Heard It On The Grapevine: Polish Wine’s Quiet Renaissance

Swap nan staid stereotypes of Żubrówka vodka and Żywiec lager for vineyards and vintages, because Poland is successful nan throes of a viticultural renaissance, nan likes of which hasn’t been seen for centuries. On a roadworthy travel tracing Poland’s champion terroirs backmost successful nan summertime of 2023, I met winemakers going against nan grain, unshackled by contented and producing unpretentious, expressive pours that much than merit a spot connected your eating table.

Lately, Polish wines person been cropping up each complete barroom and edifice lists: Niemczańska’s chardonnay astatine London’s astir emblematic Polish restaurant, nan borscht-fronted Daquise successful South Kensington, say, while chic barroom Spry successful Edinburgh has started stocking my favourite producers, Dom Bliskowice, Kamil Barczentewicz and Nizio. But you won’t find bottles nestling betwixt nan neat rows of kabanos sausages of your section Polski sklep, nor lining nan supermarket shelves. Or not conscionable yet, anyway.

Among my parents’ generation, nan word “Polish wine” is marred by sickly-sweet memories of moonshined consequence concoctions, but nan country’s grape-growing heyday was immoderate 500 years ago, courtesy of Cistercian monks. An unfortunate succession of icy temperatures, wars a-plenty and communism dealt its vines a hammer blow, but, successful emblematic Polish fashion, thing beautiful blossomed retired of each that hardship. A loosening of laws successful 2008 catalysed nan country’s modern vino revival. I spent a stint surviving successful Warsaw a decade ago, erstwhile nan metropolis bristled pinch cool, imaginative cuisine, but backmost past it wasn’t easy to find homegrown vino connected a menu. But nary longer: much than 600 winnice (wineries) person sprung up crossed each 16 voivode (regions), pinch nan heaviest smattering on Poland’s southeast and southwest fringes.

Today, plantings see hardy hybrids specified arsenic solaris and hibernal, which tin upwind nan harsh winters, and, increasingly, successful our warming climate, classical vitis vinifera varieties specified arsenic riesling and pinot noir, though mini outputs make it tricky (and pricey) to get clasp of complete here.

I loved Ultra, an earthy, herbaceous skin-contact johanniter made by Maciej Sondij of Dom Bliskowice, an designer turned Burgundy importer and restaurateur, connected nan ammonite-studded inclines two-and-a-half hours’ thrust southbound of Warsaw. At Winnica Silesian, a erstwhile communist corporate connected granite-laden ungraded 30 miles extracurricular Wrocław, Esben Madsen (a Danish oceanographer who joined into nan founding Mazurek family) produces playful pours, including a beaujolais-like reddish made from rondo, dubbed Rondo Vous.

Much arrives done nan UK’s sole Polish vino importer, Adam Michocki, a Leeds-based sommelier who group up Central Wines aft being wowed by an “absolutely spectacular” vessel from Silesia successful 2021. He useful pinch small, family-run wineries, supplying a big of Michelin-starred restaurants and chefs (think Sat Bains, Gordon Ramsay, Heston Blumenthal) arsenic good arsenic independent vino shops crossed nan country, to sell-out reception. “The fresh, crisp quality of Polish wines really fits nan existent inclination for nan palate of UK customers,” he says. Cheers – na zdrowie – to that.

Four Polish bottles that are worthy a taste

Niemczańska 2020 Chardonnay £24.90 Central Wines, 12.8%. Like a polished achromatic burgundy via Lower Silesia. Clean vanilla notes, basking buttered toast and a mean assemblage that’s a dream pinch mushroom-sauerkraut stuffed pierogi.

Silesian Cuvee Coloree NV £31.50 Highbury Vintners, 12%
On nan database astatine The Spärrows successful Manchester, this hotchpotch of 3 different vintages and varieties (rondo, regent and cabernet cortis) results successful a crushable reddish pinch silky tannins and sour cherries connected nan palate.

Kamil Barczentewicz 2023 Riesling £19.50 The Wine Society, 12%
Green mango, achromatic peach – a cool-climate riesling reminiscent of thing you’d find successful Alsace, from a prima shaper adjacent nan Renaissance municipality of Kazimierz Dolny, southeast Poland.

Turnau Solaris 2024 £29.80 Central Wines, 12.5% Swap your sauvignon blanc for this bright, joyful solaris made successful Baltic-tempered northwest Poland: an detonation of citrus, tropical consequence and rosy apples.

• Victoria Brzezinski is co-author of Drinking nan World: A Wine Odyssey, published by Pavilion Books/HarperCollins astatine £22. To bid a transcript for £19.80 spell to guardianbookshop.com