Tamlyn Currin wine writer – JancisRobinson.com – knows a lot about our Furmint grape, she visited Hungary several times and certainly she participated in the latest edition of Furmint February grand tasting in London. Her recent article reveals her interesting insights about Furmint styles partially determined by their exposure. The article contains reviews of 61 wines Furmint from Hungary.
Furmint February is an annual event in London organized by Zsuzsa Toronyi (Wines of Hungary UK). 

The anthem of Furmint

“Furmint wines also age beautifully, whether dry or sweet, and the dry wines can be balanced and delicious at a range of alcohol levels, from 11% to 14.5%. Like Chenin, Furmint responds to winemaking like tango dancers respond to their partners. You can put it in steel, clay, old oakor new oak; you can allow malo, partial malo or block malo; you can age it on lees (with or without stirring) or rack it off as clean as possible; you can make bottle-fermented or tank-method sparkling wines; you can play with skin contact, make an orange wine, or blend it with other varieties. It’s as malleable as marzipan, but no matter what the winemaking is, it never loses its identity as Furmint or the identity of the ground from which it came. Add to that, of course, the fact that it is a brilliant wine for food – there’s a style for pretty much any dish you want to pair it with. Test me!” – it could righteously be the anthem of Furmint, so true, so sensational, it gives goosebumps. Thanks again, Tamlyn.
Also the typicity of Furmint wines is interesting according to the four quarters, I don’t think I have ever read anything similar:
– North: “Thunder” with “its towering, uncompromising minerality”. She also compares it to “Mordor”, I love it!
– South: “Holy Water”, as Tamlyn reveals: “This is the Furmint that I fell in love with; my gateway Furmint.”
– West: “Elysium” with “the wet-soil smell of winter on its breath, misty-morning mushrooms tucked under lazy, long-sprawled-out acidity”.
– East: “Little Fluffy Clouds” – “…thirst quenching. It’s crisp. It’s sharp.”

Read the whole article by on JancisRobinson.com (you need a subscription but it is worth it!)

3 top score dry Furmint wines from the article

(I admit it is not wine writing to copy Tamlyn’s wine reviews, but I just have to, they are so good!)

If it comes to Tokaj and Furmint, Barta Cellar is a must mention. His single vineyard Furmint wine from Öreg Király (‘Old King’) vineyard has received numerous national and international acknowledgements, just lately it has been selected Wine of the Month by VinCE Magazin, and we have reported how Tamlyn Currin (jancisrobinson.com) was fascinated by the wine in London. ‘Egy Kis Furmint’ (A Little Furmint) is the little sister of the great wine. “Egy kis is the ‘prefix’ for our second brand under which we offer wines that are aimed at the ‘beginner wine drinkers’ who are looking for high-quality, yet easy-to-love, fruity and fresh entry-level wines that can open the door to wine connoisseurship.” It is a new release, the wine was bottled for the first time this year. Harvest of grapes with good acidity and citrusy notes for this wine started on 12th September 2019. 80 per cent of the juice was fermented in a steel tank, the rest in 2nd-fill and 3rd-fill oak barrels, all at controlled temperatures. The wine was then aged for 3 months on fine lees before bottling. Tomi Pethő (Vinobarclub), creator of the meal commented: “Tapas are light bites that have acidity and freshness, so they naturally go well with the light, vibrant, herbal and playful character of Egy Kis Furmint.”

More about the wine

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