On our most recent trip to research wineries for the upcoming Empordà guide we stopped in at the beautiful Mas Anglada. A project of Luis Conde, this large estate is not only incredibly luxurious, but meticulously preserved. This is not an easy feat given that the older parts of the original farmhouse are 500 years old.

But, there is a newer section to the property where their winery and vinyeards are. It’s here, alongside the vines that there is a soccer field of all things (as well as a tennis and paddle courts). I’ve seen a lot of things in 15 years of winery visits, but never a soccer field plunked down next to one. Apparently, it’s for a yearly Christmas tournament between Luis’s rather large family and the local village of Fonteta that’s just up the road.

There’s much, much more to the winery than just a wine-aligned soccer-pitch though and we’re looking forward to sharing everything about it soon in our guide.

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In Catalonia, they call it “vi de pagès”. Literally, this means “peasants’ wine” and honestly that doesn’t sound terribly appetizing. But, a better translation to understand the whole process in English is “natural wine”. That’s a bit of a loaded term as well, especially given how the debate is ongoing as to whether its good, bad, or even needed.

The big difference with the wineries that we recently visited in Calonge (a small town in Baix Empordà, Catalonia, Spain) is that there is nothing new in how they are making their wines. They’re not “rediscovering” natural wines. It’s been going on for literally centuries and while their contemporaries have slowly been converting over to modern production methods (stainless steel tanks, controlled fermentation, etc.) they’ve stuck by the old methods.

Take Mas Molla. In their family house they’ve been making wine pretty much the same way for the last 700 years or so. Naturally, they update the oak barrels as needed and use automated de-stemming machines, but that’s about where the modernization stops.

Monste Molla, the current winemaker and first woman in the family to do so, uses natural fermentation to make the wines. This means that she doesn’t add additional yeasts to start fermentation. The disadvantages in this is that she never really knows when it will start and when it will end. While there is no such thing as a hand’s off approach to winemaking, this method means not only do they have to watch the wines very closely, but to know when to blend the wines as the different barrels will ferment at different rates from one to another.

Another winery that’s similar to Mas Molla is Mas Ponsjoan. Their properties border one another and Manel Comas makes wines in much the same ways as Montse. The big difference is that while she has the background of studying commercial enology, Manel makes wine the same way his family has been making it for the last five generations in the farmhouse, having passed the skills down from generation to generation. They also let their wines ferment and age naturally. They don’t even irrigate the vineyards.

Of course, the proof is in the bottle. Do these methods produce a superior wine? Both Mas Molla and Ponsjoan produce very good wines. Tossed in to this is the fact that because they are outside the Denominació d’Origen (DO) their wines are unlabeled and not certified like others are and thus are at very, very good prices. As referenced in the first part of this article, the debate rages as to whether natural wine production is a better form of production. There are several elements that you notice in these wines though.

As they are less adulterated, you do taste the locale more and the depth of the grapes are more present. This isn’t to say that you can’t achieve this with modern production methods, it’s just that it’s often not the case as modern production is used to makes wines more consistent. And that is one of the downsides/great joys of this style of winemaking in that every vintage has a distinct character. Even bottles can differ from one another to some degree. That’s an enjoyable way to drink wine and if the winemaker knows what they’re doing like Montse, Manel, and the 19 other “vi de pagès” wineries in Calonge do, you’ll get a good bottle of wine. Of course, it’s easy to have a skunky year as well that then won’t have all the modern mechanisms needed to correct it.

It is the case that this process probably won’t live on forever as it’s difficult, unpredictable, and not nearly as lucrative as being in the DO given that if you are making an unlabeled, non-certified wine, charging more than 3€ a bottle or 1€ a liter for bulk in Spain’s wine market is difficult. But, as it sits, it’s one of those few old methods that hopefully won’t be lost for some time and should be visited if one is in the area.

Learn more about the wines, wineries, and history of Empordà in our Empordà, Catalonia wine travel guide

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As if there weren’t enough gimmicks in the world of potable liquids, word has come out recently of a British fellow named Ian Hutcheon making wines in Chile that are infused with meteorite. Read about the whole process here.

Naturally, it’s ironic given that wine growers are trying to imbue their wines with flavors from the soils in which the grapes grow not elements that fall from the sky. Someday maybe I’ll taste this and see if it makes a difference, but whatever the case, it’s definitely given Ian a great deal of press including a bit with video on BBC Mundo.

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Miličić is an easy winery to find in Potomje, as it’s quite big and continues to get bigger. The amazing thing about this is that Pavo Miličić isn’t starting with the foundations of a former collective. He isn’t even starting with that much family history in winemaking as they stopped making wine once the collectivization of the Communist government took over. In fact, he used to be a ship captain for luxury cruises and the winemaking was just a hobby for the off season. This hobby has continued to grow and expand over the years to the point where Pavo quit the captain gig about 10 years ago to focus solely on making wine.

