Department's
Wine-Tasting Society 
Department's
Wine-Tasting Society
It is an informal group of people, mostly researchers in biochemistry, who are interested in wines. The society meets several times a year for tastings, organised as competitions. Since the members do not pretend to be connoisseurs, it was decided to note the wines with notes between 0.0 and 5.0 (and not by criteria acknowledged by professional experts).
1997 Meetings:
(December 26, Organised by Janko
Kos; 19 members present)
The traditional post-Christmas
tasting at Janko's house was devoted to red wines. As many as 14 different
wines from 5 countries were tasted. The best noted was a 1994 Montpeyroux
(AOC Coteaux de Languedoc, France) with the average note of 4.41. Not so
close behind were the 1989 archive cabernet produced by KZ Vipava (Vipava
valley, Slovenia), note 4.19, the 1994 cabernet by the same producer (note
4.16) and the 1996 cabernet sauvignon frm Goriska Brda region, produced
by Buzinel (note 4.15). On places 5-10 were the following wines: Merlot
Paradox (1995 vintage, KZ Vipava, note 4.08), cabernet Jejcic (1995, note
4.05), cabernet Bourbon (1995, KZ Goriska Brda, note 4.00), Bolski plavac
(from the island of Brac in Croatia; 1995 vintage, note 3.91), Postup 1993
from Potomje area on Peljesac peninsula (Croatia), note 3.82, and modra
frankinja (1996, Vino Brezice, bizeljsko-sremic region), note 3.55. On
the ultimate 4 positions were: Zinfadel Montevina 1994 (Amador County,
California), note 3.53, kraski teran 1996 (Vinakras Sezana), note 3.32,
Retsina Boutari from Greece (3.23) and cvicek 1996 (Dolenjska region, KZ
Krsko), note 3.09.
(November 27, Organised by Tatjana
Popovic; 13 members present)
9 wines were tasted, of which the
best noted was again a traminec (cf. March 12 this year), this time a 1995
late vintage from KK Gornja Radgona (note 4.32). Second best was 1995 chardonnay,
produced by Protner (Maribor area), note 4.26, followed by rumeni muskat
(yellow muscato) 1995 by Kupljen (Ljutomer-Ormoz area), noted with 4.20.
Fourth best was a Hungarian Traminer 1995 (note 3.99) while on positions
5-9 were: chardonnay 1996 by Joze Kupljen (3.70), white burgundy 1983 late
vintage (Jeruzalem Ormoz), 3.63, the dry sipon 1996 from Kupljen (3.62),
and far behind all others, chardonnay 1996 (Vinakras Sezana), 3.05 and
chardonnay 1992 late vintage (Jeruzalem Ormoz), 2.60.
(June 12, Organised by Marina Drobnic
Kosorok; 12 members present)
8 wines in competition, ranked
as follows: Rhine riesling 1983 late vintage (Vinag Maribor), note 4.45;
Moscato Giallo (Maestri Vernacoli, Ca'Vit Trento) 4.15; Rector's wine (1993
rhine riesling produced by Ljutomercan), note 4.15-; La Vis (1996 Mueller-Thurgau
by Cantina Sociale Lavis, Trento, Italy) 3.54. The second half of the competing
wines was composed of: pinot blanc 1995 from Vipava (3.38), tokai 1994
by Erzetic (Goriska Brda), note 3.37, Bergsig 1992 (Gewurztraminer) from
Worcester area in South African Republic, 3.31 and zeleni silvanec 1995
(KZ Krsko, Klet Kostanjevica), note 2.81.
(March 12, Organised by Natasa Kopitar
Jerala and Roman Jerala; 9 members present)
We tasted 6 wines, of which 4 originated from Slovenia,
and one each from Germany and Czech Republic. The notes were (from best
to average): Traminec 1992 from Kapela (Gornja Radgona) in NE Slovenia,
note 4.04; white pinot (Vinag Maribor) 1995, note 3.99, Bzenec - Rhine
riesling 1988 (Vino Bzenec; Bzenec-Straznice, Czech Rep.) 3.94. On places
4-6 were: Kerner (Joze Kupljen from Kog area) 1995, note 3.87, Chardonnay
1995 (KK Ptuj) from Haloze region, note 3.72 and Morzernheimer Steinboehl
(G. Peth, Monzernheim; Rheinhessen, Germany) 3.64.
