The Wine Grapes Project - Tasting 1,368 Grape Varieties

Somló's Sheep's Tail: Juhfark with Kis Tamás of Somlói Vándor

The Wine Grapes encyclopedia describes Juhfark as "perhaps the least modern or internationally appealing of Hungarian varieties." I take a different view, so I went to Somló, a nine-million-year-old volcano in northwest Hungary that formed under an ancient sea and never erupted. Kis Tamás of Somlói Vándor farms six certified-organic hectares across twelve small parcels on the hill. We discuss why this thin-skinned, high-acid "sheep's tail" grape nearly vanished under socialism, why he sees it as a winner from a warming climate, and why Somló wines taste sharp and salty even when the numbers suggest otherwise. We also cover his use of oak, extended lees ageing, and a local fertility legend that no one can quite substantiate. Part of Uncorkmywine, a series working through the grape varieties of the Wine Grapes encyclopedia, recorded on location with the people who grow them.

Csokaszolo

Csokaszolo

Muškát Moravský - The Muscat Czech Winemakers Bred Themselves | Wines tasted bz Sonberk and Zlomek & Vavra, Moravia, Czech Republic

Many countries in the world have their regional Muscat varieties... but often those ore mutations of Muscat Ottonel or Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains. In Czech Republic though, they were simply crossing their own Muscat variety in the 1980s. Get more impression from my wine journey ⁠Instagram⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/uncorkmywine_official/] ⁠Youtube⁠ [https://studio.youtube.com/video/eqHm2bn_gKc/edit] Muscat grows all over the world, but in the 1980s Moravian breeders were ambitious enough to make their own: Muškát Moravský, a crossing of Muscat Ottonel and Prachttraube built for a cool, continental climate. In this episode I taste two contrasting styles side by side, a bone-dry version from Sonberk in the Mikulovská sub-region and an off-dry kabinet from Zlomek & Vávra in Slovácká, and use them to tell the wider story of Czech wine: 18,000 hectares split 95/5 between Moravia and Bohemia, a tradition running back to the Romans, the clean cut of fifty communist years, and why so many Czech grapes are homegrown crossings. One of the 1,368 varieties from Wine Grapes, on camera. Full write-up and producer links at uncorkmywine.com. More about Moravia [https://uncorkmywine.com/travel/moravia] Wines tasted 1. Sonberk winery - Muskat Moravsky 2025 2. Zlomek & Vavra - Muskat Moravsky Kabinetni 2024 Wineries Sonberk Winery [⁠⁠https://www.sonberk.cz/en/⁠⁠] Zlomek & Vavra [https://www.vinozlomekvavra.cz/] #Muscat #CzechWine #Moravia #Sonberk #winegrapes #uncorkmywine #WSET #wine

Pálava — Czech Republic's Signature Grape | Tasted at Sonberk, Moravia

Pálava is one of the Czech Republic's signature grapes... ...and at Sonberk, near Popice in South Moravia, it produced a wine Decanter named the world's best dry aromatic white in 2017. In this episode I taste Pálava where it belongs, looking straight at the Pálava Hills it's named after. Get more impression from my wine journey on Instagram📷 Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/uncorkmywine_official/] Youtube [https://studio.youtube.com/video/eqHm2bn_gKc/edit] Pálava is a Czech crossing of Gewürztraminer (Tramín červený) × Müller-Thurgau, created by breeder Josef Veverka (crossed 1953) and named after the limestone hills of the Pálava region. Aromatic, spicy and full-bodied, it's made everywhere from bone-dry to sweet straw wine.Filmed at Sonberk — regarded as the first example of modern Czech wine architecture — with thanks to Kristina and the team.This is part of my project to taste all 1,368 grape varieties in Robinson, Harding & Vouillamoz's Wine Grapes. New varieties regularly — subscribe to follow the journey. Wines tasted 1. Sonberk winery - Pálava 2024, Stříbrný (Silver) 2. Sonberk Winery - Pálava 2024 VOC, Velký (Grand) 3. Sonberk Winery - Pálava 2024, Noble Rot, Velký (Grand) 4. Sonberk Winery - Pálava 2023, slámová, Velký (Grand) Sonberk Winery https://www.sonberk.cz/en/ [https://www.sonberk.cz/en/] Book a visit or tour via sonberk@sonberk.cz Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:27 Welcome 01:37 The Pálava hills 02:44 Sonberk Winery 03:31 Kristina Eibl 04:50 History of the region 07:39 Pálava grape variety 09:27 Wine 1 12:24 Wine 2 19:32 Wine 3 25:08 Wine 4 #Pálava #CzechWine #Moravia #Sonberk #winegrapes #uncorkmywine #WSET #wine

9 / 1,368 - Saphira: A very rare grape variety from Germany tasted in Liechtenstein

Have you tried ever tried Saphira? Let me know in the comments! Video recorded at Weingut Castellum Liechtenstein [https://castellum.li/] Wine tasted by Weingut Hoop, Liechtenstein [https://weinbau-hoop.li/STARTSEITE/] Project Inspired by Jancis Robinson / Julia Harding / José Vouillamoz: Wine Grapes (2012) [https://amzn.to/4niaJ7M]. (Affiliate Link) Saphira at PIWI International [https://piwi-international.org/en/grape-variety/saphira/] Saphira in the VIVC [https://www.vivc.de/index.php?r=passport%2Fview&id=17125]: Follow Uncorkmywine on Social Media Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/uncorkmywine_official/] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/uncorkmywine/] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-eggers/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkmywine] About Saphira Crossed in 1978 by German crosser Norbert Becker at the Geisenheim research insitute in Rheingau. Based von Arnsburger (a Riesling-based hybrid) and Seyve-Villard. Never really accepted by the wine growing community, today less then 20 hectares with around 11 hectares in Germany, 0.15 hectares in Liechtenstein and undefined plantings in Switzerland, the US, and Canada. Late-ripening with high acidity therefore a bit complicated to work with in the cellar. Medium lemon in color with greenish reflections. Medium-plus aroma intensity. Aromas of green apple, quince, hints of tropical like banana, very citric and a touch bitterness (grapefruit, raw almond) and some soft vegetal aromas (green haribo). On the palate, medium-plus acidity, bone dry, medium-minus body, 12% alcohol, no tannins. Well-balanced and structured with medium.plus finish. Read more about Saphira: