Mirko: Puglia, Spice and Everything Nice

Mirko says: “My first experience with Empirical Spirits was when I was living in Copenhagen. I was fortunate to meet Sasha (now back in Singapore as their Brand Ambassador) who took me for a tour of their facilities. They consider themselves a ‘flavour company’, as opposed to being pigeon-holed by a single type of spirit. Their way of challenging conventions, always striving to push boundaries as well as themselves, very much paralleled my inner drive as well.

Ayuuk is an interesting one. I’m not the biggest fan of spice, but I really like this; it’s such a unique base ingredient that adds so much character. Very precise in flavour, lots of intensity yet balanced. I’ve always got a bottle at home (that I love mixing with some fresh lime and ginger beer).

The Can 03 has become my cheeky go-to. Fresh & vibrant, it’s a nice number that transports me back to my beautiful Puglia, with the presence of figs and carob which I love. These flavours really remind me of home, and the sunshine of late summer foraging fresh figs to combine them with carob in old Apulian recipes.”

Based in Copenhagen since 2017, Empirical is the brainchild of two noma alumni—it’s no surprise they’re constantly looking at things in a different light and challenging the status quo. They use low-temperature distillation with extended fermentation times, using a unique spirit base made from koji, with an array of ingredients not commonly seen from a global perspective. The products certainly don’t fit neatly into standard spirit categories like gin or vodka, but Lars and Mark use this fully as an advantage in challenging convention. The products are deliciously approachable and designed to be enjoyed with simple mixers in the comfort of home, down by the beach or in a park with friends, with components for more elaborate cocktail creations.

Mirko says: “This wine holds a special place for me as it is one of the first wines that showed me how food and wine, paired well, can really take things to a whole other level. It was a dish embodying the Italian summer, evoking memories of the dear Amalfi coast—Scampi, with artichokes and Sorrento lemons cooked in ashes, saffron and tomato. This was a celebration of childhood memories: the hard work of picking beautifully ripe tomatoes under the summer sun, spending time with family surrounded by amazing, fresh seafood and the daily treks to the beach for a cone of lemon sorbet (sold by this super funny uncle, who had turned his tricycle into an ice cream stall). Scampi is my mother’s favourite seafood, and artichokes are my favourite vegetable—this really added to the special place this dish holds in my heart.

This was a dish with a variety of flavours, making it very challenging to pair with. We worked relentlessly on this and had to break from the traditional ‘what grows together goes together’ style of pairing when we stumbled across Rudi Pichler’s Grüner Veltliner. It provided a perfect contrast to the smokiness of the Scampi, working with the citrus characters of the dish amazingly.”

A long-standing icon of the Wachau, Rudi Pichler has been producing wine since 1731 with the family farming fifteen hectares of vines today. Majority of the estate’s plantings are to Grüner Veltliner. Their Grüner Veltliner Federspiel comes from a collection of both valley and hillside vineyards as well as high-elevation terraces. This combination of sites results in a wine with an array of aromatics and spice while enhancing the vibrancy of the varietal nature of Grüner Veltliner. Federspiel is one of the three tiers of the Wachau’s classification system, which indicates an alcohol level between 11.5 to 12.5%; the wines can neither be chapitalised nor have more than 4g/L of residual sugar.

Mirko says: “I was incredibly fortunate to meet Manfred, the winemaker of Querciabella, when I was organising a wine dinner. The story and the ethics that Manfred expressed resonated completely with me; my passion for the values that he had shared led me to create a fully customised, one-night-only menu to pair with the winesy. That night was a roaring success—and the reason for that was their Batàr. I was seduced from the first sip; it was so complex that it helped me to look at food and wine in a different light. To this day, it’s still my all-time favourite white wine.”

Since first being produced in 1988, Querciabella has placed themselves at the top of the strata for whites produced in Tuscany. While most think of the iconic Super Tuscans as the illustrious red examples, Batàr provides a truly world class example of the potential that Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco have when farmed and produced from a purely quality-driven perspective. Batàr often draws parallels to top quality white Burgundies, from both a stylistic and qualitative perspective. Its unique blend is equal parts Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco (Pinot Blanc). It is barrel fermented and spends 9 months in French oak (20% new) before bottling.

The winemaking has seen a gentler touch since 2000, with less reliance on new oak and reduced lees contact. The vineyards have been farmed organically since 1988 and biodynamically since 2000; a wine that truly provides insight to the potential of Tuscan whites.

