We had a fun time with Eric Danch sharing his central and eastern European wines experiences at the Club’s January 15 meeting. In case you couldn’t write fast enough to capture the wines’ details, we offer Eric’s playlist below.
Many thanks to Eric (Danch and Granger) for the wine and stories, and to Judy Pinegar for the delicious snacks.
White:
- 2021 Wetzer Somlói Furmint, Somló, Hungary – Deeply volcanic, foot trodden, basket pressed, acacia and oak barrels.
- 2021 Bott Frigyes Olaszrizling, Južnoslovenská, Slovakia – This is a good example of the “hamburger method,” meaning three layers: foot trodden juice, whole cluster, and then topped with hand destemmed. Zero punchdowns or pumpovers.
Red:
- 2020 Herrenhof Lamprecht Buchertberg Rot, Styria, Austria – A proper Gemischter Satz, meaning a co-fermented field blend with extended elevage.
- 2021 Negotians Vinarius Plavac, Island of Korčula, Croatia – This is a relative of Zinfandel that embraces unevening ripening and a super short (3 day) maceration that still yields a structured red.
- 2022 Oszkár Maurer Red Fruit November, Fruška Gora, Serbia – Heavily botrytized Cabernet Sauvignon fermented dry. A fascinating look at how botrytis in dry form changes even one of the most known red grapes in the world.
