A generous lady of wine: Generosa!

November 30, 2017

A generous lady of wine: Generosa!

A rare, indigenous grape variety

When it comes to indigenous Hungarian grape varieties, the first ones to occur are Olaszrizling, Kékfrankos, Cserszegi Fűszeres, etc. Generosa will hardly be mentioned by even local wine professionals, and the reason is clear: it’s a relatively young grape and only one wellknown producer makes wine of this grape variety, the Frittmann brothers from Kunság wine region.

Who is Generosa then?

You may have heard a Generosa grape from Pico, Portugal, but it is not related to the Hungarian grape: the Portugese Generosa is a cross between Fernao Pires and Sultana Moscata, and planted in less than 1 hectare. The Hungarian Generosa is a cross as well, but between Ezerjó (important in Mór and Kunság wine regions) and Piros Tramini (Savagnin Rose). The objective was to create a grape easier to grow and easier to enjoy its wine than that of Ezerjó. This pink-berried cross was obtained in 1951 by Bíró Károly in Hungary and András Kurucz also worked on the project. Young resercher, Edit Hajdú continued testing from 1976 at the Kecskemét viticulture research centre, and finally christened Generosa in 2004. She was honoured to go on with a project started by the two great pioneers of Hungarian viticulture.

Flowery, juicy, lovely

Generosa resist winter, its buds survive severe frost. It has relatively high yield, and resistant to rot and powdery mildew. Its wine has aromas of that of the flower of the vine, juicy, grapey with vivid, crispy acidity. Because of its great characteristics: its resistance to diseases and severe weather conditions, plus its lovely flavours its popularity keeps increasing. At the moment (written in 2017) Hungary has 400 hectares planted with Generosa. Wine regions: Kunság, Hajós–Baja and Mór.

A great Generosa

One of the best Generosa we have ever tasted is definitely the one made by the Frittmann brothers in Kunság wine region. The winery has achieved both of the most precious awards in Hungary: Winemaker of the Year and Winery of the Year. This fresh, easy drinking, lovely wine is as well made, as all te other wines by Frittmann Winery.
“It is a wine with light straw yellow colour. Its fragrance is dominated by fruitiness, mainly peach and pear. Alcohol, acids and the body provide a mild but opulent character in structure. There are yellow-fleshed fruits and refreshing citrus aromas appearing on the palate. All these features result in a well-consumable and really cheerful wine.
Recommended chilled to 11 °C, to poultry and fish dishes.” 2007 vintage is available now!