There was a third meeting in late December 1996 at Janko's house. The results are in the process of evaluation and will be available later this month.
The second meeting in 1996 was held on August 27 and was chaired by Dr. Mitja Kocjan"ci"c from the Laboratory of wine analysis, National Institute of Agronomy, Ljubljana. He prepared an introduction into wine controlling and tasting, which was followed by a tasting of a wide spectrum of wines. The highest notes were given to the sauvignon 1993 late vintage, produced by Kelhar at Vrhovnica, a village in the Bizeljsko region (E Slovenia) /4.54/. This wine was closely followed by another sauvignon, vintage 1995 from the Ljutomer-Ormoz area (NE Slovenia), for which the grape was obtained from experimental plantations with clonal selection of vines /note 4.49/. Place 3 was a red Bordeaux: Chateau d'Eglise, 1989 /note 4.45/ and place 4 a Rhine riesling 1995, which also resulted from a clonal selection of grapes, performed by the Slovenian National Institute of Agronomy, in the Ljutomer-Ormoz region /4.32/. On the following places were: 5. - sauvignon 1994, produced by Marjan Kocevar in Bela Krajina region (SE Slovenia) /4.28/, 6. - cabernet sauvignon 1993 by Vinakoper, Slovenian coastal area (SW) /4.24/, 7. - Welschriesling Edition 1994 from SE Austria (Burgenland region) /4.12/, and 8. - Italian riesling 1995 from the NIA clonal selection in Ljutomer-Ormoz region /3.99/. Lowest notes were assigned to: Tacama gran blanco 1995 from Ica, Peru /3.98/, Joanes, a pinot bleu from Maribor area /3.88/, another riesling (1991, Alsacy, France) /3.87/, yellow muscat 1994 from Haloze (KK Ptuj, NE Slovenia) /3.86/ and Bilette, a rose with AOC Cotes de Provence /3.70/.
That year's first get-together was a well visted one.
We tasted 10 white wines, from dry Goriska Brda pinots over Australian
chardonnay all the way to a Rhine riesling from Slovenian Styria and a
sweet grape selection 1981 from Austrian Burgenland. The average note of
all wines tasted was 3.52, which is close to the average of our tastings.
Nr. 1 this time was renski rizling 1994 from Maribor
region, produced by Protner in Dragucova village (note 4.30). It was just
slightly superior to another Rhine riesling: renski rizling - izbor
1993, a selection from Nunska Graba, an equisite vineyard in the Ljutomer
area, and produced by Ljutomerska klet (note 4.29). The third place was
the Edition 1981, a grape selection from Weinklelerei Rust in Burgenland,
Austria (note 4.14), followed by another wine from Ljutomer, a chardonnay
1993 (note 3.73). On positions 5-8 were the pinot blanc 1994 from
Curin in Kog area (Slovenian Styria), note 3,64; Jacob's Creek chardonnay
1995 from Barossa Valley in SE Australia (3.62); two dry pinot blanc
from Goriska Brda: one from Visnjevik vineyards by Erzetic, Dobrovo (3.21)
and one from Sibav, Neblo (3.19). The ultimate two wines by our notes were
a chardonnay 1993, produced by Vinakras Sezana (2.89) and a Styrian
pinot blanc from Cresnjice, produced by Bezensek, Celje (note 2.27).
The last meeting in 1995 was held on December 26. The winning wine was a Rigmori rose (Cotes de Provence; Stephany, Beaucaire) with an average note of 4.42. Second best was a traminec 1993 vintage (Jeruzalem, Ormoz) 4.28, followed by a sauvignon 1993 from KK Ptuj, note 3.90. Positions 4-8 were: a traminec from Kapela (1992) and a sauvignon 1994 from Vipava (ex-equo, 3.69), Rhine riesling 1992 (KK Ptuj), pinot blanc 1993 (KK Ptuj) and, finaly, a chardonnay 1990 from Palic, Croatia.
