Inside IWM

The Inside Story from Italian Wine Merchants

Movia’s Genius

Ales Kristancic

When speaking about the estate and wines of Movia, you’ll without a doubt mention its famed producer Ales Kristancic. You simply can’t bring up the wine without the man, because they go hand in hand. Sadly, I’ve yet to have the opportunity to meet Ales, but I admit he’s such a fascinating figure that I’ve done some research on him (reading the Ales chapter in Sergio’s Passion on the Vine started my mini-obsession). Recently, I read Food & Wine magazine’s profile “Ales Kristancic: Wine Genius of Slovenia,” and what stood out to me the most was this passage:

Conversation is equally disorienting. This isn’t so much because Kristancic’s native language is Slovenian (he is also fluent in both Italian and English), but because his actual native language is Ales. To wit, cigarette in hand: “I need critics! I don’t need this wow-brow shiki-miki zak-zak!” Roughly translated, that means, “Hey, I need actual critics, not a bunch of useless hipster yes-men.”

I got the picture of a man who says, does and gets what he wants, and if it doesn’t exist, he will create it—including his own language. Ales’ unbounded need to create his own universe is especially evident for me in his choice to design his own crystal glassware collection made by Rogaska, Slovenia’s leading crystal producer. Hand-blown from one piece of crystal, these glasses are so time-consuming that one specialized artisan can make only ten glasses in a day. Ales doesn’t just have a glass for his red wine and for his white; he has several for each style. For example, he has a Champagne glass, but also a glass specifically for his sparkling wine called Puro. He also has a special decanter made for his Lunar—a wine named for the moon and crafted from 100% Ribolla Gialla.

If Ales puts this much care, dedication and precision into crafting the perfect vessel, I can only begin to imagine the intensity with which he creates his wines. Whether in his glassware or not, you really should try some of his wonderful wines, because while I’ve not met the man, I have drunk his wines, and they are amazing. And if you are interested in meeting him, we’re hosting a special winemaker dinner and tasting with Ales. (I’m pretty excited about the night.) We’ll be featuring a wide selection of Movia wines, some dating back to 1983, as well as the U.S. debut of the Chardonnay Lunar 2008.

As Ales himself might say, “Zak-Zak!”

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Regrets, Radikon and Evolution

The too-short story of a bottle of wine

Having heard that my bottle of 1994 Radikon Merlot was in danger of evolving past its peak, I uncorked my bottle to enjoy it. The wine was pleasant upon opening, emitting scents of dried strawberries, along with Christmas spices and tea leaves. The wine felt initially giving and complex on the palate and possessed minerality and a vibrant acidity, a sign the grapes were picked early. I noted a presence of a green vegetal quality—also an indication of an early harvest— that was initially kept in balance by the wonderful dried strawberry notes. Within a few minutes the wine changed, the front and mid-palate began picking up bitterness from the seeds, while the back palate reeled from the explosion of long and intense fruit flavors. This was an intriguing development; in a wine of lesser quality, fruit flavors appear on the palate initially, and recede to be replaced by the bitter phenols from the seeds. However, the Radikon was doing the reverse.

“Where was this heading?” I asked myself. There was no denying that this light-bodied wine packed a powerful strawberry wallop in the initial moments in the glass. I wondered, “Would this wine reveal more or would it end soon, having shown its all?”  It seemed too much to ask from a sixteen-year-old wine for its performance to remain at this intense level.  Eventually, I regretfully observed, the Radikon’s delightful dried fruit flavors dissipated, leaving behind the bitter notes of the seeds. I wondered what more this wine could have expressed had it been opened earlier.

And yet, wine evolves. Two hours later a new aroma began emanating from my glass. “What was this?” I thought, “Surely the wine had gone past its way.” I tasted again and found a wine that was coming into itself. The flavors and the acids had become integrated and expressive of cherries, in a tangy, savory, umami way; the bitter tannins were now non-existent. The green quality had also dissipated and was replaced by a musky quality. It was a delicious revelation.

Wine evolves, as the truism goes, and this bottle of Radikon proves the veracity of that idea. Indeed, I’m reminded that getting to know a wine means having more than just one bottle of it. A bottle holds only a small portion of the entire vintage. Each bottle upon opening tells the story of where it came from, and where it may go. To truly know the wine and the vintage you’d have to possess several bottles from the vintage and experience them over the course of time.

This ’94 Merlot’s performance indicates it could have been cellared longer. However, I have no regrets about opening it. Rather, having experienced this Radikon, I regret not having more of it—and being able to taste more of it over time. Wine evolves, and remarkable wine evolves remarkably. Unquestionably, this ’94 Radikon is a remarkable wine.

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See You on the Other Side

Into the beautiful blend of nature, science and art

I’m fortunate to be a wine professional, but you don’t need a Ph.D. to be able to enjoy and appreciate the fine qualities of wine.  Wine often comes with a side dish of pretension; because of this, many people have been intimidated and apprehensive about jumping into this beautiful blend of nature, science, and art.  But, really, drinking wine is pretty simple. It’s not, to employ a common metaphor, rocket science.

The fulfillment and enjoyment of drinking wine doesn’t come from being able to smell cherries, tobacco, vanilla, and other obscure scents. It doesn’t come from being able to name the varietal, estate and year in a single swirl and sip. It doesn’t come from shelling out big clumps of cash—though all of those things are nice. No, the enjoyment of wine comes from the moment, the surroundings, the context, and the company when you drink it.

Sure, for some people the ability to distinguish a wine by varietal, age, and vineyard is a cherished skill, but not being a professional doesn’t preclude your ability to enjoy wine. You can enjoy listening to music, playing soccer, looking at a painting, or watching opera without being a musician, center forward, artist or tenor—the same is true with drinking wine.  It’s not the skill of the drinker; rather, it’s the people, the culture and the events that make wine special. Without these elements, wine is only alcoholic grape juice.  The history behind the wine and the stories shared while drinking it are what bring it to life.

The greatness of my favorite and most memorable wines didn’t come because I was able to smell mushroom and taste tar; these memorable wines were great because the company was great. The memory of those people with whom I shared in the event that made the wine truly “special.”   What I am trying to say is that it doesn’t matter how good your nose is or how expensive a bottle of wine is: what’s important are the experiences and the conversations that the wine inspires. To really broaden your wine education, it’s important to try different wines, find your favorite styles, and experiment.

But it’s most important to enjoy the wine with fantastic food, family, and friends. These components make the memories that will last a lifetime.

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