Heard it on the grapevine: Polish wine’s quiet renaissance
Swap the staid stereotypes of Żubrówka vodka and Żywiec lager for vineyards and vintages, because Poland is in the throes of a viticultural renaissance, the likes of which hasn’t been seen for centuries.On a road trip tracing Poland’s best terroirs back in the summer of 2023, I met winemakers going against the grain, unshackled by tradition and producing unpretentious, expressive pours that more than merit a place on your dining table.Lately, Polish wines have been cropping up all over bar and restaurant lists: Niemczańska’s chardonnay at London’s most emblematic Polish restaurant, the borscht-fronted Daquise in South Kensington, say, while chic bar Spry in Edinburgh has started stocking my favourite producers, Dom Bliskowice, Kamil Barczentewicz and Nizio.But you won’t find bottles nestling between the neat rows of kabanos sausages of your local Polski sklep, nor lining the supermarket shelves.Or not just yet, anyway.
Among my parents’ generation, the term “Polish wine” is marred by sickly-sweet memories of moonshined fruit concoctions, but the country’s grape-growing heyday was some 500 years ago, courtesy of Cistercian monks.An unfortunate succession of icy temperatures, wars a-plenty and communism dealt its vines a hammer blow, but, in typical Polish fashion, something beautiful blossomed out of all that hardship.A loosening of laws in 2008 catalysed the country’s contemporary wine revival.I spent a stint living in Warsaw a decade ago, when the city bristled with cool, creative cuisine, but back then it wasn’t easy to find homegrown wine on a menu.But no longer: more than 600 winnice (wineries) have sprung up across all 16 voivode (regions), with the heaviest smattering along Poland’s southeast and southwest fringes.
Today, plantings include hardy hybrids such as solaris and hibernal, which can weather the harsh winters, and, increasingly, in our warming climate, classic vitis vinifera varieties such as riesling and pinot noir, though tiny outputs make it tricky (and pricey) to get hold of over here.I loved Ultra, an earthy, herbaceous skin-contact johanniter made by Maciej Sondij of Dom Bliskowice, an architect turned Burgundy importer and restaurateur, on the ammonite-studded inclines two-and-a-half hours’ drive south of Warsaw.At Winnica Silesian, a former communist collective on granite-laden soil 30 miles outside Wrocław, Esben Madsen (a Danish oceanographer who married into the founding Mazurek family) produces playful pours, including a beaujolais-like red made from rondo, dubbed Rondo Vous.Much arrives through the UK’s sole Polish wine importer, Adam Michocki, a Leeds-based sommelier who set up Central Wines after being wowed by an “absolutely spectacular” bottle from Silesia in 2021.He works with small, family-run wineries, supplying a host of Michelin-starred restaurants and chefs (think Sat Bains, Gordon Ramsay, Heston Blumenthal) as well as independent wine shops across the country, to sell-out reception.
“The fresh, crisp nature of Polish wines really fits the current trend for the palate of UK customers,” he says.Cheers – na zdrowie – to that.Niemczańska 2020 Chardonnay £24.90 Central Wines, 12.8%.
Like a polished white burgundy via Lower Silesia,Clean vanilla notes, hot buttered toast and a medium body that’s a dream with mushroom-sauerkraut stuffed pierogi,Silesian Cuvee Coloree NV £31,50 Highbury Vintners, 12% On the list at The Spärrows in Manchester, this hotchpotch of three different vintages and varieties (rondo, regent and cabernet cortis) results in a crushable red with silky tannins and sour cherries on the palate,Kamil Barczentewicz 2023 Riesling £19.
50 The Wine Society, 12% Green mango, white peach – a cool-climate riesling reminiscent of something you’d find in Alsace, from a star producer near the Renaissance town of Kazimierz Dolny, southeast Poland.Turnau Solaris 2024 £29.80 Central Wines, 12.5% Swap your sauvignon blanc for this bright, joyful solaris made in Baltic-tempered northwest Poland: an explosion of citrus, tropical fruit and rosy apples.Victoria Brzezinski is co-author of Drinking the World: A Wine Odyssey, published by Pavilion Books/HarperCollins at £22.
To order a copy for £19.80 go to guardianbookshop.com
Cocktails and crepes in bed? Ravinder Bhogal’s recipes for Valentine’s Day breakfast
Give me breakfast in bed over a bunch of limp supermarket roses any day. Nothing says “I love you” more genuinely than a decadent tray of delicious things to savour between the sheets. Because V-Day falls on a weekend this year, you can do better than just buttered toast and an unbidden cup of tea. Whether it’s sweet or savoury (or even a cheeky cocktail), I’ve got you!These French crepes are given the Midas touch with a pinch of saffron. Use your favourite fish – mackerel and salmon also work well here
‘Boy kibble’: why are young men turning to dog food for meal inspiration?
The dried food, traditionally for pets, has become an unlikely influence for meal preppers. Some commenters have even claimed the trend could be an antidote to toxic masculinity Name: Boy kibble.Age: It’s new.Appearance: Like a dog’s dinner.Isn’t that what kibble is? Traditionally, yes, kibble is dried food for pets in pellet form, made of grains, vegetables and meat
Frothing over: the coffee foams and ‘indulgent’ drinks keeping Australian cafes afloat
Cold brews and matcha lattes with airy, dessert-like layers are everywhere. What’s driving the trend for blockbuster toppings?Get our weekend culture and lifestyle emailCoffee brimming with lemon myrtle cream. Matcha banked with strawberry-lychee foam. Cold brew with choc-orange froth thick enough to stuff a pillow. Every caffeinated drink I’ve ordered in Sydney recently has the appearance of a generously frosted cake
What is fibremaxxing – and how much is too much? | Kitchen aide
Why is everyone talking about fibremaxxing?Chris, by emailTikTok-born trends rarely go hand in hand with sage health advice, but that’s not to say upping our fibre – an often-forgotten part of our diets – is a bad idea. “Fibre needed its moment, so this is a good thing,” says dietitian Priya Tew. The non-digestible carbohydrate has two main functions: “There’s insoluble fibre, which is found in things such as whole grains, brown rice or vegetable skins, and I think about it like a broom,” Tew says, “in that it brushes the system out.” Then there’s soluble fibre (oats, beans, lentils), which she likens to a sponge: “It turns into this gel in your gut, and aids digestion and keeps us regular.” But that’s only part of the story, because fibre can also help lower cholesterol and stabilise blood sugar
Moroccan lamb filo pie and rhubarb panna cotta: Thomasina Miers’ Sunday best recipes
There is little as pleasing to cook in the depths of the winter as a pot of enticingly fragrant, slow-braised meat. A shoulder of lamb is one of my favourite cuts; you, or a friendly butcher, will need to trim away its excess fat, a job that will reward you with an exquisite flavour that marries beautifully with bold spicing. Here, we travel to Morocco, with sweetly aromatic ginger, turmeric and cinnamon, and follow that with cardamom, cream and rhubarb for pudding. A sumptuous, colourful feast to stave off any February blues.Many elements of this dish, with its falling apart, richly seasoned lamb and carrots encased in crisp, golden pastry, can be made the day before
Georgina Hayden’s quick and easy recipe for creamy chicken and mustard fricassee | Quick and easy
This is a one-pan dinner at its finest: elegant and full of flavour, something that feels as if it has taken more effort and time than it actually has, and versatile in its finish – serve with creamy mash, fluffy rice, boiled potatoes; even hunks of fresh baguette would be wonderful for mopping up the creamy mustard sauce. I use whatever veg is in season: purple sprouting broccoli is at its best right now, but you could add stalks of rainbow chard, shredded cavolo nero, even halved baby carrots. Play around with whatever veg you have and love.If you can’t find mustard powder, feel free to use your mustard of choice – wholegrain would work well here.Prep 5 min Cook 30 min Serves 44 skin-on chicken breasts (about 160g each)Sea salt and black pepper 2 tsp English mustard powder 1 tbsp olive oil 200g purple sprouting broccoli 30g unsalted butter 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp aleppo pepper 2½ tbsp plain flour 125ml dry white wine 500ml chicken stock 200ml single creamPut the chicken breasts on a deep plate and season generously
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