Grower: Milan Nestarec
Region: Czech Republic
Grape Varieties: Gruner Veltliner, Neuburger, Sauvignon, Palava, Riesling
Viticulture: Organic
Category: White
Size: 750ml
Milan on this wine: “For me & my family, wine is like food, something that should be on your table every day. Our bread and butter (literally). This is the kind of wine I wanna make: affordable, everyday, friendly stuff. Not something for the upper class, not something you need to swirl your glass and head around, talking about viscosity or minerality for ages (no offense, but jeez do I hate this word). My wine is for drinking, not for flashing posh terms. And the Forks & Knives range is a perfect embodiment of this. The F&K range started with the 2014 vintage – I met Fleur Godard, my French importer, in Cologne, along with Justine Saint Lo, a wonderful illustrator who also happens to be the sister of Francois Saint Lo, a great Loire Valley winemaker. Back in my cellar, when tasting the then nearly-born wine, we had a revelation: it was fate that decided Justine should make the labels, which I’ve kept ever since – I love their power to communicate the easy yet entertaining “everyday wine for any meal & table” vibe that this wine is all about.”
Grapes are hand-harvested, selected on sorting table and destemmed. Most of the grapes are then pressed directly, about 10% undergo a short skin contact. Alcoholic fermentation with indigenous yeasts in tanks. Aged in stainless steel and big neutral barrels of 600 and 3000 liters for about 17 months in order to naturally settle. Bottled under crown caps to keep the wine’s energy. No sulfur added, no fining, no filtration.
“One of our most beloved and popular wines has gotten even tastier with the current 2019 vintage, as the blend now includes some grapes normally used for WTF and TRBLMKR (the higher end White label wines). It’s just as fun as always, but with extra energy and depth. Keeps you coming back for more of that citrus hard-candy vibe, like being lured in by a bright halogen light,” the winemaker says.
