Furmint Grape Vines Sought

Don't get excited, it looks like you'll be put on a waiting list.

You might give the University of California at Davis' viticulture department a jingle. They might have a line on it (more likely someone who could or has imported it).

If you're planning on making a Tokaj style wine, you had best learn about botrytis cinerea, the mold that can turn a crop of white grapes into gold or garbage. It is botrytis cinerea (a.k.a. bunch rot) that is responsible for Sauternes, trokenbeerenausleses, and Tokaj.

Thanks, Billy, I wrote to them both. What I want to make is shipon, a Slovenian white wine made from furmint grapes. (In Slovenian, the "sh" sound is indicated by an "s" with an inverted chevron on top, but I don't have that letter available in my email fonts.) Anyway, it used to be available everywhere in Cleveland in the 1960's and 1970's but just isn't imported anymore, so I thought I'd grow my own.

Paul

Does it have a varietal flavor or is it the structure (fruitiness, mouth feel, tannins, ect.) of the wine that you like? If it was cheap, it will have been tank fermented (either a lined concret tank or stainless). If the weather is anything like Germany, the wines may be 6% to 11% alcohol. I consider that consumer friendly. What did the one you have taste like?

After 30 years, I remember it as having spicy tones and being very crisp, somewhat Gewurztraminer-ish. It was my favorite of the Slovenian varieties. I picked up some more recent descriptions on the Web:

"It has a lively, fruity, almost peppery nose with some grapey depth to it. The palate is really lively and fresh, with an exuberant fruity, spicy character and a hint of spritz on the bright, acidic finish. This is a very pure, clean, minerally white that's full flavoured but zippy, and would be a versatile food wine. "

"The specialty of the area is Sipon: the must can achieve an outstanding content of aromatic oils and sugar, while the acids are less aggressive."

I ordered the last seven bottles of Sipon in stock at Zachys in Scarsdale, NY, yesterday. They may be the last seven bottles in the U.S. I'll post a review when they arrive.

Paul

Bars

I suppose a certain price point segment of the American market has gotten used to the more intense 'raw' taste of oak chip wine. I shudder that such an 'acquired taste' is now the preference for that segment.

Gene

Most French and German wine sells for less than 5 euros ($7.50) or a euro/liter at a co-op, in the country of origin. European oak barrels cost $700 f.o.b. here in the US ($2.50/btl). Only the prestigious brands can afford oak because otherwise if a small producer raises his/her price by half a euro, the buyers will go to their neighbors to buy at the old price.

Tank fermentation with oak chips isn't rare in this country either but it is usually done with red wines. Usually, with white wines, one doesn't want to obscure the fruit with oak. On the other hand, if the wine doesn't have any fruit (poor fruit or practices), a little oak may make the wine more interesting.

You could check with Cornell too but Traminette grows well here in the Northeast and sounds very similar. It's my favorite local white.

Joe