ProWein, the renowned wine expo in Düsseldorf, presents an array of tastings and events tailored for wine professionals. Among them is the esteemed yet intimate affair, The Wine Travel Awards Tasting Around the Sustainable World, called Weinland. Scheduled for Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at 2 p.m., this event promises a genuine voyage. Experience firsthand the true essence of a journey – an exploration of diverse corners within the world of wine. Through a meticulously curated selection of truly exceptional beverages, each imbued with the unique characteristics of its birthplace, discover the rich tapestry of the wine world.

The theoretical “aperitif” of the tasting will be a brilliant performance of Prof. Dr. Gergely Szolnoki from Geisenheim University, the WTA jury for the third year in a row, who will address: where does sustainable wine tourism start and where does it end; which concrete measures contribute most effectively to the sustainable development of the wine tourism sector; and what are the main drivers and barriers to the implementation of sustainable wine tourism. The conclusions and specific recommendations, set out in the presentation, are based on study the guidelines and best practice of more than 1,500 wineries in 42 countries – the main drivers of sustainable wine tourism.

In the framework of the event Wine Travel Awards presents the Wine Tasting showcasing six Community Members of the project. These wineries, hailing from various countries worldwide, embody established models of business and production.

Tenuta Manoylo

Let’s kick off with Italy. Join us as Tenuta Manoylo from the renowned yet undiscovered Marche region, a gem cherished by wine critics and enthusiasts alike, introduces its latest white wine. Noteworthy is its recent accolade: a silver medal at the esteemed MUNDUS VINI 2024 spring session, marking its debut on the international stage with one of the highest honors.

Tenuta Manoylo’s wines were created to showcase the products of a land that, since the times of Picenum and Ancient Rome, has been devoted to the production of fine wines and oils, famous throughout the Mediterranean and Europe. Today, by combining innovative technologies with ancient winemaking traditions, Tenuta Manoylo’s wines offer those who savour them the unique taste of these places suspended in time.

Passo Del Borgo Falerio DOC Pecorino 2021, Silver MUNDUS VINI 2024

• APPEARANCE: It presents a beautiful straw yellow colour with golden reflections and delicate greenish nuances.
• NOSE: Deep and ample bouquet with an elegant structure. Intense notes of white flowers and ripe fruit, accompanied by light hints of vanilla and balsamic vinegar.
• PALATE: Remarkably structured with marked herbaceous scents. Exhibits good acidity, full-bodied, sapid, and pleasantly mineral, with a persistent finish.
• PAIRINGS: Perfectly complements fish dishes and excellent with seafood risotto.
• Grape: 100% Pecorino
• Alcohol Content: 13.50%
• Yield per Hectare: Approximately 70 quintals of grapes
• Training System: Counter espalier
• Pruning System: Guyot
• Plant Density: 4,000 vines per hectare
• Age of the Vineyard: 6 years
• Production Area: Moresco municipalities
• Average Altitude: 100-200 meters above sea level
• Type of Soil: Medium texture, tending towards clayey
• Harvest: End of August, beginning of September. Handpicked and immediately transported to the cellar for processing.
• Vinification Technique: Soft pressing followed by an immediate lowering of the temperature. Fermentation in steel tanks at a controlled temperature, between 12 and 15 °C.
• Ageing: Matured first in steel, then partly in cement tanks and 20% in wooden tonneaux. Bottled no earlier than a year, refined in the bottle.

Jidvei, authenticity from the heart of Transylvania

Our next stop takes us to Romania, where we’ll explore the vineyards of Weinland. Join us as we unveil two distinguished wines from one of Romania’s most captivating historical regions to our event attendees. In the feudal era, the vineyards in the heart of Transylvania were called Weinland – the Land of Wine, a land of fairy-tale castles and fortified Saxon churches.

Jidvei became the first wine producer in Romania to be included in the TOP 100 Premium Wine and Spirits Brands of the World 2023 by Luxury Lifestyle Awards.

75 Years of Tradition

Jidvei is a family story woven with history, passion, craftsmanship, and technology. We promote the charm of Romania and a culture of constant innovation, a vision that is uniquely ours but for all wine lovers. It has been 75 years since Jidvei wines have showcased the unique terroir of the heart of Transylvania, and we cannot stop here because tradition demands a future. And we build the future, each of us, through work and enthusiasm.

Jidvei became the first wine producer in Romania to be included in the TOP 100 Premium Wine and Spirits Brands of the World 2023 by Luxury Lifestyle Awards, alongside the most prestigious and appreciated global brands. The selection included approximately 1000 companies from France, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Australia, Ireland, etc. For a family business that values the Transylvanian spirit and Romania’s viticultural reputation, this is a source of pride.

