Sándor Petőfi, the renowned poet and an importnt character of the revolution of 1848–49 must have popped in this event to cheer with a glass of bubbly. He liked wine, it is clearly known from his poems. Now his statue stands in Március 15. square near the River Danube, where Kiosk bistro is situated. This trendy place will host Borjour Spark!, a sparkling tasting on 13–14 August. The two day event will feature every type of bubbled wines: champagne, cava, prosecco and certainly Hungarian sparkling wines. About 30 different bottle fermented sparkling wines will be available, and the entrance fee is only the purchase of a glass (1500 HUF). Wine samples are to be paid directly at the exhibitors’ booths.

Elegance dressed in pink

One of the Hungarian sparkling wines not to miss is Teleki Tradíció 1881 Pinot Noir Rosé Brut, the first méthode traditionnelle sparkling wine of Csányi Winery in Villány. László Romsics used to be the chief winemaker of Törley, thus sparkling has always been a passion for him. As the CEO of Csányi Winery it was important for him to prove that the mediterranean Villány is able to produce elegant, ethereal sparkling wine from Pinot Noir. He was right.

“Elegant, pale colour of peach with fine bubbles. Intense, complex nose with peach, orange and subtle yeast with some citrus notes. On the palate finely woven texture, firm structure, crystal clear flavours. Fresh, vibrant acidity makes the sparkling wine vivacious and refreshing, enhancing the fruity character. Ethereal, feather light with tiny, melting bubbles. Perfect harmony. Taste it slowly finding pleasure in every sip.”

More about the event (in Hungarian, if you need help, write to us)

More about Teleki wines

Hungary is one of the safest counries regarding COVID–19, but before travelling check this website.

Well, at first sight there is a problem with Wine Cellar escape room: you will have no motivation to escape… And indeed, the brand new WINESCAPE is a wine bar and escape room with wines that will surely make you stay.

Hungary is a newcomer on Wine Spectator’s annual restaurant award: “This year marks the addition of a new country to the Restaurant Awards program—Hungary, which has two first-time Award of Excellence winners, Fiaker and Felix Kitchen and Bar.” 

As life restarts in Hungary, so do the river tastings organized by Borjour team. The first cruise of the season leaves the port at 8 pm on 2nd July. Guests can enjoy the gorgeous view of Budapest and meanwhile taste wines from 8 wineries, for example Grand Tokaj (the head winemaker, Károly Áts has just received Winemaker of the Winemakers Award), Kamocsay Premium Wines (Hilltop) or Teleki wines by Csányi Winery, Villány. One of the most popular Teleki wines is 2,5 bar, an aerated rosé sparkling wine (the name refers to the lighter pressure in the bottle), fruity and refreshing. And as the sun goes down, tasting Chateau Teleki Merlot will be a must – the 2015 vintage of this wine was selected the best red wine last year in Top 100 Hungarian wines publication. “Dark ruby. Intense nose with red fruits and mild, refined toasty notes coming the smartly used barrel ageing. Vibrant, fruity palate, great structure, silky tannins, balance. Long finish.” – as the jury wrote led by Attila Fiáth DipWSET wine expert.
So if you happen to be in Budapest, Borjour Borhajó (‘Wine Ship’) is a great idea for Thursday evening for only 8000 HUF / 22.5 euros (unlimited wine tasting, mineral water and the river cruise).

Tickets

More info

More about Teleki wines

Mikszáth Kálmán square is indeed one of the most popular in the Hungarian capital, no wonder Borjour event team has picked the location and has already organized several open air festivals here. Now Hungary is more or less open, people are hungry for events, so Borjour will hold its opening wine festival tomorrow (12 June) at Mikszáth square. 6 wineries will present their wines: Vesztergombi (Szekszárd), Pajzos (Tokaj), Csányi / Teleki (Villány), Jackfall (Villány), Fülöp (Neszmély) and Tűzkő Estate (Tolna wine region). This latter one will pour several light, refreshing summer wines: Tűzkő Banka Grüner Veltliner 2019, Tűzkő Riesling 2019, Tűzkő Banka Cabernet Franc Rosé 2019. This rosé is especially exciting, since there are not many varietal Cabernet Franc rosés available (read more about Banka Rosé here). Tűzkő will also present its more complex wines, like Tűzkő Chardonnay Barrique 2016, Tűzkő Talentum 2015 or Tűzkő Domb 2017. Tűzkő Domb is a multi-award winning blend made of 70% Cabernet Franc and 30% Merlot. “Deep colour, full bodied, matured wine rich in refined tannins. Thanks to the two varieties fruity and spicy notes meet, and the blend is made complex with some discrete barrel ageing and 10 months of bottle ageing. Refined, integrated tannins with the deep, warm character of Cabernet Franc and the velvety and chocolate character of Merlot.” So if you happen to stay in Hungary, or you are allowed to enter in Hungary without restrictions (citizens of Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany and Croatia), just walk to Mikszáth square on Friday afternoon (4 pm – 10.30 pm) and enjoy the wines. Entrance is free of charge, glass should be hired and wine samples are to be paid at the winery booths. (Social distance will be kept during the tastings.)

More about Tűzkő Estate

More about Borjour Opening Party

Borjour Magnum, the largest indoor wine tasting of Hungary will take place within less than two weeks on 15th February. 220 wineries, masterclasses, icon names and hidden gems to discover. Some of the exhibitors not to miss: Bock Cellar and Csányi Winery (Villány), Dúzsi Family Winery (Szekszárd), Frittmann Winery (Kunság), Gere AttilaWinery and Gere Tamás & Zsolt Winery (Villány), Grand Tokaj (Tokaj), Kamocsay Ákos Premium Wines (Neszmély), Kovács Nimród Winery (Eger), Lajver Wine Estate (Szekszárd), Sabar Wine House (Badacsony), TornaiWinery (Somló), Thummerer and Tóth Ferenc Wineries (Eger), Vesztergombi Cellar (Szekszárd), Vylyan Vineyard and Winery (Villány) and Tűzkő Estate (Tolna). This latter one is a good example of hidden gems to discover. Tolna wine region is among the lesser known ones, and its most important wine estate is definitely Tűzkő Wine Estate, a property owned by world famous Tuscan Marchese Piero Antinori. The flagship wine of the estate, Tűzkő Domb is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. „Deep colour, full bodied, matured wine rich in refined tannins. Thanks to the two varieties fruity and spicy notes meet, and the blend is made complex with some discrete barrel ageing and 10 months of bottle ageing. Refined, integrated tannins with the deep, warm character of Cabernet Franc and the velvety and chocolate character of Merlot.”

More about Tűzkő Wine Estate
More about Borjour Magnum

Jardinette is a must visit restaurant on Sas hill, in Buda – the capital of Hungary is divided into Buda and Pest, Pest is flat and modern, while Buda is hilly and full of ancient buildings. The predecessor of Jardinette was a restaurant for 100 years, and the new founder bought it in 2001. Jardinette, the name is French – in honour of French cuisine –, however the kitchen of Jardinette is truly Hungarian. Jardinette – as the name suggests – has a lovely garden with old trees and a winter garden which makes the place enjoyable all year long. The family run place is the home of frequent wine dinners, the next one is on the 31 January with 2 wineries, 5 courses and 10 wines. Kovács and Daughter winery from Mátra wine region is represented by Zita Kovács, while Csetvei Cellar from Mór region is represented by the founder, Krisztina Csetvei. Csetvei Cellar is famous for its white wines, but they also have a red wine made of Pinot Noir. It is the second red wine made by Krisztina, she is proud of it, so is her husband, Frici – after whom the wine is called Frici Noir. A lightsome, elegant wine full of red berry fruits, which will be perfect for Jardinette’s hazelnut mousse with salted caramel crisp and redcurrant jam.

To register write to here

More about Csetvei Cellar and Frici Noir

The menu and wine list of the wine dinner (in Hungarian)

