Sommeliers protest after Foreign Minister criticises Polish wine

The winemakers from the southern Sub-Carpathian region have also sent the letter to Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski inviting him to a special tasting of their product.

Last week, the Foreign Minister spoke scathingly of the Polish wine at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, when he said that "not only during the Eastern Partnership Summit in Warsaw [29 - 30 September] but in general during the Polish Presidency we will promote the consumption of good Hungarian wines."

Asked by journalists if there are no good Polish wines which could be promoted during the presidency, Sikorski replied that a recent tasting in Warsaw, attended by Polish winemakers, had "not ended successfully".

Marek Nowinski of the Sub-Carpathian Winemakers Association told Polish Radio on Tuesday that the minister's opinion has been harmful to Polish vineyard owners.

"I believe that we should support the winemaking industry which is a budding one in Poland. The product is good and has perspectives so it should be supported. It’s hard to imagine why we are continuing the approach that Polish things are inferior," he said.

Nowinski also declared that PM Tusk and Minister Sikorski will be invited to a special tasting of local wines, commenting that perhaps the Foreign Minister had been advised on the matter by persons who had other tastes than those "who are experienced in the art of wine tasting".

The wine association comprises 140 grape growers and more than 100 vineyards. (pg/ek)