42 – SEPTEMBER 2019
PHOTOGRAPHS: ALEX LAU (BOTTLES); CHELSIE CRAIG (W
INE GLASS). ILLUSTRATIONS BY KATIE BENN.
I’m Crushing on Central EuropeI can’t speak to your personal life, but I can say with certainty that my relationship with
wine is polyamorous. And right now I’m very involved with Central and Eastern European
wines. These countries, some of which were once cloaked behind the Iron Curtain,
are creating some of the most exciting wines in the world. From new expressions
of varieties everyone already loves to mind-bending blends you’ve never heard of, there
is so much to explore. And I didn’t even have to break up with Italy to do it!A bottle of
Svätovavrinecké
(don’t be scared,
it’s just the red
grape St. Laurent)
from here changed
my life with its
acidic fireworks,
and I’m still not
over the Riesling
pétillant-naturel.
If you dig
Nestarec’s Sauv
Blanc, which drinks
like a pineapple-y
G&T, you might
want to Czech out
(haaa, nailed it)
his Grüner Veltliners
and his Pinot Noir
rosés with sour
cherry vibes.Those beautiful
faces you’ve
spotted on labels
around town are
the hallmarks
of Gut Oggau,
whose wines, like
Zweigelt, are
made as precisely
as those sketched
labels are drawn.Who knew a blend
of Grüner Veltliner,
Brauner Veltliner,
Weissburgunder,
Welschriesling, and
even more grapes
could make a wine
called Juh taste
like sailing across
a calm lake of
apricot juice?!FOUR OF MY FAVORITE PRODUCERS RIGHT NOW:
STREKOV 1075,
SLOVAKIA
MILAN NESTAREC,
CZECH REPUBLIC
GUT OGGAU,
AUSTRIA
ALEXANDER
KOPPITSCH, AUSTRIA
“Funky” has become a catchall for anything“natural”— positive or negative —and overusedto the point that it now means nothing. Do youwant something that tastes like kombucha? Bluecheese? Smells like a barnyard? Use your words!It’s Time
to Phase Out
“Funky”FINALLY, A
BEAUTIFUL GLASS
I’M NOT TERRIFIED
OF BREAKING
I unexpectedly got Zalto glasses as
a wedding present, and while I love
them, I feel like the X-Files theme
starts playing every time I take them
out and hand them to my friends.
Sorry, but I TRUST NO ONE with
$60 glasses. Then I got another
unexpected present: Gabriel-Glas
One-for-All glasses. They’re
weighty enough that I don’t have
to worry about shattering them, but
they still feature wonderful ergonomics
that elevate any wine—red, white,
or bubbly. Best of all, they feel like
a million bucks but cost only $31.Away – UnfilteredTrust yourself;
visit gabriel-glas
international.com.