Hardly anyone in the international wine world has had such a brilliant, even spectacular career as the Dane Peter Sissek. Where others needed many years or even decades to establish themselves among the elite of the world's best winemakers, Peter Sissek got off to a rocket start. Via a detour to Bordeaux, where he was primarily involved with the so-called "garage wineries" such as Chateau Valandraud, he finally found his way to Spain. At the beginning of the 1990s, he led the Hacienda di Monasterio to the top of the Ribera del Duero region with his rigorous and uncompromising pursuit of quality. There he also took over 4 outstanding parcels of land from whose grapes he began to produce a strictly limited premium wine, which made history with its very first vintage, marking the birth of the "Dominio de Pingus". The concept is similar to that of the boutique wineries in Bordeaux: a first wine, a second wine, and all in small quantities. Critics and experts, who were not stingy with top ratings, were just as enthusiastic about these wines as Spain fans, so it was only a matter of time before he achieved cult status. But someone like Peter Sissekk does not stand still. With the Alnardo project, he wants to win over small winegrowers and grape growers to the idea of sustainable or even organic viticulture, which in turn results in far better quality. Today, Alnardo sources grapes from several hundred parcels for the one wine called "PSI", which brings Sissek quality to the glass at an affordable price. This wine is made from a blend of 90% Tinta el Pais, the local name for the Tempranillo grape variety, and 10% Garnacha. Some of the vines are of considerable age, which reduces yields in favour of the best quality. The winery is absolutely at the cutting edge of cellar technology, but of course Sissek leaves it primarily to nature to shape the wine; here too, technical wines are not his thing. In contrast to his Dominio de Pingus wines, the use of new wood is drastically reduced. The emphasis here is on freshness and fruit, which makes the wine no less attractive on the nose and palate. Peter Sissek's great career is therefore far from over.
