Five things you must know about wine making in the Podkarpackie region

If you are starting your adventure with the Subcarpathian wines, you should go to one of the best and biggest wine-making events in Poland. Traditionally, the International Days of Wine are held on the last weekend of August in Jasło. The wine festival is not only an opportunity to taste and compare a wide variety of wines, from Poland and abroad, but also an occasion to learn about the culture and art of the Jasło region.

During the International Days of Wine you can also get the taste of the finest regional wines. Usually, there are more than 30 exposition stands. During the event, it is possible to meet and talk to the winemakers.

The events which take place during the International Days of Wine include the Polish Wine Competition organised by the Jasło Winemakers‘ Association in cooperation with the Polish Sommelier Association. There are also thematic painting or photography workshops. On this occasion the local vineyards open their doors to visitors so they can see the places where wine is produced.

The revival of Polish winemaking was initiated by Roman Myśliwiec from Jasło, called the Polish Dionysus by some journalists. It was in 1982 that he planted his first vine in Jasło. Two years later, he started the Golesz vineyard. This specific day is now considered to be the symbolic beginning of modern winemaking in Poland.

The road to success was not easy. It involved trials in vine cultivation and testing of various cultivars in our climate. For this Myśliwiec certainly had to acquire sufficient knowledge, which he mainly gained from foreign literature. Finally, he was also able to share his expertise with others. Over the years Ryszard Myśliwiec published several books, wrote dozens of articles for specialist periodicals, and conducted hundreds of theoretical and practical training sessions. Owing to his passion and hard work he was able to prove that vine cultivation is possible in the Polish climate.

The name of his vineyard refers to the nearby ruins of the Golesz castle. Built in the 11th century, the castle played a significant role in the medieval history of Jasło and the surrounding area. The fall of the castle came at the time of the Hungarian invasion of George II Rákóczi’s army in the mid-17th century. The estate was burnt to the ground. Later the remains were partly dismantled and the materials were used by local people for the foundations their own houses.

The Przeworsk Winery is the first and only producer of sacramental wine in Poland. The related requirements state that a winery must acquire the status of a certified sacramental wine producer from the ecclesiastical authorities. In practice it is the bishop of the diocese where the vineyard is located that decides whether that status can be granted. The requirements that sacramental wine must fulfil are strictly defined in the canon law and the General Introduction to the Roman Missal.

The wine must be pure, made from grapes, and must not contain any foreign substances, chemicals and enhancers. It does not matter whether the sacramental wine is white, rosé or red, however white wine is most often used to avoid staining of the liturgical vestments. Dariusz Rosół, the owner of the winery, currently produces three types of sacramental wine: two kinds of dry wine (Agnieszka and Zofia) and one semi-dry (Paulina). Sacramental wine from the Podkarpackie has been on sale since 2015.

One of the basic obstacles to the development of commercial wine production in Poland is the lack of expertise in this area. This applies not only to the technical issues - viticulture and wine making - but also to business knowledge, concerning the management of wine production and wine marketing. In Poland, at this point there is no specialised educational institution which would offer the full range of training needed by our vine growers and winemakers.

Professional training for this group has become a priority area of activity for the Podkarpackie Wine Academy. The courses at the Academy are to provide comprehensive knowledge of oenology to vineyard owners and grape wine producers, with a focus to practical skills and the necessary adjustments of such operations to the Polish realities. The courses provided by the Academy comply with the recognised international standards for this type of training. Upon completion of the course, the graduates receive certificates.

In Poland, high-quality ice wine can successfully be made only in some years because of our climate. Ice wine is classified as special type of wine and, due to the complicated and labour-intensive production technology, it is very expensive. Fine quality ice wine is sold in small bottles, often for several hundred zlotys each.

Ripe, healthy grapes have to be kept on the vines until major frosts, below -7°C. The fruit must freeze completely and only then is it harvested and pressed. The grapes should be harvested at dawn, or even at night, in artificial light. The fruit must not thaw during the processing, so the day temperature must also be freezing. As a result of the pressing process, it is possible to acquire concentrated must with a sugar content of 40-50 kilograms per hundred litres. The whole operation indeed it is not that simple. The frozen grapes are placed in the press, and as a result very sweet juice, as thick as honey, is produced. The pomace contains frozen water in the form of ice crystals. By comparison, normally about 70 litres of must is obtained from 100 kg of fruit, whereas in the process of ice wine production, only a few litres of concentrated juice are obtained from 100 kg of fruit.

The final product acquired as a result of fermentation is a very sweet and thick beverage appreciated by connoisseurs. This is why ice wine is so expensive. For the winemaker, the opportunity to make ice wine is always an exciting challenge, as the end result is difficult to predict. Ice wine can be purchased, for example, at the Golesz Winery.