Category: Wine

September Wine Round Up

A brief look at some of the more enjoyable wines from the last few weeks including few I came across on a recent trip to Kraków in Poland.

Kvaszinger. SargaMuskotaly. Tokaj. No vintage given and couldn’t see one on the label unfortunately. This was a delightfully refreshing and drinkable wine, dry with lovely peachy stone fruit, lemon and a delicate floral character.

Pendits. Willie – Baumkauff. Tokaji Furmint Krakó. 2011. Handharvested, destemmed, fermented in Hungarian oak barrels then aged for 12-18 months. Lovely aromas of orange and stone fruit. Palate has a nice texture and is dry with a nice savoury finish.

Cantina Filippi. Monteseroni. Garganega. Verona. 2013. Golden in appearance with aromas of orange, honey and stone fruits. The palate is dry with lovely balance and a stoney minerality. A long, long finish.

Stagard. Handwerk. Gruner Veltliner. Austria. 2018. Made from grapes from two certified organic vineyards in the Kremstal appellation. Lots of apple and stone fruit here, lovely balance with nice minerality and a great finish. A wine that refreshes and satisfies.

Florent Rouve. Viré-Clessé. Vieilles Vignes. 2017. Stone fruits, lemon citrus and delicate vanilla in a wine that has lovely balance and freshness. It is not overly oaked making this a very approachable chardonnay.

Korenika and Moskon. Paderno. Slovenska Istra. Slovenia. 2013. An organic/biodynamic wine, wild ferment, unfined and unfiltered. Deep in colour with aromas of orange, tropical fruit and vanilla. The palate has depth and concentration. Well balanced with a crisp finish.

Weingut Weninger. Rozsa Petsovits. Ros̩. Austria. Pale red in colour. Delightful nose of fresh red fruits Рstrawberry and cranberry. Bright fresh acidity. Earthy and perfumed. Very drinkable.

Costers Del Sio. Petit Sios. Costers del Segre. 2017. A blend of Tempranillo, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon. Masses of red fruits with a gentle warming spice and a delicate herby perfume. Great value for money and very drinkable.

Kokonut at Bunch

Yetti and the Kokonut are the nicknames of David Geyer and Koen Janssens who together make some fabulous wines in South Australia. I have previously written about their wines from the 2018 vintage, you can read it here. Last Sunday evening, at Bunch Natural Wine Bar in Liverpool Koen was showcasing some of the wines from the recent 2019 vintage.

Fruit Basket 2019, Eden Valley. Fruit comes from a 90 year old single block of vines in the Eden Valley which contains 13-15 different varieties. The relative proportion in the vineyard is unknown and the block is harvested and vinified all together. For the 2019 Fruit Basket they tried something different and vinified small batches separately in the hope of giving some personal identity to the wine. The wine saw 10 days skin contact and has a feint blush. It has lovely texture and balance. Peachy, floral, perfumed, with some dried herbs, there is an awful lot going on here and this is what I like about this wine, every sip brings something new. The finish is dry with a delightful floral perfume. As a result of the drought in South Australia production is 70% down on last year. Get it while you can.

Metro Savagnin 2019, McLaren Vale. The story of Savagnin in Australia in an interesting one. DNA tests conducted in 2009 on Albarino confirmed what had been suspected, it wasn’t Albarino at all but was Savagnin. So the Savagnin growing in Australia is there because of a mistake and what a beneficial one it has proved to be for Yetti & the Kokonut. They farm a vineyard of Savignan, harvest it all at the same time and then vinify in different ways. Metro is a new wine which was vinified in two separate batches, in one it was 100% whole bunch in the other 50% destemmed with 50% whole bunch on top. The resulting wine has a lovely freshness with lots of citrus, pear and stone fruit. It is well balanced and has a delightful delicate finish. It’s refreshing and very drinkable. A very versatile wine.

Mount Savagnin 2019, McLaren Vale. The same vineyard as Metro but this wine was made in a much larger wooden vat holding around 3000 litres. There is some delicacy here with lovely pear and lime and a texture that makes this very drinkable. The wine is not out there shouting about itself, it just quietly gets on with delivering a very nice glass. Very much in its youth and lovely for drinking now.

Mount Savagnin 2017, McLaren Vale. An interesting comparison with the recent release and a much more serious wine. It has the fruit of the 2019 but has also developed a nuttiness and complexity which makes it a wine for contemplative drinking. Great balance and a lovely freshness to the finish.

