Picnic baskets are available

If you are wandering around Tokaj wine region, Patricius Winery is a must. It is easy to find and the estate offers great wines, cellar visits, vineyard tours and – our favourite – a picnic basket full of local delicacies and certainly a bottle of chilled, bottle fermented sparkling wine!

Patricius Brut

A terroir sparkling wine made by traditional method shows the characteristics of the volcanic Tokaj soil. Hárslevelű, Furmint and Yellow Muscat blending. The fruity notes of Hárslevelű and Yellow Muscat are nicely completed by the amazing acidity of the Furmint and the signs of bottle fermentation and ageing.

More information

Patricius wines are available in several countries, for example in the United Kingdom by Enotria & Co.

More information about Patricius wine picnic experience here

Our earlier article about a Patricius picnic

Picnic in a historic Tokaj vineyard

 

Wine of the Weekend

Mátra is a wine region to watch – mountainous area, volcanic soil, ambitious winemakers –, and Sol Montis is a leading family winery of the region. They make  estate wines in the best vintages, at the base of the pyramid we can find classic varietal wines and maybe the most remarkable is the range in between, the premium line with approachable, easy drinking, fruity wines, mostly blends with enchanting names like these:

– ‘Illangó’ is an aerated semi dry Muscat Ottonel. The name is a pun, since ‘pillangó’ means butterly and ‘illan’ is a verb meaning ‘disappear in a second’).

– ‘Naplevente’, a dry blend of Tramini, Muscat Ottonel and Yellow Muscat. The name – again a pun – comes from ‘Naplemente’ meaning ‘sunset’, but mixed with an ancient male first name, Levente.

– ‘Zitakötö’, a late harvest dessert wine made of Tramini. A wine created by the father, the founder of the winery to his daughter, Zita, who is also a winemaker and an ambitious manager of not only the estate, but the wine region is well (she is the president of Mátra Council of Winemakers). The name of the wine is a pun again: ‘szitakötő’ is dragonfly in Hungarian, a sleek, beautiful insect of spring meadows, but the beginning of the word is replaced with Zita, the name of the daughter.

My Mátra – a new release community wine

Villány has Villányi Franc and RedY, Eger has Egri Bikavér and Egri Csillag, Balaton wine regions have BalatonBor, no wonder other wine regions follow suit, and this May 6 Mátra winemakers released MyMátra. The white wine aims to target young customers with its youthful label. The blend and its regulation were created with the help of András Horkay wine expert, founder of CEWI wine school.

MyMátra regulations

– It is fermented and aged in stainless steel, barrel use is not allowed.
– The blend should contain minimum 3 aromatic grape varieties. Each should be minimum 10% and maximum 35%.
– These aromatic vareties are Irsai Olivér, Cserszegi fűszeres, Muscat Ottonel, Yellow Muscat and Tramini. These varieties should contribute to the blend with a minimum of 70% altogether.
– The rest 30% could be: Sauvignon Blanc, Rizlingszilváni, Zöldveltelini, Zenit and Királyleányka.
– MyMátra is dry, crispy, refreshing with medium plus acidity and medium alcohol content. The nose shows floral and fruity, perfumy notes complemented with mineral tones from the volcanic soil of Mátra.

The 6 MyMátra wineries in the first (2021) vintage: Bárdos, Kovács, Dubicz, Ákos, Nyilas and Sol Montis.

More about Sol Montis winery

Vineyard tours restart at Sol Montis, Mátra

“Zitakötő” is a semi sweet white wine created by the father, the founder of the winery to his daughter, Zita, who is also a winemaker and an ambitious manager of not only the estate, but the wine region is well (she is the president of Mátra Council of Winemakers).
The name of the wine is a pun: ‘szitakötő’ is dragonfly in Hungarian, a sleek, beautiful insect of spring meadows, the beginning of the word is replaced with Zita, the name of the daughter.
The wine is made of Muscat grape, some of the berries were shrivelled at the time of harvest, therefore the residual sugar is 20.7 g /l, and the wine is abundant in floral notes. Fermentation took place after 2 hours of soaking, ageing in stainless steel tanks. Spicy notes mingle with flowers and white flesh fruits, and the taste lingers on for a long time after tasting.

Ideal with light, fruity desserts or just by itself in the afternoon, sitting on the terrace and watching dragonflies…

More about Sol Montis wines

Vineyard tours and tastings in Fabulous Mátra

Sol Montis offers personalized vineyard tours from March to the September, so if you plan a trip to Hungary, the spectacular scenery of Mátra wine region is a perfect choice.

Guests can also choose between several flights of tasting and they can also accompany the tasting with home made cheese-cold-cut-sausage platter or some typical dishes from Mátra.

