1 Day: Budapest–Villány

After hearing the good news, the winners started to pack, because one of their prizes was to participate in a 4 day trip to 4 Hungarian wine regions. The meeting place was at Heroes’ Square in Budapest, all the guys were punctual. Brief introduction and we set off immediately – well, not far, just to a near restaurant, Nyereg. After the ample lunch we packed our suitcases and ourselves into two brand new, comfortable cars provided by Opel Hungary. A Vivaro– deluxe version with adjustable seats – and a Grandland X, an elegant SUV.

Our first stop was at Csányi Winery, Villány, where László Romsics, the executive manager himself took the group through the longest underground labyrinth of Villány. We took a glance of the museal wines sleeping in the quiet of the cellar, measured the huge wooden barrels, and then sat down for a tutored tasting.

 

The very first wine was a memorable one (we all knew that we are in a perfect place): RedY, the new community brand of Villány. Fruity, easy to drink, lovely wine at good price. We also tasted Kékfrankos, the most widely planned black grape of Hungary, which gives wine full of red berry fruits, and and an important variety for the winery. It was also exciting to see Cabernet Sauvignon in three levels of the winery (Teleki Selection, Chateau Teleki, and Kővilla). The end of this unforgettable tasting was the prestige cuvée of the winery called Elegance. Complexity, length, structure, balance.

Before dinner we enjoyed a short Villányi Franc tasting in the impressive “cathedral” of Bock Cellar. Villányi Franc is 100% Cabernet Franc produced in Villány and approved by a board of quality control. We could taste a Kővilla Villányi Franc 2012 by Csányi Winery presented by László Romsics, a Gere Tamás & Zsolt Villányi Franc 2012 presented by Zsolt Gere, a Gere Attila Villányi Franc 2015 and a Bock Villányi Franc 2014 presented by the sommelier of Bock Cellar. 4 wines, 4 styles, of course each of us had its favourite one, but we agreed in one thing: Michael Broadbent was right, Cabernet Franc really found its home in Villány.

After the tasting we enjoyed the cuisine based on local traditions and ingredients of BockÓbor Restaurant– and of course we ended the day with a Pálinka (marc of Shiraz).

2^ndDay: Villány–Tokaj

We had a wonderful morning: Mónika Debreczeni, the owner of Vylyan Vineyard and Winery gave us a warm welcome with an ice cold Kszí, the bubbly rosé of the winery. With our glass in hand we took a look at the sample vineyards with Kékfrankos, Kadarka, the rare Csóka and other varieties. Mónika and her team received the vines of Csóka from a gene bank, and due to the popularity of this rare variety, they planned more of Csóka.

We soon got back in our cars and left for Budafok, where we had a chance to visit the largest family owned sparkling winery, Garamvári. As we wrote here, after walking trough the underground, endless corridors, we had an exciting tasting conducted by the commercial manager Miklós Gáspár. Besides the method traditionnelle sparkling wines we tasted some still wines of the winery from their South Balaton vineyards, for example Cserszegi Fűszeres, an aromatic, indigenous grape of the winery, lovely, full of the flavours of a ripened grape berry.

After a huge lunch – we showed our guest what a traditional Hungarian home made lunch is – we set off again. We drove about 600 kilometres on this day, so we were really grateful to Opel for the comfort of the cars. It was a wonderful sunset when we arrived in Sárospatak, Tokaj, at an ancient stone villa of Pajzos Tokaj winery, where Laurent Comas, the French born estate manager of the winery was waiting for us.

Laurent gave a brief introduction to the history of Pajzos (for example we learned that the name came from the old version of shield, ‘pajzs’ in Hungarian). Soon we descended in the depth of the cellar for an amazing tasting: we systematically went through all the pleasures of Tokaj. We tasted single varietal Furmint and Hárslevelű to learn the characteristics of the grape, we tasted the less known, ancient style called Fordítás, the evergreen favourite, the “almost aszú” Szamorodni wines in dry and sweet format, and of course the crown, TokajiAszú in different vintages.

