For sale: treasure wine

There is wine, and then there is WINE. Bottles you open with reverence. Bottles that make you a little excited when you take the first sip. Take the Slovenian Pinot Blanc Spätlese from 1971, for example. One of the archive wines from the cellars of P&F Wineries; now available for everyone to buy.

Puklavec & Friends has been a familiar name on the shelves of Jumbo and Albert Heijn, among others, for some time now. Friendly, young wines at a reasonable price. They perform well in many a tasting and, according to the label, every grape is still picked by hand.

From 27 euros to much, much more

The winery has now also made the holy grail – their cellar containing the best vintages since 1959 – accessible to all of us. These carefully cherished treasures have recently become available to buy by the bottle. Each one historic and distinctive: Sauvignon Blancs, Gewürztraminers, Furmints, you name it. For 27 euros, you can already own something unique. And if you really want to go all out, for the modest sum of just 16,000 euros you can own a little bottle of Pinot Blanc from the first archive vintage.

16,000 euros for a little bottle of Pinot Blanc

Amazingly fresh after 45 years

I taste – with a tasting panel, because this is not something you do alone – the Pinot Blanc Spätlese from the superior Slovenian vintage of 1971. The whole package is beautifully presented, like a valuable gift. Well-deserved recognition for a bottle costing 317 euros. The wine comes directly from the cellar and does not even have a label yet. A neck label bearing a stately seal provides the desired information.

What a pleasure to taste this. The copper-coloured wine is intensely mature and concentrated. And at the same time still incredibly fresh. Orange peel, apricot, ginger and cinnamon, with a gentle touch of honey sweetness in between. The Spätlese (late harvest) provided the beautiful, natural sugars. Time took care of the rest.

The ultimate Christmas gift for the one you love most

The panel is unanimous: this wine is beautiful, even sublime. Of course, whether you want to spend that much on a glass of wine varies from person to person. But if you do, you are buying liquid gold in its purest form. Delicious with some apricot, fig or, for contrast, a washed-rind cheese.

So if you are looking for a unique gift – perhaps the ultimate Christmas gift for the one you love most – take a look at archivewines.com. There you will find many more of these unique wines from Puklavec & Friends.

With thanks to the tasting panel, consisting of Nienke Munnik (Wijntijdschrift Perswijn), Kim van Schaik (sommelier at Restaurant De Kersentuin) & Barbara Verbeek (Registered Vinologist, Het Wijntheater, ambassador for Royal Leerdam).