When Oz Clarke published his Wine Atlas, back in 1995, Poland didn’t register even a single paragraph.
England got a single page. Hungary got two. Slovenia got a paragraph, as did Georgia. But Poland was nowheresville.
How times change.
Today, Poland is that rare bird: a good news story in a wine world which is increasingly downbeat over declining sales, harsh harvests, and a host of other problems.
But Poland is the outlier. Thirty years ago there was essentially no wine production. Today, there are more than 700 wineries, divided into nine main regions. Climate change has benefitted the country, with a 2c rise in temperature meaning that growers can ripen vitis vinifera grapes, and move away from poor quality clones.
And the Polish wine industry has been especially fortunate in Ireland, because of two dynamic women who front up the Polish Wine Fest: Maja Ignaczewska and Maggie Domaradzka.
Maja and Maggie will be hosting the intriguingly named Wine Flight Beyond 50N at the Fumbally Studio on September 25th. So, we thought it a good idea to taste a trio of Poland’s new wines.
Winnica Silesian: Dolnosielskie 2023 11.5%ABV
The Mazurek family have one of the largest Polish estates but, at just 11 hectares, you can imagine just how boutique these companies actually are in comparison to European wine producers. They have won many awards both nationally and internationally, and the Dolnosielskie shows why: it’s a refreshing wine with excellent minerality with notes of lemon and elderflower, and if you have a bottle of this packed away for a picnic then it’s going to be a very good day.
Winnica Trzebnicka: Souvigato 2020 13% ABV
An orange wine from a tiny 3-hectare estate in Lower Silesia, established in 2020 by Paula and Korneliusz. Their work actually continues the long-disrupted vineyard work of the Cistercians, and guides to the region stress that you can gain access to the vineyard for tastings on horseback: way to go!
The wine is particularly well made, offering up notes of orange bitters, muscat, caramel and a full-in-the-cheeks whack of baked fruit.
Winnica Silesian: Cuvée Colorée Multi-vintage 12%ABV
A second wine from the Mazurek estate, and another of their labels which features the Silesian horses which the family breed. This was a big hit with our tasting crew, who liked its umami directness, with notes of apricot yogurt and a deep brick colour which puts one in mind of a nicely aged Burgundy. Excellent.
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