This is our Slobodné Vinárstvo (‘free winery’) Supermajer skin contact Gruner case in 1, 3 or 6 packs.

$50/ solo bottle, $47/ bottle in 3 packs, $45 in 6 packs

Slobodne, ‘Supermajer’ 100% Veltlini (AKA Gruner Veltliner), Trnava, Slovakia

Veltlini is the Slovakian moniker for our favourite superfresh white grape Gruner Veltliner— in this case Gruner is experiencing a legendary glow up after a 2 week period of skin contact maceration & an additional 2 years of aging in oak & acacia barrel. At first sniff, you will be graced with a nose so vehemently mineral it is like standing underneath a waterfall on a bed of riverstones. Things warm up by the time you get to the palate: sun-baked herb garden, sandalwood oil, the subtle patchouli afterglow of a terracotta incense burner. This is a deep, idiosyncratic skin contact that takes itself mad seriously, the wine equivalent of your friend who ALWAYS promises they’re coming to the group hang this week but then last minute bails so they can sit at home and watch the Criterion Channel. This wine performs to the best of its ability when sipped alongside half the inventory of your local bougie cheese shop.

PRODUCTION & DRINKING

Agnes Lovecka, her sister Katarina Kuropkova, and her husband, Miso Kuropka along with their parents, reclaimed their family’s estate, Majer Zemianske Sady, back in 1997 and have been making wine as Slobodné Vinárstvo since 2010. This land had been farmed by the family since the early 20th century until it was put under state control during communist rule and abandoned. The sisters’ grandparents grew up on this land, participating in the Slovak uprising against the encroaching Nazis during WWII. The remaining family then moved to Prague, where Agnes and Katarina’s mother hid the deed to the land behind a wall, underneath a staircase, remaining there until 1989. Despite nice careers and comfortable city lives in Bratisklava, the sisters eventually felt the pull of the land and its connection to their family heritage. This would be both a new adventure for the sisters and a new chapter in the family’s history.

Organic since 2010 Slobodné was fully converted to organic farming in 2016 and also belongs to a biodynamic group based in Austria, called Valtfiertel. The local climate is deeply continental with high sunshine hours, allowing for beautifully crunchy reds and herbaceous whites. Skin contact and amphora wines form a special core of the production at Slobodoné.