SITT London, September 18th, 2023

 

Rara Neagra or more commomnly Babeasca Neagra.

Rara Neagra = Babeasca Neagra, old but not so rare variety in Romania (where it is the second most planted after Merlot), Ukraine and Moldova where the synonym Rara Neagra is used. About 80 ha. are planted in Moldova.Konstantin Frank planted this grape in New York State under the name Sereksia Chornaya.

Babeasca/Rara Neagra must be a contender for the highest number of synonyms, viz:

Aldarusa, Asil Kara, Asîl Kara (in the Republic of Dagestan), Babiasca niagra, Babiaska niagra, Bobiaska niagra, Bobyaksa nigra, Bobyaska nyagra, Căldărușă, Caldarusa, Chernyi Redkii (in Ukraine), Chernyl Redkyl, Ciornai Redchii, Crăcană, Cracana, Crăcănată, Cracanata, Crecanate, Goldaroucha, Grossmuttertraube, Hexentraube, Kaouchanskii, Koldaroucha, Koldarusha, Koldursha, Koptchak, Koptchakk, Krekanat, Krekanate, Racanata, Rară Neagră, Rășchirată, Raschirata, Rastopirka, Rastopyrka, Rastrepa, Rastreppa, Rastriopa (in Moldova), Redkyi Chernyi, Rekhavo Grazdi, Rekhavo Grozdi, Rekhavo Grozdy, Richkirate, Richkiriata, Riedkym, Rimtsurate, Rimtzourate, Rindsourata, Rishki Rate, Rossmuffertraube, Rostopiska, Rostopoveska, Rychkirate, Rymourate, Rympurate, Ryshkirate, Saesser, Sassep, Sasser, Serecsia, Serecsia Ciornaia (in Moldova), Serectia, Sereksia (in Ukraine), Sereksiya Chernaya, Sereksiya Tschiornaya, Serexia, Serexia noir, Serexia Tcheurnaia, Sesser, Stropaty, Stropatyi, Tchernyi Redkii, Tcheurny Redky, Timofeevka, Tsotler, and Tsotlyar.

Talking of synonyms, 

Old friends

 

 

Negru de Drăgășani (Black of Drăgășani) is a crossing created by the Drăgășani Institute in 1993. It is a crossing between a forgotten grape called Negru Vârtos and Băbească Neagră

 

Otskhanuri Sapere, Imereti's best variety

 

Otkhanuri Sapere

Otskhanuri Sapere means “Otskhana’s colourful.” Otskhana is a village in western Georgia. One of the oldest Georgian varieties, Otskhanuri Sapere grows only in the western part of the country, mostly in Racha-Lechkhumi and Imereti.

 

Dimyat = Smederevka

 

Dimyat

Dimyat is a native grape of Bulgaria - the second most planted white grape after Rkatsiteli. As Smederevka, it can be found in Republic of Macedonia, Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia. It is yet another offspring of Gouais Blanc, believe it or not. That Gouais Blanc certainly got around. 

From personal experience we can strongly recommend  Bononia's Dimyat pictured here. Delicious.

Aladasturi

Aladasturi has become perhaps our favourite red Georgian grape of all. Light and perfumed, it also typically makes low alcohol wines.

Here are some fun facts about this variety;

Written information about its origins does not exist. A very brief description of this type was given by E. Nakashidze and G. Sharashenidze. According to the first author, Aladasturi belongs to the group of low quality wine, and the second author places this type on the list of six best vine types. 

Aladasuri, with its botanical characteristics, as well as agro-biological features, is a typical representative of the Kolkhetian vine variety. Confirmation of this can be found in its strong growth and ability to climb high trees, leaf spots and intensity of down thickness, of berry skin and consistency, late ripening of grapes and long vegetation season. 

Aladasturi is cultivated in the ecological conditions of Kolkheti and is spread throughout upper Guria and in its adjacent territory of Imereti. 

Among Gurian indigenous types of grapes, Aladasturi was widespread in the past, particularly in the Eastern part of Guria on the border with Imereti. Vines were cultivated on the hills and even when uncared for, it was greatly harvested with an above-satisfactory quality of product. 

The local population used this type of grape for creating a table wine while also keeping it as grapes for winter consumption. In Gurian peasant families, the grape most used as food during the winter was Aladasturi.