He is making a great number of different wines but the core is Plavac Mali. His basic Plavac is a nice, simple wine with a good strong tobacco nose that also has a lot of oak. The Postup takes all the elements of the simple Plavac and bumps them up a notch, making it a more complex Plavac.

His Dingač gets a solid burst of berry elements in the nose and body as is usually the case for Dingač. Its dryness really only comes out in the finish. Currently he is using a mix of French and Hungarian oak of which the Hungarian is being phased out in favor of the French.

Following is a video that we came across by Percy von Lipinski. It’s more just to show Pavo’s winery as Percy emphatically states a couple of times that he “isn’t a wine guy”. Why someone not in to wine would go to a Croatian winery is more than a curious thing, but hey, for those who haven’t made it, you get a chance to see the Miličić digs.

We talk a great deal more about other Croatian wine regions in our Dalmatian wine guide.

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For the past week, we’ve been hopping around Alt Empordà, researching wines for our forthcoming Empordà wine travel guide. Naturally, this being February, it’s been cold, really cold. To add to that, there has been something of an unnatural northern wind blowing which is called the Tramontana. We’ll write up more about this soon as it’s a definitive aspect to winemaking here in Northeastern Catalonia, Spain.

But, while out on the terraced vineyards of Mas Estela, the wind died down just enough at sunset to take this photo. Then naturally, it started gusting again once we went up to the top of the terraces. While not the 175kph gusts that have been happening lately, it was enough to have a great deal of respect for these vines and respect the family at Mas Estela who works to make their wines from them.

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We’re happy to announce the release of our Stellenbosch guide on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple iBooks. Want to know the story of Pinotage or the Cape Blend or just where Goede Hoop winery is? It documents the wine, wineries, how to get to them, and the beauty that is South Africa. It’s just $3.99 USD and available now.

Maybe the holidays left your wallet a bit light? We definitely know how that is, which is why you should go and Like our Facebook page. We’ll give 10 lucky people a free copy, just for being fans.

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1. Announcing the release of Dalmatia 2nd Edition!
2. Announcing the release of Herzegovina 2nd Edition!

Something that is to be expected, yet still surprising when traversing the Croatian islands of Dalmatia, is the change in language. The dialects of Croatian will actually shift in very large degrees from island to island and people who are native speakers can tell which island someone is from depending on how they talk.

So, while all one language, it can definitely make for some tricky conversations. If someone doesn’t speak English, but does speak other languages besides Croatian, it will likely be easier to have them speak in a mix rather than the normal Hvar dialect, which is very difficult to understand even if you know a fair degree of Croatia.

Those who live on the mainland coast have a word for the people on the islands (specifically, Hvar), which is, ‘bodulski’. It is difficult to get out of folks if this is meant as an insult, but you’ll find things like the Bodul Hotel on Hvar, so even if it has negative connotations, people seem to take it in stride.

When it comes to wine though, there is one item that really sticks out with the difference of language, which is that they call, Plavac Mali, Plovac Mali. You can most distinctly see on the bottles by the one of the most delicious wineries, Vino Hvar, from the Carić family. Note that the spelling doesn’t change the fact that this is still the same wonderful varietal that is grown elsewhere in Dalmatia.

Then of course there are the less official “dialect” aspects in an island like Hvar. These were presented in a far-reaching overview at Total Hvar the other day. I can’t say for certain how much accuracy there is in this, but it’s a good reference for those who might feel like they need to sound like a local. Just exercise great caution when applying this lesson lest you find yourself in a fist fight or agreeing to purchase a flock or chickens. The grunt is quite powerful in all languages…

We talk a great deal more about other Croatian wine regions in our Dalmatian wine guide.

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1. On Hvar Island
2. Croatian wine tasting at the Barrel Room
3. Croatian Portfolio Tasting article roundup

Calling themselves the “the company of wine people”, Welmoed is one of those wineries that offers pretty much something for everyone with a massive selection. They’re not an estate winery, but a co-op and as such, they have many levels and brands under one roof. Despite this, they’re still housed in a wine farm that dates back to 1690, halfway between Stellenbosch and the False Bay. From this springs the: Versus which are more simple, cheap wines for young adults, Arniston Bay which are “lifestyle wines” that are easy to drink, Welmoed (meaning, “to have courage”) which are young, single varietals wines that are a good quality and value for money, and last, Kumkani (Xosa word for king or chief) which are their premium, full bodied, aged in barrique wines that are only sold after aging for 4-5 years.

