By Anna J. Kutor

When discussing wines and wine cultures around the world the mind immediately conjures up a number of diverse scenes, ranging from the lush vineyard-carpeted Tuscan countryside to the sun-splashed wine estates of Napa Valley where suit-clad businessmen nurse their lone glasses of grape nectar all the way to dark, cavernous cellars in France replete with delicately aging vinous gems. Poland, however, rarely springs to mind. But perhaps it should. On one hand, a vibrant and emergent wine bars scene has taken Warsaw and other tourist hotspots like Kraków and Gdańsk by storm. On the other hand, consumers interest, education and awareness of wines have steadily increased; significantly improving the quality and variety of wines imported from across the globe. And to top it all off, domestic vineyards in the south of Poland – a part of the country that has a distinct yet relatively unknown wine-making history – are begun to market and sell home-grown wines.

Image Shift
Before the change of social and economic paradigms, the choice of wine in Poland was restricted to inexpensive and mediocre wines imported from Eastern Bloc countries such as Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. Viticulture was collectivized through force, quality was sacrificed for quantity and the consumption of these wines, like vodka and hard liquors, were generally considered a fast and frugal route to intoxication.

Democracy and the introduction of market-economy rules changed all that. Poland threw open its market to the West, creating a new world of opportunities for foreign investors and suppliers, and soon, supermarket shelves where piling up high-grade European wines and even some New World brands. Increased diversity and exposure to good quality wine – which at the time were mainly imported from Italy, France and Spain – promoted greater knowledge and more discerning tastes among the growing wine drinking public. In addition, consumption of wine developed apace with improving living standards, steady economic growth, rising disposable incomes and consumer’s aggressive pursuit of healthier lifestyles.
Since 1989, the burgeoning Polish wine market has shown some of the fastest growth in Central and Eastern Europe, expanding at a steady rate of 10-15 percent year-on-year. Figures released by the Central European Distribution Corporation (CEDC), one of the leading distributors and importers of alcoholic beverages in Poland, reported that between 2001 and 2003 wine consumption rose from 4,900 to 5,250 hectolitres, reaching an annual average of 3-5 litres per person. Still this is a negligible amount compared to the 50-70 litres drowned by French and Italian consumers, but even so, growth in the volume of wines sales continues to outpace that of spirits and beers, indicating a huge potential for market gains. Research conducted by Euromonitor International also underlines the development of the Polish wine market, showing that the total volume of wine sales totalled 252 million litres in 2007. According to the report, Polish tipplers in 2007 spent over PLN two billion (approx. GB£ 440 million) on wine, which is a 13 percent increase on 2006.

Warsaw all Wine-d Up
Nowhere is Poland’s rising appreciation of and enthusiasm for wine more visible than in Warsaw.
In the past decade, and particularly in the years since the start of the new century, a number of fine wine stores, wine bars and elegant eateries with ambitious wine lists have sprout up around town. Riding the crest of the new-found wine-populism, these places have gained a following among Generation Xers and Baby Boomers, who have an opinion on Old World versus New World wines, favour smart and relaxed over extravagant and gaudy, and are keen on interacting with wine-thirsty urbanites in an atmosphere conducive to conversation.

Fine Wine & Spirit, working under the Central European Distribution Corporation group, operates four city-centre stores in Warsaw and one in Konstancin-Jeziorna. Each spacious and elegantly-furnished shop stocks an assortment of wines that run the gamut from top-name to lesser-known, in addition to a selection of pricey vodkas, whiskeys and cognacs. Wine House, which launched in 1998, now runs a handful of outlets across the city that carries nearly a thousand different labels. Expanding the wine knowledge of wine enthusiasts on all levels, the company set up a tasting club and a Wine Academy that offers beginners seminars at PLN 200-300 (approx. GB£ 40-65) per person and expert courses for PLN 700-1500 (approx. GB£150-330). Smaller, specialized wine stores include the hole-in-the-wall Korkociąg shop featuring Hungarian new and unusual labels and Cantina, a far-off shop concentrates primarily on New World wines.

To complement worldly cuisine and gourmet nibbles, restaurants have also expanded their wine selection to lure more discerning patrons. Borpince, an underground culinary haven established by a father and daughter duo in 2004, distinguishes itself by serving authentic Hungarian meals and wines that don’t make it on to supermarket shelves. Furnished to look like a wine cellar with bare-brick walls, tasteful and illuminated wood racks with neatly arranged bottles and an old wooden wine press, patrons here can sample nearly 100 unique wine varieties from Hungary, including award-wining Tokaj dessert wines and several varietals of heady Egri Bikavér. In the neighbouring street, at C.K. Oboźna Wine Lounge, the wholesome Austrian fare is sided by a 100-storng selection of wines of the same origin. Yet another restaurant that takes its wine very seriously is KOM, established by astute businessman Kai Schoenhals and his wife, the renowned Polish actress Katarzyna Figura. Stationed in a pre-war building that once housed the city’s telephone exchange, this high-gloss establishment boasts over two hundred wines and hosts regular wine tasting evenings for budding connoisseurs.

