Viticulture returns to Poland

 

Bartek Gruszka, President of the Tłocznia Foundation, 
showcasing how an underground cellar was restored in Zielona Góra.

(Image credit: Sylvia Wu)

A story in Decanter magazine caught my attention. Viticulture in Poland dates back more than 1000 years. Still, since the 16th century, winemaking had been declining due to a cooling climate, social changes, wars and the Soviet era, which virtually wiped it out. 

The modern revival of Polish wine began in the 1980s, helped by a warming climate and by more wine-friendly legislation introduced in 2008. From three legally registered producers in 2009, the industry has grown to more than 700 registered wine growers and producers in Poland today. 

The German-bred PiWi grape Solaris is by far the most planted wine grape in Poland. Riesling is a more recent addition to the white plantings. Pinot Noir has recently become the most widely planted red wine grape in Poland. It is followed by the PiWi grapes Regent, Cabernet Cortis and Rondo. As part of the movement, old abandoned wine cellars are being restored and resurrected throughout Poland. 

It will be interesting to see if Ireland's winemaking enjoys a similar growth pattern. In the meantime, I am eager to try some Polish wines. The Polish store in Castlebar has recently added a liquor license, but I didn't see any Polish wines. I'll have to look harder next time. 

Getting there

Measuring Brix today yielded 16, 18, 19, and 20. Rondo is near ready to pick. Tomorrow is a busy day and rainy, so we'll wait till Wednesday. 

Rondo still not ready

 

The berries have grown bigger with the rain we've had over the past few days. But the Brix is still too low for harvest: 17, 15, 15, 19. 

Perfect day for making wine

 

A rainy and blustery day is perfect for making wine. We processed the 4 bushels of Solaris grapes through the destemmer/crusher first, which is always a messy job. We then pressed the grapes (about 1.5 bushels) in the hydropress. It was a murky green coloured must, and we wondered how it would ever turn into that lovely golden nectar. 

Meanwhile, the yeast with nutrient and enzymes was started in boiled water. We added the yeast to the must and poured it into the fermentation tank. We had about 7-8 litres of must, not much, but we are hopeful that the wine will be a match for last year's vintage. 

Then it was time to clean up. What a mess. But at least it's no longer in the kitchen. 

Next harvest -- Rondo. Probably tomorrow or Sunday, depending on the weather. 

Harvest Day: Solaris

 

A rare near-perfect bunch. 

The Brix had surpassed 20, so it was time to pick. The weather was going to be decent on Thursday, with winds gusting to 35 knots, but several models showed no rain while others showed a bit of drizzle. We started by sterilising the winery equipment and washing the floor before setting out for the vineyard.

We had some drizzle, some sunshine, and a whole lot of cool wind, so we managed to harvest it all by 5 pm. Despite the fact that we collected four bushels of grapes, we should have had ten times that. But a combination of factors reduced our yield manyfold. Black rot, mildew, and possibly failure to set fruit all contributed to a dismal take. Had we been successful, we might have had 40 bushels. 

The amount of fruit in bags was equivalent to the amount not bagged that should have been eaten but wasn't. So we are convinced the kites are working and we don't need to bag anymore. Halleluja! The bagging was boring chore. The CDs probably help as well. 

Tomorrow the weather is to be abysmal. Heavy rain means a day of winemaking. You know, if growing grapes and making wine was easy, we'd all be doing it. Oh right. We are, and it's not. 

A common finding

Another perfect one -- take a picture!

Kite soaring over Alex

Almost 4 bushels

Pinot Noir filling out but not ripening

Convenient plastic buckets

Waiting for tomorrow

Time to harvest Solaris

 

I measured the Brix today and had readings of 18 to 22 on the Solaris. The Rondo came in at 15-18 so we can split the harvest. The weather tomorrow should be okay, very windy and gusting up to 35+ knots, but relatively dry depending on the model you look at. Friday is going to be very wet by all the models, so that won't do. 

Rondo

Friends of the vineyard

We invited friends for drinks and nibbles, and of course they wanted to go see the vineyard again. It has become an annual pilgrimage to view the progress and see the different stages. It was a fine day so we all walked up to the top of the farm to see the view over Clew Bay, drinks in hand. Alex gave a bit of a geography lesson on the way.

Yesterday, the tech guys developing AI sent out a warning about the danger of AI infecting the internet and destroying humanity. As we walked with our friends in the vineyard, they decided we'd be in great shape if that happened. Without the internet, we'd still have wine and food to forage.