natural wine – Grape Nomad

As we go through this life, we meet people that inspire us to do greater things. When listening to them talk or observing their work, we’re being given a glimpse of ourselves from a distance – what we perhaps haven’t obtained yet or what we’re capable of grasping in the future. We are humbled by even the briefest chats with our motivators (I don’t use the word “idols” as I don’t find much meaning to it), because they provide us with a form of intense mindfulness. The joy of such encounters roots from having the balls to go into the darkness of ignorance and realize that wine is not about who has the rarest bottle in their cellar or who can utter the poshest descriptor. It’s not about egos or styles or trends. It’s about creativity, soul-searching, expression, questioning, intention, emotion. It’s escape, transformation, outreach and the endless search for perfection. Simply, it’s about art. Continue reading “Eight Inspirational Winemakers of 2018”

Coming from a part of Europe which is filled with indigenous varieties such as Blatina, Tribidrag, Prokupac, Pecorino, Xinomavro, Vranac and many, many more, I understand and truly enjoy the biodiversity they create in their habitats. These grapes were cultivated for centuries, through various political and religious reigns, winemaking styles and climatic changes. Planting the same old grapes, doing the same old generic winemaking is all fine and dandy, but how much that will matter 20 years from now is highly questionable. Sure, the classics will always be there, nobody is doubting that, but with the wine world expanding by the hour and new grapes being (re)discovered, I find that classic will be considered solely a safe zone to fall back to when things get too crazy or weird. New frontiers will be challenged and getting the best out of unknown varietals will be inspirational for generations to come. You can thank artisanal producers for that. Continue reading “An Ode to Forgotten Grapes”