If you have never heard of Csomorika, don’t blame yourself, this variety is a rarity even in Hungary. At the end of the year, Tornai Winery in the volcanic Somló wine region released a sparkling wine – in two versions depending on the dosage – made of this ancient, yet unknown grape.

Hungary made sparkling wines well before the Spanish

Whether it was Dom Perignon abbey in Champagne or British merchants in London, who invented sparkling wine – or who realized the bubbles appear when wines referment –, we will never know, that dispute will hang in the air forever. The Catalans also claim that an abbey in Mallorca and another one in Girona discovered bubbles in wine, well before Dom Perignon – again, there is not much evidence. However, we know that the first officially recorded sparkling wine in Spain was made in 1872.
And in Hungary? Almost 40 years earlier! The first Hungarian sparkling wine factory was founded in 1834, by Ignácz Prückner in Budapest, and the second one was founded in 1859 in the southern city of Pécs, by Lőrinc Littke. This latter was the sparkling winery that used Csomorika grape as base wine for sparkling wines.
And it was Endre Tornai, founder of Tornai Winery in Somló, the present owner’s late father, who introduced the variety in Somló winer region. And it was Tamás Tornai, present owner, who created the first Csomorika sparkling wine in Hungary, after the change of the regime (Ottó Légli also has plantations of Csomorika, but his sparkling wine is not released yet.)

Forget all other sparkling wines!

Csomorika is quite likely to have Hungarian origin, though it has a German (Swabian) name as well: Lammerschwanz. Csomorika is a wine rich in flavours and with quite high acidity, which makes it an ideal base wine for sparklings.
Borsmenta Hungarian online wine magazine published a panel tasting of Hungarian sparkling wines in December, here is their opinion about Tornai Brut: “The sparkling wine opens with a pleasant, sugary aroma, followed by white flowers, ginger, peach, pear, and finally citrus. The taste is elegant, floral, citrusy, slightly bitter, with persistent effervescence and a beautiful bubble structure. Well chilled, it makes a perfect welcome drink, but it will also go down well on summer evenings in the garden or on the terrace.”
Tornai Winery itself describes it with the following sentences:
“The bouquet bursts with lively citrus aromas, reflecting the unique character of this rare Hungarian grape variety. On the palate, delicate creamy effervescence accompanies an almost bone-dry profile, where vibrant lime and subtle grape blossom unfold beautifully across the palate. The long, graceful finish lingers with notes of grapefruit zest and hints of dried chamomile.”
We also tasted it at an event before New Year’s, we agree with both of the descriptions, but most of all with the unique character. It cannot be compared to a sparkling wine of Chardonnay, it is not only a different style, but a completely different genre. It is definitely worth trying, especially for winelovers with thirst for adventures!
Brut has 5 g dosage, while the other version, Extra Dry has 15.5 g/L sugar.
Retail price on the winery webshop: 4990 HUF (approximately 13 EUR).

More information about Tornai Winery and the sparkling wines

Tornai Wines are available in several countries, for example in the United Kingdom at Astrum Wine Cellars. If you are interested in importing, contact Éva Dományházi commercial manager.