Volume 24: The Bohemian Edition

Illustration by Anna Vu (@goodwinecrapdrawing)
Milan Nestarec
2019
Bum Bum Cha
Riesling, Blaufränkisch
Moravia, Czech Republic

This Pet Nat started more out of an accident than any real plan. They were pressing the Riesling, and it wasn't enough for the barrels, so they needed to top it up. They used some direct press Blaufränkisch and were hoping it would work. They liked it so much that they bottled it before the fermentation was finished and made it into a sparkler. We love the result, as you get a lot of fruit with raspberry, watermelon, and still some good minerality. This works really well without any food, but maybe with a fruity dessert if you want to try it.

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Porta Bohemica
2017
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
Bohemia, Czech Republic

The grapes for this red were picked in early October and macerated for roughly one month. He punched down four times a day to extract as much flavor and tannins from the skins as possible. The wine aged for almost two years in used French oak. Nothing was added during bottling, meaning you get a very pure Pinot. We recommend opening this at least an hour before you intend to drink it. This way, the tannings go in the background, and you get to taste more of the fruity berry side. This is very good with most French bistro fare, or you could try it with some nice fatty grilled Salmon.

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Dlúhé Grefty
2019
Alba Mixtura
Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc
Moravia, Czech Republic

The Sauvignon grapes for this light orange wine were picked first in September, while the Riesling was picked a little later in October. They also ferment separately, and the Sauvignon gets a little skin contact, which explains the lovely orange color. It spent 8 months in oak barrels for aging and was bottled end of May. If you can, please decant it and wait a little bit to open up and release some of its natural reductive notes. No worries if you can't wait, it will reward you with tropical notes and some luscious cocktail notes with every additional minute it is open. It should be perfect with its very balanced acidity to pair it with any not so spicy Asian food, such as Vietnamese.

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