"The LUGANA - KILLER." -Captain Cork

VINO Letter

13.6.2022 | Reading time: 3 minutes

1. First a sign of life from the captain, who hasn't sent out a newsletter for many days. But don't worry: He collected material for many more broadcasts.
2. Evening wine for little money that impresses with lots of juice and elegant bitter notes. The only disadvantage for head drinkers: its grape variety is not revealed. That's what the winemaker wants because he believes that too much information spoils the enjoyment. Good point.
3. The Italians (as so often) do it better. With emotion. The captain was in Tuscany for a week tasting wines. Unfortunately a lot of bad ones too. The advantage of this is that you learn to appreciate well-made wines.

O you my lovely evening wine!

The captain is back in Berlin. He was away for three weeks. First in Vienna (VieVinum wine fair), then in the Styrian wine-growing regions, then in Carinthia, where there are now also a few winegrowers, and finally in Tuscany. There the captain visited two winegrowers who couldn't be more different:

1. Marchese Franceso Mazze i from ancient Italian nobility, who invited the captain to a siepi vertical and poured himself. How did that happen? In the same week, a Siepi tasting took place in Berlin, which the captain couldn't attend because he was hanging around in Tuscany. When the Mazzei found out, they simply invited him home. The Siepi is a so-called Supertoscaner made from 50% Sangiovese and 50% Merlot. It offers an enchanting spectrum of aromas and is one of the most important wines in Italy.
2. Michael Schmelzer, Winemaker in Chianti Classico with 25 hectares of vineyards in the heart of Tuscany. Michael, who has a German father and an American mother, grew up in Wiesbaden, studied economics and came to wine through student jobs in various restaurants. In 2006 he read his first vintage in his own winery. How did the Captain and Michael get together? Very easily. Whenever the captain arrives at a wine-growing region, he grabs a case of various wines from the best wine shop and starts drinking. In Florence is the first address Enoteca Alessi , where Antonella (picture below) works whose taste the Captain trusts. She slipped the Captain (among other things) a bottle Monte Bernardi Chianti Classico Riserva 2018 for about 20 euros in the box. When the captain had this wine in his mouth, he was completely blown away. So much clear fruity beauty, elegant spice and grandiose drinking flow! He wrote the winemaker an e-mail and three days later stood between the vines, where Michael explained to him exactly how to handle Sangiovese to make a drink like this out of it.

The captain will report on both men and their wines.

But now to the evening wine, a representative of the popular under 10 euro category, that of a certain Luke Schmidt in Middle Franconia was prepared.

The special thing about it: Lukas does not reveal which grape variety in his → Sneak Preview Second Flight 2021 plugged. Only that much: "It's not a cuvée!"

An unusual way to advertise your wine, which already has a strange name.

But Luke doesn't believe in excessive teachings on wine labels. "When I ask wine drinkers what they like, I usually get this answer: I don't know my way around. The fear of not understanding a wine is enormous. After all, wine should just be fun..."

Words like that get VERY big ears from the captain. He thinks the same way. Then Luke says: "The German wine world is far too cerebral. Too much is asked of the consumer."

Lukas learned how to make wine in Styria and South Tyrol. "They're better at wine marketing there."

Be sneak preview (that's actually what an unannounced film screening is called) is a juicy and well-made wine from Franconian handwork, that convinces on the tongue and not on the bottle label. Luke says: "It's the best alternative to Lugana."

Anyone with a little knowledge of wine knows: Lugana from the Lake Garda region stands for uncomplicated and juicy white wine enjoyment. At least theoretically, because the drinks that are served under this name in German gastronomy are uncomplicated, but for the most part not enjoyable. This evening wine is different, namely a sensual and joy-giving drinking experience.

Mysterious Franconian wine made according to organic principles, the grapes from which were harvested by hand at dawn from the huge individual Bullenheimer Paradise vineyard (65 hectares), left to cool overnight and then destemmed, sorted and only pressed on the third day so that many aromas escape from the crumbly skins . Then spontaneous fermentation. Bright straw yellow in the glass. Apple compote with whole pieces and lemon zest on the nose. Insanely full-bodied in the mouth, firm and creamy at the same time. Orange, pomelo, tangerine on the palate - this is a beautiful mixture. Then fresh bitter notes of rhubarb and minimally sweet apricot pulp. Definitely Pinot Blanc, the captain thinks, but the winemaker says: Nonsense! For this price, a huge dose of good wine that you can safely stock up on, because you always need one.