Amphorae full of wine discovered

[cdh]

Sounds like a fun winemaker, and a wonderful iconoclast. Anybody here tasted any of his wines?

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/25/dining/25pour.html?8hpib

Edited May 25, 2005 by cdh (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

This must indeed be a first .. at this very moment, there are three ongoing eGullet threads on archaeological food findings from three separate publications! Delicious and highly historical finds ...

What are the odds of that ever happening again?

[albiston]

Anybody here tasted any of his wines?

←

Here. Unfortunately it was over ten years ago while visiting the winery, so it was only his "normal" wines. Pretty impressive stuff all the same, though I'd be very curious to try Gravner's new experiments.

(Edited to remove a silly mistake of mine: mixed up Kante, also from the same region, and Gravner.)

[Marco_Polo]

Anybody here tasted any of his wines?

I tasted one of Gravner's amphora fermented wines at last year's Tre Bicchiere tasting during the Salone del Gusto. 'Vivid, interesting' was my rather cryptic note - but remember, this was after making my way through literally dozens of some of Italy's greatest wines at that fantastic tasting on the ramps of the old Fiat factory at Lingotto. I don't remember the sample being particularly cloudy.

As far as fermenting in amphora, Gravner is not unique in Europe in pursuing this strada. After all, it's not that long ago that wines from Spain's Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura and Montilla-Moriles zones were still mainly fermented in earthenware tinajas - immense terracotta containers that were virtually unchanged since the days of the ancient Romans. In Valdepeñas in particular tinajas were long valued, even after the advent of stainless steel, for the unique stony character that these vessels impart especially to vinos jovenes, wines made from Cencibel (Tempranillo) and destined to be drunk young. I haven't been back to the zone is a little while, but my bet is that tinajas are still being used here and elsewhere in Spain, as they have been continuously for well over a thousand years.

Edited May 26, 2005 by Marco_Polo (log)

[Brad Ballinger]

Where I live, there is only one retailer that carries Gravner wines. They start at $100. I was lucky to have a pour once at a tasting. I liked it plenty, but it is rare that I'll fork over $100 for any wine. I know they sell for less in other markets, though.

In a broader picture alluded to in the article, there are plenty of talented winemakers of Slovenian heritage (some of which still live there) that make great wine either from grapes grown in slovenia or Italy. Trieste used to be part of Slovenia, but went to Italy after one of the wars because it was such an important port, and there was little desire among other world powers to yield that port to an Eastern Bloc country (Yugoslavia) at the time.

The article references Movia, and those wines have received critical acclaim. Grapes from Italy, wine produced in Slovenia.