Katalin Tóth of Tóth Ferenc Winery in Eger has long been practicing the „alchemy” of pairing chocolate and wine, and she has a relatively easy job to do so: partially because the winery has a wide range of wines from the fresh, crispy whites to the aged, full bodied red wines, and on the other hand because she has two friends to help her create the sweet delicacies. Viktória Szeleczky-Takács is a chocolate maker at Fabric Chocolate family chocolate business and Adél Bernáth-Ulcz blogger (CsokiLaBor), the creative mind behind the pairing. Bikavérmousse is a brand new creation of the trio: chocolate ganache is made with butter and cream (without eggs), and then it is flavoured with Tóth Ferenc Egri Bikavér Superior 2017, and served on sponge cake made of cocoa bean flour. Egri Bikavér is the famous red blend of Eger (also known as Bull’s Blood, though nowadays it is rarely translated because the English term refers to low quality, mass produced style of the wine before the 1990s), and at Tóth Ferenc Winery the 2017 blend is made of Kékfrankos, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Kadarka, Pinot Noir and Merlot. „Intense, rich and same taste on the palate as on the nose. The great acidity gives the real Eger character to the wine however the velvety tannins makes the wine pleasantly warm. Fruity taste complemented by slight bitterness of wild plum. A well structured wine with great potential and the promise of a long life.”
Taste Bikavérmousse and Egri Bikavér Superior together (with several other pairings) in Eger (24 January) or in Budapest (14 February).

For more information of the tastings write to here

Meet Tóth Ferenc Winery at Borjour Magnum on 15th February in Budapest!

Hungarian wine enthusiasts are more than treated in February: as we reported earlier, Borjour Magnum, the largest indoor tasting will take place on 15th February with more than 220 wineries and masterclass by Master of Wine experts. Two weeks earlier, on 1st February another large scale wine event is held in 5 star Hotel Corinthia Budapest with more than 150 Hungarian wineries, more than 100 foreign wines, premium spirits, VIP hall with exclusive samples. Masterclasses will feature wine celebrities like legendary Steven Spurrier, Champagne expert Essi Avellan MW. Natasha Hughes MW will present an exciting masterclass with wines of an MW exam (from 2019 June), therefore participants will have a chance to try themselves and „taste like an MW”. Some of the exhibitors not to miss: Babarczi Winery (Pannonhalma), Bock Cellar (Villány), Borbély Family Winery (Badacsony), Csetvei Cellar (Mór), Dúzsi Winery (Szekszárd), Eszterbauer Winery (Szekszárd), Garamvári Vineyard (Balatonboglár), Gere Tamás & Zsolt Winery (Villány), Kamocsay Ákos Premium (Neszmély), Koch Winery (Hajós–Baja), Kovács Nimród Winery (Eger), Kristinus Wine Estate (Balatonboglár), Taschner Winery and Sparkling Wine House (Sopron), Thummerer Winery (Eger), Vylyan Vineyard and Winery (Villány).

Tickets and more information (website is in Hungarian, if you need help, write to us)

As we reported less than a year ago, Tamlyn Currin wine writer of JancisRobinson.com could not find the word for Barta Öreg Király Furmint, so she began her wine description with the rather unusual start as indicated in the title. She is not the only one using superlatives when it comes to Barta wines from Mád, Tokaj wine region.

A few days ago Robert Smyth, wine writer of Budapest Business Journal dedicated an article to Tokaji Aszú wines – in connection with the International Aszú Day on 10 December – and praising Aszú wines he went on writing: „I was fortunate enough to recently taste three six puttonyos offerings from the same producer (Barta from the Tokaj town of Mád) and the same vineyard (the remarkable looking Öreg Király dűlő, comprising volcanic rhyolite tufa with some zeolite and red clay) but from different vintages, and it is a joy to the senses how these magical wines slowly mature and change character with every passing year.” Then, again recently VinCE Magazin (an important print magazine in Hungary) has created an article with renowned Hungarian winewriters naming their best wine of the year. László Romsics dipWSET wine expert, consultant editor of the magazine, CEO of Csányi Winery picked a new release blend from Barta. KVG Furmint–Hárslevelű 2018 is his favourite this year because „I like complex wines with pure flavour profile and wines with a message for me. Vivacious, vibrant, elegant wines, which grab my attention and keep it for a long time.” (See the relevant piece of page below.)

Artisan wine bar – a new place to go and to be

MyWine Bar is a relatively new place, a shop which keeps a carefully selected portfolio of wines – including almost the whole range of Barta wines. MyWine Bar is a wholesale store and webshop, but in the centre of Budapest (5th district, Arany János street 16) all the wines of the portfolio are to be found and in most cases to be tasted by the glass as well. Good craft beer selection, plus ham and cheese platters are also available to make the tasting experience complete. The wine bar is open all day, more information (in Hungarian) here.