Tasting wine at Rocket Wine

28 January, 2023

On Wednesday evening, at 8 p.m., I was at »Rocket Wine« – my friend Sylvain Delétang, who runs the natural wine stand »Drunk by Nature« in Markthalle Neun in Kreuzberg, gave an introduction to the world of natural wine for beginners. Not that I’m a beginner, after all I’m now in my natural wine year three (it was May 2020 when I first had natural wine).

It starts. We are sitting on bar stools in the beautiful »Rocket Wine« store on Sophienstr. in Mitte (U8 Weinmeisterstr., S Hackescher Markt), in front of us wine and water glasses, serviettes, cutlery and two sheets of paper. One has the six wines of the evening that we will taste on it, the other… more on that later!

Sylvain begins by announcing the small snack, which we won’t get until after the third wine, though. Why? The hungrier the more active the sense of smell! Sylvain starts with a historical outline – all in English, by the way. Who invented wine? Of course it was a coincidence at first, but then? Was it the Georgians or maybe people from Iran? From Lebanon? The group immediately begins to discuss. Yes, that’s right, there are many winegrowers in Lebanon and Israel. I first read about viticulture in Lebanon in issue 4 of the American »Wine Zine«. At the same time, I remember another article in London’s »Noble Rot« magazine, from 2021, announced on the cover with the line »A Wine Lover’s Guide to Iran«. We continue to the Middle Ages and then to the phylloxera plague in the 19th century, which was still ravaging Europe in the 20th century and attacking almost all vines in Europe. »Are there still pre-phylloxera wines?« Sylvain has an answer to every question. »Yes, wherever the ground is sandy.« Phylloxera doesn’t like that, »it chokes on the sand«, he giggles. »And do these wines taste different?« They do. Sylvain tells us how phylloxera was fought against (by using phylloxera-resistant American grape varieties as rootstock) and how, thanks to German agricultural technology and chemistry, ›Bordeaux‹ began to produce wine in bulk after the Second World War.

While Sylvain is talking, we are poured wine, almost casually. »Take a sip, we’ll talk about the wines, and I’ll also tell you something about the winegrowers.«

I really like the first wine. It’s a Pet Nat called »Cosmonate« by Jan-Philipp Bleeke. The grape variety? Pinot Noir, from the Moselle. »Subtly fruity, yeasty, but not too much, nice and dry, great«, I note. Sylvain talks about the ›invention‹ of ›natural wine‹ in the sixties, at the same time the second wine is served, »Little Bastard« from the Staffelter Hof winery, also from the Moselle, like the previous wine from 2021. I taste lychee and young, not yet ripe pineapple. I tell the group that I taste pineapples very often: young, ripe, overripe or canned pineapples. The wine is a blend of 70% Riesling, 20% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Muscat. I wonder whether that 10% Muscat made me think of lychee, and Sylvain confirms that. He talks about imprinting and how our heritage shapes our tastes. He explains how we smell and taste and asks us to look at the second piece of paper that has been distributed. The different wine aromas are listed there, »primary, secondary, tertiary«. »You can say anything, everyone can smell and taste what they want«, is his Solomonic conclusion.

We talk about how remarkable it is that certain wines are only available from exactly one dealer in the city. »It’s different in Paris«, reports Sylvain, who was there a few days ago. »Apparently a winemaker had just delivered his new vintage in Paris, and suddenly I saw his wines in every shop«. He is often asked about »Little Bastard« at his »Drunk by Nature«  stand. However, many customers do not understand that he does not have the wine in his range, as many assume that every natural wine dealer has all the natural wines that are available on the market (»just like every record shop used to sell the new album by Madonna«, I interject rather unnecessarily).

The next conversation turns to the use of sulphur, a big topic in the world of natural wine. Sylvain explains what the whole discussion is about, what different camps there are. We try the third wine, a Chardonnay called »White Side of the Moon« (Domaine des Canailles, 2021). Unfortunately, puns are very important in the natural wine world. (Full disclosure: The author of these lines has already DJed with a friend, Heiko Hoffmann, under the alias ›Pet Nat Boys‹, in a natural wine shop called »Return of the Living Wine«. ) Surprisingly, this Chardonnay comes from the Beaujolais – in 99% of Beaujolais’s vineyards usually the red grape variety Gamay is cultivated. What are my notes saying? »Super. Spicy! Would Thomas like it? Maybe not.« By Thomas I mean Thomas Puéchavy, the winemaker with whom I am studying and whose agent I am. »Butter, lemon curd, pollen«, the group finds, I say »matchstick«.

Three different cheeses are served, along with a superb baguette from Kreuzberg’s Albatross Bakery and olive oil made by one of the winemakers whose wines »Rocket Wine« sells.

Someone asks how about filtration. Sylvain walks up to me and says: »If I cut off Martin’s arm now, he’ll still be Martin, but he’d be missing something.«

I don’t like the next wine, but I know that beforehand, at least. I have never had a wine made from Gewürztraminer grapes that I liked. Obtrusive rose scent, elderberry syrup… not for me. »Jasmine tea«, says Karolina (»Karo«) Kumstova who works at »Rocket«. She’s right, although jasmine tea actually tastes much better to me! Sylvain explains that this wine, »Orange Tramin«, is from Kasnyik in Slovakia, vintage 2021. It is typical of what is happening in this region. This juicy wine is not for me, that’s it. Sylvain points out the colour of the wine, which is rather unusual for a white wine. That’s right, it’s a so-called orange wine, and no, »the wine wasn’t made from oranges«. ›Orange‹ refers to the color that comes from the juice being in contact with the grape skins during fermentation. Whoever is cool says »skin contact« instead of »orange«. I say »not for me«.

I’ve been looking forward to the next wine all evening, as I had already bought it at »Rocket Wine« and more than enjoyed it. »Aunis« by Jean-Christophe Jézequel is as great as I thought: the unmistakable mixture of white pepper and raspberry on the nose refers to the red Loire grape variety Pineau d’Aunis, as does the sharpness on the palate. I also like the transparency and lightness of the liquid with Pineau d’Aunis. Sylvain reminds us of the wines of the »d’Aunis god« Jean-Pierre Robinot and of the penultimate vintage (2020) of Anne-Cécile Jadaud’s »Sergent Pepper« (which I brokered to »Drunk by Nature«). This d’Aunis is denser, heavier than the ones I’ve drunk before, but nevertheless or perhaps because of it: brilliant. The young man sitting opposite of me, who was the first to yell »Corsica!« (he was referring to the smell of the island), is reminded of a quite specific kind of pepper, »a Caribbean red pepper I once bought in France for a lot of money«.

Sylvain talks about aging wine and the tasting ends with a 2021 Roussillon Syrah – »Le Réveille-matin« from La Petite Commanderie. A splendid finish to a wonderful evening! The group discusses the French word ›garrigue‹ – because we all smell and taste ›Mediterranean herbs‹, i.e. thyme, rosemary, oregano and so on (and violet, which I rarely think of myself but which is typical of Syrah). The funny-sounding German word ›Steppe‹ comes to my mind. »Steppe? Is that garrigue?«