Slotovino awards 2024 and 2025

The last Slotovino Awards post (the 2023 Awards) was published on February 1st, 2024 with apologies for lateness. Now two years have passed without the red carpet having been rolled out so it is with great pleasure that we have arranged a ceremony combining the calendar years 2024 and 2025 together in a much more rigorous format in order to let attendees get an early night.

2024 

 

Wine personality of the year:                Cati Ribot

Best Single Grape Promoter:                Antigua Casa de la Guardia, Malaga (Palomino).

Best National Representative body:      Wines of Ukraine 

Best Wine Show:                                    the Vineyard and Winery Show, Maidstone, Kent 

Best Champagne:                                   Penfolds/Thienot Champagne

Best White Wine discovery:                  Shabo Telti Kuruk Reserve 2022, Celler Tomas Al Tal Blan                                                                       Tortosi and Reine Mataossu.

Best Red Wine discovery:                      Cati Ribot Escursac 

 

 

2025 

Wine personality of the year:               Nayan Gowda

Surprise of the year                               Bolivian Wine

Unexpected Wine Destination:             Ryedale Vineyard, Yorkshire

Unexpected Vine Destination                Columbi Park, Freiburg-im-Breisgau

Unexpected Award for Slotovino          Bexley Homebrew Festival Best Red (Primitivo) and Best in                                                                     Show.    

Most interesting Grape Discovery:       Orleans Gelb

Best Sparkling Wine                              Harrow and Hope Blanc de Noir 100% Pinot Meunier.

Best White Wine                                    Tetramythos Sideritis

Best Red Wine                                        Mesquida Mora Gorgollassa

Special Award                                         Bosue Brandy       

Bolivian wine, Drapers Arms, Barnsbury. August 19th.

 

An old and good friend Charles ('Scum') Taylor lives most of the time in Spain these days but has contacts all over the world when it comes to wine. Back in August this year he invited us to a Bolivian wine tasting to be held at the Drapers Arms in Barnsbury, London.

Yokich at the 2022 London Wine Festival

Bolivian wine? That seemed novel. Yet a niggling memory suggested maybe not. After a very long time indeed and a trawl through the photos on our mobile we made the connection to a conversation at the 2022 London Wine Fair where we met a representative of the Bolivian producer Yokich. 

 

 

Patricia Mendoza of Yokich was on hand for this tasting despite having just given birth a week previously. We were honoured.

Jancis Robinson has described Bolivia as 'one of the most remote, challenging and intriguing wine regions in the world.' Purple Pages have given these wines scores of 16, 16.5 and 17. Impressive.

Nayan Gowda himself.

Charles had mentioned the name Nayan Gowda but it was only once we had arrived at the Drapers Arms that we began to understand his role in the procedings.

Nayan is a candidate for 'the most extraordinary person you have ever met.' He is actually the maker of most of he wines on show. He began his 'stint' in the Cinti valley and thereabouts in 2000. Deciding to move on only this year, that makes his time in Bolivia probably the longest he has ever stayed in one place. On his own admission he gets bored easily which explains his amazing CV.

Nayan, one of the friendliest and most affable people in wine.

It goes something like this:

Born in Sheffield. Indian heritage

University of Sheffield

Numerous jobs includuing as Chef at The Ivy, charitable work, John Armit, J.P. Morgan

2002-6 Studied Oenology at Adelaide

2007 Pikes Cellar Hand. Baron von Twickel, Szekszard, Kendermann, Pfalz.

2009 Brancott Estate

2010 Crimea

2011 Chateau Karakemer, Kazakhstan

Winemaker without Portfolio consulting. Dubbed 'The Indiana Jones of Winemaking.'

Present: Winemaker without Portfolio consulting at Vinosity, London.

Vines trained up trees are a feature in the Cinti Valley.

Winemaking in Bolivia was started 500 years ago with the Spanish invasion and conquest. 

Our tasting consisted of wines made by Yokich and by Nayan from the Cinti Valley and also from Tarija where around 70% of Bolivian vines are situated.

As if all this wasn't truly amazing, we are happy to report that the wines themselves were fascinatingly original. Not a surprise as some unique grape varieties are a hallmark of winemaking especially in the Cinti Valley, These include the unique Vischoqueña, whch is grown nowhere else, and is a cross between Criolla Negra and Muscat of Alexandria. There is also the extremely rare Ribier Noir, originally from the Rhone valley and various Criollas alonside Muscat a petits grains, Moscatel, Sangiovese, Tannat, Tempranillo, Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon and other international varieties.

The wines made by Nayan are called 'Jardin Oculto.' Other wines go under the name Alma Oculto and Magnus, These are also from Cinti and are made by friends of Nayan.

 

1. Casa Solum. Ribier, 'Cultura Liquda' Petnat tinto. Tarija. 2025. 12.4%

2. Jardin Oculto Vischoqueña Blanc de Noir,  2023. Cinti. 12.1%

3. Bodega Yokich Muscat a petits grains. White wine from 300 year old vines. Largest collection of            clones in South America. Five generations of women have worked in the winery. Cinti Valley. 2023.        13%

4. Bodega Yokich Imporena. Cepa Centenaria. White. Cinti Valley. 2023. 14.5%

5. Jardin Oculto. Roselo. Finca San Roque. Last grapes to be harvested. Criolla field blend. Rose.                Single  Vineyard. Vinyas Viejas. Cinti Valley 2024. 