As a result of fungal and phylloxera diseases, Aladasturi became massively exstinguished in comparison with other local types of vine, Aladasturi was well-preserved in Guria and in regions of the Imereti valley. 

Nowadays, as in olden times, the local population pays a great deal of attention to the spreading of the Aladasturi vine. In the above-mentioned regions, this type of vine can be found planted on hills and in alleys, the locals still use this grape to make table red wine, and its grapes are still kept as bunches for winter consumption. 

According to the vinery survey of 1953, the total territory of Aladasturi planted in Western Georgia was 60.81 hectares. Of this, hills accounted for 45.22 hectares and alleys, 15.59 hectares. See Table 1 for the individual districts.

 

Neuburske

Neuburske is Neuburger in Czech.

Synonyms for Neuburger include Brubler, Brugler, Feher Neuburger, Feher Neuburgi, Feher Neuburgi Ujvari, Neiburger, Neuburg, Neuburger Alb, Neuburger blanc, Neuburger Weisser, Neuburgi, Neuburgské, Neuburské, Neue Rebe, Neuburger Bijeli, Nojburger, Novogradski, Ujvari, Weisser Neuburger 

^{Not as many as for Rara Neagra but quite a decent number. We list them because we adore Neuburger. Why does it get overlooked most of the time? It is a brilliant variety making truly delicious wines.} 

^{It is a cross between Roter Veltliner and Silvaner. Delightful parents. No wonder.}

False friend:

Tinta Miuda

Tinta Miuda = Morrastel = Graciano.

beware another false friend: don't confuse Morrastel with Moristel. the latter is hardly found outside the Somontano area of Aragon whereas Morrastel/Graciano/Tinta Miuda is quite widely planted in all sorts of places. 

Jack Fernon of 'The Wine Importers'

New friend:

Jack Fernon is an enterprising young Aussie who has set up 'The Wine Importers' for importing wines from Australia.

Jack's imports include the wines of Briar Ridge in the Hunter Valley. Readers (or is that 'reader'?) of this Blog may remember we actually visited Briar Ridge on our trip to the Hunter some years ago when their legendary winemaker Karl Stockhausen (yes - a 'Namensvetter' of the legendary composer Karlheinz Stockhausen) was still in existence. 

Karl Stockhausen, 1930 - 2022, b. Hamburg

Karlheinz Stockhausen, 1928 - 2007. b. Moedrath, Cologne

Briar Ridge Semillon

Briar Ridge Fiano

 

Incredibly, Ukraine becomes mainstream.

 

First at SITT in February and then at the London Wine Festival in May, there was a substantial presence of wines from Ukraine. Before Putin's war, wines from Ukraine hardly got a look-in but now all that has changed and everyone is doing their best to make things happen. Hardly an easy task.

Yevhenii Hontaruk, sales Manager means business

How wine continues to be produced in Ukraine (or what's left of it in the absence of Crimea) is a tale of heroic endeavor but then there is the no small matter of how this show gets on the road with getting wines and people out of Ukraine and into the UK, all for our delectation. 

We have tried to import wine from Ukraine but  found it impossible. No courier companies can operate there. How do 'Wines of Ukraine' manage it?

On top of all that, the wines are good and individual. 

First, a 'Known known' - Shabo's Telti-Kuruk Reserve. No stranger to these pages, this was the wine we tried to buy and have sent to us in London. The wine is divine. The grape Telti-Kuruk is a major discovery when made as well as this. Telti-Kuruk is said to have originated in Armenia. Synonyms include Telti Kourouk, Telti Kuruk, Tilki Kuyrugu and Tilky Rairuk. The parentage is unknown.

 

Next what might be called a known unknown, Sukholimansky Bely is a white grape variety; a cross made in Ukraine between Chardonnay and a grape called Plavai dating from 1948 with plant variety protection granted in 1969. It has been used in a more recent crossing to produce Kangun. It is frost resistant down to - 20 Celsius which is hand for the Ukranian winter.

We tasted both natural and traditional versions of Sukholimansky at the impressive and extensive Ukrainian stand.

This excellent version comes from the Frumushika Nova winery in the Bolgradsky district of the Odesa region.

Anatolii Pavlovskyi, Ukkranian Wine Co. Online Trade.

