Spit & Polish

Posted by Simon on July 10, 2009

Vodka, yes, but Polish wine? Have to confess that I’ve yet to taste my first Polish Pinot or any other variety for that matter, but I do know a serious young Pole called Wojciech Bońkowski. Indeed, his intensity can be a little on the scary side but his passion for wine (and tea) is beyond question. He’s co-author of the Polish Wine Guide, the current edition of which features over 15,000 wines from 6,000 producers and 31 European countries.There’s not much about Polish wine in it though – currently there are only around 500 hectares planted, with none of the wine produced exported. But the industry is growing, currently at around 15% a year – if that continues for the next 53 years, there’s be more vineyard than in France (ah, the beauty of compound interest, the endless possibilities for the misuse of statistics).

If you can’t make it to Poland to find out more about the country’s wines, Wojciech (Woy-check) recently blogged about the 4th Annual Polish Vintners Convention. Reading his post (here), it’s clear that the country will never be in a position to be one of the major wine players in Europe. However, as has happened with Luxembourg and England, a day could come when Polish wine both merits and achieves a wider audience.

Polish flag courtesy of 4 International Flags