Setting a Stylish Standard

“Now, the Polish market is very much like the Canadian in the beginning of the 80s, very quick and open, especially in the larger cities,”

says Robert Mielżyński, the owner of Mielżyński Wines, Spirits & Specialties, a wine depot and wine bar combo in Warsaw. A Canadian-born oenologist of Polish decent specializing in wine importing and marketing, Mielżyński launched his eponymous venture in 2004 and started bringing in wines directly from the producers. The store, poised between the sprawling Arkadia shopping centre and the historic Powązki cemetery on the northern edge of downtown Warsaw, is really two distinct setting under one roof: a cutting-edge warehouse complex and a sleek wine bar. This modern multi-use space successfully straddles the fine line between function and aesthetics and by doing so, has elevated the city’s wine scene to a stylish new level.
Mielżyński’s current stock of over 500 premium and up-level labels where sourced from over a dozen different wine-producing countries, with the focus predominantly on Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German and Austrian specialties. Prices mostly range from PLN 25 - 70 (approx. GB£ 5-15) a bottle, but the deluxe varieties, of course, fetch double and even triple that amount. The bar zone features a constantly changing wine-by-the-glass list of 20 different wines – priced at PLN 8-12 (approx. GB£ 2-3) each– which whets newcomers appetite for wine experimentation and keeps regular customers interested.

 “People love to visit wineries, meet the person who made the wine or wine producer so for me the importance is the direct contact with clients,” explains the 44-year-old wine merchant. “Poles are especially hungry for good personal service so when a customer comes to the warehouse, my winery, he or she can taste several wines in the wine bar to be confident to say: Oh yeah, that’s the bottle I really want.”

Sticking to a personal, consistently professional and service-with-smile approach has really paid off for Mielżyński. His store, after just four short years, now boasts an annual turnover of GB£ 5 million. The deep and ever-broadening selection of fine vintages, combined with regularly hosted wine tasting events has built up a stead base of returning customers. And this year, he expanded his epicurean enterprise by opening a second warehouse in Poznań and plans are underway to launch further outlets across Poland.

Spirited Bars

The corks also keep popping in a bouquet of newly-established wine bars throughout Poland’s most populous city. One of the first to open its doors in 1999 was Cykada (named after the stridulating cicadas of ancient Greece), a cosy mom-and-pop-type place in the heart of Warsaw. The small, split-level space is outfitted weathered wooden furniture; ceramic wall tiles and multiple cabinets chock full of familiar and some not so familiar wines. There are Australian wines from the Brown Brothers, Heartland Wines and the Riverina Estate, Spanish from Bodega Munoz and Marques de Murrietta, alongside varietals from Chile, Argentina and the U.S.
Among the early wine bar-cum-shop entrance was Bodega Marqués, a Kraków-based company founded in 1999 with the desire of showcasing chiefly Spanish from under-represented viticulture regions such as Ribera del Duero and Somontano. The company has since branched out to numerous cities across Poland, including the elegantly-furnished outlet in Warsaw’s main shopping promenade, and has upgraded its wine portfolio to more than 350 labels that include a cornucopia high-end brands from Chile, Australia, South Africa and France, to name but a few.

New World wines also take centre stage at Wineria Wine Bar, the streamlined brand saloon of the Wineria wine import company that was founded by Argentinean entrepreneur Matias Glusman. Setting up shop in 2007 on the second floor of the glitzy Złote Tarasy (Golden Terraces) shopping mall, this contemporary venue instantly turned heads with its stunning décor of tasting tables made from recycled wine barrels and floor-to-ceiling walls covered with empty wine bottles. The choice of libations is equally thrilling as the bar stocks a massive array of Argentinean, Austrian, Chilean, Portuguese, Slovenian, and South African wines and vintages.
One of the latest wine bars to hit Warsaw is Centrum Wina, a boutique-type bar stationed inside a wine warehouse that displays close to 700 top-end wines. Hot magenta walls, colourful mosaic tiles and minimalist furniture give this place a distinct ‘designer’ feel, where well-heeled business types can unwind with a glass of the good stuff. Jerzy Kruk, a seasoned Polish sommelier, hands out expert advice on how to choose the perfect wine for every occasion, while the Botswana-born chef Joseph Seeletso prepares light and appetising contemporary dishes.

Innovative Edge

“Polish palates are more attuned to round, fruity and softer wines, which is why New World varieties from have gained momentum here,”

says John Borrell, the creative mastermind behind Wine Express, Poland’s first mail order wine company. A New Zealand native living in Poland since the early 1990s, Borrell founded Kania Lodge in 1994, a classy hotel and winery near the Baltic seaside, and introduced his virtual venture soon after. Sensing a niche opening, he handpicked and debuted a plethora of new and premium wine discoveries on the local market.

“Nowadays, more and more Poles are travelling to far flung places, immerse in local food and wine cultures and generally spend more on dining out in restaurants, and as a result, they are more willing to try out new styles and tastes at higher price points.”

Capitalizing on consumer’s increasingly adventuresome and spendthrift spirit, Borrell teamed up with the Warsaw-based Boathouse restaurant to create JJ Wine Lounge in 2007. No expense was spared by the co-owners to design this high-tech, self-service hot spot which offers a constantly changing selection of 25 fine wines by the glass in the innovative Enomatic system. An elegant automatic dispenser developed in Italy, the Enomatic vending machine allows customer to test a variety of exclusive wines in three different tasting portions (paid by custom-made chip cards), while preserving the freshness and flavour of the wines up to three weeks after opening. These machines, the first of their kind in Poland, Borrell notes, allows patrons to sample the world’s most famous wines at approx.GB£15-25 per glass, which they wouldn’t necessarily buy in a full bottle.
Expectations for the industry are high as the country enjoys continued economic growth and widening consumer demand for both affordable and wallet-crunching wines provides new opportunities for importers and business owners. In the years ahead, the outlook for wine in Poland is expected to be even brighter than it is today.

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