Anatolii points out where Frumushika Nova vineyards are located

It is cultivated in Kherson, Nikolaev and Odesa regions and makes sparkling and still wines and is also used as a table grape. Outside Ukraine it is planted in Moldova and Russia to a lesser extent.

There were other Sukholimanskys. This variety seems to be well established in the Ukraine. In fact it is more widely planted that Telti-Kuruk which to our minds is more attractive.

And now for something so completely different that it could be called the unknown unknown - Citronniy Magaracha. Magarach is of course the famous wine research centre and vineyard in Crimea founded by Count Vorontsov in 1828. 

Citronniy Magaracha was obtained at the institute in 1978 by a breeder called P.Y. Goldriga from Madeleine Angevine with Magarach 124-66-26 x Novoukrainsky Ranny, Rkatsiteli, Csaba Gyongye and two table grapes from Uzbekistan (Nimrang and Taifi Rozovy if you must know). Its frost tolerance is down to -25 degrees and is resistant to various fungal diseases. As its name suggests it has pronounced citrus notes as well as a touch of Muscat. There are plantings in Russia as well as Ukraine.

New grape varieties take a long time to develop. On the strength of Citronny Magaracha, it boggles the mind to think of what must go on to arrive at a new variety in cases such as this one. Amazingly the result has real personality and fills a gap in the taste spectrum, including Citrus/lemon as the name suggests. Muscat and peach flavours have also been identified. Wines may be dry or sweet. What's not to like?

Magarach is of course the venerable grape breeding and wine producing institution founded in the Crimea in Tsarist times by Count Michael Vorontsov. One wonders what is going on there now.

All this was a welcome surprise firstly because it is the first Magarach variety we think we have ever tasted and then because it is so very good. This bottle comes from our new friends at Frumushika Nova.

Now no longer unknown unknown.

For the reds, Odessa Black or Odesa Cherny is familiar from other wine fairs. We first tasted it some years ago at Pro-Wein, Duesseldorf. Here it was more impressive. 

A cross between Alicante Bouschet and Cabernet Sauvignon sounds simple compered with Citronniy Magarach and indeed Odesa Cherny has been taken up in Slovakia, Hungary and the Czeck Republic under the name Alibernet. Children of Alibernet include Neronet and Rubinet.

Another Odesa Black this time from Villa Tinta who are clearly quite a prominent producer.

 

Other producers represented were Starkhovsky, Biologist and Shabo of course. Apparently Sergiy Starkhovsky is the name of Ukraine's best tennis player. It was the Starkhovsky representative who first told us about Citronniy Magaracha although Starkhovsky's wines are more conventional (Merlot, Saparavi, Roter Traminer, Chardonnay, Riesling, Zweigelt and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Biologist is the first Ukrainian winery to announce the use of the biodynamic method in viticulture and winemaking. This is the first year it has released biodynamic wines. Just around 3000 bottles are produced.

They have 3 vineyards: one of them is in the Odesa region, and two others are in the Kyiv region, in the villages of Lisnyky and Bezradychy. They grow Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Saperavi, Grüner Veltliner, Müller-Thurgau, Weissburgunder, Gewürztraminer, Riesling and Chardonnay, Aligote, and the indigenous grape variety, Telti-Kuruk, which, until now, has been grown only in the south of Ukraine, in Odesa and Mykolaiv regions.

In praise of Vuillermin, Mataossu, Asprinio, Durello and Torbato

These Italian grapes are from Aosta, Liguria, Campania, Veneto and Sardegna which just goes to show native and rare varieties (autoctonous) can be found everywhere in that country. All these varieties have made wines we have enjoyed immensely this year. 

First, three outstandingly delicious sparkling wines. Prosecco producers might as well pack up and go to be frank. If ever news gets out about these three beauties, it will be curtains for them. 

Of these three graces our favourite and the most obscure was the Asprinio. Luigi Veronelli called Asprinio (the still version) 'The best wine in the world to drink with Pizza.' That was not the first connotation that came to mind. I Borboni's Asprinio Frizzante has personality and attraction in high measure and could be drunk just whenever you might want something memorable and toothsome. It earns the Slotovino 'Mmmm' award.

