Wine Diversity or: Joy Above all Measures
For as long as humans have existed, they have been making alcohol from plants they found in nature. But no alcoholic beverage has reached the same popularity and exclusivity as wine. Whenever there’s something to celebrate – thanksgiving, weddings, birthdays – wine is always there to accompany the most elaborate meals.
Yet even on the more casual occasions, such as a cosy Friday evening with friends, wine is that magical substance that turns a simple dinner into a festivity.
Whether it’s white wine, red or rosé, there’s always the right bottle to accompany good food.
Exceptional flavour
Until not so long ago, I hated the taste of wine. But stubbornly, I kept savouring it, wine after wine, taking small sips whenever there was an occasion.
And then, one Christmas day, there was this enlightening moment for me.
The white tablecloths, which my grandma took out only for festivities, were beautifully decorated with candles, apples, nuts and aromatic fir branches. The food was delicious, the atmosphere cheerful and relaxed…
…and then there was this wine.
Dark, almost black in colour. My uncle had brought it from his holidays in Spain (very unfortunately, I don’t remember this wine’s name!). I tasted it and immediately thought: cocoa. This wine had a strong, but incredibly pleasant chocolate flavour!
Diversity & History
Wine is more than just an alcoholic beverage. It’s a drink of diverse flavours and rich history. But first and foremost, it’s the grapevine transformed into something strong, yet delicate, lush and cheerful.
May I invite you to join me while I’m exploring the magic behind grapes & wine?
From grape to wine
Let’s start with a day harvesting grapes in the heart of Istria, Croatia.
Brtonigla, or Verteneglio in Italian, is a small, picturesque town not far from the Adriatic coast. Here, on the gentle, green hills of Istria, vineyards and olive groves are spilled all over the landscape. It’s a warm day in September as I set off to participate in the grape harvest. A friendly, beautiful woman points me to the vineyard where the other workers are already busy harvesting.
Quickly, I find my way into cutting off the grapes and throwing them into the blue boxes on the ground. There’s a conversation going on among the workers, in Italian. This unique meddle of Croatian and Italian is so typical of much of the coast-region of Croatia.
Welcome to the land of wine!
Later, at the lunch table, I’m able to find out who’s who and with a delicious Istrian pasta meal (and wine, of course!), I’m welcomed into the troupe.
Accompanied by an elderly man’s harvest songs in Italian, we continue our work in the afternoon. It’s fatiguing work, but the people’s chattering and the beautiful sunshine make it enjoyable.
As the sun moves westwards over the beautiful Istrian landscape, the troupe’s singer tells me about old heirloom varieties they used to cultivate in the past. He tells me, merely from his experience, what I’ve learned at university. Locally adapted, heirloom varieties perform better in their indigenous environment. Istrian varieties grow best in Istria!
The pride of Istria
And indeed, that’s the pride of Veralda, the wine estate where I’ve found myself working: reviving the heirloom Istrian varieties to make the most delicious Istrian wines. Refosco, Teran and Malvasia are slowly making themselves a name in the wine scene. These grape varieties have been cultivated on Istrian soil for centuries. However, only in the past few decades have they seen a rekindled interest of growers, as well as wine drinkers.
For small growers in a tiny country such as Croatia, it is difficult to compete with large and established wine makers from California or France. But slowly, word is spreading that Croatian wines have something unique to offer!
And indeed, Veralda winery, is establishing itself at the top of world-renowned winemakers. In 2016, their red wine made from the Istrian variety Teran, won them the prestigious “Platinum Best in Show” award at the Decanter World Wine Awards, marking it as the best red wine in the world.
Why heirloom wine?
But making wine from local varieties is about more than national pride. Local, heirloom varieties are more resistant to diseases than other, international varieties. They are best suited for their local climate and yield a grape that will produce unique, diverse flavours.
Flavours that would be lost if it weren’t for winemakers who faithfully keep growing heirloom varieties.
And of course, growing heirloom varieties is an essential prerequisite for organic production. It basically means that less inputs are needed to protect the crop from diseases.
Stewards of the land
Organic, that’s part of Veralda’s philosophy, as they see it as a way to steward their land and enhance biodiversity. I could have guessed that the vineyard was organic from the diverse flora growing in between the grapevine rows. You might as well call them weeds, but here they are, grasses and herbs of all kinds, providing home & food for insects, birds and other creatures. Even the prized arugula sometimes grows among the vine as a “weed”, as one co-worker confided to me. Thriving biodiversity in action!
Between tradition & modernity
However down-to-earth and rustical the vineyards, the winemaking equipment I’m to admire later is all the more modern. As beautiful as her mother, Olga, the daughter of the house and oenologist, shows me around the Veralda wine cellar. Shiny high-tech in combination with aged oak barrels make the perfect combination for producing top-quality wines. The ambitious wine-making family combines traditional knowledge with more efficient machinery.
Indeed, the most fascinating thing Olga lets me see during my little tour is a huge barrel containing a whitish liquid with bubbles.
These are our yeasts, Olga explains in her expert but very friendly manner.
Without yeasts, there would be no wine. Yeasts are microscopic creatures naturally located on the skin of grapes. Just like in bread or beer, they are responsible for the transformation from grape to wine. In a process called fermentation, they convert the sugar molecules in the grape into alcohol. And they are greatly responsible for the quality of the end product.
Even the best grapes won’t make good wine if the fermentation process doesn’t go well.
So, good yeast cultures are essential for creating the pleasant aroma of wine we long for.
And, just as they do in their vineyards, the Veralda winemakers choose yeasts of an heirloom Istrian grape variety to curate their autochthonous wines. Yeasts from Malvasia grapes, to be more precise.
Tasting the wine
Of course, the day couldn’t have ended in any better way than by actually tasting the sought-after wine. Olga pours me a glass of the light, golden Malvasia white wine, explaining to me how professional wine connoisseurs taste wine.
First the eyes: how does the wine look in the glass?
Then, the nose. Gently rotating the glass in my hand, I breathe in deep the aroma of the wine. The scent is what makes you expectant of the final taste of the wine.
And a good wine doesn’t disappoint.
With closed eyes, I take a sip of the cool liquid. Fresh, fruity, with a tangy note, the sip goes down my throat like a midsummer dream.
Tired, but happy, I go back home at the end of that day. My head is spinning with ideas, my fingers excited to write it all down. And my palate anticipating more of the incredible diversity wine has to offer.
Unveiling the mystery
Finally, wine remains a bit of a mystery. Growing from dirt, grapevines have some of the longest roots of all plants. Bringing up pure water from the deep, they stretch their curled branches towards the hot, Istrian sun. Pruned and pampered all year long, they produce their sweet fruits, only to be turned into an astringent, but aromatic drink by microscopic creatures. In the end, it’s a delight that can heighten moods and even serve as an aphrodisiac.
Indeed, it is true what Romano Guardini wrote in his beautiful poem:
“Bread is what Christ has become for us, and wine. Wine is boldness, joy above all earthly measures, fragrance and beauty, vastness and giving without boundaries. Zest of living and owning and offering.”
And the best way to sustain this extraordinary variety of flavours is, well, to drink it!
Choose good wine from local, heirloom varieties, support sustainably producing winemakers and delight in the diversity of flavour.
Photos by Naomi Bosch