The Versus White 2009 is a sweet wine geared to those in the younger set who want something totally sweet and White Zinfandel-like which is pretty much completely what it is. R 21

The Welmoed Sauvignon Blanc 2010 has lots of green apples in the nose and is very tropical. The body is light and easy to drink, but without too much more beyond the nose elements to it. R 32

The Arniston Bay Reserve “barrel fermented” Chenin Blanc 2008 has a more structured nose with a bit of cedar and oak coming out but is a bit acidic in the finish. Shellfish and pork would pair well with it. R 43

The 2005 Kumkani VVS is comprised of 60% Viognier, 20% Verdelho, and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a good deal more oaky on the nose and heavier. The body is a bit sweet with a hint of strawberries and not nearly as light as the others. It has an initially dry finish that quickly fades out. R 69

The Welmoed Merlot 2009 has a good deal of pepper in the nose as well as a hint of mint. It’s very nicely balanced, with a full body that is dry in a way that can pair well with a good deal of foods. R 35

The Arniston Bay Reserve Shiraz 2007 has more black pepper to the nose. There is some kind of oak or tannic quality to that body that isn’t quite enjoyable but the finish comes up pretty clean though. R 43

The Kumkani Pinotage 2006 has a berry nose that again has a nice touch of pepper. The body is tannic and quite bold picking up some stewed fruit elements in it. There is a bit of cherry on the end of the finish which some might enjoy. R 63

We talk a great deal more about the wines of Stellenbosch and other Cape Town wineries in our Stellenbosch wine guide.

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In these times of more active ecology in all facets of life, I have often wondered as to why we don’t recycle our wine bottles. Naturally, a great many of us divert them from the landfill by tossing them in the glass bin to be melted down to make new bottles. But, this isn’t what I’m getting at as wineries typically use the same bottles from year to year and so why, when we’re finished with a wine from a specific winery, do we not return bottles directly to them to be re-bottled like some dairies are doing again?

In searching around, the only trace of this happening in the US was at a winery in Texas of all places. In California, the huge wine producing state with tough environmental laws, it seems that little is thought of this practice. Even a company called, Wine Bottle Renew that started specifically for this purpose doesn’t appear to be in business anymore.

Naturally, it was a breath of fresh air to see that the opinion on this subject at European wineries is quite different. Long has it been the case that you can bring in your own bottle to fill up from the bulk wine tanks, but it wasn’t until a visit to Calonge for our Empordà wine guide that we came across a winery that will directly re-use their old bottles. As you can see in the picture above from Mas Molla, they use one type of bottle. When people bring them back, they get a €0.20 discount off the wine, which when most bottles are €1.90 means an 11% discount, just for being a good citizen of the earth.

It should be noted that this wine is “vi de pagés” which directly means, “peasant wine” but is much more akin to what English speakers know as “natural wine”. Perhaps this is part of the reason why they reuse their bottles in that they aren’t dealing with selling at schmancy prices. Thus, it would seem that the reason we’re wasting squatloads of energy to remake the exact same bottles a winery has just sold a wine in, is purely for the sake of perception, which is pretty ludicrous when you think about it.

Learn more about the wines, wineries, and history of Empordà in our Empordà, Catalonia wine travel guide

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Producing wine since the late 17th century, Rustenberg is a winery in the Greater Simonsberg area that has been run by the Barlow family for the last 60 years. In total the farm has 1,200 hectares with 160 dedicated to vines that all seem to center on the old, traditional white Colonial home in the middle.

Their Roussane 2008 is unique in that they claim to be the only farm making a Roussane in South Africa. The nose to it is rather tart and a bit acidic as well. The body is a complete departure from the nose however and is rather mineraly with only a touch of acid on the finish. It’s an enjoyable white in a way that is considerably different from many South African white wines. There is a thick honey quality to the body although with air, a lime quality opens up which isn’t ideal. It would be good for hot days and good with fish, pork, and any number of creamy cheeses. R 135

The Chardonnay 2008 has a nose that is a bit acidic and not completely likeable. Again, like the Roussane the body is 180 degrees from the nose and presents green apple with a bright, rather nice bouquet of summer flowers to it that completely avoids being annoyingly floral. The finish is clean, relaxed and cleansing to have with fruits or any meal that has cream or egg-based dishes. R 60

The John X. Merriman 2007 is named after the owner of the farm and is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc. The winery claims that it is a very young wine that needs another five to six years for maximum enjoyment. The nose is very dry with a touch of tobacco elements to it. The body is pretty flat with unstructured tannins and proves that yes, it definitely needs a good deal more time to age. The finish comes across a bit bitter on the end and not so clean. It’s hard to detect any good fruit elements to it as it needs a good deal more time to set itself up via aging. R 145

The Peter Barlow 2005 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that spent 20 months in new French oak barrels. Named after the man bought the farm in 1941, production is limited to 6,000 bottles a year that comes from a select 20 hectares of grape vines. The nose is light with hints of plum and a touch of spice. The body is definitely better set up than the Merriman, but it still comes across as a bit acidic in the finish. Flavors include the plum from the nose as well as black cherry. It too still needs more time to set up given that the flavors are relatively undeveloped, but you can taste the potential. R 310

We talk a great deal more about the wines of Stellenbosch and other Cape Town wineries in our Stellenbosch wine guide.

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