Central and eastern European wines are nothing new. Quaffable and affordable Romanian wines are now stalwarts on supermarket shelves, and Hungary, of course, has long been known for its tokaji: elegant straw-hued whites that run the gamut from dry to dessert wine. But what about other countries in what was once known as the Eastern bloc? Slovenia and Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland all have rich winemaking histories – and they’re also responsible for some of the most delicious wines I’ve tasted all year.
Zainab Majerikova of Basket Press Wines, an importer that specialises in central Europe, says winemaking in the region is as old as it is in the likes of France and Spain; and in the Czech Republic, which is obviously more famous for its beers, wine predates brewing by some 1,000 years. “During communism, though, the wines were kept inside the region for local drinkers,” she explains. Basket Press and other specialist importers such as Central Wines, whose focus is more on Poland, are trying to change this.
