The Slovak winery ViaJur has only recently managed to pull off an excellent stunt right in the heart of Milan, a leading gastronomic mecca. Michelin-starred chef Enrico Bartolini was so enchanted by ViaJur's 2017 Riesling that he decided to serve it in his restaurant. His "author's handwriting" is the work of ViaJur's chief technologist Michal Rigan
After the visit of Michelin-starred chef Enrico Bartolini*** to Slovakia at the Hotel Lomnica, which has eight Michelin stars to its credit for its five restaurants, the ViaJur winery from Svätý Jur can now boast real success. The 2017 Riesling from ViaJur, produced by the technologist Michal Rigan, has so impressed MULTI-MICHELIN CHEFA and its sommeliers that they decided to add it to the wine portfolio of one of Enrico's restaurants, namely Ristorante Mudec Di Enrico Bartolini***, located in the MUDEC Museum of Culture in Milan. This was finally done after Michal's visit to the aforementioned Milanese restaurant, where he received an invitation from Enrico. After joint negotiations, the 2017 Riesling will be added to the Michelin restaurant menu at Mudec and will be offered to guests from February 2020. "This is every winemaker's dream and we are living it now. We knew that our 2017 Riesling was an exceptional wine, but this is a really huge honour. Enrico Bartolini is a global culinary star. He selects only the best quality for his restaurant," concluded Michal Rigan.
Riesling with a lively expression
Hints of honeycomb and typical lime blossoms appear in the wine. With the right bottle age, the Riesling has acquired a subtly 'petrolly' bouquet, retaining its minerality and at the same time its archiving potential. Sebastian Ferrara, Chef Sommelier at Enrico's restaurant in Mudec. "Really good! Extremely good! Beautiful aromatic. This is really a very elegant wine. Bravo," said Ferrara. It is quite likely that in the future this Riesling will appear in another of Enrico's Michelin restaurants, namely Trattoria Enrico Bartolini*, located in the L'Andana experience resort in Tuscany. Davide Macaluso, Director of Food & Beverage and Chef Sommelier of this establishment, even visited the ViaJur winery in the Pálffy Manor in St. George to enjoy some of the varieties. "I visited the ViaJur winery in person in November and discovered unexpected things, such as the basement tunnel. We tasted very interesting regional white wines, such as Müller and Riesling," he pointed out.
"We are extremely proud that the ViaJur winery will be one of Enrico Bartolini's top restaurants in 2020. In addition to Slovakia, our technologist Michal has managed to defend his wine-making talent in the gastronomic mecca of Milan. It is important to remember that this wine has scored well in the global competition, and the opportunity that has come our way does not come along every day, it opens up new possibilities. It is certainly a great success not only for us, but also for the whole of Slovakia, since it is also through the Rizling that we can raise the profile of our country as a place where quality wines with potential are grown and produced. It is worth mentioning that Italian restaurants usually prefer their own local wines, and there are not a few of them. Tuscany alone, which is one of Italy's most famous and important wine regions, offers an incredible variety of 'sound names' with a superior portfolio and production. When choosing wines from other countries, sommeliers in restaurants are really strict, especially in the ones with a star, Enrico even has three of them in MUDECO," said Zuzana Antalová, PR manager of ViaJur winery.
It is definitely an exceptional moment not only for the winery, but also for the whole of Slovakia, because no other Slovak wine is currently being served in a three Michelin restaurant in Italy. If you want to form your own subjective opinion about this Riesling, you can taste it in the Selaví Restaurant and Wine Cellar in Bratislava, but also in the Hotel Lomnica or in the Selaví Wine Cellar in Tatranská Lomnica. An interesting fact is that ViaJur is also launching red wines at the beginning of 2020 for the first time: the Frankovka Blue 2017 and the Dunaj 2017, both of which are also worth your attention.