Equally delicious but in a more restrained way is the sparkling Torbato from Sella and Mosca. Previously we have wondered who needs Chardonnay when you can have Torbato. Well, that may ne a little overstated but a Torbato from Sella and Mosca - perhaps the only producers working with this grape? - or a great Encruzado makes you think Chardonnay is not alone at the top of the tree as it were.

The third beauty was the Sparkling Durello from Montecchia. Strangely, Durello wine is not made with Durello grapes. It is made with Durella grapes. That might be a good trick question for the MW exams. Durello can be made dry, sweet or sparkling as here. Versatile, a bit like Verduzzo. Again. this Brut was a winner in terms of personality.

Staying with the whites but in this case a still wine, we enjoyed this Punta Crena Mataossu just as much as any of the above. Like them, a distinct personality was to the fore. We do like a wine with personality but we can imagine the strong features of these wines might deter more fastidious palates. 

In October 2023 we bought this bottle of Mataossu together with the Lumassina (third and fourth from right respectively) both made by Paolo Ruffino of Punta Crena, Varigotti. Mataossu is a synonym of Lumassina so it was a surprise to discover that the former was so much better than the latter. In fact D;Agata tells us the 'some believe [Mataossu] to be an unrelated variety and on the strength of this wine we can quite believe that.

This bottle of the Aosta red variety Vuillermin had languished in a cupboard since we bought it from Valerio Sola at Vinateca Sola, Genova in 2019, so much so that we wondered if it would have held up.

No need to worry; Vuillermin is obviously a robust variety and interestingly it has a characteristic one would have thought would have recommended it to growers in its native mountainous region: resistance to sunburn. 

D'Agata says Vuillermin is best described as a cross between Mayolet and Cornalin, two other native grapes of the Vallee D'Aosta. He also charts the progress of the other Aosta grapes making monovarietal wines which he says were Primetta, Fumin, Cornalin and Mayolet in that order. 

'Wine Grapes' gives us further information on Vuillermin. It is a natural cross between Fumin and another unknown and probably extinct variety and is therefore a nephew/niece of Petit Rouge. 

Also we read in 'Wine Grapes' that it was rescued in extremis from old vineyards in Pontey and Chatillon by Giulio Moriondo, ampelographer at the Institut Agricole Regional in Aosta. at the end of the last century. At the time of the publication of 'Wine Grapes' (2012), there were only three vineyards planted with Vuillamin. In 2000, it covered only a tenth of a hectare.

It is impossible to overstate what an excellent variety this is. Once more, a distinct and appealing personality shines through.

In search of the true Bardolino

 

What is it about our obsession with Bardolino? Early on in our wine-drinking days we loved the unpretentiousness and business-like quality of these wines which rarely disappointed. Now the majority of them do.

As we have speculated previously, it seems that the problem is that producers are trying to beef their wines up to resemble their Valpolicella half-siblings. Valpolicella is the base wine for Amarone. The Amarone business is big and profitable enough to support investment in Valpolicella in a way Bardolino lacks. 

At the same time, the world-wide drive towards more powerful, more extracted wines leads Bardolino producers to stray from their blueprint with other grapes, notably Cabernet Sauvignon getting into the mix to stiffen Bardo's backbone. It started with Guerrieri Rizzardi and no doubt others and now here we are with Bardolino no longer recognisable = at least to us - compared with what it was before.

At the 'For the Love of Wine' table at SITT in London in February this year we found a Bardolino we could identify with. Lenotti's Bardolino Classico.

For the Love of Wine import Lenotti

For once the back label is apposite;

E il vino piu adatto per uso quotidiano: facile da bere, si presta a tutte le occasioni. E per noi il prodotto piu "antico" e rappresentativo: lo produciamo infatti da 100 anni e ci ha fatto conoscere in tutto il mondo. Prodotto dai nostri vigneti sulle rive a est del nostro lago con uve Corvina, Rondinella e altre tipiche della zona del Bardolino e un vino rosso secco, fruttato fresco e delicato che accompagna egregiamente primi piatti, carni bianchi, pizza, formaggi e pesce....

For us the following words leap out of this description which should apply to Bardolino in general;

Quotidiano

Facile da bere

si presta a tutte le occasioni

fresco e delicato

Pesce.

We agree particularly with the idea that Bardolino can be drunk with fish. That has been our independent experience for a long time already. Can you say that about Valpolicella?