When all the participants were left breathless, Laurent put a small bottle on the table: it was the rare and unique Esszencia (Essence) of Tokaj. This wines is always very expensive, because the hand picked botrytised grape berries are left to rest, and the juice drops fall naturally, by gravity. The collected drops are filled in small bottles, the resulting wine is extremely rich in sugar (around 500 grams / litre) and low in alcohol (around 5%). The taste is fabulous: complex, endless, unforgettable. Neal Martin from the Wine Advocate (Robert Parker) gave 98 points out of 100 to Pajzos Esszencia!

And it was not the end of the day. We wanted to show a new face of Tokaj. The most famous wine region of ours has small villages with rather old population, for young people it is hard to find places to pass time. Henye Wine Bar is a relatively new venture, a modern, state of art building built in the middle of the vineyard. The basement of the building is Henye Winery (belonging to Dereszla Winery), while the top is a wine bar, the venue of several cultural events, evenings with music. Krisztina Kolár, the manager of the wine bar is an always smiling, enthusiastic person, she is the engine behind all these happenings. We had a delicious dinner of bread spreads made by Krisztina and her colleague, local cheeses, salamis and of course some lovely wines by Dereszla. Kabar was the favourite, again an indigenous grape which great potential: the only barrier to its wider success is the quantity – there is only a small amount of it, and due to its popularity, it is sold out quickly.

3^rdDay: Tokaj–Etyek

We stayed in a rustic stone house in the tiny village of Erdőbénye, and – what a coincidence! – the owner of the house makes his own wine, we tasted a clean, lovely aerated blend of Hárslevelű and Furmint. The winery is called ProVinum, it is worth looking for it at local festivals! Our morning brief visit was at Béres Vineyard and Winery, still in the topic of “the new face of Tokaj”. Béres produces a bottle fermented sparkling wine of Hárslevelű grape – what a beautiful beginning of the day! Perfect perlage, typical, linden honey character, toasty notes, balance. And since two of our winners are “szamorodni” fanatics, a stunning Béres Dry Szamorodni was opened as well.

The next stop was Etyeki Kúria, the state of art winery with wonderful, stunning wines! Sándor Mérész winemaker uses his experiences gained abroad, and makes top quality wines of local and indigenous varieties. Their Pinot Noir is one of the best in Hungary for sure. Their entry level white and red wines are perfect for every day, fruity, juicy, lovely wines, they have a super elegant Chardonnay and a Sauvignon Blanc, refreshing rosé, and recently they produce single varietal Kékfrankos from their vineyards in Sopron wine region.

After another pleasant lunch at EtyekM, a so called “home restaurant” just opposite Etyeki Kúria, the winners arrived at the 1^stHungarian Gettogether, the award party at Haraszthy Winery, on top of Öreghegy (Old Hill). Haraszthy is another state of art winery, also equally good at indigenous and international varieties. Sir Irsai, a still wine of Irsai Olivér is their top selling brand, even Arnold Schwarzenegger, the star of Terminator movies is a great fan of it – the winery has a sister winery in California, and another one in Argentina. Haraszthy has just built an amphiteatre (Amfiteatrum), which was the venue of our first event.

Our Gettogether was a reaxed wine tasting in beautiful surroundings with 14 wine exhibitors: Babarczi from Pannonhalma, Csányi from Villány, Csetvei from Mór, Folly from Badacsony, Koch from Hajós–Baja, Pajzos from Tokaj, Sabar from Badacsony, Taschner from Sopron, Tornai from Somló, Tóth Ferenc from Eger, Etyeki Kúria and Haraszthy from Etyek, Vylyan from Villány. Guests could participate by invitation, the guest list was published on the website of the event.

As for the gastronomic pleasures, Miele, the company selling top quality domestic equipment, provided super delicious dishes made by Sándor Kis chef and his team. The cooking show was conducted on the stage, and the lucky ones could have a sample of the meals – for example the amazingly tender lamb neck.

The glasses were provided by Dajar Horeca, and for our more pleasure, the company brought two different types of tasting glass: a Villeroy & Boch andaChef & Sommelier glass. The first was was a gracious, beautifully designed glass suitable for tasting several different wines, while the latter one was a unique shaped glass resembling a tulip, suitable for rosé and acidic white wines.

Finally, the finalists were called on the stage, and each of them received their prizes. The 5 red wine finalists got a 3 litre (!) Teleki Villányi Merlot from László Romsics, Csányi Winery, while Tokaj category finalists all received a Pajzos wine selection from Laurent Comas, Pajzos Tokaj, the winners a Tokaji Aszú selection. Colourful Hungary finalists received Miele cooking school vouchers or coffee sets, while the winners received a Mielevacuum cleaner from Mónika Móger representing Miele.

Vino Castillo was the only exhibitor pouring foreign wines: Vino Castillo is a wine wholesale and retail offering the widest selection of Spanish wines. The winners received a magnum Gramona cava and a bottle of Recaredo cava, while the two absolute winners received a 3 litre Juvé & Camps cava. The absolute Hungarian winner, Ferenc Török will travel to the “capital of cava”, Sant Sadurní d’Anoia in October.

 

Towards the end of the party there was a tasting of Agárdi Distillery pálinkas, all of them were wine related spirits, because they were made of the marc of iconic Hungarian wineries, in some cases of iconic wines. The 15 year old distillery has numerous acknowledgements from national and international spirit contests, for example Destillata,  Austria.

4th Day: Etyek–Balaton

The last day was a chill out after the crowded 3 days: the only program was to get on board of Konnektor, an elecric WIA yacht with captain József Szegi at Balatonkenese. We certainly tasted some wines on board, the topic was of course Balaton with its different regions. Super refreshing Sabar rosé, Olaszrizling single varietal wines by different wineries, Kéknyelű rare indigenous grape by DobosiWinery were chosen for this relaxed tasting, which was a joyful and of our 4 day study tour.

2nd Hungarian WebWineWriting

Would you like to participate in a study tour like the above described next year? Well, watch for our contest in May 2019, enter your article, and maybe you will be one of our next year winners!

• The best white wine

Lellei Irsai Olivér, Garamvári Winery, South Balaton, 2017

For the Champion award the jury retastes the 5 wines with the highest score on the last day of the competition, therefore it is a really precious prize. Aromatic Irsai Olivér grapes are always the first to harvest in the vineyard, the wine is made with reductive technology to capture the grapey, fresh flavors of the variety.

• The best red wine

Rébus Egri Cuvée Superior, Thummerer Winery, Eger, 2012

A “great wine” which was made for the first time in 2007. The name was invented by the owner and his wife, Rébus refers to “riddle”, because the wine itself is peculiar, makes you think. The fruit comes from a low yield vineyard, and the grapes were macerated for quite long (3-4 weeks). Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot, and was matured in large barrels and barrique for 27 months.

• The best Merlot

Merlot Selection, Gere Tamás and Zsolt Winery, Villány, 2012

An outstanding wine of the premium wine selection of the winery. A seriouswine for serious people. It is characterized by elegance and the richness of details with subtle ornaments. After traditional fermentation the wine was aged in Hungarian oak barrels 30 months. By the time it was released on the market at the end of 2017, it became a matured, well developed wine ready to be enjoyed.

• The best Furmint (two wines with the same score)

Kovács Nimród Winery Furmint 2015

This elegant Furmint comes from the best terroir in Eger, Nagy-Eged hill as a special gift from a very good year. It was fermented in steel tanks and barrels, and aged in 225 litre and 500 litre barrels on lees for 10 months. The nose is discrete and elegant. A complex wine showcasing pear and apricot flavors with limestone and flint overtones.

Megyer Furmint Selection 2015

Complex, rich Furmint with distinctive citrus flavours and dried tropical fruits (passion fruit, pineapple) with the barrel aging giving vanilla and coconut notes with a refined spiciness.

• The best Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir Rosé, Haraszthy Winery, Etyek–Buda, 2017

A sulfit free, reductive rosé. Besides the strawberry and raspberry notes, it is enhanced with a touch of cranberry while still keeping a vivid acidity. A perfect match with cold cuts and salami. This rosé reveals beautifully an umami and savory character. 

 

• The best sparkling wine

Brut Nature, Garamvári Vineyard, 2015

Brut nature is the most complex sparkling wine to manufacture: there is no dosage to make it more charming, the wine should be great in itself. The fruit for this wine was outstanding, so is the result. The blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir has a wonderful perlage. The nose is matured, fruity and spicy, the aftertaste shows a hint of almond.

