10 great wines to remember, #1

Towards the end of the year, we look back to some of the great wine moments we have enjoyed. All the 10 wines we will list until New Year’s Eve are special for some reason and they are all worth buying, multiple bottles, if you can afford. (The order is NOT a ranking.)
(Cover picture background was painted by Emma Katalin Dobos)

Pannonhalma is one of the smallest wine regions of Hungary, a place to watch. Babarczi is a family winery making crispy, lovely white and rosé wines, and recently producing memorable red wines as well.
Marianum, the name refers to the founder’s wife, the deceased mother, whose memory is cherished by the son and daughter, László and Zsuzsanna.
Marianum is a typical example of Cabernet Franc with a basket of berry fruits on the nose (blackberry, blueberry, red currant) and also a lot of spices, even a hint of oriental spices. It has a decent body, yet, I would say it is more of a sleek beauty than a blockbuster beast. It has its integrated tannins (the wine aged in French and Hungarian oak for 10 months), it has the body, it has pleasant acidity but most of all it has balance, elegance, harmony. A charming Cabernet Franc that leaves you cry for another glass.
It has been selected the Best Wine of Pannonhalma this year at the regional wine contest, where 113 wines were tasted.
In the latest issue of Vince wine magazine, Marianum received 4 stars, which means “outstanding”.

Vince magazine review:

Deep ruby colour. Complex, intense nose full of red fruits, especially sour cherry accompanied by some oaky notes and sweet spices. When tasted, it fills the mouth all around. Ripened, integrated tannins, silky texture, vibrant acidity. Fruity palate with significant barrel notes.
It has an ageing potential of at least 3 more years.
Retail price is around 25 EUR.

More about Babarczi Vineyard and Winery

How did it start?

Zsuzsi’s diary – the winemaker’s life

Success of earlier vintages of Marianum

Babarczi Marianum – gold again!

Results of the regional wine contests

Pannonhalma is a wine region to watch – we have said so several times. The annual wine contest of the region took place two weeks ago, here we present the results. Altogether 113 wines were entered from 26 producers. 25 gold, 83 silver and 5 bronze medals were given at the award ceremony. Babarczi Marianum 2022 received the highest score of the competition, therefore it has gained the title of The Best Wine of Pannonhalma.
See the category winner and gold winner wines below.

A word on regional contests

We keep saying that while a gold medal from an international contest has great prestige, regional wine competitionshave merits from other perspectives. All the wines come from the same terroir, most of them are from the typical grapes of the region, and fellow winemakers taste blind, deciding which wine shows their varieties and terroir in the most emblematic way. If a wine stands out from its peers on home field, it really worth the attention.

Marianum, and the best place to taste it

Marianum is a typical example of Cabernet Franc with a basket of berry fruits on the nose (blackberry, blueberry, red currant) and also a lot of spices, even a hint of oriental spices. It has a decent body, yet, I would say it is more of a sleek beauty than a blockbuster beast. It has its integrated tannins (the wine aged in French and Hungarian oak for 10 months), it has the body, it has pleasant acidity but most of all it has balance, elegance, harmony. A charming Cabernet Franc that leaves you cry for another glass…
The photo features the 2021 vintage, but at the contest 2022 participated.
The winery is worth a visit, especially if you like warm, home-like atmosphere. It is not far from Budapest (about 90 minutes). They offer tastings with some local food, cold or warm. In case guests prefer warm meal, 5 wines are presented and they serve pork stew with noodles and pickles to accompany the wines. Booking is necessary.

More about Babarczi Vineyard and Winery

Book a tasting here

See the category winner and gold winner wines below the photo.

The new vintage of the multi-award winner wine is available in limited quantity!

2020 of Babarczi Merlot won gold medal at VinAgora international wine contest plus it was selected the Best Merlot of the contest. It won another gold at Winelovers Wine Awards. In October this Merlot won 5 stars at the panel tasting of Vince magazine, an influential print magazine in Hungary. Vintage 2021 is now available – we suggest to order quickly, only 2400 bottles were made.

Only at top restaurants

The family winery is gaining more and more recognition with their red wines, even though they have long been popular and well-known for their white wines. The first vintage of this Merlot was 2017 and it was a big hit immediately listed by top restaurants like the Michelin star Borkonyha and the legendary Gundel restaurant. Vintage 2021 has just been released and it will only be available at the winery and top restaurants of Hungary.

Vintage 2021

As we keep saying, Pannonhalma wine region is really a region to keep an eye on. It is a small wine region with only 638 hectares under vines, the climate is moderately dry with moderate heat, short winter, the soil is mostly loam, loess, sand and forest soil. Winemaking goes back to as early as 996, when Benedictine monks settled on the mountain of Pannonhalma.

Babarczi Winery cultivates 65 hectares, the estate centre is in the village of Győrújbarát. According to the legend the main building of this estate centre was built of bricks from the castle of Győr, which was demolished by the Turkish troops.

The crispy Sauvignon Blanc, the juicy Irsai Olivér, the sleek Rhine Riesling and the other whites are the favourite of many winelovers, but the winery seems to reach higher peaks with the red wines – for example with Marianum, a Cabernet Franc (with gold medal at Berliner Wine Trophy and VinAgora).

Regarding Babarczi Merlot 2021, the wine was aged partially in French and partially in Hungarian barrique for 10 months. Just like for its 2020 predecessor, the grape was healthy and fully ripened. As Zsuzsanna Babarczi commented, probably 2021 is even more fruit forward, and it has a lot of potential for certain. Only 2400 bottles were made.

More about Babarczi Winery

Babarczi Winery is looking for international partners. In case you are interested, contact Zsuzsanna Babarczi.