6. Negra Criolla. Finca Molle Pampa, Red. Single Vineyard. Vinyas Viejas. This Criolla has its origins in Southern Spain. The plants were imported as seeds. Cinti Valley. 2023. 13.5%

7. Jardin Oculto. Negra Criolla. Red. Finca San Roque. Cinti Valley. Single Vineyard. Vinas Viejas. 2022, 14%

8.  Jardin Oculto. Criolla. Single Vineyard. Vinas Viejas. Red. Finca Los Membrillos Cinti Valley.               2023. 13%

9. Jardin Oculto. Tannat Nouveau. Red. Tarija. 2024. 11.5%

10. Bodegas Yokich 'Misionera.' Cepa Centenaria.' Red. Mission/Negra Criolla with 5% Syrah and                Cabernet Sauvignon. Predominantly from arboreal vines between 100 and 300 years old. Cinti                Valley 2021. 11.5%.

11. Alma Oculta Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinti Valley. 2023. 15%

12. Magnus Sangiovese Reserva Limitada. Red. Tarija. 13.1%

13. Kohlberg. Icono Tempranillo. Red. Tarija. 2017. 14.5%  This bottle was kindly provided by Charles Taylor.

14. Bodega Yokich. Eden Noble Botrytis, White. Moscatel. Cinti Valley. 2015. 12.7%

 

 

Back in Venice

 

Who would have thought it? The big news on our trip to Venice this year was, or so we thought, just how good, no - great Groppello can be. We had previously written;  "altough always liking Groppello it hadn't exactly bowled us over." At the Autoctona fair in Bolzano years ago a version by Marsadri had given us cause to re-evaluate that opinion and at the Trattoria 'Alla Frasca' in Venice, Pradelli's Groppello really hit the spot. So much so that we bought a bottle back on London but sadly this turned out to be the 'Holiday wine syndrome' not leaving the same impression. Maybe it was a different vintage or maybe this wine 'doesn't travel' - a phrase you never hear these days.

If you want to avoid a nasty headache, best not to read D'Agata on Groppello. The subject is so complicated it brings my mother-in-law's expression 'Es geht ein Rauch im Kopf' to mind. Our original hesitation to acclaim Groppello in general is understandable in the light of the fact there are 22 accessions of this family of grapes so you would be lucky to find a good one every time.

The first night at the excellent Pizza place on the Zattere we had chosen a bottle of Mueller-Thurgau just so as not to dring Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay. 

What was this? Another upsetting of our prejudices. Ai Galli, 'Societa Agricola Semplice' have made a deliciously refreshing wine from this grape which in the wrong hands...

Prominent Luganas in a Decanter tasting

We also re-discovered Lugana in a big way. 

In our post as early as 28th September 2010, we discussed the Lugana grape variety Turbiana - a historic name derived from 'Trebbiano.' Recent research has identified Turbiana as a biotype of Verdicchio. D'Agata begins his torrid analysis of Verdicchio with the claim that 'Verdicchio is arguably Italy's greatest native white grape variety.' 

Although Lugana is widespread it is not particularly prominent in wine circles. We tried to buy some back in London but shops tend to have Soave and Gavi in stock ahead of Lugana. which is a pity - not the natural oder of things.

Chioggia: a couple of canals plus motor traffic.

Venice is inexhaustible as we always say, This time we decided to go around a bit, visiting other islands, Mazzorbo, Burano and even going to Chioggia. On that last subject, don't! It is fly-blown with only a couple of canals plus motor traffic.

Mazzorbo however is even more of a delight than when we visited some years back. There is a really lovely restaurant called 'Trattoria alla Maddalena' so no need to go to the expensive 'Venissa,; A stroll through the Venissa vineyard is free of charge and it is lovely to see the Dorona vines reaching maturity as well as the vegetable gardens also planted within the walls. There is now a bridge over to Burano which makes the visit especially worthwhile.

Can you spot the vines?

The view from the Trattoria Maddalena is of another vineyard. What  grows there? Perhaps the Dorona found in Venetian supermarkets?

In 'downtown Venice' We discovered an excellent wine shop and restaurant called Amarone. 

An Englishman in Venice

With offers of Wine Shipping in English Amarone is clearly aimed at the tourist but that doesn't prevent it from being a serious wine shop. The affable Englishman whose name we forget really knew his stuff and reports from the restaurant are positive indeed.

No discussion of wine shops in Venice is complete without mention of the many Vino-Sfuso places.

Difficult to see from this photo but there is an item named 'Primula' on the board. We asked what this could be - a new grape variety? No, the new name for 'Prosecco spento' or 'flat' Prosecco. 

Conad's uber-discrete shopfront on the Zattere

Finally to Conad on the Zattere who have a very decent selection of Venetian and other wines. 

Remembering that Raboso used to be the favourite red wine of Venice we bought two different bottles by the excellent producer, Cescon. Their Rabosos do vary but that is down to the vintage, naturally.

We love Ribolla Gialla: when it's good, it's very, very good but when it's not, it's no good at all. Hopefully Cescon will have waved its magic wand over this bottling.

'Prephilloxera'

On the same shelf we spied an interesting bottle from Tenuta San Francesco (Campania) 'Prephilloxera.' This turns out to be from old Tintore grapes which have avoided the plague. We didn't buy this @ E. 65.

and for our last bottle, it had to be Lugana of course.