B’rosé 2019, McLaren Vale. This years wine is a blend of Cabernet Franc, red Semillon and Verdello. Noticeably absent is Gewurtztraminer which has added real fragrance and spice to previous vintages. Unfortunately the Gewurtz wine picked up an infection and was spoiled hence its absence. Despite the problems this is still very good. A fruit forward wine with masses of red berry fruit, a great texture and real character. This is a wine that demands some serious attention, preferably sat in the warm sunshine. As winter approaches perhaps we could drink it to bring a little sunshine into our lives. I really hope so.

Eating and Drinking in Kraków

The good news is that you can eat and drink in Kraków relatively cheaply which is excellent news if you are on a budget. It is perfectly possible to eat a simple two course meal for less than £5 and be more than satisfied with what you had. Eat Polish food if you want the best value and bargains, eating local dishes is one of the reasons I like to travel and I am sure that’s the case for many. If you like some variety there are restaurants offering a range of different cuisines from around the world as wells more fine dining options. The choice is yours. Here are some favourites from a recent visit to the city.

OLD TOWN

Pod Wawelem (Gertrudy 26-29). Close to Wawel Castle this is traditional Polish food served in a beer hall style setting. There is seating in a conservatory if you prefer something a little quieter. Portions here are very generous and you are unlikely to leave hungry. Beer served in steins is a speciality here and very good it is too, cold and refreshing after a day seeing the sights.

Milkbar Tomasza (Tomasza 24). Milkbars were popular and a common sight throughout Poland in the communist era as they offered cheap and filling food for workers. Since the fall of communism they have declined in number but Tomasza is still going strong. Order at the counter and your meal will be delivered to your table quite quickly. Expect good quality Polish food with the modern addition of paninis on offer. Milkbars do not traditionally serve alcohol and Tomasza is no exception.

U Babci Maliny (Stawkowska 17). Not the easiest place to find but well worth the effort. You must go through the building into the courtyard in the middle and then down the stairs to the basement where you will find the restaurant. It is well signposted along the way. The decor is fantastic and the food excellent. Seating is on benches at communal tables but don’t let that put you off. Order at the counter and they give you a ticket with a number. Wait until your number appears on the digital display and collect from the counter.

Gospoda Koko (Golebia 8). Close to the main square this charming restaurant offers quality local food at very affordable prices. Its much bigger than it appears, although there are relatively few tables as you enter from the street there is masses of additional seating downstairs. Once again order at the counter and food will be brought to your table. If you want alcoholic drinks you have to go to the downstairs bar for them and you can then take them to your table upstairs.

Stoccaggio Wine Bar (Krupnicza 9). Wine bar just east of the Old Town serving mainly European Wines and small plates. The wine by the glass list here is by grape variety so you are not really sure what you are going to get but the choices were fine on our visit. You can also buy wine to take away here as well.

House of Beer (Swietego Tomasza 35). If craft beer is your thing this is the place for you. With twelve taps and a huge choice of bottles there is something for everyone here. It certainly gets busy here but if its full at street level they open the downstairs area which is huge with very comfortable seating. Food here is also very good with burgers, hot wings and nachos on the menu.

Café Philo ( Tomasza 30). A small but atmospheric bar just round the corner from the House of Beer. Lots of posters and books to be found here and it is a bar with many locals drinking on their way home from work. Some nice jazz plays in the background.

KAZIMIERZ

The Jewish Quarter is home to many restaurants, cafés and bars. It is a bustling and busy place and well worth spending some time in after sight seeing is done for the day.

Kuchnia u Doroty (Augustiańska 4). Light and airy restaurant with some excellent local food, I particularly enjoyed the potato pancakes with goulash and there were many other interesting dishes on offer. It is full table service here and diners are served a complementary fruit juice on arrival which I thought was a very nice touch.

Alchemia (Estery 5). A cafe by day and a bar come evening time. Don’t expect to do some quiet reading of your guide book here as its dimly lit and has a shabby chic vibe which works really well. A great place to stop off for a beer before heading off to dinner.

Artefact Café (Dajwór 3). Came across this cafe/bar when walking back to the Old Town from Oskar Schindlers Factory in Podgórze. Consists of two rooms, one with shelves lined with books and the other with an interesting selection of photographs on the wall.

Domowka Café (Miodowa 28). Just loved this place. Called in early evening and the place was really busy, always a good sign, and there were no available tables. The helpful guy behind the bar suggested additional seating downstairs and we were lucky to bag the last table. Nearly everyone was playing board games and the atmosphere was lovely. On top of this they have a great range of craft beers. We stayed much longer than intended!

PODGÓRZE

Krako Slow Wines (Lipowa 6). Called after a visit to Oskar Schindlers Factory as its next door and was not disappointed. Serving natural wines, beers and a nice selection of dishes for both lunch and dinner. Staff are knowledgeable and very helpful when choosing wines. Wish I could have spent more time here.