Jidvei, the largest producer of wines with Protected Designation of Origin in Romania

Jidvei owns the largest vineyard plantation in Romania and Europe, 2,500 hectares, with a unique owner. 2,500 hectares mean an extremely diverse ecosystem and a distinct terroir, and these characteristics are reflected in the variety of wines produced by Jidvei, from still wines to sparkling wines, brandies, and musts.

With over 70 labels in the portfolio, we produce wines grouped generically into two categories: wines with Geographical Indication – Transylvanian Hills (1958) and wines with the Protected Designation of Origin Jidvei.

And the over 1000 medals obtained at the most important national and international competitions are evidence of our commitment to excellence and continuity.

Sustainability

Built from the beginning as a legacy for future generations, Jidvei is an integrated company where sustainable economic development and responsible production are important priorities. In 2005, we established the first private vineyard school in Romania, where the nursery is the place where viticultural planting material with high biological value is produced, in the quantity necessary for new plantations. The grapes used for our wines come exclusively from our own vineyards, which translates into authenticity and constant quality.

Additionally, Jidvei is committed to continuously improving production processes, reducing carbon emissions, and preserving natural resources. The main objectives consist of environmentally friendly strategies: social responsibility regarding the importance of sustainable agriculture; restoring natural balance by supporting diversity and limiting chemical intervention; managing by-products from viticulture (70% of woody material is shredded and used as natural fertilizer and a source of humus, while 30% is used as an energy source); sustainable water management (reducing the amount of water used in phytosanitary treatments); adapting the viticultural sector to climate change (establishing plantations with varieties resistant to climatic stress).

Regarding the vineyard, we like to say that nothing is wasted. It’s an approach we apply in how we use state-of-the-art technologies – not only for performance but also as a sustainable process, which is part of a set of essential values: respect for the vine and the land, respect for people and the communities in which we operate.

Heritage

Wine accompanies the story of Bethlen-Haller Castle in Cetatea de Baltă, built between 1560 – 1624, which has become a precious symbol of Jidvei. Through an extensive restoration process, begun in 2003 and lasting almost 20 years, the castle was brought to light and reinstated in the cultural heritage of the community and Romania.

Today, Bethlen-Haller Castle is more than an imposing structure. It is a generous space dedicated to wine tourism, where people find the tranquility to discover the story of wines and the beauty of the places.

Because we promote a healthy lifestyle and the desire to support the local community, we have integrated the healthy food-healthy life principle into the way our restaurant operates. Together with the team of chefs, gardeners, farmers and local producers, we aim to offer you the best culinary experience inspired by traditional Transylvanian cuisine, but also by international gastronomy.

Farm to table is more than a concept for us because we believe that what we eat influences our well-being and the harmony in which we live with the environment. This is why we use as many ingredients as possible from our own farm located on the grounds of the Castle.

We set up a garden of approximately 5 hectares cultivated in an organic system, to have fresh vegetables, fruits and aromatic herbs for as long as possible the sowing of crops is staggered. As we promote the Romanian research field, most of the seeds we use in our garden are sourced locally.

Because the future means education and continuing tradition

We believe that the most important investment we can make is in people, so in 2010, we founded the Jidvei – Future through Education Association. The association has directed its efforts towards activities and programs to support kindergartens in the area, granting scholarships for children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as scholarships and awards for students with exceptional academic results. Through the Jidvei – Future through Education Association, we encourage, support, and promote excellence in any field and provide financial support for various cultural and sports activities.

We also want to actively contribute to preserving Romanian spiritual values and to carry on the true treasures of traditional song and folk costume. In the early 2000s, we initiated the National Folklore Festival “Strugurele de Aur” (Golden Grape), the only folk festival with private support in the country. A prestigious event that has stood out for its rigor and professionalism, becoming a reference point for profile events nationwide.

Wine means steadfastness and roots, and we are ancestrally linked to wine through ancient traditions, which we have chosen not to forget but to honor through everything we do. We remain faithful to our commitment to make known the reputation of Romanian wine both at home and abroad, through the authenticity and quality of Jidvei wines.

Mysterium Rosé Brut Vintage 2021

For over 60 years, at Jidvei we have been producing sparkling wines using the traditional method. These wines undergo fermentation, clarification, and are delivered in the same bottle where the second fermentation takes place, giving them their characteristic effervescence. Producing sparkling wines requires a lengthy period, and the operations performed during this time – bottling, fermentation, riddling, disgorging – are carried out manually.

