All About ST. LAURENT- The Rare and Delicious Grape Variety from Central Europe -

When you hear Saint Laurent, what's the first thing that comes to mind? It's probably fashion, makeup, handbags, right? I bet it's not what I have in my glass. But today, when I refer to Saint Laurent, I am in fact talking about this, a delicious red wine. Hi there, I'm Jacqueline for Vero, where we go around the world searching out small production wines made with passion by farmer artisans. And sometimes these hard to find wines comes from grapes that are not too well known internationally, like this Saint Laurent. Saint Laurent is a red grape descended from Pinot Noir. While it does share a lot of similarities with its more famous parent, it is distinctly beefier and stronger. This might be because Saint Laurent as a vine is actually a little bit finicky and sometimes can have lower yields, resulting in a more concentrated fruit. And where is it grown? Typically, it is classified as an Austrian grape, with many calling Austria its home. However, today it is found in a great many countries, like Germany and in the Czech Republic, where it is actually the number one most planted red grape variety. In these other parts of the world, you might see it called this in Germany, or this in the Czech Republic. And it is from the Czech Republic that our wine today arrives, specifically from the Thaja Winery in Moravia in the south of the Czech Republic. This 100% Saint Laurent is expertly crafted by young winemaker Jakub Smurka from organically farmed grapes in their Učulpa vineyards, located in a local national park. After a careful harvest, Thaja ages this Saint Laurent for around 22 or 24 months in a mix of large and small barrels. Then, before bottling, these batches are blended together to make sure the wood isn't too heavy, and this allows it to stay fruity, yet at the same time complex. In the glass, it's a ruby color with some purple highlights, and it gives off an aroma of violets, berries, spice, and a little bit of chocolate and vanilla extract too. It's an amazing bouquet and very inviting. And the flavors are amazing too. It has these spicy notes thanks to the oak aging, but there's also a lot of fruit here. It feels really plummy, like dark fruits, like a plum cake or something even. And you know, this is not surprising given the familial link with Pinot Noir, but this wine is in fact a great alternative for Pinot Noir lovers looking for something new. And given that it has a little bit bigger structure, it could even be a fun crossover between Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon lovers. And welcome to the world of Saint Laurent, the grape that is. If you learned something from this video, leave a like below. And as always, you can find the links in the description box to verovino.com where you can buy this wine and learn more about Thaia and their vineyards. Thank you for joining me today. I'll see you with the next video. Cheers.