 

Bid online!

Collectors, wine merchants and restaurant owners from Hungary and around the world are all among the bidders at the Auction. Increasing the number of participants outside Hungary is a goal, as Samuel Tinon, vice-president of the Confrérie, noted. In the last six months the Confrérie has presented wines and the region in several world cities (London, New York, Washington and Warsaw). And thus members and guests at the London 67 Pall Mall wine club can join in the action live and bid from the comfort of the exclusive London wine club.

A real rarity: Grand Tokaj Tokaji Aszú 1963

The auction is a whole weekend program with tastings and exclusive dinners – for example an exciting wine dinner is organized in Gusteau restaurant, Mád where all the courses will pair different wines made of Furmint grape. On Saturday morning all the lots will be blind tasted, therefore participants can easily decide what barrel to bid. The most special lot is probably a 5 puttonyos Tokaji Aszú from 1963, of which 12 bottles will be available, the estimate is 2000-2500 euros. „Impeccable balance, no trace of tiredness. Since the sugar does not dominate the flavours, there is plenty of opportunity for the still fruitiness and restrained minerality to make their appearance”– wrote Gabriella Mészáros renowned wine expert about the speciality. According to her, the wine still has ageing potential if appropriately stored. However, once it is opened, it has to be consumed within 60-90 minutes.

Four amazing barrels of the auction

Sauska Tokaj Dorgó Vineyard Furmint, 2017, 136 litres

„ Riper grapes and a stronger use of barrel can be felt on the nose. Defined structure founded upon no lack of acidity and tannins. Powerful concentration can be discerned, this is right at the beginning of its development. Incredibly lively, a complex wine, smooth with warm tones. The barrel spices and quince-pear notes can all be found in the decorative flavours. Long and substantialin the mouth” – wrote Gabriella Mészáros about the wine in the catalogue.

Zsirai Furmint Selection, Betsek Vineyard, 2017, 136 litres

„If we have the opportunity we experiment every year, and last year’s harvest gave us excellent material for this. We have two types of Furmint in the Betsek vineyard, but we had never made wines from both individually. But we managed to harvest enough grapes from aszú that we were able to make one Gönci barrel (136 l) of each lot. They were destemmed, macerated on skins in the must for 2–3 hours and then gently pressed before putting into the tank. After two days we racked the must from the lees into tank for spontaneous fermentation. As we were trying to discover the features and character of the two clones, only tanks were used during the winemaking” says the winemaker.

Béres Sweet Szamorodni Selection, 2016. 136 litres

Traditional pressing of whole bunch of grapes, fermented in tank, then this wine specialty was aged in third-fill 200-l Szerednyei barrel. In this wine with lovely acids feel the play between the tropical aromas and Botrytis notes with the serious compliment of the volcanic soil given by the Omlás and Diókút vineyards.

Pajzos Tokaj Hosszúvölgy 6 puttonyos Tokaji Aszú, 2016, 136 litres

“Still very young in colour, the herbiness typical of raw Aszús can be felt on the nose. Chamomile, tarragon and thyme together with a little basil. Citrus peels, apricot and Botrytis. Refined and elegant, still at the very beginning of its development. The mouth starts with a shining structure, the acids are long lasting and give an almost muscly character to this wine. Complex, lively and refreshing all at one. This will presumably be a very beautiful wine given it achieves its maximum. Relaxed elegance leads the aromatics, but its main assets are the quality of its acids and richness of flavours” – says Gabriella Mészáros about the wine.

You can find the whole catalogue on the website, and you can also register for the event online:

https://tokajiborlovagrend.hu/en/news/catalogue-great-tokaj-wine-auction-2018/

Vinepair – the sound of future?

The above quoted article is undoubtedly worth reading – it takes only 7 minutes as Vinepair anticipates it for the readers –, inspiring, concise, yet it gives some extra information about each destination. Spreading its “booze tips” since 2013, VinePair has been offering loads of easy reading, but at the same time neatly prepared, well made content in every drink-related topic. “We’re a group of people obsessed with experiences centered around drinking and connecting them to everything else in their lives from news, to politics, to arts, to sports and culture.” VinePair wants not less, but to become one of the most world’s most influential lifestyle publications.