At our third 1995 meeting (October 20, 1995) we had 8 wines in competition. Top three were: sivi pinot, a pinot grigio, vintage 1994, produced by Joze Kupljen winery, Kog area in Slovenian Styria (note 4.30), traminec 1994 from Radgonske gorice in NE Slovenia (note 4.26) and a 1994 Sancerre from domaine Vacheron, eastern Loare valley, France (note 4.03). At the following positions were: a chardonnay 'Lepa Vida' 1993 from Vipava valley, produced by Roman Ipavec winery (note 3.95), sivi pinot 1991 from Ptuj area (note 3.90), chardonnay 1990 late vintage from Ormo"z (3.81), radgonska ranina 1992 from Radgona region (3.07) and renski rizling 1992 from Ormo"z (2.79).
At the previous meeting on July 25, we exceptionally started with red wines: a Cabernet from Slovenian coast (vintage 1991 from Marezige near Koper; note 3.96), a Carst terano (1993, by Kras Se"zana; note 3.09), Barique 85 from Croatian Istria (1985, by Plava laguna, Pore"c; note 2.79) and Merlot barique (1989, produced by "Sibau, Gori"ska Brda; note 2.01). The transition to the whites was a French gris de gris, Vin des Remparts from Aigues Mortes, un Vin de pays des sables du Golfe de Lyon, with an average note of 1.16 (we just didn't like it...). We continued with a Chardonnay from the coast (1994, Vinakoper; note 3.24) and then moved to semi-sweets from the NE of Slovenia: a Kerner (1993 late vintage from Zupan and Celestrina, Maribor area) was noted with 3.95 and a Rhine Riesling from the same area (1993 late vintage from Protner) with 4.21.
At the first meeting of the Society in 1995, on January
27, the top three wines were: Rulandec (Vinag, Maribor; 1993, Meljski
hrib), note 4.26, La"ski rizling (Jeruzalem, Ormo"z; 1988 late vintage,
"Zelezne dveri), 4.00 and Traminec (Jeruzalem, Ormo"z; 1993) 3.69,
followed by: Kerner (J. "Snajder, Ljutomer area; 1993), Rumeni Mu"skat
(Vinag, Maribor; 1992, Kamnica) and Mueller Thurgau (Herrenhaus, Vienna,
Burgenland area, Austria; 1988). Also in competition were two Pinot grigio
from Gori"ska Brda gris de gris, Vin des Remparts from Aigues
Mortes, un Vin de pays des sables du Golfe de Lyon, with an average
note of 1.16 (we just didn't like it...). We continued with a Chardonnay
from the coast (1994, Vinakoper; note 3.24) and then moved to semi-sweets
from the NE of Slovenia: a Kerner (1993 late vintage from Zupan
and Celestrina, At the first meeting of the Society in 1995, on January
27, the top three wines were: Rulandec (Vinag, Maribor; 1993, Meljski
hrib), note 4.26, La"ski rizling (Jeruzalem, Ormo"z; 1988 late vintage,
"Zelezne dveri), 4.00 and Traminec (Jeruzalem, Ormo"z; 1993) 3.69,
followed by: Kerner (J. "Snajder, Ljutomer area; 1993), Rumeni Mu"skat
(Vinag, Maribor; 1992, Kamnica) and Mueller Thurgau (Herrenhaus, Vienna,
Burgenland area, Austria; 1988). Also in competition were two Pinot grigio
from Gori"ska Brda (1993) and a Pinot blanc (1987 late vintage) from Ljutomer,
a Sauvignon from Vipavska valley (1990) and a Macedonian blanc de blanc
(1991). Notes are averages of 10-13 votes.
You can find out more about Slovenian
wines, if you are interested.
Here are a few links to some other Wine-tasting societies:
Bath
University Students Union wine-tasting society, UK,
Harvard-Smithsonian
Center for Astrophysics wine-tasting society, USA,
Australian Wine Appreciation
Society (commercial),
Opimian Society, the
Canadian country-wide organisation,
Wine and Dine E-zine, the
electronic magazine for lovers of wine,
food and travel, which also hosts a Slovenian
page (written by Miso Alkalaj).
If you know of more wine-tasting societies, contact me:
Marko.Dolinar@IJS.SI.
Slovenia
and its towns:Last updated January 12, 1998.
For any comments and suggestions, you can reach me by:
E-mail: Marko.Dolinar@IJS.SI
fax: +386 61 27 35 94
phone: +386 61 177 3623
mail:
Marko Dolinar
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
J. Stefan Institute
Jamova 39
SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia