Niola – when the lady also wants her own selection

Dúzsi is a big family – as every member is involved in the wine world in one way or another. Ilona, a teacher, the wife of the founder Tamás Dúzsi, the mother of five children, has soon become interested in the miracle of winemaking – tough she is also responsible for the financial and sales matters of the estate as CEO –, so it was just a question of time to realease her own selection. Niola is the second of her selection wines, the first one is Niola Super Premium Merlot Rosé from the same vintage. Niola, the name is an anagram of Ilona.
“Dúzsi Niola Kékfrankos is an exquisite, silky red wine from the most prestigious vineyard, in Szekszárd, called Görögszó. Layers of cherries, plums, black currants, and spices reflect beautiful complexity” – as described by UK Hungarian Wine House.
Find Niola Kékfrankos 2017 on Dúzsi webshop (in Hungarian, bit google can help)
More about Dúzsi Family Winery (in English)

More about Kékfrankos grape below the photo

Kékfrankos

Regions: Hungary has over 8000 hectares of Kékfrankos, which makes it the most widely planted black grape of Hungary. In Austria Blaufränkisch is the second behind Zweigelt with 2640 hectares. Germany has a little bit more than 1700 hectares (and known as Lemberger or Limberger). Kékfrankos is grown in most of the Hungarian wine regions, it is probably the most famous in Sopron region (neighbouring Austria), and in the two Bikavér (Bull’s Blood) producing regions: Eger and Szekszárd. In Villány Kékfrankos is also cultivated with great care and believed to have potential. South Balaton, Kunság and Hajós–Baja also produces significant amount and quality.

Character: Dark-skinned, dark-fruited Austro-Hungarian variety. Vigorous, early budding and late ripening, thus needing a relatively warm climate. It is susceptible to downy and powdery mildews. Its wine is ritch in fruits and acidity. Kékfrankos can give elegant wines with long ageing potential.

Story: “From the Middle Ages onwards, the name Fränkisch was given to several high-quality varieties, indicating their superiority over the inferior Heunisch varieties. One of these high-quality varieties might have been Blaufränkisch, whose name did not appear until 1862 at a grape-variety exhibition in Wien (Vienna; Aeberhard 2005) and was officially adopted by the international ampelographic commission in Colmar, France, in 1875. It was later mentioned in Germany under the synonyms Lemberger (1877) and Limberger (end of the nineteenth century), both deriving from the Austrian locations from which the variety was exported to Germany: Lemberg in the Steiermark (Styria) and Limburg in Maissau (Niederösterreich/Lower Austria). In Hungary, the variety was first mentioned in 1890 under the name Kékfrankos, the literal translation of Blaufränkisch.”
Excerpt From: Robinson, Jancis; Harding, Julia; Vouillamoz, Jose. “Wine Grapes (9780062325518).” iBooks.
Sopron wine region has more than 1100 hectares of Kékfrankos, and this is the largest Kékfrankos plantation in the world. Sopron, this west Hungarian city is also known as the Capital of Kékfrankos, and it even has its own currency named after Kékfrankos!

Pink Day festival

Time and date: 20 April 2024, 11.00–20.30
Venue: Lauba Croatian Art Gallery, prilaz baruna Filipovića 23A, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
Around 50 Croatian wineries and distributors will pour their rosé wines.
+ 9 olive oil producers
+ rosé mixology
See all exhibitors here.
Accommodation recommendation: Hotel Esplanade has a special offer for Pink Day guests, find out more here.
Tickets: 20 EUR / person, to be purchased at the venue by cash or card.

Hungarian wineries at Pink Day

Bodri Winery, Szekszárd
Büttner Winery, Balaton
Dúzsi Family Winery, Szekszárd
Feind Winery, Balaton
Káli Kövek Winery, Balaton
Kovács-Harmat Winery, Pécs
Sauska, Villány
Szeleshát Wine Estate, Szekszárd
Szentpéteri Winery, Kunság
Törley, Etyek–Buda

What is this “Pink Power”?

As you can see from the above examples, The Dúzsis make rosé of practically every black grape they have: Kadarka, Kékfrankos, Pinot, Cabernets, Merlot. Is there a pink cloud above them? Do they want to grab the easier end of wine production? On the contrary. As once Tamás Dúzsi senior explained to me, he prefers the challenges of rose making. He believes that creating great rosé wines does not require less effort and skill than making great red wines. “With a fresh, elegant, sleek rosé winemakers do not have the playground of long ageing and barrels of different level of toasting” – said Tamás Dúzsi about the creation of outstanding rosé wines. Rosé winemakers have much less tools, therefore they have to be more precise during the vinification process. Barrel ageing can mask the wine, with rosés the winemaker has much less time. “Monkeymilk” – as Dúzsi calls the very pale rosé – is hard to make, time passes fast like hell, the winemaker has to stay put and interrupt immediately. Tamás Dúzsi put his life on it: to capture probably the most fragile thing in winemaking – the pure essence of fruit. The family has made rosé selections – a collection of different varietal rosés, as in the cover photo above – since 2012.

More about Dúzsi Family Winery

How did Syrah arrived in Szekszárd

There was an old Hungarian foreign trader, who spent a lot of time in France, and after – or during – business negotiations, he loved tasting a spicy, fruity red wine. He soon learnt the name of the variety: Syrah. In his home town, Szekszárd, back around the year 2000, he planted some Syrah, and later, when he grew old and decided to sell grape, he was happy to sell it to Tamás Dúzsi. It was also the foreign trader, who persuaded Tamás Dúzsi to try to make Syrah rosé. So he did – and as we can see, with great success.

The grapes were harvested fully ripened in this old vineyard at the top of Alsónána. Fermenting and maturation took place in stainless steel tank. The wine is more complex than the average rosé wines, ideal to pair it with meals as well. Cherry and picante sour cherry on the nose and abundance of fruit on the palate with the typical spiciness of the variety, too. It fills the whole mouth yet there is no clumsiness at all.

Dúzsi wines are also available in Budapest at Dúzsi Wine Shop in Budapest (Ráday street 37.)

Dúzsi wines are available in several countries. If you can’t find an importer nearby, order Dúzsi wines from Winelovers Webshop. They ship to every European country!

Champion Dúzsi wines are available at Budapest Airport Memories of Hungary shop

Champion rosé at the ‘other’ Budapest Airport shop

Ezerjó is a rare variety even in Hungary, and Generosa is even rarer. Therefore the double bottle of Frittmann Ezerjó and Generosa 2017 can be a unique gift, especially because these wines were matured in oak barrel – which is not so typical for Ezerjó, and even less typical for Generosa. Generosa is a delicate, juicy, lovely wine, while Ezerjó is more of a complex, masculine wine: “The fragrance of this lemon coloured wine shows notes of honey, butter and vanilla as well as some yellow-fleshed fruits. Aromas are nicely echoing the bouquet, and toasty notes appear along with flavours of apple, pear and mango. These latter ones provide a special creamy character to this wine, though keep its straight and vivid acidity as a primary structural element. Spicy aftertaste lingers on the palate.“

Make a bid! Auction price: 5000 HUF (14 euros)

Vylyan Vineyard and Winery is famous for its elegant wines, and Duennium is undoubtedly one of the pearls of the estate. This Bordeaux blend is only made in great vintages, and 2006 was a great one for sure. “It has an explicit, upstanding and balanced structure with ripe tannins, vital acidity and velvety texture. The aromas are intense and complex with notes of ripe fruits (dark forest fruits), star anise, cedar, cinnamon and clove. The palate is massive but fruity at the same time. The rich flavour is dominated by caramel, tobacco and creamy chocolate mousse. It has a long-lasting finish, …extension of the moment.“

Make a bid! Auction price: 60.000 HUF (170 euros)

Blend of Szekszárd

Le Tour de Dúzsi 2016 is a blend of Kékfrankos, Merlot, Cabernet and Zweigelt. A light, fruity wine with tons of cherries in the aroma. Juicy, easy to drink, an ideal partner of bike tours and good company at lunch. However, the new Le Tour de Dúzsi is a wine family with several wines. The Rosé 2019 is already available, and soon a Merlot of 2018 will be released. Those, who prefer white wine, can soon greet the new white Le Tour de Dúzsi 2020. The wines will help the local cycling team and the blind cyclers’ association as well! The label will feature the description in Braille writing.

More about Dúzsi Family Winery

More about the design

Design and Art Direction: Kira Koroknai & Anna Hidvégi

Illustration: Aliz Buzas
Photos: Kevin Harald Campean​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Animation: Benjamin Kalaszi / Airplan Studio

The “Turkish grape”

“Kadarka is said to have been introduced to Hungary from the Balkans, either by Serbians, which fits with Kadarka being the Slavic name for Scutari, a lake (also known as Skadar) between Montenegro and Albania, and with the fact that the variety was once cultivated under the synonym Skadarka in Croatia and Serbia (Levadoux 1956; Galet 2000; Rohály et al. 2003), or by Turks, hence its synonym Törökszőlő (‘Turkish grape’). It is conceivable that it made its way to Hungary via Bulgaria, where it is still widely planted under the synonym Gamza, and where it is considered to be indigenous. It is also said to be indigenous to the region of Miniş / Ménes near Arad in western Romania, where the first sweet Aszú-style red wine was made from shrivelled Cadarcă grapes in 1744 (Dejeu 2004). The exact origin of Kadarka remains unknown but it lies somewhere within the Balkan-Pannonian area.” Excerpt From: Robinson, Jancis; Harding, Julia; Vouillamoz, Jose. “Wine Grapes (9780062325518).” iBooks.

Kadarka feels good with us

Wherever it came from, Kadarka feels really good in Hungary, it is grown almost all over the country. It has significant vineyards in the Great Hungarian Plain, where Kunság, Csongrád and Hajós–Baja wine regions are situated. Kadarka is most important in Szekszárd and Eger, the two wine regions where the famous blend, Bikavér (Bull’s Blood) is made, and Kadarka is usually one component of the blend. Total plantings of Kadarka account for less than 700 hectares, partially because it is really hard to cultivate Kadarka. Late ripening, sensitive, its thin skin can be affected with harmful and noble rot. The colour is medium deep ruby. On the nose rich, spicy and elegant – if in good hands. On the palate juicy, spicy, medium bodied with good acidity and low tannins. Usually consumed young, within 1–3 years, but with properly restricted yield and careful vinification Kadarka can be aged for a long time – as it is proved by some vertical tastings carried on in Szekszárd and other wine regions.

Silvery Superior Kadarka

Egri Kadarka Superior 2018 by Tóth Ferenc Winery has recently won silver medal at Decanter World Wine Award. It is the first superior Kadarka wine of the winery. Grapes came from Tihamer Cru and thanks to ideal yield controlthe result is a nice, concentrated wine that brings all characteristic features of the variety. Fermentation in stainless steel tank, maceration for 15 days with pump over. After pressing 2 weeks settling then ageing in 20 hl barrels for 9 months. Decanter jury commented: “Lovely red cherry aromatics with some spicy notes with a touch of black pepper. Crunchy acid structure and firm tannins.”

More about Tóth Ferenc Winery

Best Buy champion

Lajver Wine Estate makes amazing, fruit driven wines at reasonable prices. Thanks to the state of art vinification plant the wines are crystal clear,balanced, harmonious and elegant. For Lajver Szekszárdi Kadarka 2019 the selected Kadarka bunches fermented in 500 L vats with manual punching over. Maturation took place in stainless steel tank to capture acidity. The wine features the typical characteristics of the variety: red fruits and spiciness on the nose and the palate. The vibrant acidity lingers along with the long aftertaste. And it costs only 4 euros!

More about Lajver Wine Estate

Fruit of old vines

Dúzsi Szekszárdi Kadarka 2019 comes from the same wine region as the above described Lajver, however it shows a different face of the variety. The grapes came from very old vines, and after open vat fermentation (in large, 10 HL vats) the wine matured in open barrel. The nose show red and black berry fruits and besides some subtle tobacco notes appear as well. This spicy, complex Kadarka pairs well with hearty autumn dishes.

More about Dúzsi Family Winery

Kadarka & Kékfrankos tasting in Hotel Nemzeti

All the above featured wineries will exhibit at Borjour tasting event on 16 October in Budapest. Around 20 wineries will pour Kadarka and Kékfrankos wines, thus the tasting offers deep insight in the characteristics of these varieties. The venue is easy to reach, the boutique hotel is situated in the heart of Budapest and ideal to stay for a few days.

Tickets

Hungary is rich in thermal spas, so if you want to heal your body as well as your soul, our country is an ideal choice. Debrecen is the second most populous and the third largest city in Hungary, and with its international airport it is easy to reach from several cities. Aquaticum Hotel and Spa in Debrecen is a paradise for spa lovers, but wine lovers will also have a good time here.

Bathe and get healed

The medicinal water of Debrecen is 65°C thermal water containing alkali chloride, hydrogen carbonate, iodine, bromide, sodium chloride and significant amounts of calcium, magnesium metaboric acid and metasilicic acid. The water is beneficial for several diseases from osteoporosis to chronic respiratory diseases, and it can even help in case of certain forms of infertility. Aquaticum has indoor and outdoor pools at different temperature, saunas, and the wellness area offers diverse massages and other treatments. What is more, this summer the most modern pool complex of Hungary has been completed as well. The extraordinary swimming park boasts pools at 12 metres high!

Taste yourself through all wine regions

Aquaticum Hotel guests can easily reach the indoor and outdoor pools, and after bathing they have many options to relax. Natura Restaurant offers meals for people with every kind of dietary restrictions and food allergies, and those who treat themselves with wines can also find “remedy”. Debrecen is not part of any wine regions, grapes are not grown around here, maybe this is the reason of the openness of locals. Natura wine list offers wines from all over Hungary, so if you stay for a longer vacation, you can learn about a wine region each day. From Villány you can taste for example Bock, Gere Attila or Vylyan wines, from Szekszárd Dúzsi or Mészáros, from Tokaj Demetervin or Royal Tokaji wines, and Géza Balla wines are also on the wine list from Ménes wine region (Romania).

More about Aquaticum Hotel and Spa