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Just 8 days remain to dive into the revolutionary world of “The Wine People” by Robert Joseph, a seminal figure in wine journalism and a trusted member of the Wine Travel Awards jury since its inaugural year. This campaign is a rare opportunity to support a project that promises to shift the paradigm of wine literature.

In this innovative 240-page book, Joseph deploys artificial intelligence to breathe life into over 200 fictional personas, each embodying a distinct role in the wine industry. This isn’t just a book; it’s a gateway to the untold stories of the wine world, from vineyard workers to elite vintners, captured through a lens that combines decades of wine expertise with groundbreaking technology.

Robert Joseph, a revered friend of the Wine Travel Awards community, invites you to be part of this unique narrative that intertwines wine education with engaging, interactive experiences. Each persona in the book comes to life with QR codes that update their stories, making every interaction a new discovery.

Your support not only secures a signed copy of the book with your name printed in it but also aids Alzheimer’s Research, reflecting Joseph’s commitment to social impact through wine storytelling.

Don’t miss out on contributing to a project that redefines the art of wine communication, making it accessible, engaging, and profoundly influential. Visit the Kickstarter page here (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/winepeople/the-wine-people) to join Robert Joseph in making wine history and exploring the transformative landscape of global wine culture.

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Just 8 days remain to dive into the revolutionary world of “The Wine People” by Robert Joseph, a seminal figure in wine journalism and a trusted member of the Wine Travel Awards jury since its inaugural year. This campaign is a rare opportunity to support a project that promises to shift the paradigm of wine […]

English wine writer and winemaker Chris Boiling explores the Zakarpattia wine region in western Ukraine, uncovering the exciting potential of local grape varieties…

My search for lesser-known grape varieties with huge potential brings me to the Zakarpattia region, in western Ukraine. I’m crossing the Tisza River by train from Hungary to show my support for Ukrainian winemakers and to see if I can set up a small project to help promote Ukrainian wine, this relatively unknown wine region and its local grape varieties.

Zakarpattia, which borders Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, and Romania, translates as ‘Transcarpathian’ – ‘beyond the Carpathians’. Over the last century it has been ruled by Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union and Ukraine. In the Soviet era, it was designated as a “land of orchards and vineyards”, but most of the vines were uprooted during Mikhail Gorbachev’s anti-alcohol campaign in the mid-1980s. So, at my first stop, I’m excited to find some Bakator and Királyleányka vines from the 1960s – possibly some of the oldest vines in Ukraine. I’m also excited by the wide variety of grapes growing here. At the Sass K Winery, in the small village of Kígyós, I spot stainless-steel tanks filled with wines from traditional Carpathian Basin grapes: Királyleányka, Hárslevelű, Cserszegi Fűszeres, Szerémi Zöld, and Olaszrizling (Welschriesling). I also spot tanks labelled Traminer, Muscat, Chasselas, Riesling, Regent, Solaris, Cabernet Sauvignon and Saperavi. In a couple of other wineries I visit during my brief tour, I notice barrels filled with Chardonnay, Merlot and Zweigelt, and plastic tanks labelled Müller-Thurgau, Furmint and Zenit.

The standout surprise, however, is Bakator. In a mixed vineyard where many grapes have been affected by botrytis, the indigenous Bakator bunches are still clean. As well as being highly resistant to diseases, this variety produces wines with low alcohol and good acid structure. The Sass K Winery makes a fresh white wine from it and plans to use the variety to produce classic sparkling wines. “It has become very important for this region,” winemaker Krisztián Sass says.It’s the grape I suggest we focus on for our wine project, which aims to raise the profile of rare and underrated grape varieties. So far, the portfolio – due to be launched later this year – includes Kisi and Khikhvi from Georgia, Pearl of Victoria from Hungary, Debine e Zezë from Albania, Rumeni Plavec from Slovenia, Pugnitello from Italy, and two disease-resistant (piwi) grapes, Muscaris and Souvignier Gris, grown in Austria.

Krisztián, who has been making wine with his grandfather, Károly, since 2011, says we can use the Bakator grapes from the old vines. Krisztián farms 11ha organically. Most of the vines are above Kígyós, on Hazanéző hill – which Krisztián is trying to push as the region’s ‘cru’ site because the soil has a volcanic base and an upper layer of hard clay. As we wander between some rows and taste the berries, he says the plants are less productive now after a couple of years of hot and dry summers. The winemakers in this region, which looks and feels Hungarian, talk more about the weather than the war (at least in my company). A mild winter, some scary moments with frost and hail, and another hot and dry summer have all taken their toll on yields. But the quality of the grapes is good. When I arrive, the harvest has paused midway through, awaiting the passage of heavy rains – the fallout from Storm Boris, which devastated large areas of Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Italy and Romania in September. Outside the winery are basket presses freshly painted in case the electricity supply goes down during the harvest. “Four days ago, we couldn’t press and destem because there was no power,” Krisztián says.

Things have got a little easier generally, he informs me. After the Russian invasion in 2022, Sass K Winery bottled its wines by siphoning them from the barrels and tanks because there was no power. He also struggled to get hold of the right bottles and had to put his orange wine, made from Muscat grapes, in a bottle rejected for sparkling wines.

He believes there has been a sharp increase in quality in the region since 2016 but now it’s levelled off. “Is this due to the war?” I wonder.

He says some producers are investing in temperature-controlled tanks but are increasing their yields (or planting higher-yielding clones) to pay for it. The big talking point inside the winery is the Királyleányka. Krisztián welcomes me to the former chicken farm with a glass of sparkling wine made from this ancient Carpathian Basin or Transylvanian variety, a natural crossing between Leányka and Kövérszőlő. Across the border, in Hungary, it is used to produce fresh, light, fruity wines, with delicate aromas and notes reminiscent of grape blossom and sugar. And it is rarely matured in oak. Krisztián tells me he once hated this variety but says he likes it now “because I have from 2019 to 2024, and sparkling”.

It’s the fresh, light, and fruity version that he dislikes. He prefers it once it has aged and thinks it could be good after a decade or so because “it has high alcohol content, and high acid content. For example, average is 14% alcohol and more than 7g/L total acidity. In Hungary, they told me that it’s a smooth, easy wine with low acidity. Okay, but this area on top of the hill, the clay is very hard and the bunches are small and the berries are concentrated.”

This vintage, he has experimented by making the wine in three ways: whole-bunch pressed and destemmed – both fermented in used oak – and with some skin contact, fermented in a tank. This amber wine has now been on skins for nine days, which is high for Krisztián, who prefers to make clean, straightforward wines with low-intervention techniques. The three versions of Királyleányka will be blended and left on lees for a few months. Short lees ageing is typical for his white wines. He tells me he tastes the lees more than the wine to check the sedimentation is still healthy. Otherwise, his winemaking is very simple: spontaneous fermentation in barrels or tanks for whites, ageing on lees for a few months, clarification with bentonite, and filtered if there is some residual sugar. “Reds are unfiltered and unfined, and I usually don’t add sulphur for eight months at least because of malolactic fermentation,” Krisztian comments. Inspired by the Királyleányka experiments, we agree our project will involve Bakator whole-bunch pressed, as well as fermented on skins and co-fermented with about 5% of the extremely rare grape Szerémi Zöld. The final wine will be a blend of these components.

While in the area I also visit the small Parászka Winery in Bene, a village in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. One room at the family-run winery is crammed with plastic tubs, covered by cardboard, and plastic tanks. This year’s juice is bubbling noisily; the temperature in the room is controlled by a wall-mounted air-conditioning unit. Another room is filled with plastic tanks storing wine from previous vintages. There are no shiny tanks here – stainless steel is too expensive for brothers Gergely and László Parászka, who took over the winery after the early death of their father, György Parászka. Most of the wine from their 2.5ha of vines is sold to tourists. Degustations take place in a very old cellar, which was built by Italian prisoners of war who were captured by Austro-Hungarian soldiers during the First World War. Experienced miners, they dug six cellars in the Berehiv district in exchange for food. This is the last cellar they carved out of the rocky subsoil. They didn’t finish this one – the others have smooth ceilings.

Gergely and László’s Hungarian ancestors used to sell their grapes to the Budafoki State Winery in Budapest, where it was destined for the production of Törley sparkling wines. Their great-grandfather was exiled to Siberia and his vineyards were destroyed during the Soviet repression of peasants in the 1920s and 1930s. When he returned, he got his three sons together and dictated to them the family’s protocols for 35 wines. These form the core of the family wines, which are now sold under the Parászka Pincészet label. László says they have about 250 grape varieties in their collection, and that the Beregsász wine region has been referred to as Tokaj-2, because of the similar climate and grape varieties. He pours me a couple of fresh white wines – a Zenit and then a Furmint – and a Golubok-Alibernet red blend. Both varieties were bred in the Ukrainian Scientific Research Institute for Wine and Vines in Odesa and have Cabernet Sauvignon in their lineage. Alibernet also goes by the names Odesa Black and Odesskij čornyj in Ukraine.

Nearby, but at the other end of the production scale, is the Cotnar winery. It used to make 20 million litres of wine for the Russian market. Now it produces one million litres for the domestic market. It used to have 11 people working in the cellar at this busy time of year; now there are three. Crates of Isabella grapes are stacked outside the winery – awaiting the arrival of the ‘mashgichim’ so they can be turned into Kosher grape juice. The winery is large and industrial, but the wines I taste from the barriques in the large barrel-ageing room are of good quality. It’s a nice surprise. I taste Chardonnay, the only white aged in wood, from French and Ukrainian barrels. The Ukrainian barrels, from Sport 23, are an experiment. The wine seems less refined and has a bitter finish.

I also taste Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Saperavi from wood with winemaker Veresh Geizo. The wines here are commercial and the focus seems to be on international grape varieties.

The other big producer in the region is Chateau Chizay. I only have time for a burger at their restaurant, which I wash down with an orange Furmint. I’m told it’s their most interesting wine. Then it’s off for drinks with one of the local mayors. The guests have brought their homemade alcohol – wine, palinka and a surprisingly good cider which the producer describes as “a pet-nat with apples”.

When I return to Hungary, I open one of the bottles of wine I’d been gifted. It’s Sass K Winery’s flagship product, Karlot – a field blend comprising Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. I recall Krisztián’s words: “It’s our most successful wine, it usually scores very high in wine competitions. Many people wonder how Cabernet and Merlot can actually be of such high quality in Zakarpattia. The answer is very simple: amazing terroir and 60-year-old vines.”

English wine writer and winemaker Chris Boiling explores the Zakarpattia wine region in western Ukraine, uncovering the exciting potential of local grape varieties… My search for lesser-known grape varieties with huge potential brings me to the Zakarpattia region, in western Ukraine. I’m crossing the Tisza River by train from Hungary to show my support for Ukrainian winemakers and to […]

The Charitable Gastro Dinners project, which is the nominee and winner of the public vote of the Wine Travel Awards 2023-2024 in Enogastronomic Events/Event of the Year and the winner of the special award – “Jury’s Choice” WTA, is a team of chefs who have been organizing charity events in support of the Armed Forces for more than two years now.

At the beginning of August, with the help of the Ukrainian Culinary Association, the community of chefs, restaurateurs and volunteers, another charity gastro dinner was held. This time the event was held in the city of Dnipro at the Qartuli restaurant.

This is already the sixteenth charity gastro dinner, before that there were five abroad and ten in different cities of Ukraine. The result of the dinner in Dnipro was a collection of 5,000,000 hryvnias. In total, 25.5 million hryvnas have been collected in cash, as well as dozens of drones, one and a half dozen cars and ambulances, and tons of products during the entire time of the events. EW systems, all-terrain vehicles, drones were purchased with the collected funds, a portion of the funds has been transferred to military prosthetics.

The Dnipro dinner was prepared by eleven TOP chefs from Ukraine and two chefs from Azerbaijan and Georgia. Guests of the event were presented with six dishes of author’s modern Ukrainian cuisine and a set of three craft liqueurs. Before the main event, a lively meeting of guests took place in the format of a welcome drink. As part of the dinner, as usual, a charity auction with exclusive lots was held, Ukrainian pop stars performed. 100% of the collected funds went equally to the needs of military units and a seriously wounded soldier who needs expensive treatment.

Follow our news and join the great cause! Unity is our strength. Each charity dinner is another step towards Victory!

For more detailed information about the events, please call:

• Andrii Magaletskyi – President of the Association of Culinary Professionals of Ukraine (+38 068 805 08 05)
• Anastasia Khomenko – administrative director of events (+38 099 362 52 42)

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The Charitable Gastro Dinners project, which is the nominee and winner of the public vote of the Wine Travel Awards 2023-2024 in Enogastronomic Events/Event of the Year and the winner of the special award – “Jury’s Choice” WTA, is a team of chefs who have been organizing charity events in support of the Armed Forces […]

After the presentation on the grounds of the Center Pompidou during the Brancusi exhibition, Jidvei wine (Romania) is back in Paris!

This time, the winning brand of the Wine Travel Awards 2023-2024 vote supports the Romanian national team at the Olympic Games in Paris. Jidvei will be the official wine for all events organized at Casa Romaniei during the Olympics in France.

As a reminder, during the last five years, the Association “Jidvei – Future through Education” has been a sponsor of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee (COSR).

The Olympic spirit includes a number of attributes that Jidvei values and admires: competition, hard work, fair play and quality.

All this time, Jidvei has actively supported  the Olympic and Sports Committee of Romania in the preparation of the Romanian national team to participate in the Games. “Through the “Jidvei – Future through Education” association, we support COSR and the events they organize at the Romanian Embassy in Paris during the Olympic Games. We feel close to the Romanian athletes and wish them to write history at the 2024 Olympics, continuing the annals of legendary masters who took Romanian sports to the highest heights. It’s great that they represent their country with dedication and pride! And for this, as well as for the results they will achieve, we congratulate them in advance,” Claudiu Necsulescu, president of Jidvei Group, commented on this collaboration.

Jidvei wines will grace all Paris events organized by the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee at the Embassy of Romania. Among the participants will be distinguished athletes, public figures, journalists, officials and other prominent guests who will raise glasses in honor of those who continue the tradition of Romanian sports performances.

During the Summer Olympics, the Embassy of Romania in Paris will host guests at Palatul Béhague, a space called Casa Romaniei, a joint project of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee.

Jidvei – Future through Education Association is proud to contribute to the performance and presentation of the Romanian team, encouraging excellence in all its forms and celebrating every success with authentic wines from the heart of Transylvania.

D+ file

Association “Jidvei – Future through Education”. Founded in 2010, the Association is a non-profit organization that focuses on activities and programs to support local kindergartens, providing scholarships for children and youth from disadvantaged families, and also scholarships and merit awards for students with exceptional academic results.

The association “Jidvei – Future through Education” encourages, supports and promotes productivity in any field, because the future is education, and the most important and solid investments are people.

After the presentation on the grounds of the Center Pompidou during the Brancusi exhibition, Jidvei wine (Romania) is back in Paris! This time, the winning brand of the Wine Travel Awards 2023-2024 vote supports the Romanian national team at the Olympic Games in Paris. Jidvei will be the official wine for all events organized at […]

After updating all the appellation signs (plates) in its vineyards, the Burgundy Wine Board (BIVB) wants to give the old signs a second life. On November 12, almost 600 signs, divided into 300 lots, will be auctioned on drouot.com and interencheres.com. The event will be broadcast live from Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne, which is a nominee and winner of the public vote of the Wine Travel Awards 2023-2024 in Education in Enotourism/Cultural Mission and also won the Jury’s Choice award.

This year, the BIVB presents an innovative project with an exclusive auction that will present 600 signs of the appellations that have graced the vineyards for 20 years (Grand Auxerrois, Côte de Beaune, Côte de Nuits, Côte Chalonnaise, Mâconnais, etc.).

On November 12, from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., wine professionals and all Burgundy wine lovers can become owners of signs that will later decorate their garden, home or office. Auctions are open to everyone. The auction will be conducted by Jérôme Duvillard and Alexandra Chaillou-Weidmann. You can follow the auction online at drouot.com and interencheres.com, and the event will be broadcast live from the Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne in Beaune. The lots are available to view online from July 25 at quaidesencheres.fr, drouot.com and interencheres.com.

Proceeds from the auction will be sent to the Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne to support the development of its cultural activities: the creation of new exhibitions and conferences dedicated to the cultural, artistic and historical heritage of Burgundy.

For more information, please contact Cécile Mathiaud, Head of Public Relations at BIVB:

• +33 (0)6 08 56 85 56;
• cecile.mathiaud@bivb.com

Photo: bourgogne-wines.com, facebook.com/BourgogneWines

After updating all the appellation signs (plates) in its vineyards, the Burgundy Wine Board (BIVB) wants to give the old signs a second life. On November 12, almost 600 signs, divided into 300 lots, will be auctioned on drouot.com and interencheres.com. The event will be broadcast live from Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne, […]

Winner of the Wine Travel Award 2023-2024 in the Wine Guide/Top Guide, Miguel Leal, founder and CEO of ML Private Tours, received an award from the Prémio Nacional de Enoturismo for his services in the field of wine tourism.

Miguel’s connection with the world of wine dates back to his childhood in a small family winery run by his grandfather and father. In 2011, Miguel decided to pursue a career in the world of wine, starting ML Private Tours.

Miguel Leal’s company specializes in creating unique travel experiences for clients seeking the best of what Portugal has to offer in the world of wine and gastronomy.

In 2023-2024, Miguel Leal won the Wine Travel Award as the Best Guide. And now, at the third Prémio Nacional de Enoturismo, he received an award for merit in the field of wine tourism.

Winner of the Wine Travel Award 2023-2024 in the Wine Guide/Top Guide, Miguel Leal, founder and CEO of ML Private Tours, received an award from the Prémio Nacional de Enoturismo for his services in the field of wine tourism. Miguel’s connection with the world of wine dates back to his childhood in a small family […]

2020 Château Angélus Grand Vin Blanc Vin de Pays de l’Atlantique is a blend of four varieties – Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon. “Blending four unlikely bedfellows has resulted in a wine that is far greater than the sum of its parts.” says leading wine writer Raymond Blake of this first vintage of 2020.

Château Angélus, Wine Travel Awards nominee and winner, one of the largest and most prestigious estates in Saint-Emilion, hardly needs an introduction to Bordeaux lovers, and indeed to anyone who understands wine. Château Angélus is synonymous with impeccable quality and success. And Château Angélus regularly appears in the movies, it played the leading role in three James Bond films, in the iconic film about the life of Edith Piaf, and others.

“However, until now its popularity has been based solely on the quality of red wines,” writes Raymond Blake in his research.

Château Angelus wines have a deep red color, an elegant aroma filled with floral and berry tones, dominated by the shades of coffee and plums. And here is the 2020 Château Angélus Grand Vin Blanc Vin de Pays de l’Atlantique, a unique white wine (only 2,000 bottles per year), and as the château says “it will never reach a wide audience, the wine is only available for receptions at the estate”.

“For the production of Château Angélus Grand Vin Blanc, we keep only the best grapes from a very small plot. The result is a micro-cuvee, which is produced in the amount of 2,000 bottles per year. We reserve this rare wine for the receptions held at the estate with our most loyal customers, as well as for the Angélus dinners organized with our partners,” the château owners say.

Grand Vin Blanc wine is made from Chardonnay (40%), Chenin Blanc (20%), Sauvignon Blanc (20%), Semillon (20%). 13% ABV.

Raymond Blake writes that “trying to dissect the aroma and flavor of this wine, to determine the contribution each grape variety makes, is largely a futile exercise. A tasting might attribute the Chardonnay to the base, the Chenin gives a bit of minerality, the Sauvignon – freshness, and the Semillon delivers a light shine. The shape of the bottle and the elegant label, which attracts attention with its simplicity, rather than bright decorations, create an attractive and winning combination.”

The aroma is pure fruit and fresh flowers. The beautiful depth of taste turns into a crystal clear and long aftertaste. “Balanced and precise wine.”

2020 Château Angélus Grand Vin Blanc Vin de Pays de l’Atlantique is a blend of four varieties – Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon. “Blending four unlikely bedfellows has resulted in a wine that is far greater than the sum of its parts.” says leading wine writer Raymond Blake of this first vintage of 2020. […]

Coolness in the heat – the nominee of the Wine Travel Awards 2023-2024 has presented a new summer cocktail – RUTA TONIC.

Some time ago TM RUTA together with OTB Studio organized an all-Ukrainian cocktail competition using RUTA balm – Ruta Cocktail Challenge 2024. With incredible creativity, the participants demonstrated that local drinks are tasty, cool and fashionable.

And now RUTA offers summer in a glass, a cocktail that promises to become a favorite of all those who prefer a natural product, local drinks and simplicity of execution. Summer cocktails should be light and juicy, which is exactly what RUTA TONIC is.

For its preparation, you will need 45 ml of craft RUTA balm, 120 ml of dry tonic and a slice of lemon. Everything is very simple! This is the best summer cocktail.

Coolness in the heat – the nominee of the Wine Travel Awards 2023-2024 has presented a new summer cocktail – RUTA TONIC. Some time ago TM RUTA together with OTB Studio organized an all-Ukrainian cocktail competition using RUTA balm – Ruta Cocktail Challenge 2024. With incredible creativity, the participants demonstrated that local drinks are tasty, […]

At the most prestigious wine competition Decanter-2024 and at one of the most significant and influential “traveler” wine competitions in the world, Concours Mondial de Bruxelles-2024, wines from the Greek winery Semeli Estate received gold medals.

Founded in 1979, with deep roots in age-old winemaking traditions and an eye to the future, Wine Travel Awards nominee Semeli Estate produces wines of exceptional quality. In order to ensure the best possible quality of grapes, Semeli winegrowers are currently in the process of transitioning from traditional to regenerative viticulture.

Hard work and love for one’s work usually bear fruit – currently, one of Semeli Estate’s excellent wines – Semeli Estate Mantinia 2023 was awarded gold medals at the Decanter-2024 and at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles-2024 competitions.

Semeli Estate Mantinia 2023 is a wine with a complex nose with typical Moschofilero aromas of nutmeg, zest, rose, papaya, mango, peach, pear. The taste is full, balanced, with good acidity and a sense of citrus aftertaste. The wine is recommended to be served with risotto, pasta with white sauce, dishes with lemon sauce, roasted pork with greens.

Also, at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles-2024, the winery received gold for Semeli Nemea Grande Reserve 2019 and Semeli Spondee 2021, as well as silver for Semeli Nemea Reserve 2021 and Semeli Thea Mantinia 2022.

“We are very happy and immensely proud of this prestigious recognition, we celebrate the outstanding quality of our wine!” – the winemakers comment on their victory.

Semeli offers its guests a variety of options for wine tasting, production tours, and grape picking. Wine tourism programs are available each day from Monday to Sunday, except Tuesday.

We congratulate the team of winemakers on such a well-deserved victory and wish them many more prestigious awards to add to the treasury of their success.

Photo: concoursmondial.com

At the most prestigious wine competition Decanter-2024 and at one of the most significant and influential “traveler” wine competitions in the world, Concours Mondial de Bruxelles-2024, wines from the Greek winery Semeli Estate received gold medals. Founded in 1979, with deep roots in age-old winemaking traditions and an eye to the future, Wine Travel Awards […]

A highlight in the international wine calendar was the tasting held in honor of the Wine Travel Awards Ceremony at the prestigious London Wine Fair. The event attracted distinguished guests, including sommeliers, distributors, association heads, MWs, and wine tourism operators from the USA, China, New Zealand, Great Britain, and other European countries.

Wines from six countries were featured in the celebratory tasting, including star locations of wine tourism in Georgia, the castles of Moldova and Romania, a model winery in Great Britain, and one of the leaders in winemaking from New Zealand. The youngest participant was the Italian winery Tenuta Manoylo from the Marche region, which debuted on the world stage this year. It has already earned the nickname “star of the region” by winning top awards at the prestigious international competition Mundus Vini and, just a few days ago, securing a gold medal at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in Mexico.

To analyze this young brand, D+ reviewers requested the main speaker of our event, Robert Joseph, to comment on the wines of Tenuta Manoylo, the winner of this Wine Travel Awards 2023-2024 edition in the Progressive Approach category.

Despite the impromptu nature of the discussion, Robert Joseph examined the style and quality of the three wines presented at the Wine Travel Awards with his characteristic professional meticulousness.

2021 Tenuta Manoylo, Passo del Borgo, Marche IGT Passerina (€81- 6 bottles)

• Appearance:  Straw, with hints of green.
• Nose: Lovely fresh nose with lemon, lime, grapefruit and angelica root as well as a hint of wild thyme and sage.
• Palate: the citric promise carries through, though with lime coming to the fore. The herbs are there too, with some very attractive stony, salty character.  Medium-bodied and bone dry, but the acidity is wrapped in attractive rich texture and a very long finish. Very attractive food wine.

2021 Tenuta Manoylo, Passo del Borgo, Marche DOC Falerio (€113 – 6 bottles)

• Appearance: Straw –slightly deeper in hue than the Passerina. But still hints of green.
• Nose: Ripe lemon and lemon curd /preserved lemons on the nose plus some floral notes and peach and saline character.
• Palate: Lemony and bright but with some green olive fleshiness and definite mineral notes. This is richer and rounder than the Passerina and tastes as though it has seen some wood. The finish is rich and long and, again evocative of those preserved lemons.

2021 Tenuta Manoylo, Passo del Borgo, Marche IGT Sangiovese (€170 – 6 bottles)

• Appearance: Mid red colour with rim showing the beginning of maturity.
• Nose: Attractive nose of plum and cherry, ripe strawberry, with some sandalwood and vanilla.
• Palate: Τhe same fruits are there, with the ripe strawberry very apparent along with pepper and herbs – oregano – and some well-integrated oak. The tannins are ripe and with characteristic Sangiovese dryness.   I am curious to see how this will age and how the fruit and alcohol will hang together.

General impression

I was especially impressed by both whites and, in particular, the Passerina which is a very well made, characterful wine which deserves to do well in restaurants everywhere, but especially those specialising in fish and seafood.

The Pecorino is also very good. I was interested to see that it is aged in tonneau. I thought I detected a hint of newer oak and would not have minded a very slight bit more.

Based on the website prices, I thought the Passerina very fairly priced – at a premium level.

This is a business and brand that appears to be going / has gone through some changes. The shaped ‘front’ label design is clever and stylish.

To summarize Robert Joseph’s comments, Tenuta Manoylo has successfully passed another authoritative quality test. Receiving a high rating from a specialist of this level is another road sign for professional clients and wine lovers.

A highlight in the international wine calendar was the tasting held in honor of the Wine Travel Awards Ceremony at the prestigious London Wine Fair. The event attracted distinguished guests, including sommeliers, distributors, association heads, MWs, and wine tourism operators from the USA, China, New Zealand, Great Britain, and other European countries. Wines from six […]