from him (see our post of 20.5.17). Of course we accepted these despite the fact our experience of wine made from Cabernet Jura had not been very promising.

 

Getting these German vines to us was tricky but we finagled a hand-over at Toddington service station on the M1 while some other vines were out for distribution elsewhere in the UK. This was becoming fun. 

The many of the holes for these vines had been dug previously  but many had not. Our soil is heavy clay with some shingle so help was sought. Unfortunately we were let down at the last moment so a great deal of frenetic digging had to be done. 

Less fun. At first it seemed maybe an Auger would help dig the holes. We had used this method in the past when a team from Romania had come to do planting. That was earlier when the ground was friable but now in June the earth was hard as nails. It didn't matter that we couldn't even get the Auger we had hires to fire up it wouldn't have helped anyway. 

Faithfull Pole Axe with spike and chisel ends

Taking it back to the hire company we saw some pole axes for sale. Remembering someone had used one previously on our land we bought one and it turned out to be just what we needed. Fun restored.

So with all the new vines put to bed we had to start placing rabbit guards on the first vines which were already starting to sprout. Again getting down and dirty, we spotted some yet further planting opportunities but only very few. In a fit of ultimate madness we bought a handsome Black Hamburgh vine from the local garden centre. That was an impulse buy to be sure but we had had a Black Hamburgh, aka Trollinger, aka Schiava before and had observed how the wasps went crazy for it. It will be interesting to see if they are still interested. It might keep them off the other vines. We also spotted little Regent vines for £7,99 at another garden centre and bought 2 of those. Very reasonable.

 

 

The Children of Extinct Trees

 

 The gardens at Ninfa are said to be the most romantic in the world. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Certainly many vistas could be the backdrop for Belcanto operas.

One of the most interesting aspects of this huge park, the site of a medieval city abandoned  in the 15th century, was the so-called gene bank to preserve the genes of otherwise extinct trees, in this case Oak trees.

Oak is a suitable subject for a wine blog even if the species represented here will probably never be used for making barrels. Not many of us will be around in any case even if they are. 

For us even more relevant to this blog are the efforts to save ancient varieties of oak from extinction. Just as moving as when we record the efforts of winegrowers to save grape varieties for posterity.

So here are the 9 species currently planted in the gene bank.

 

 

 

Children of extinct trees

The garden of Ninfa hosts a gene bank to preserve the genes of the plants of the future.

Starting from 2024, the Garden of Ninfa – a natural monument where poetry embraces architecture - hosts the children of the great trees that are no longer with us

Welcome to the Children of Extinct Trees

The Garden of Ninfa hosts a gene bank to preserve the genes of the plants of the future Starting from 2024, the Garden of Ninfa - a natural monument where poetry embraces architecture - hosts the children of the great trees that are no longer with us, but which were the most resistant and suitable plants to combat climate change. This is why we wanted to save their offspring and part of their DNA as natural heirs from extinction by creating a gene bank that will be fundamental in mitigating the environmental stresses taking place in our era. Thanks to the collaboration between the Roffredo Caetani Foundation (to whose family we owe the optimisation of this unique place seven centuries ago) and the association "Patriarchi della Natura in Italia" (Patriarchs of Nature in Italy) these small trees of great genetic value will grow and help us to better face our future.

 

Farnia di Meduna di Livenza
Meduna di Livenza English oak
(Quercus robur L.)

Comune / Location: Meduna di Livenza (TV)
Circonferenza del tronco / Trunk circumference: 5,8 mt
Età stimata / Estimated age: circa 300 anni / about 300 years
Splendido esemplare monumentale che troneggia nel giardino
della cinquecentesca Villa Weil, nel comune di Meduna
di Livenza. Si tratta probabilmente di una delle farnie più bélle
e grandi del Veneto, ma purtroppo è ormai giunta alla fine
dei suoi/giorni.

A splendid mohumental specimen towering in the garden
of the 16th-century Villa Weil, in the city of Meduna di Livenza.
It is probably one of the most beautiful and largest English oaks
in the Veneto region, but unfortunately it has now reached the end
of its days.

 

Leccio di S. Francesco
Holm Oak of St. Francis
(Quercus ilex L.)

Comune / Locarion: Sermoneta (LT)
Circonferenza del tronco / Trunk circumference: 5,1 mt
Età stimata / Estimated age: circa 528 anni / approx. 528 years

The plant is linked to St Francis and is said to have been planted
in 1495 at the behest of Pope Alexander VI, on the occasion
of the donation of the convent ef Sermoneta to the Minor Friars.
Unfortunately, the patriarch has lost a large branch and
is unbalanced, to the point that they had to build a scaffold to support
him. But it does not look like he will be able so resist for long.

