Katastrofa

Winery: Marvla TINDO
Producers: Vlado Kuny / Martin Danielič
Country of origin: Slovakia
Region: Nitra, Tekov
Style: White blend
Grape varieties: Pesecká leánka and Rizling vlašský (Welschriesling)
Body: Full-bodied
Alcohol: 12% vol.
Vinification vessels: Stainless-steel tanks, concrete egg, wooden barrel and tanks buried in the soil
Skin contact: Three days and five months, depending on the component
Production: 1,200 bottles
Bottle: Heavy Burgundy-style bottle

About the Wine

Katastrofa is a special blend assembled from selected portions of Marvla TINDO’s finest white-wine lots.

It combines Pesecká leánka with three different interpretations of Rizling vlašský, also known as Welschriesling. The individual components were made using stainless steel, a concrete egg, a wooden barrel and tanks buried in the soil, bringing together wines with distinctly different textures and personalities.

The result is a full-bodied and complex wine intended not only for drinking, but also for contemplation. Its structure, depth and layered character make it particularly well suited to accompanying food.

The Story Behind the Name

While the producers were blending several of their white-wine lots, one of the hoses suddenly burst. Before they noticed what had happened, almost a wooden barrel’s worth of wine had disappeared down the drain.

To commemorate the incident, they named the finished wine Katastrofa—“catastrophe” in Slovak—and bottled it in a substantial, high-quality Burgundy-style bottle. Only 1,200 bottles were produced.

Vinification

The Pesecká leánka component received three days of skin contact and was vinified in stainless steel.

The Rizling vlašský was made in three different ways: one component in a concrete egg, another in a wooden barrel, and a third in outdoor tanks buried in the soil. The buried-tank component remained in contact with its skins for five months.

Selected portions of these different white-wine lots were then blended, bringing together the contrasting effects of the various vessels and periods of skin contact in one richly textured and complex wine.