Read our recent article about Babarczi Winery

Who’s that girl? The producer of the best Hungarian Merlot

Boat tasting with Babarczi, Etyeki Kúria, Holdvölgy, Jammertal, Sauska and others

Unlimited tasting on board, 2 hours’ boating with gorgeous view, good company – Winelovers River Nighton 27 July in Budapest.

Standard ticket: 16 900 HUF / 45 euros
Tickets contain unlimited tasting of the wines (see list below) and a bottle of Winelovers Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2022
Standard VIP ticket contains a 3 course dinner and extra drinks (only available in the VIP section), price: 27 900 HUF / 74-75 euros
Premium VIP ticket contains a 4 course dinner and extra drinks (only available in the VIP section), price: 35 900 HUF / 96-97 euros
Order your tickets her
Departure: 18.30, 27 July, Vigadó square, Budapest
Vessel: Budapest event boat
Wines to taste: see below

Wine of the Weekend

Marianum is named after the founder’s beloved wife, Mária (top right photo above). If she takes care of earthly things from heaven, she must be happy to see that her children have done great work, Marianum Cabernet Franc 2020 has collected a gold medal at Berliner Wine Trophy – just like vintage 2019.

The representatives of Berliner Wine Trophy informed us that the full list of medal winners would be published within a week.
“It leaves you craving for another glass…” – well, I am quoting from myself, I wrote this about Marianum 2019. The wine received 92 points in Meininger WeinWirtschaft magazine (the highest score for red wines in the panel tasting), won gold medal at VinAgora international wine contest and another one at Berliner Wine Trophy 2021. “Marianum is a typical example of Caberet Franc with a basket of berry fruits on the nose (blackberry, blueberry, red currant) and also a lot of spicies, even a hint of oriental spices. It has a decent body, yet, I would say it is more of a sleek beauty than a blockbuster beast. It has its integrated tannins, it has the body, it has pleasant acidity but most of all it has balance, elegance, harmony. A charming Cabernet Franc that leaves you cry for another glass…” Babarczi Marianum 2019 was the first Cabernet Franc of the winery, and clearly it was a stunning, elegant example of the variety.

Now vintage 2020 is on sale with notes of black berry fruits on the nose – blackberry, blueberry, black currant –, moderate oaky notes and sweet spices. Full body, firm and matured tannins, tart and sweet berry fruits on the palate with vanilla, nutmeg and clove. The barrel notes are quite pronounced in the aftertaste. A young wine with long ageing potential.

Red velvet

Babarczi Vineyard and Winery is situated in Pannonhalma wine region in the north-west part of Hungary. The climate is cooler, thus the region is ideal for crispy, fruity white wines. Babarczi is famous for its decent Sauvignon Blanc and its aromatic wines like Irsai Olivér – they are never overwhelming, always refreshing and balanced. To this white empire arrived the first red wine, a Kékfrankos in 2017 and soon a Merlot from the same vintage. Several competitors had not taken Babarczi Vineyard and Winery seriously, because they started with selling bulk wines. However, the estate proved its righteous place among the quality wineries soon, and with the red wines they stepped even higher on the grades. Babarczi Merlot 2017 was listed in Michelin star Borkonyha restaurant, and as the sommelier commented, the wine soon became one of the favourite of the guests. With Marianum the winery is undoubtedly a name to remember if you like elegant, silky-velvety, fruit driven, balanced red wines.

Visit the winery

The winery is worth a visit, especially if you like warm, home-like atmosphere. It is not far from Budapest (about 90 minutes). They offer tastings with some local food, cold or warm. In case guests prefer warm meal, 5 wines are presented and they serve pork stew with noodles and pickles to accompany the wines.
Booking is necessary.

More about Babarczi Vineyard and Winery

It leaves you craving for another glass…

Only a few days are left to enter the 1st Franc du Monde international wine contest!
Deadline for entries: 1st May.
More information and entry here

Since Michael Broadbent wrote down his famous sencence (“Cabernet Franc has found its natural home in Villány”),Villányi Franc appellation was born and became a reference point of Cabernet Franc wines. However, the variety became more and more important in other wine regions of Hungary. Pannonhalma is the home of Babarczi Family Winery and their stunning Marianum Cabernet Franc.

Marianum refers to the name Mária and is dedicated to the recently passed away mother of the recent generation, wife of the founder. Marianum Cabernet Franc 2019 celebrated its debut with a gold medal at 2021 Berliner Wine Trophy and not it has won a gold medal again at VinAgora international wine contest.

Outmost balance

I had the chance to taste this wine at Hungarian Wine Summit in March, when the invited foreign professionals visited different wine regions, and I was the lucky person to be their tour guide in Pannonhalma. Several producers introduced their wines in one place and the guests all agreed that Pannonhalma is definitely a wine region to watch with several interesing wines.

Marianum is a typical example of Caberet Franc with a basket of berry fruits on the nose (blackberry, blueberry, red currant) and also a lot of spicies, even a hint of oriental spices. It has a decent body, yet, I would say it is more of a sleek beauty than a blockbuster beast. It has its integrated tannins, it has the body, it has pleasant acidity but most of all it has balance, elegance, harmony. A charming Cabernet Franc that leaves you cry for another glass…

A longer stone throw from Budapest

The winery is worth a visit, especially if you like warm, home-like atmosphere. It is not far from Budapest (about 90 minutes). They offer tastings with some local food, cold or warm. In case guests prefer warm meal, 5 wines are presented and they serve pork stew with noodles and pickles to accompany the wines.

Abooking is necessary.

More about Babarczi Vineyard and Winery

Book a tasting here