Tamlyn Currin, the brilliant wine expert at JancisRobinson.com, took part in a cross-border tasting event of Furmint, Olaszrizling (Welschriesling) and Kékfrankos (Blaufränkisch) wines, held in the Slovenian village of Kog. Today, let us introduce one of the highest scored Furmint wines made by Zsirai Winery (out of 35 Furmint wines).

The event was organized by the Kog 25 Pannonia association, which consists of local winemakers and an Irish couple who are wine merchants and cultivate a small area of land in Slovenia. The blind tasting included a workshop dedicated to each variety.

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How to dress (or undress) Furmint

According to Tamlyn Currin, Furmint truly comes into its own when fermented spontaneously and with only a little sulphur added. Late harvesting, ageing in large barrels, and skin contact also suit it well, just as unfiltered Furmints can also be beautiful. She emphasized the importance of bottle ageing for Furmints – the grapes for her two favourites were harvested in 2019.
The expert, who scored wines on a scale of 20, gave a maximum score of 17.50 to 10 wines, including two Hungarian single vineyard wines: Kikelet Lónyai Furmint 2021 and Zsirai Nyulászó Furmint 2021. The other 17.50 wines are from Austria, Germany, Slovenia, and there is one from the Slovakian part of Tokaj.

Zsirai Nyulászó Furmint 2021

Described by Tamlyn Currin:
“Floral on the nose. Definitely some sweetness – like a very sweet clementine. Deliciously sweet! Clementines. Passion fruit! Silk and tweed. Playful. Wonderful ripe citrus; mouth-watering and really, really long. Oranges on a finish that flares out, flushed with juice and fragrance.”
(The sweetness is explained by the 19 g/L residual sugar.)