Are there any Polish wines worth purchasing?

i am looking for masarla tonic wine as my daughter is ill,when the polish stall left barnsley i have never been able to find the wine

Harry
I hate to read such articles... about how the domestic market is killed by foreign trade. I know something about this from being an importer of cider to Poland from UK for 2.5 yrs. Just seems to me (and I know that it is a standard *****) that a lot of these laws and regulations have nothing to do with promoting trade but only to do with govt. making sure that they make money and, often symbolically, using this right to pretend that they are creating employment. In this case, the employment means that the offices who service antique ideas are well served in their rather pointless job dealing with beaurocracy, whie the people who are actually taking the initiative and doing something useful, as in generating new ideas and trade, instead of being helped and supported in their enterprise, are rather treated as something akin to criminals and thieves and penalised at any opportune moment.

To me this is not good economics, this is mafia and militias - especially as in Poland they have yet to coordinate in any efficient way.

Want to know how much time I can waste running around taking paper from one office to another and having to actively explain what the law means to them, fight to pay them money, get fu*&^ed when don't.

It's a totally sick system, not efficient in any other way than that the beaurocracy get their pound of flesh.

Try fining and govt. office for late payment or any mistake they make - good luck:)

And...

Good luck to all who have the courage to try to do something against all the crap that is poured on us all.

PennBoy

"Wines" as defined by purists - most likely none. The region of Zielona Gora used to have wine industry, but these wines were known for their high acidity. Vitis vinifera require a lot of sun and heat to mature. Perhaps you can find decent wines made from hybrid grapes.

Isn't there a small, but expanding wine industry in Podkarpackie?

(there's also a small vineyard in Poznan, believe it or not)

I'm in Sandomierz right now: the Mrs is getting stuck into a very decent rose, after having some cracking white. I'd join in if the bar didn't have 156 different types of Polish beer....

There are also EU politics involved. Zielona Gora has vineyards on the main hill and around town as well. There is even a wine making museum there. I was surprised that I couldn't find any Polish wines for sale there in the main shops. The locals informed me that it was because Poland's ascension agreement with the EU prohibited Polish wine from being sold in the common market. Apparently the French, Italian, and German winemakers were concerned about competing with Polish wine. That combined with avoiding paying taxes makes buying Polish wine like bootlegging. I needed a local to make a call to a friend, and then we met in a parking lot in town. The quality of the wine was fine. One vintner said he had an Italian who regularly came and bought his wine for his Italian restaurant.

It appears the "free market" in the EU isn't so free after all.

Some time ago my students recommended me this:

Forest Jug



Costs only 5 zlotys

and Cavalier:

Cold winters don't prohibit making wine. The problem in Poland is the taxation system makes it almost impossible to do so. I went to a wine tasting and some of the wines weren't bad, they could not sell them however are the government makes it difficult.

Is wine popular in Poland?

Not as popular as beer or vodka. But I drink wine every night, also now when I am writing this post. :):):):)

Is this diffuculty a result of the revenue the goverment may collect, by adding taxation to wine purchases?

You are Cracovian Pawain? Is wine more popular in your region of Poland than elsewhere? I have heard that the Slovaks, who share a border with Southern Poland, are very fond of wine, whilst their fomer co-nationals, the Czechs, are the most ardent bibbers of beer on the Earth.

Pawian,what do you consider the best brands of Polish wines;the ones in the pics?

Yes, I think it is, because natural-born Krakowians and even rustics who live around the city are more cultural people than those in the rest of Poland. And everybody knows that wine is the most cultural drink (champagne is also wine, btw).


Yes, we can say so.

Except it's not the case, otherwise Hungary, Slovakia and many others wouldn't be churning out vast quantities of wine too. Hungary in particular is starting to really boom - and that's not to mention the vast amounts of cheap Bulgarian wine on the market. Not to mention the availability of Polish wines from the south-east which you can buy easily in the shops. But it simply doesn't have a good reputation, partially because of what Pawian posted :)))


The taxation system doesn't stop it - you can buy Polish wine in some shops. What stops it is the fact that the industry just isn't developed, nor does it have much heritage to fall back on.

I've bought wine from here before - winnicapoznan.pl - all legal and taxed. Was rather odd to drink wine from Poznan - but still, perfectly acceptable.

What`s that about Pawian??????


Impressive! Almost like a crime act! :):):)

" Is wine more popular in your region of Poland than elsewhere?"
As anybody who has been to Poland will know, more wine is sold in Warsaw than anywhere else in Poland. But I guess the problem there is the 'been to Poland' bit.

Anyway, after some extensive research, I can now recommend several Polish wines. And as soon as I can decipher my handwriting, I can tell you where to buy it online too.

You, posting that stuff ;)))

I'm not surprised your students recommended it to you :P

Yes, it felt that way, but it was probably just a tax dodge.

I found more about the problem here:

Poland's accession to the EU was supposed to be a new dawn for Polish winegrowing. Unfortunately, however, certain provisions within Polish law, along with a number of legal and administrative obstacles, are not only stymieing the development of wine production in Poland, but also limiting Polish farmers' opportunities to seek relevant EU funding.

eurocare.org/newsroom/newsletter/2011/may_june_2011/questions_from_meps/question_to_the_commission_on_wine_production_from_grapes_grown_in_poland_and_eu_by_tomasz_piotr_poreba_ecr

The problem appears to be limited to fermenting grapes, since it is easy to purchase alcoholic drinks made from other fruits.

So it appears to be that Polish regulation hinders commerce, as in many other areas with Poland. I blame it on the bureaucratic vestiges of the old communist regime that politicians find convenient for dispensing political patronage jobs.

Sold doesn`t mean consumed. Warsavians buy the wine but put it on the shelves.

In other words, nothing to do with the EU.


You blame it on that because you simply haven't got a clue how politics works.

It's pretty obvious that the strong brewery and distilling sectors have absolutely no interest in supporting a strong wine sector. They also have a great deal of influence, not least because Polish beers are starting to enjoy strong brand recognition in some foreign countries, but also because the vodka industry is very, very strong both domestically and internationally. Therefore, they have a vested interest (just like in the Good Ol' USA) to maintain their position.

Incidentally, Poland is considered to be far more capitalist than many other European countries.

Anyway, back to Polish wine, has anybody tried the Arizona cherry 'wine' 2012? I'd rate it up there with the 1998, but make sure you get the stuff from the South side of the factory.

:):):):):):):):):):)

Personally, I haven`t. But after your recommendation, I will certainly try it. Prosit!!!

Thank you for your answer Pawain. I suspected as much and you are right about wine drinkers cultural superiority.


Hahahahaha! Go drink some beer.

In Zielona Gora?

jon357
NO, by you now:) in Stalowawola!:D

Stalowawola? Must be something new. Try the wine in Zielona Gora. It's been made there ever since the town was Grunberg. Very German in style and not bad for white. They have the problems selling it though so the best time to try some is during the annual wine festival.

They certainly have vineyards and a wine festival is held Zielona Gora in September. Wine making there dates back to at least 1314 during the Piast duchy of Głogow. The locals told me that it is perfectly legal to make wine in Poland, to possess the wine, and to drink it. The legal problem comes when someone tries to actually sell it. The result is that sales have become hush-hush.

Yes.

I was told that the established distributors oppose the sale.

I was quite impressed by it. Very much in the German tradition which isn't to everyone's taste but it was very drinkable.

There's also one grower who makes a red wine near Krakow (within the city limits even) but again he can't sell it.

" But after your recommendation, I will certainly try it. Prosit!!!"
Seriously, a mate of mine just had a daughter: I've bought him two crates to bury in the garden.