The skill and imagination of the winemakers, combined with the gentle passage of time, find expression in the velvety texture, the fine and persistent effervescence, the balance between the specific acidity of the Târnave Vineyard terroir, the floral notes, and the fruity character of the Mysterium Rosé Brut Vintage 2021 sparkling wine.

Mysterium Rosé Brut Vintage 2021, a sparkling wine with a light salmon-pink color, with an exceptionally fine, intense, and persistent effervescence, obtained using the traditional method from Pinot Noir grapes vinified rosé. The delicate olfactory intensity combines primary notes of red fruits, especially cherries and strawberries, with subtle notes of pastry and brioche typical of the time spent on fine lees. The high acidity is perfectly balanced by the level of sugars and the generous creamy texture. The delicate flavors of strawberry tart and the subtle hints of raspberry and May cherries make Mysterium Rosé Brut 2021 a remarkable sparkling wine.

Technical information:

• Harvest year: 2021
• Alcohol: 12%
• Taste profile: Brut
• Sugar level: 8 g/L
• Total acidity: 6.7 g/L
• Harvest: manual

Winemaking process:

• Fermentation – in the presence of selected yeasts, fermentation temperature is 10-12°C
• Fermentation process duration is 25-30 days
• Maturation – minimum 36 months, on fine lees

Tasting note:

• Appearance, color: light salmon-pink
• Aroma: red fruits, cherries and strawberries, subtle notes of pastry and brioche
• Taste: creamy texture, high acidity, strawberry tart, raspberry and cherries

Eiswein Jidvei 2018 

This wine embodies golden excellence in every aspect. Eiswein Jidvei 2018 is an emblematic wine for Jidvei, a wine perfected by time, both in the vineyard and in the bottle, where the generosity of nature from the Târnave Valley combines with efforts to create memorable wines.

When frost descends upon the hills of Târnave, the vineyards here are not barren. Grapes from the Traminer Roz variety are harvested after the freezing nights at the beginning of winter to produce a precious dessert wine, Eiswein – Ice Wine. Enduring the wise cold of Transylvanian winters, they dehydrate and gather much more sweetness and a deep richness of aromas.

For the 2018 Eiswein Jidvei, grapes from the parcels kept near the Tăuni winery were handpicked on December 2, 2018. The harvest was carried out quickly, under strict temperature conditions, below -7°C, to prevent the water remaining in the berries from thawing. Thus, healthy and frozen grapes reached the winery in the shortest time possible, where they were immediately pressed.

Eiswein Jidvei 2018 is a masterpiece in the art of winemaking, which nature only allows us to fully appreciate in certain years, those special years in which we write amazing stories with and about wine. Eiswein Jidvei 2018 is the result of a special harvest and the expression of an exceptional viticultural year. A consistent wine with shades of ripened honey, a wine that stands out with its golden to bright amber color and notes of yellow watermelon, mango, apricots, and quince. Recommended as a dessert wine, Eiswein Jidvei is intended for special moments or occasions.

Technical information:

• Harvest year: 2018
• Alcohol: 11.05%
• Taste profile: sweet
• Residual sugars: 184 g/L
• Total acidity: 5.92 g/L
• Volume: 0.375 L
• Harvest: manual

Winemaking process:

• Skin maceration, 6 – 8 hours
• Fermentation: in the presence of selected yeasts, at temperatures of 18°C – 20°C
• Maturation: in stainless steel tanks, minimum 6 months, on fine yeast sediment
• Bottling: after 6 months from the end of alcoholic fermentation

Tasting note:

• Appearance, color: clear, golden to bright amber
• Aroma: apricots, quince, honey
• Taste: yellow watermelon, mango, apricots, quince, ripened honey

Careful vineyard management, gentle processing of the grapes, longer wine maturation, and aging in the bottle are equally important to create an expressive dessert wine like Eiswein Jidvei 2018, which delights with aromas of ripe fruits, honey, beeswax, and delicate notes of roses, almonds, and ginger.

Shumi Winery and Estate

Shumi Winery and Estate, a part of Shumi Estate, Tsinandali, Georgia, – another stop The Wine Travel Awards Tasting Around the Sustainable World. It comes from the places where it all began. After all, Shumi Winery is located in Georgia, the cradle of winemaking.

Shumi Winery and Estate is rooted in deep Georgian wine traditions. We thrive to be a connecting point between the past, with 8,000 years of winemaking history, and the future of Georgia and winemaking. We believe that tradition and modernity should go hand in hand, allowing us to stand strong on our roots while looking far in the future with creativity in mind.  Since 1997, we have thrived on creating each year the best and purest expression of our terroirs using traditional Georgian winemaking methods blended with modern techniques.

Today we are one of the leading Georgian wineries, with 200 hectares of vineyards, a modern winery using together in harmony stainless steel, oak, and qvevris, the Georgian traditional winemaking vessels.

We also have a museum safeguarding some of the artifacts we found while building our winery and an award-winning tourist complex.

Salome Single Vineyard 2013

Terroir

The terroir “Salome” is located in the historical place «Didkure», in Napareuli PDO, which in the past belonged to the kings of Georgia and Prince Alexander Chavchavadze.

This 1.9 ha of Saperavi is composed of 25 YO vines, at a density of 2650 vines/ha, with a maximum production of 30HL/ha.

The vineyard is located on southern , diluvial, rich in minerals slope of the Caucasus Mountains, on the left bank of the Alazani River, at an altitude of 450 m above sea level, and is surrounded by wildlife.

Managed in biodynamic, all operations are done by hand, including canopy management, green harvesting and harvest.

Vintage 2013

Vinification

• After reception of the grapes at the winery, a selection is made.
• Bunches are partly destemmed, before alcoholic fermentation starts in Vicard Foudre, specially created out of 250 YO oak, with medium toast.
• Fermentation proceeds at 23-28C, with pigeage.
• 12 days maceration, before malolactic fermentation.
• MLF and ageing are done in 225L Vicard new oak barrels, medium toast. The wine will develop in these barrels for 11 months.

Assemblage

• 100% Saperavi

Tasting notes (wine tasted December 2023)

Deep purple colour with brick rim. Aromas of confied red and black cherries, with blckberry jam undertones. The wine is full bodied, well balanced, with flavors of evolved balck and red fruits leather, forest floor, with ripe, fully integrated tannins, well balanced by the acidity, leading to a long lasting finish.

RUTA

This remarkable beverage, blending national characteristics with a progressive technological approach, hails from Ukraine, a nation currently facing the challenges of military conflict. Due to the military conflict, we do not yet invite guests to this extremely beautiful country. But we offer to get acquainted with the strong character of Ukrainians, which is conveyed in this spirit.

In November 2023, RUTA took part in the famous international competition in the UK – CRAFT SPIRITS AWARDS, which took place in London. At this competition, RUTA became one of the winners and received a gold medal.

RUTA balm

RUTA is a craft herbal balm created from 96 of the best botanicals collected from different parts of our beautiful Ukraine.  Many of these plants have long been known for their magical properties that give strength and protection. Some of them are endemic. The balm is made by alcohol maceration of berries, flowers, herbs, roots and spices. This is followed by a blending process with the addition of prepared water, high-quality alcohol and sugar syrup. Alc – 36%vol. The balm does not contain any colouring or flavouring agents.

The balm is not a medicine, but rather a delicious alcoholic beverage with a very complex and pleasant aroma and flavour profile. It is a classic digestive. It is not cold-filtered to preserve all the shades of flavours and aromas that nature gives us. RUTA is a bitter liqueur.

RUTA has a Ukrainian character. It is soft, rounded, and fragrant. At the same time, it is strong and has an extraordinary power to invigorate the body and soul. The floral composition is well balanced and creates a complex aroma with notes of berries, herbs, spices and citrus. The taste combines spicy, spicy and sweet-bitter tones. RUTA is also an excellent base for cocktails of varying complexity.

And the last point of the trip is Portugal and its personification: Taylor’s Historical Collection III The Mallet

Taylor’s Historical Collection III The Mallet

This special Reserve Tawny Port is created through a blend of red wine grapes grown in the Douro Valley in Portugal and has been aged in small oak barrels.

This unique port wine is presented in a historic bottle dating back to the 18th century and delivered in a beautifully crafted wooden box.

This blend is carefully composed of carefully selected Port wines from Taylor’s impressive selection of oak-aged Tawny wines and has a unique character with the familiar fullness and aftertaste that Taylor’s is known for.

The port displays a deep, brick-red color with a reddish tinge and a ripe, complex aroma that contains gentle nuances of plums, figs, marzipan and toffee. It also offers an elegant touch of cigar box, cedar and leather, which gives the fragrance an exotic touch. The taste is intense and refined, with a seductive fullness, softness and roundness as well as notes of fruitcake and fresh plums. These flavors are followed by subtle, well-integrated tannins and a long, pleasant aftertaste.

Taylor’s remains independent and focuses on quality and innovation. Their wines are known to age for decades and have received high praise from reviewers such as Robert Parker. Taylor’s is particularly known for their vintage ports, which they produce in declared vintages, and for their old tawny ports, which they occasionally bottle in special editions, such as the Very Very Old Tawny Port for Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee.

Cheers and very welcome to the WTA event at Prowein!

Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at 2 p.m.