Lenotti are a bit coy about the other varieties that go into their wine apart from Corvina (65%) and Rondinella (25%) with the last 10% being made up from the other typical grapes of the zone of Bardolino. The well-established wine merchant Evington's of Leicester (1926) confidently state that Molinara is the other grape in Lenotti's Bardolino although no one else goes that far. D'Agata is a big fan of Molinara which he says adds freshness, lightness and a strong saline note to Amarone, Bardolino and Valpolicella.

According to the invaluable Enoteca Italiana's small but mighty 'Tutto Vino, guida completa ai vini d'Italia, the Bardolino appellation permits the following varieties to make up no more than 20% of the blend as well as Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara, each one limited to a maximum of 10%

Corvinone

Rossignola

Barbera

Sangiovese

Marzemino

Merlot

Cabernet Sauvignon

Strange there is one variety missing here; Negrara. D'Agata's 'Native Wine Grapes of Italy' sets the record straight;

'Negrara Veronese...Most often,,,is used in the wines of Bardolino but the percentage is too low to draw any conclusions about the variety.

Looking back in Slotovino, there haven't been many Bardolinos to shout about. These producers have caught our eye 

Villabella

Montechi

Recchia

Gorgo

and also producers of Bardolino Novello such as Raval, the Cantina di Custoza and Costadoro.

But this Lenotti Bardolino Classico will do very nicely until we can add to the list.

Robert - 'Robby' Steel importer of Lenotti's Bardolino

SITT, London. 28th February 2024

 

SITT (Specialist Importers Trade Tasting) takes place twice a year and always has something of interest to us.

We have mentioned previously France's search for new grape varieties and here was one already in production; an Albarino from Aude, the departement in the extreme south-west of the country counting Narbonne and Carcasonne among its cities. The back label says this wine is part of a series called 'Les Vignes Rares' - wines made outside the rules and 'pas autorises dans les apppellations.'

Domaine Ciceron have Verdejo also in this series. Perhaps there are others in the pipeline but this is a start.

Next a Pardilla from Ribera del Jucar. Bodega las Calzadas are the producers. 'Wine Grapes' tells us that since 2009 the name has been established as Pardillo. We also learn that Pardillo is a local La Mancha variety which is non-aromatic. With 3,547 ha in 2008 it is yet another Spanish secret so quite wonderful to find this bottle here.

Also unexpected and wonderful was this other Spanish secret: Garrut. This is a really promising variety or so we thought. We had paid rather a lot to get a bottle of Partida Creus's Garrut and really loved the wine.

Or so we should: Garrut is a Catalan synonym for Monatsrell! 

This rare grape variety business is a minefield.

Verdoncho is a bona fide Spanish secret which came to save our reputation. We had enjoyed a version made by Jesus Recuero and here was another one. 'Wine Grapes' calls Verdoncho 'Undistinguished La Mancha blending material but in the right hands it makes an interesting 'vaut le detour' kind of wine.

 

Hungary is very active in the grape-crossing business. New varieties under 'Z' alone include Zeusz and Zenit.

Zenit is what you get when you cross Ezerjo with Bouvier. Apparently that is also the case for Zeusz.

There's more: Zengo. Even another Ezerjo x Bouvier cross. All were produced by Ferenc Kiraly in the early 1950s in Pecs.

Kiraly Ferencs obviously had a thing for Bouvier because he obtained yet another crossing beginning with 'Z' in 1951, this time with Furmint and named Zeta.

Thomas Allen (right) as Baron Zeta.

No doubt after Baron Zeta, the character in Lehar's 'Die lustige Witwe' (1905) who is the 'Pontevedran' ambassador to France of course. 

The story gets even more operetta-ish when you look up Bouvier - in 'Wine Grapes' naturally.;

'The Austrian-born banker and winery-owner Clotar Bouvier (1853 - 1930) discovered this and other varieties in 1900 in his vineyards in Hercegovascak (Herzogenberg) near Gornja Radgona (Oberradkersburg), in North-East Slovenia. Bouvier first used it to breed other varieties in his own nursery and later started to sell it in Austria and Slovenia. DNA parentage analysis has suggested that Bouvier could be a natural cross between PINOT and an unknown variety.

Bouvier was used by its discoverer and others to breed Bianca, Kabar, Veritas' [and those beginning with 'Z' above].