The cork pops and the delicious meals are being prepared. Everyone is at home and the holidays are starting. We couldn’t have asked for a better occasion to taste our first traditional method sparkling wine than this Christmas.
We chose the 21st of December for its launch date, because it’s the day that the Christmas Star, also known as the Star of Bethlehem, can be seen once again after several years. There hasn’t been such a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn since the 18th century and it won’t happen again like this until 2080. Besides, what else to do when it’s the longest night of the year!
When a traditional method sparkling wine is born
We are grateful to Dom Pierre Pérignon, the cellar master of the Hautvilliers’ Benedictine Abbey, who was the first one to make champagne in the history of mankind. Owing to its tasty still wines, the Champagne region had been popular even before the emergence of bubbles, but after Dom Pérignon created the region’s sparkling wine, Champagne became one of the world’s most influential wine regions. Dom Pérignon worked at the abbey as cellar master between 1668 and 1715. This period is also special for us because it was the time when the foundations of our winery were laid on Mount Saint George, by the Lengyel family. Back then, this region was also regarded as a great wine-growing area, and they just might have heard about the special French sparkling wine or even tasted it.
When we first rebuilt the winery, we only played around with the idea of having our own traditional method sparkling wine one day. In the 2018 vintage, we tended to the Furmint of the Váradi vineyard in accordance with that aim. The harvest then appeared to be very promising for making the base wine for a bubbly, and the rest, with good measure, was the miracle in the bottle. Perhaps it’s no accident that our work has rewarded us with such a nice sparkling wine in this difficult year.
Traditional method sparkling wine is close to our hearts for many reasons. Besides giving us the opportunity to try ourselves out in a very exciting field, my daughter, Ilka, also took part in designing the product – the label ornamenting the bottle is thanks to her. I’d longed to involve her in the creative process, which eventually came true by her designing the label of this wine. It’s great to see her creativity on this special product of ours. Even as a little girl, Ilka always loved drawing and painting. It wasn’t even a question that her path would take her towards a creative profession. That’s how she ended up at Canada’s Ryerson University, studying fashion communication.
I wanted the label’s design to reflect the character of the wine, which is very tasty and silky on the palate and it was important that the bottle and the label conveyed this message at first glance. I’m glad that its appearance is just as bohemian as on all our other wines.
Gilvesy Brut Nature is made from Furmint grapes from our organically-cultivated Váradi vineyard. It’s the elegant imprint of the 2018 vintage, made via the traditional method.
It is another good example to show how much Furmint suits being made into sparkling wine, especially if it’s harvested from volcanic soil.
The nose of our sparkling wine is reminiscent of white-fleshed fruit and citrus fruit. On the palate, subtle bubbles, silkiness and yeasty notes complement the aromas.
For our first family tasting, we chilled it well and served it along with salmon bites. You should try them, and they go nicely with traditional method sparkling wine.
My son, Ábris also likes it.
Smoked salmon bites
Ingredients
twice-baked bread
smoked wild salmon
sour cream
dijon mustard
capers
lemon
salt & pepper
Mix the sour cream with a bit of mustard in a bowl.
Place the salmon slices on the bread, put a small spoonful of the sour cream and mustard mixture on the top of each, then place the capers on top as well.
Finally, season it with lemon peel, salt and pepper according to taste.
Our sparkling wine will be available again from February 1st in our webshop and at the vinotheque.
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