One of the many pearls of Tokaj wine region

VinePair is right, a car is a definitely necessary, since the communes of Tokaj wine region are ten-fifteen minute’ drive from each other, and some of the wineries are outside the villages. By now an ample amount of accommodations are at visitors’ disposal including a 5 star hotel and several really top quality, gourmet restaurants. Pajzos Tokaj is one of the several excellent Tokaj wineries. Pajzos Vineyard covers 87 hectares of which 54 currently produce grapes. There are 22 hectares of Furmint, 17 hectares of Hárslevelű and 15 hectares of Sárgamuskotály, as well as some experimental plantations. Ambitious and talented young CEO, the French Laurent Comas adds momentum to this prestigious estate. Their zesty dry “T” Furmint is very clean and fresh with the scent of a dewy spring meadow and some mango basis – a good start of a wine tasting, then you will fall in love with Tokaj!

Tokaji Aszú and Chinese Cuisine

The diversity of Tokaji Aszús opens up endlessly exciting possibilities in matching food and wine, just don’t be afraid to be adventurous. To celebrate the first Aszú Day the organizers have chosen some of the best known Chinese dishes to match the fruity character of younger Aszús and the more profound, richer aromas of mature examples. Considering the basic rules of food and wine matching one can find several reasons why Tokaji Aszús go well with Chinese dishes which can be spicy, hot, sweet, sour and often a combination of these basic flavours therefore to find the right wine match one needs to consider multiple factors. Chinese dishes are typically intense so the right wine needs to match their intensity. To match a sweet dish one needs a wine even sweeter, for a sour dish a wine that is higher is acidity. The heat of hot dishes is alleviated by residual sugar and sweetness also intensifies spiciness.  All these factors married to the unique acidity-sweetness balance and richness of flavours of Tokaj Aszús make them excellent choices to accompany Asian dishes and the diversity of different terroirs and vintages provides us with wide range of options to find the right wine for our favourite dishes.

Beijing duck with young Tokaji Aszú (less than 10 years old)

The skin is crispy, while the flesh under the skin isreally juicy in this classic dish. The meat is usually sliced on the dining table, and the thin slices are accompanied by raw, fresh, sliced cucumber and spring onion, crepes and thick, sweetish sauce. A fruity, vibrant younger Tokaji Aszú would perfectly much with the spicy, not too hot sauce, which gives the main aroma of the dish.

Pair it with Grand Tokaj Tokaji Aszú 5 puttyonyos, 2013
Stunning complexity on the nose: botrytis from the aszú berries, peach, orange zest, walnut brittle, fig and exotic flowers, with a touch of dill at the end. Extremely clear fruitiness on the palate, orange, birch, pear and apricot notes combined with flavours of white chocolate and vanilla as well. The refined acidity keeps the structure firm, long, yet rounded. The mouth is full of lime and grapefruit and some matured, coffee notes during the prolonged finish. A genuine great wine of Tokaj at the beginning of its development with great potential.

Sweet and sour pork with matured Tokaji Aszú (older than 10 years old)

This traditional recipe comes from the 18th century. The pork is cut into cubes, marinated in vinegar, rice wine, sugar and soya sauce, then fried in oil. The meat is sticky, sweet like caramel, therefore it matches well with the complex, deep aromas of a matured Tokaji Aszú.

Pair it with Pajzos Tokaji Aszú 5 puttonyos, 2006
Golden, young Aszú with a supremely refined inner world. Citrus and meadow flowers abound in the nose. The wine lover senses caramel, citrus and dried fruits, and white horehound on the palate with the discreet appearance of buttery, almond notes of barrel ageing. The typical minerality of Tokaji wine brings a slight saltiness to this drinkable wine thanks to its delightful acids. Elegant this promises to be a great wine with serious ageing potential.

Enjoy & share it!