– The ‘Basic’ wine tasting includes 6 wine samples, a platter with home made cheese, sausages and bread along with home grown vegetables, mineral water and coffee.
Price: 5000 HUF (14 euros)

– The ‘Advanced’ wine tasting includes 7 wines, mineral water, coffee and one plate of warm dish. (Guests can choose from different options, but groups of less than 10 people should order the same dish. Some options: venison stew with porcini, goulash cooked on open fire, stuffed cabbage a la Gyöngyös style.)
Price: 7500 HUF (21 euros)

– The ‘Professional’ wine tasting includes 8 wines and a 3 course menu, mineral water and coffee. There are two options for the menu:

1.: ‘Palóc’ soup, BBQ spare ribs and home made strudel
2.: Carpaccio of venison ham, crispy roasted duck and hime made cheese cake
Price: 13 000 HUF (36 euros)

For booking, use the contact form.

If you are interested in avineyard tour, write here.

More about Sol Montis

If you cannot find an importer of Sol Montis near your home, you can order Sol Montis wines from Winelovers Webshop. They ship to every European country!

Wine of the Weekend

“Where sun meets the mountain” – this is the slogan of Sol Montis, a family winery in Mátra wine region. “Our personal mission therefore is to create noble wines that embody the most characteristic features of this area. We look after more than 100 hectares of grape at the tame feet of the hills, with utmost care and professional expertise that combines the respect for ancient winemaking traditions with fresh, youthful dynamism.”

A gift from father to daughter

“Zitakötő” is a semi sweet white wine created by the father, the founder of the winery to his daughter, Zita, who is also a winemaker and an ambitious manager of not only the estate, but the wine region is well (she is the president of Mátra Council of Winemakers).
The name of the wine is a pun: ‘szitakötő’ is dragonfly in Hungarian, a sleek, beautiful insect of spring meadows, the beginning of the word is replaced with Zita, the name of the daughter.
The wine is made of Muscat grape, some of the berries were shrivelled at the time of harvest, therefore the residual sugar is 20.7 g /l, and the wine is abundant in floral notes. Fermentation took place after 2 hours of soaking, ageing in stainless steel tanks. Spicy notes mingle with flowers and white flesh fruits, and the taste lingers on for a long time after tasting.

Ideal with light, fruity desserts or just by itself in the afternoon, sitting on the terrace and watching dragonflies…

More about Sol Montis wines

Sunset-spotting at Sol Montis

The estate awaits guests every day (except for Sunday). Tastings of 6–7 wines are accompanied with a home made platter of delicious appetizers and warm meals are also available with previous booking. Plus the estate has just started the so called Sol Montis Picnic, an event where special, mouthwatering dishes are created to match each wine of the estate.
The following Sol Montis Picnic dates are:

– 19 June
– 17 July
– 20 August
The entrance to the picnic is free, but i is better to reserve a table.
Booking: info@solmontis.hu

More information about winery visit at Sol Montis

Tokaji Aszú is often dubbed the wine of the kings and king of the wines – since countless monarchs and noblemen have adored this sweet, golden botrytised wine. VinCE Magazine, the monthly wine magazine of Hungary has conducted a Tokaji Aszú panel tasting for its latest issue. 26 wines were evaluated from the vintages 2016 and 2017. 5 of them received five stars and the prestigious VinCE Award: Gizella 6 p 2017, Gróf Degenfeld 5 p 2016, Péter 6 p 2017, Royal Tokaji 6 9 2016 and Sauska 6 p 2017.

 

“Silky and rich”

Sauska Tokaj 6 puttonyos aszú 2017 is a blend of Yellow Muscat, Furmint and Hárslevelű. As the judges of VinCE Magazine commented: “It is a wine of great intensity and concentration. The nose is exciting with white flowers and fruitiness. Perfect balance, everything is in its place. Deep, silky and rich. Enchanting flavours of quince and spices. Long finish, harmony and elegance.”

Read about Tokaji Aszú and other Tokaj techniques

More about Sauska Tokaj 6 puttonyos

 

A beginner wine drinker usually starts with a member of the Muscat grape family – the fragrant, grapey aromas easily capture senses. Later, the more educated, especially the snobbish wine connoisseurs despise these aromatic wines, they consider them too easy, too simple. And in many cases they are right, but in careful hands Muscat can give refreshing, elegant, graceful wines with all the charming characteristics of the variety. Patricius Yellow Muscat from Tokaj is far from being flat and simple. “Enchanting elegant fruitiness, floral and herbs on the nose, the taste is characterized by minerality of the volcanic soil and crispy acidity. Perfect choice to refresh yourself on summer evenings.” The winery’s food pairing suggestion is prosciutto with sugar melon – an ultimate refreshness on hot May days!
The winery celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, hopefully soon not only virtually. (In Hungary life in the country is about to restart, terraces can open, soon life returns.)

More about Patricius Winery and its portfolio