STREKOV 1075
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Our van, filled with eager Albertan wine geeks, raced east across Slovakia towards the minuscule village of Strekov. We arrived in the early evening, hours later than we planned thanks to slow-moving agricultural traffic. We met up with Zsolt, the proprietor and winemaker of Strekov 1075, and drove out to his vineyards just in time for sunset. We sat next to the vines eating headcheese, cured meats, raw vegetables from the garden, and bread while he told us about his incredible journey to natural farming.
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Several years ago, he ripped all the metal trellising out of his vineyard. Believing the wires and poles were completely unnatural (and perhaps even picking up radio waves and vibrations), he trained each vine onto a wooden stake made from local wood. Instead of training the grapes to grow at waist height for ease of picking, he trained the vines to grow their fruit only a few inches from the soil. He believes the closer the grapes are to the earth, the more they can transmit terroir. On the surface, this seems mystical, but the yeasts that carry out fermentation actually live in the soil; additionally, their proximity to heat-reflecting rocks helps the grapes ripen. The trade-off is that the grapes are much harder to harvest and are more susceptible to rot. Zsolt is willing to take the risk.
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His vineyard is virtually self-sustaining. By using biodynamic practices, he avoids chemicals, opting for sprays derived from things that grow around the area (horsetail, chamomile, oak leaves, nettle, yarrow, and so forth). These sprays are shockingly effective and promote biodiversity around the vines. Instead of killing insects, he encourages beneficial insects which deter the pests.Description text goes here
2021 BOB (PORTUGIESER)
This nouveau-style wine is named after Zsolt’s beloved donkey, Bob. The decade-old vines are planted on richer clay loam with a limestone subsoil. He employs his typical single-stake training method. The grapes are destemmed and fermented on skins for two weeks with gentle hand-plunging of the cap. The wine is then pressed into stainless steel for a short settling period before bottling unfined, unfiltered, and without SO2. It is bottled under crown cap to preserve its delicate spritz.
2020 SUPKAC (RIZLING)
These grapes were grown by Peter Šroner in his biodynamic vineyard just North of Strekov. This is the biodynamic young vines’ first vintage. The soils in Vajka nad Žitavou are typical clay-loam but with a wind-blown loess subsoil. The Rizling Vlašský (Welschriesling) was destemmed and fermented in open-top tank for two weeks. Zsolt collects the free run juice and ages it in neutral barrel until the following spring. The wine is racked and bottled in the spring without fining, filtering, or SO2.
2020 VELTLIN
This wine comes from a small plot of Grüner Veltliner Zsolt is particularly proud of. The grapes are destemmed and pressed into neutral barrel for fermentation. This wine has a tendency to develop flor, so he keeps the barrels fully topped. The wine is eventually racked and bottled without fining, filtration, and has no added sulphur.
ESTIMATED RETAIL PRICE: $41.00 CAD
CSPC: 866856
2020 RICHARD (CHARDONNAY)
These grapes were grown by Peter Šroner in his biodynamic vineyard just North of Strekov. This is the biodynamic young vines’ first vintage. The soils in Vajka nad Žitavou are typical clay-loam but with a wind-blown loess subsoil. The grapes were destemmed and pressed directly into barrel where the wine ferments and ages on full lees. Zsolt performs gentle batonnage occasionally. The wine is racked and bottled in the spring without fining, filtering, or SO2.
ESTIMATED RETAIL PRICE: $57.00 CAD
CSPC: 866857
2019 FRANKOVKA
Zsolt grows the grapes in his biodynamic vineyard planted on clay loam and loess. The grapes are partially destemmed and fermented in open-top tank for two weeks. The wine is then pressed off into neutral barrel until right before the next harvest. The wine is gently bottled by gravity without fining, filtration, or SO2.
ESTIMATED RETAIL PRICE: $57.00 CAD
CSPC: 866858
2019 HEION
This wine comes from some of Zsolt’s best Welschriesling planted on clay loam. The grapes are destemmed and fermented in open-top tank for two weeks. Daily hand-plunging of the cap prevents excess volatile acidity (although there is some) while gently extracting flavours and tannins. The wine is then pressed off into neutral barrel for élevage. The puncheons aren’t topped, which encourages the development of flor and allows for gentle oxidation. The wine is bottled unfined, unfiltered, and without SO2 right before the next vintage. Less than 100 cases are made annually. 12.5% ABV
