From Czech Rep., The Kosmonaut rose
I was introduced to Sklep 58’s, The Kosmonaut rosé, by one of my wine suppliers, Viliam of Pandemonium Wines. Viliam specializes in wines from the Czech Rep. and Slovakia – he should, as he’s originally from Slovakia but spent 12 years in Prague. He started importing these wines because he wanted to spread the love about the natural/low intervention wines of those 2 countries. He imports the wines of Sklep 58, amongst other small Czech and Slovakian producers.
Sklep 58 literally means Cellar 58. The name comes from the address of a vacant 120 year old cellar that was offered to the winemakers by a friend. It’s run by two young winemakers, Jakob and Filip. They have no family background in wine making but met at the School of Viticulture of Mendel University in Brno, Czech Rep.
Fast forward to after graduation and they found that they shared the same philosophy – making low intervention wines with little to no additives and/or sulfur. This set into motion their wine making partnership. Through their university contacts, they have managed to source grapes that are organic and or grown with little intervention. In the cellar, everything is done by hand, including manual grape crushers and basket presses. Since they don’t like to use sulfur, all the wines are left to settle on their lees and are bottled directly from the old oak barrels. The results are fantastic!
The Kosmonaut is their rosé and is made from an obscure hybrid called Laurot (a cross of Merlot and Seibel) and Fratava (a cross of Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent). Although it’s a ‘natural’ wine, it is crystal clear with an enticing nose of red fruits and ripe strawberries. Drinking it, I got loads of fruity red, almost candy-ish notes but with good acidity, which saves it from being a sweet rosé. It is quite dark in colour (for a rosé) but don’t let that put you off. It is one yummy wine! And no added sulfur. This is a wine for those who are looking for a more substantial rosé, great with food. I can just imagine drinking this sunning myself in my back garden.
The Kosmonaut rosé is available at Hootch (we’re in the basement) in Dalston for £19.50.