Eggsperiment

Winery: Marvla TINDO
Winemakers: Vlado Kuny / Martin Danielič
Country of origin: Slovakia
Region: Nitra, Tekov
Style: Dry white
Grape variety: 100% Rizling vlašský (Welschriesling)
Body: Medium
Vintage: 2021
Alcohol: 12.5% vol.
Viticulture: Certified-organic vineyard
Fermentation vessel: Concrete egg
Fining and filtration: None

About the Wine

Combining “egg” and “experiment” in its name, Eggsperiment is a dry white wine fermented and matured in egg-shaped concrete vessels. It is made entirely from Welschriesling, one of Slovakia’s most widely cultivated white grape varieties.

Ripe peach, apple and pear are complemented by dried herbs and a distinctly stony character. The palate is medium-bodied, combining white fruit and citrus with lively acidity and a gentle roundness derived from lees ageing. Citrus and mineral notes linger through the persistent finish. As the wine is bottled without fining or filtration, a slight natural haze or fine sediment may be present.

About the Vineyard

The grapes come from a certified-organic vineyard in the village of Rybník, within the historic Tekov area at the foot of Mount Sitno in central Slovakia. The Štiavnica Mountains were formed by the activity of an immense ancient stratovolcano, and Sitno, at 1,009 metres, is their highest peak. The surrounding landscape contains diverse volcanic formations, including tuff and andesite. Viticulture has a long history here, with written records of vineyards in Rybník dating back to the eleventh century.

About the Winemaking

After gentle pressing, the juice was transferred directly into concrete eggs, where spontaneous fermentation took place with indigenous yeasts. Following fermentation, the wine remained in the same vessels on its gross lees until April of the following year.

The wine was then racked off the gross lees. Once the remaining fine sediment had settled naturally, it was bottled without fining or filtration. No selected yeasts, enzymes or other winemaking additives were used, while the addition of SO₂ was limited to a maximum of 20mg/L.

The concrete permits gentle oxygen exchange, while the vessel’s egg shape creates natural convection within the wine. This helps preserve the purity of the fruit while contributing texture, roundness and depth without adding the flavours associated with oak.