What the Flor Milan Nestarec 2017

What the Flor Milan Nestarec, unusual natural wine, Gruner matured under Flor yeast, no added sulphites, wild yet alluring wine, incredible complexity and very drinkable. Gruner Veltliner from one of the oldest (40+ years) vineyards chez Nestarec called Otáhal. Plus a bit of Riesling. Half is skin-macerated, half is direct-press. Blended and nested in a local acacia barrel. Nestarec says in his own inimitable words….. ‘Veltliner is second only to Neuburg when it comes to mirroring our local loess terroir. It’s so wonderfully heady that it shines through even conventionally made wines: even with commercial yeast and other bollocks added, I can still tell it comes from Bilovice, our village. It’s pretty incredible. That’s the character I’m talking about, present in this wine as well.’

There is certainly bags of character in this wine, you can drink like a dry sherry or vin jaune woth the foods that those wines go with or just drink it like a full bodied white, either way, it is delicious, interesting and unique.

Milan Nestarec is the second generation of wine makers at this 8 hectare farm in Moravia, in the eastern Czech Republic.

The vineyards are called Slovenské“ in Moravský Žižkov, Zadní hora“ in Velké Bílovice and Vinohrádky all loacted in the Hanacke Slovacko region and the cellar is in Velké Bílovice, (a bit tricky to say all that lot). His Father started the vineyard in 2001 and from the outset, they have farmed naturally and elaborated the wines with indigenous natural yeasts. Milan doesn't filter, fine or use very much sulphur. He is creative and makes wine according to his principles and creativity, not any rules or dogma. He is a member of the 'Autentiste' group - a community of wine makers who strive to express the true character of the land using natural methods. His wines are superb, full of character and drinkability but also style. They have a unique feel about them, maybe because the labels don't give anything away and Czech Republic wine is a rarity, so these bottles feel like something really different and also simply delicious.'We are persuaded that natural methods of wine-growing and fermentation of grapes leads to the best results. Wine making is a craft which requires deep moral commitment. There is no place for falseness and every defect has consequences which we need to deal with afterwards. This work gives us the understanding of what nature is, and if we cannot listen and respect it we end up working against ourselves. Our wine mirrors our region and our point of view, wilful but not arrogant.' Milan Nestarec