Progress in winemaking is only possible by always striving for the best
Conversation with Róbert Szűcs M.D., co-owner of Jammertal Wine Estate
Jammertal Wine Estate, Hungary, Villány
Stereotypically, winemaking is thought to be a
romantic profession, conjuring up the image of vines, barrels, and a sampling
tube. What is it in reality?
The basic goal of winemaking is to turn grape sugar into an alcoholic drink
by fermentation; it is quite a simple process.
However, making high quality wine year after year demands considerable
expertise, years of experience and discipline. Winemaking is a multifactorial
process which includes a creative approach while respecting and understanding the
fundamental rules and a sound technological background.
Your main emphasis is producing top quality wines in
the wide portfolio of products on offer. What challenges does this present?
Thanks to the fortunate combination of the microclimate, soil and grape
varieties in Villány, we can make world-class
wines, but there can be no
guarantee of achieving this in every vintage.
The basis of good wine is good grapes. Grapes define 95% of the quality of a
wine, while the remaining 5% depends on how much we spoil or enhance them. Using
the best available spectrum of modern processing technology is important, not
because it can improve the quality of the grapes - because there is no magic
that can do that, but rather, it allows us to transfer their beauty to the wine
in the most natural and least harmful way.
Cultivating grapevines and winemaking is an agricultural activity that is
particularly prone to the vicissitudes of the weather. The money and the
physical and intellectual effort invested in viticulture is, paradoxically,
almost inversely proportional to the result achieved. In a good vintage with
plenty of sunshine and dry conditions, the need for and costs of plant
protection are far less than in a rainy, poor year when, despite the heavy
expenditure, even with a bit of luck, only an average or worse quality and
quantity of crop can be harvested.
From time to time we have to take great financial risks to be able to pick
the best quality grapes and to preserve the vines. I would mention two examples: the 2013
vintage, when despite plenty of high quality grapes, ten days of rain and fog
turned the harvest in the Villany wine region on its head. Vast quantities of
promising quality grapes simply rotted. Or 2014, when Peronospora, a powdery
mildew and botrytis appeared from May onwards continuously until the harvest
and made it impossible to produce good quality red wine in Villány. Ironically,
everyone spent horrific amounts on plant protection, knowing that in that year
they would not make a penny from the sale of grapes but that they were
compelled to ensure the survival of the vines for the next year at the price of
great losses. Many winegrowers, including us, had two full years of investment
and work cancelled out.
Although the weather-related risks I have mentioned are possible every
year, we begin our viticultural activities in early spring each year planning
that our “full” production (after restrictions and thinning) of highest quality
black grapes will be used to produce exceptional, premium red wines.
Accordingly, without exception, we apply strong yield restrictions and have
introduced a special, highly efficient monitoring and control system. Of course
we have no control over nature; it can intervene with cold weather and little
sunshine leading to poor sugar development, with too much moisture leading to
grape diseases, and to top it all - a hailstorm!
Our endeavours in Villány are greatly influenced by the weather for roughly
ten weeks from 1 September to 15 November. If this period is dry with plenty of
sunshine, a first-class vintage can be expected.
These risks are obviously reflected in the price as
well. Are there other reasons why better than average wines cost considerably
more than average ones?
Even when we are dealing with an outstanding vintage, it is only possible
to reach our quality goals through drastic restrictions on production. To
illustrate this: here is what an area looks like after thinning. So many
healthy bunches lying on the ground is a very sorry sight, but exceptional
quality cannot be attained without thinning. (The rejected bunches are turned
into green manure, by the way.) You don’t have to be an economic guru to
understand what it means financially if merely half the potential crop of a
single unit area is harvested for the sake of achieving quality targets.
Moreover, at the earliest, the harvested wines will only appear on the market 3 to 5 years after the vendange. For this period, everything connected to winemaking activities have to be financed in advance.
Even some oenophiles are unaware that we must make decisions about the desired
wine style and characteristics in advance before we start fermentation and that
there are continual choices throughout maturation as well. The effects of these
decisions cannot be reversed later. We have to predict what parameters in processing
will bring out the best in the grapes, what style will appeal to consumers and
what they will be prepared to pay more than average for in 2025.
In Hungary wine aficionados cannot find the Jammertal,
Cassiopeia and Koh-I-Noor brands on sale in retail outlets. These wines can be primarily
bought in the physical or online stores of the Jammertal Wine Estate. Is there
a special reason for this?
We made a conscious decision not to sell these wines on the shelves of
retail chains.
These wines are intended for people who appreciate that progress in winemaking is only possible by always striving for the best. Unfortunately, that comes at a price which not everyone is willing to pay.
A somewhat contrived comparison would be A-class and S-class cars made by
Mercedes-Benz. Both vehicles have 4 wheels and a steering wheel, get you from point
A to B, and are equipped with safety and convenience systems meeting 21st-century
requirements. Despite this, there is often a six- to eightfold price difference,
yet there is demand for both classes of cars. Furthermore, the improvements in
the more expensive models sooner or later appear in the less expensive models
as well, significantly improving their quality.
Cassiopeia and Koh-I-Noor do offer a special experience; these are not
light wines for consumption with casual meals or for a party.
Calm surroundings and time are needed to appreciate wines of this quality.
It is insufficient to depend on the inexact description of a more or less
knowledgeable wine merchant assistant. Sadly, our experience is that with rare
exceptions, the knowledge of wine among people working in Hungarian gastronomy
is even worse. Our purpose is not to simply persuade anyone to buy these wines.
We designed the Jammertal Visitor Centre in Villány so that people with a genuine
interest can learn about these wonderful products from our experienced staff and
enjoy them in a comfortable, attractive and informal environment.
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