Strekov 1075 | Vins de Slovaquie

Visiting Strekov 1075 in Slovakia is an inspiring visit. Hungarian born but Slovakian-based owner Zsolt Suto is a philosophical man, talking slowly with each serious sentence of his giving you food for thought. We say serious, because he’s also a jolly, funny chap who you at once feel at ease with. Firmly set in his chemical-free & holistic principles, as many of the producers on MORE Natural Wine are, somehow Zsolt seems for us to be even more connected in creating a harmonious biodiversity for his vineyard, from animals & vines, even to the people being a part of that ecosystem - of which much of the village actually help tend the vines.

Set behind the only shop in the village (a basic supermarket), Zsolt’s cellar is his place of refuge. Assemblage cuvees (multiple vintage blends) like his popular wine Porta are decided by Zsolt alone by himself, and bottled only when the Lunar calendar predicts the least amount of gravitational movement, as to not disturb the wines energy. Recently, Zsolt has been exploring the idea of using drones to spray his protective nettle tea formula onto vines, so to avoid using a tractor which can bother the vines' leaves when moving between rows, as well as the soil of which Zsolt is very cautious of.

Strekov 1075 wines are some of our favourites, often with an underlying ‘earthiness’ to the reds and a refreshing yet creamy roundness to the whites. This year, his BOB wine is a 2022 Nouveau, called Bob after his Donkey… whose full name is Robert Parker!

Strekov wines like Creme have a deadly loyal following, and rightly so. Made using the grape Devin, this lively pet nat certainly has a creamy finish but on the palate delivers a world of unique flavours, often like cloudy apple, pear, orange zest and marzipan - somethings boosted with a kick of Volatile Acidity to liven things up even more.

Another popular wine similar to having a wilder side is Nigori, which is made with Welschriesling and in its current vintage, boasts a crazy Petrolium zing reminiscent of an aged Riesling.

Recently, Strekov 1075 have been also working with some Nègoce grapes from his neighbour. These wines include the very elegant and creamy Richard (made from Chardonnay, hence the name), Charlotte Pet Nat and Šupkác (made with Welschriesling). We actually filmed a funny video drinking this wine with some local buildings, which you can watch here.

What’s interesting about Strekov 1075 wines is how diverse they are. Whilst wines like Richard would work amazing on a fine dining restaurant list, others like Creme, Porta and Nigori are much more punk and wild in their execution. With an abundance of Blaufränkisch, known as Frankovra in Slovakia, Strekov 1075 also makes a large amount of this fruity red grape, which in his own style, often has that earthy presence we adore.

Another great aspect of the winery is how many of the village (Strekov) are employed by Zsolt, especially when it comes to harvest where it feels like everyone is there to help out!

With his animals ranging from chickens and goats to donkeys and dogs, the Strekov 1075 winery itself is a unique living organism, treated as a closed system.

As Rudolf Steiner wrote “Whatever you need for agricultural production, you should try to possess it within the farm itself. A thoroughly healthy farm should be able to produce within itself all that it needs.”

Yeasts from the animals help influence life in the vineyard and the cellar should be seen as a sacred place. Strekov 1075 works full circle in this regard, and treats the holistic practices of the vineyard very seriously.

In addition to using Formula 500 and 501 preperate and cow horn silica, wines are bottled only according to the lunar calendar, when the moon’s gravitational pull is at it’s weakest to not disturb or unsettle the wines. Zsolt also has a special bottling machine, custom made, which bottles in the least invasive way possible.

In regards to sulphur, Strekov 1075 have no added sulphites and their wines taste it - alive.

Is Strekov 1075 the village or winery?

Strekov is the village, and 1075 is the number of which the winery and family home are located. Actually just behind the only supermarket in the village.

What are the best Strekov 1075 wines?

This is of course open to debate, but in our opinion the most interesting wines include Porta, Creme, Heion, Nigori and Pinot Noir. However, more budget friendly wines like Fred and Richard should not be missed!

What is Elevage in winemaking?

Élevage is the process of letting a wine age sitting on the "lees" over a set period, usually a few years. The lees are the dead yeast cells sitting in the wine after fermentation. Allowing the wine to age this way, rather than racking to a different barrel adds extra complexity, depth and flavour and could be seen as a wine gaining an adolesence before being ready for bottling. Strekov 1075 uses élevage to gain more complexity in his wines, and his wines are left unfined, unfiltered and without sulphur additions.

Why is their a donkey on the label of the Strekov wine Bob?

This donkey is actually owner Zsolt Suto's donkey, who is called Bob after the wine critic Robert Parker...who some would say is a donkey for creating the 100 point scoring system, not much admired in the natural wine scene.

What grapes go into Creme by Strekov 1075?

The local Slovakian varietal Devin is the grape used in the popular Pet Nat wine Creme.