Maurer – Orion 2018

Maurer Orion 2018

The near extinct grape Mezes Feher was one of central Europe’s favorites before the Phylloxera epidemic destroyed most of the vineyards in Europe during the second half of the 19th century.

Oszkar Maurer is one of the few vinegrovers who brought this pearl back to life.

Actually, he is the only one making wine out of it, as far as we could find.

Although this variety is an early ripening one, the grapes for this wine are hand-picked in late October with about 20% of the harvest being blessed with noble rot.
Noble fungus 🙂 , with an immense effect on taste and aroma of the wine.
Degradation of the wax layer on the grape skin creates small holes from which moisture escapes. The grape shrivels to about half its weight, resulting in a concentration of acids and sugars. There is great taste and aroma development with clearly noticeable tones of soft stone fruit, orange, honey, tea and Christmas spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

And therefore, this wine from a mysterious grape variety with extended skin contact combined with noble rot, by a Wizard in the cellar who dares to take a step back and let nature work on its own, is a creation that will amuse many pleasure seekers looking for new frontiers and a reset of the pallet.