It is commonly believed that Pingus is always mono-varietal, but Sisseck will often blend in a small percentage of the local white grape Albillo and Grenache to add "spice, vigor and finesse". It remains a key market for Pingus today, but it's a shame the US has banned underwater wine maturation intrepid divers could have made a fortune from this forgotten treasure. But, every cloud, as they say, has a silver lining and the sudden scarcity of the 1995 caused a dramatic price hike in the US, to more than $450 a bottle. "We never considered trying to recover the wine because of the expense," Sisseck says. However, in November 1997 the container ship sank while navigating around the islands of the Azores – every single bottle now resides at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Sisseck's importer had arranged for 75 cases of the 1995 to be shipped to the US, with an expected price of around $200 per bottle. One of the great ironies of Pingus is that it took a horrible disaster for the wine's reputation to really spread. | Sisseck's wines are becoming "fresher" and less extractive. "It was important to gain Parker's approval back in the 1990s, as this was his heyday, but even British critics like Michael Broadbent, who are known for their classical tastes, liked the wine," Sisseck says. It was my epiphany moment I knew within 25 seconds that we'd import the wine, despite its weird name." The British merchant then arranged a blind tasting with Robert Parker, who responded by awarding the 1995 the highest score given to any young wine from Spain. Corney and Barrow's managing director, Adam Brett-Smith, says: "I remember very vividly my first sip of Pingus – it was in 1996 and I was visiting Peter's uncle, who apologetically poured me two glasses of this unknown wine from Ribera and asked for my opinion. Just 325 cases of super-concentrated, powerful Tempranillo were made, but that was enough to elicit a phenomenal response from the wine trade.
Sisseck made the first vintage in September 1995, in a rented winery. The vineyards are now run on biodynamic principles, according to Sisseck. "Pingus is produced from vineyards planted on a clay/limestone soil, which is a pretty perfect blend for this harsh climate. They were first planted in 1929 and offer excellent drainage, but the sub-soils also retain water extremely well, essential for the often very dry months of July and August," he says. An extensive study revealed just how glorious the terroir was. He attributes the discovery to "luck and good intuition" but, of course, Sisseck was not going to leave it at that. Exploring the region, Sisseck eventually came across an old Tinto Fino ( Tempranillo) vineyard in the sub-region of La Horra.
He hasn't looked back since.Īfter successfully managing Hacienda Monasterio for several years, the young Dane was increasingly eager to produce a wine of his own. Part of the deal included a small vineyard in Ribera Del Duero and it was suggested that Sisseck would be an ideal candidate to manage the estate, today known as Hacienda Monasterio. Then, fortune would take him to Spain in 1990, friends of Vinding-Diers purchased the Sherry producer Bobadilla. But with an indefatigable passion for wine – temporarily put on hold during his compulsory military service – Sisseck went to Bordeaux in the 1980s to study with his enologist uncle, Peter Vinding-Diers. Yet, most of his family had no connection to the industry at all their wealth came from running a company that manufactured equipment for the printing industry. "I had my virgin sip at the age of eight – the first wine I really remember liking was a 1961 Château d'Issan," he says. How Hippies and Dreamers Transformed Priorat Into a Success Storyĭominio de Pingus was founded in Ribera Del Duero in 1995 by Sisseck, a man who has been enjoying wine from a very young age. It was her favorite cartoon character – Peter and Ping," he explains. "She got fed up of trying to differentiate between me and my uncle Peter in her home, so I was christened 'Pingus'. According to its Danish owner Peter Sisseck, Pingus was his childhood nickname, bestowed upon him by a formidable aunt. Pingus may be an icon of modern Spanish winemaking, but many still have issues with the slightly idiosyncratic title. | A bottle of Pingus stands in front of Sisseck's new wine project: PSI.
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