 

 

Rovere di Caronia
Caronia durmast oak
(Quercus petraea subp. austrotyrrhenica)

Comune / Location: Caronia (ME)
Età stimata / Estimated age: 400 anni / years

Circonferenza del tronco / Trunk circumference: oltre 5 mt / over 5 mt
Caduta probabilmente nel 2021 / Probably fell in 2021

The mother plant grew in the extensive forests of the Nebrodi
Natural Park, where there are several monumental oaks that have
survived human action. During an excursion organised
in the summer of 2021, the large durmast oak was found
on the ground with its trunk broken; next to it were some small
seedlings that were recovered like this specimen.

Cerro di Amatrice
Amatrice Turkey oak
(Quercus cerris L.)

Comune / Loçation: Amatrice (RI)
Circonferenza del tronco / Trunk circumference: oltre 7 mt / over 7 mt
Età stimata / Estimated age: circa 600 anni / about 600 years
Caduta nel 2021 / Fell in 2021

It was the largest and oldest Turkey oak in Italy that had withstood
even the great earthquake of 2016, but died a few years ago.
In all likelihood, this small seedling daughter of the old Turkey oak
is the only surviving offspring that will be able to preserve the genetic
makeup of the mother plant. If we had not reproduced
its DNA would have become extinct forever.

Quercia delle Streghe
Witches' Oak
(Quercus puberscens Willd.)
Comune / Location: Loreto Aprutino (PE)
Circonferenza del tronco / Trunk cireumference: 6,5 mt
Età stimata / Estimated age: circa 420 annă / approx. 420 years
Caduta nel 2023 7 Fell in 2023
Una delle più belle e grandi querce d'Abruzzo cresceva in località
Passo Cordone (Pescara). A causa di lavori agricoli probabilmente
sono state tagliate alcune grosse radici. Una conseguente potatura
ha farto si che questo monumento della natura sia crollato esanime
afterra nel 2023. L'associazione Patriarchi della Natura aveva
recuperato alcune plantine nel 2022; eà oogi possiamo conservare
M getmoplasma di questa mapriarca.
One of the most beautiful and largest oaks in Abruzzo which used
to grow ar Passo Cordone (Pescara). Due to agricultural work, some large
roots were probably cut off. Subsequent pruning caused this monument
of nature to collapse lifelessly to the ground in 2023. The Patriarchs
of Nature association had recovered some seedlings in 2022, so today
we can preserve the germplasm of this matriarch.

Farnia di Forlimpopoli
English Oak of Forlimpopoli

(Quercus robur L.)

Comune / Location: Forlimpopoli (FC)
* Circonferenza del tronco / Trunk circumference: quasi 4 mt / almost 4 mt
Età stimata / Estimated age: circa 200 anni / about 200 years

This oak, unfortunately, has now reached the end of its days: in fact
it has begun to dry out part of its branches. Since it grows inside
the urban park of the hometown of the famous gastronome Artusi,
for safety reasons it has been surrounded by a fence that prevents
it from being approached. This is why it is important to preserve
its genetic makeup before it disappears forever.

Cerro di Brienza
Brienza Turkey oak
(Quercus cerris L.)

Comune / Location: Brienza (PZ)
Circonferenza del tronco / Trunk circumference: 7,8 mt
Età stimata / Estimated age: quasi 500 anni / almost 500 years
Caduta nel 2020 / Fell in 2020

The mother tree grew in the municipality of Brienza, in the Cerasa
valley and was one of the largest Turkey oaks in Italy Although
its trunk was hollow it resisted until the summer of 2020 when
it collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, the Petriarchi of Nature
association had visited this monumental tree and bad taken
a seedling, thus saving the matriarch’s genetic makeup.

Rovere di Mozzo
Mozzo durmast oak
(Quercus petraea Matt.)

Comune / Location: Mozzo (BG)
Circonferenza del tronco / Trunk circumference: oltre 5 mt / over 5 mt
Età stimata / Estimated age: circa 220 anni / approx. 220 years

The plant - a gigantic monumental oak - grew near an ancient villa
on a hill near the town of Mozzo. Today it no longer exists because
it was burnt down a few years ago. Unfortunately, man's ignorance
knows no bounds, but luck would have it that at its feet were born
some of its offspring, such as this one that is standing here.

Rovere Tiglieto
Tiglieto durmast oak
(Quercus petraea Matt.)

Comune / Location: Tiglieto (GE)
Circonferenza del tronco / Trunk circumference: 4,7 mt
Età stimata / Estimated age: circa 300 anni / approx. 300 years

This monumental oak has a curious history: it is said, in fact, to have
been planted by Napoleon's troops during the Italian campaign
in 1800. This is due to the discovery of a horseshoe in its trunk,
baring the imperial symbol 'N'. The horseshoe had probably been
substituted to a horse in the troops' force.