Mirko says: “On my most recent trip back home, I visited Tuscany where I was blessed to meet Susanna, the powerhouse behind I Fabbri. She was a leader in the fashion world, but decided to give it all up in her late 30s to start a new life amidst the family’s vines, in the Lamole region of Chianti. Here, she’s found happiness through producing her own wines and working to elevate the reputation of Lamole. Today, she still carries that drive, with more than 20 years of wine making under her belt. She is a true testament to life’s possibilities and to pursuing passion no matter the hurdles. Establishing herself as a female winemaker in that time and location is no small feat, and she has become a person I truly admire. Plus, she produces amazing expressions of Chianti!

I was lucky enough to break bread with her on this trip and try her first ever vintage from 2001, against a backdrop of a beautiful sunset. Beautiful wines, from a beautiful woman.”

After an illustrious career in fashion, Susanna Grassi returned to Lamole, in the heart of the Chianti Classico region where her family has owned the Casole property since 1600. In 2000, she established I Fabbri, hoping to “gather the spiritual heritage and the passion of (my) ancestors.” The vineyards are located at between 550 to 650 metres, making them amongst some of the highest in the region, and are positioned in such a way that they form a natural amphitheatre. Her Chianti Classico is 100% Sangiovese grosso, which spends 12 months in concrete tanks before 3 months in bottle, before release. Her style is one of purity; in hopes of expressing the uniqueness of Lamole as a sub-region through her wines.

Mirko says: “This wine for me represents the meeting of two worlds: childhood memories from Puglia and the current chapter of my life in Singapore. I met Doni Coppi in 2017 through a childhood friend (who I grew up play-fighting with as a young boy!). I was fortunate enough to cook for Doni; then over a few words and a bottle of Senatore Primitivo, we established a deep connection. Fast forward a year, I’m back in Puglia cooking a sold-out 200-pax dinner in the Coppi canteen—a night I’ll never forget!

Doni is a true gentleman, one of the kindest people I’ve ever met and someone I feel humbled to call a close friend. This extends to his entire family, including his wife Angelica who will be officiating my wedding later this year. To me, this wine is Puglia: wonderful memories, friendship, loyalty, elegance, finesse, authenticity, humility, family… all the things I love the most.”

The Coppi family has been producing wines under the family’s name for more than 40 years, having owned vineyards for more than 100 years. Their extensive holdings are planted to 100% autochthonous local varieties to highlight the true nature of Puglia.

Antonio Coppi, the founder of the winery, was a Senator of the Italian Republic—Senatore is named in honour of his dedication to elevating the reputation of the region when others failed to see the potential of the terrorir. An expression of 100% Primitivo, it comes from an old vine plot planted in 1990. Ageing takes place in a traditional large-format Slovenan oak barrel, where it spends around 1 year before bottling. It benefits from decanting and aeration prior to serving.

Antonio’s children, Doni, Lisia and Miriam, now carry on the Senator’s love for wines and passion for bringing their Puglian home to the world.

Mirko says: “I must admit: I have somewhat of a sweet tooth. However, this wine is so much more than just Moscato and represents what is possible of a grape variety and style of wine. It was October 2021; I was truffle hunting in Alba during white truffle season. What an amazing experience being out with the trifolau (truffle hunter)! After sharing my passion for sweet wines, I was gifted a bottle of Ca’ d’Gal Moscato when I was leaving. I remember having that bottle of Moscato a week later, back in Puglia, with some traditional Apulian pastries. They were baked with citrus, vincotto, almonds and dried fruit in my friend, Francesco’s 246-year-old stone oven!

The combination of the Ca’ d’Gal and the pastry was a match made in heaven. They beautifully complimented each other with flavours of apricots, peaches, quince, spice and wild flowers. I’ve tasted many sweet wines in my life, but Ca’ d’Gal stands head and shoulders above all other Moscato d’Asti.”

Sandro Boido has long established himself as the leading producer of Moscato d’Asti. While that may be a label dismissed by many ‘serious’ wine drinkers, the wines produced by Ca’ d’Gal truly demonstrate a formidable challenge to the drinker’s preconceived notions of the style. Boido swims against the tide with most of his operations. Yields akin to Grand Cru Burgundy at around half the standard of Moscato producers, resulting in a much greater depth of flavour. Picking truly ripe grapes that are “yellow like polenta”, rather than the half-green berries of most. Well-established old vines that are hand-harvested and natural fermentation. These all work to set him apart from the majority of the region.

The Vigna Vecchia comes from three plots of vines with an average age of 60 years planted to an old clone of white Canell Moscato, planted south which allows for perfect ripening. Since 2003 they have extended its ageing period before release; the wine is now only released in September of the fifth year after-harvest, with only 1,300 bottles made—the complete antithesis of mass-market Moscato which is rushed to the market as quickly as possible. Despite its age, the wine retains amazing freshness with a fine balance between sugar level and acidity