On the 10th of December, 2017 on the first ever Aszú Day we want to turn the spotlight on this unique and special Hungarian sweet wine. Be an ambassador of Tokaj Aszú by tasting it on Aszú Day. Buy a bottle of Tokaj Aszú, ask for it in your favourite restaurant, share a bottle with friends or cook something matching its rich flavours and share the experience with others. #aszuday

Facebook: facebook.com/aszuday
Instagram: instagram.com/aszuday/
Website: aszuday.com
Photo credit: Furmint Photo

If you need more info on Tokaj…

The Tokaj wine region is situated in North East Hungary at the foothills of the Zemplén Mountains, along the rivers Bodrog and Tisza. The world’s first delimited wine region since 1737, the regulations were designed to protect local values and they prohibited the import of grapes, must or wine to the region. The soil is of volcanic origin (andesite, liparite, quartz) and this is reflected in the wines which show a certain minerality and tightness. The climate is continental with long and dry autumns. One of the defining features of the wine region is the multitude of microclimates and soils in the various vineyards resulting in wines of great variety and distinct characters.

Thanks to the special microclimate of the wine region the onset of Botrytis cinerea or noble rot responsible for the shrivelling of berries is an almost certain occurrence each year though admittedly with varying degrees of intensity. In autumn the diurnal alternation of morning fog created by the rivers and dry sunny days is conducive to the production of aszú berries.

Botrytis punctures the grape skins thereby assisting the evaporation of liquid matter and by doing so increasing the concentration of sugar, acidity and flavour compounds. However this is not a uniform process so the shrivelled berries have to be picked one by one over a prolonged period. Needless to say this is an extremely labour-intensive process; even experienced pickers can gather only 6-7 kilograms a day and the same vine might have to be revisited 4-5 times in one harvest period.

Once the liquid matter has evaporated the aszú berries are macerated in the fermenting juice or base wine of the same vintage for 24-48 hours with regular stirring for proper extraction. Once the maceration is done the aszú paste is removed, pressed and the resulting must is fermented to arrive at Tokaj Aszú. Post-fermentation residual sugar content must reach at least 120 gramm/liter.

Properly stored Tokaj Aszús can be enjoyed for several decades. A properly stored 20 year old Aszú is still magnificent with slightly transformed flavours, added complexity; it’s easy to see why they are so higly regarded by connoisseurs. However tasting younger Aszús with their more springlike, fresher and brighter profile provides just as much pleasure.

On Tokaj wine styles read our Vocabulary section:
https://www.hungarianwines.eu/vocabulary/

 

This year – a masterclass on Hungarian wines

DiVino.Taste is well know for its excellent masterclasses (see some speakars of the past below), and this year one of the masterclasses will present Hungarian wines – of course with a little twist, with something new in each case. Here is the list of wines and the reason for presenting them:

– Furmint – the flagship grape variety of Hungary, the famous grape of Tokaj. But have you tasted it in a méthode traditionnelle sparkling wine?
Tokaj Furmint Brut, Garamvári Winery, South Balaton

– Sometimes Hungarians are able to cooperate, work together, place the needs of the community ahead of their own needs. BalatonBor, the community wine of Balaton broader region is a wonderful example of it. BalatonBor, Laposa Winery, Badacsony, 2016

– Aromatic grapes are important in Hungary, popular and well sold. However they are not only meant for everyday consumption, they can be elegant and gracious as well!
Irsai Olivér, Babarczi Winery, Pannonhalma, 2017

– Furmint is the most important grape variety according to many experts, but there are quite as many who prefer Hárslevelű to Furmint, and say that it has even more flavours and more potential.
Grófi Hárslevelű, Tornai Winery, Somló, 2013

– Kadarka is known as Gamza in Bulgaria, and the Bulgarian Gamza wines are usually more complex than Hungarian Kadarka wines – however recently several clone selections have been carried on, and they have spectacular results.
Kadarka, Heimann Family Winery, Szekszárd, 2016

– Bikavér blend used to flood the lower shelves of supermarkets, and thus its reputation is not too shiny. But things have changed, years passed, and now the red blend called Bikavér is a controlled, magnificent wine style.
Egri Bikavér, Superior, Tóth Ferenc Winery, Eger, 2013

– Cabernet Franc is rarely used in itself, usually blended – like in Bordeaux. However the variety “has found its home in Villány” – as Michael Broadbent said once when visting Villány wine region.
Kővilla Selection Cabernet Franc, Csányi Winery, Villány, 2012

– Everyone knows Tokaji Aszú, but have you heard about ‘Máslás’ and ‘Fordítás’? Ancient styles and still made!
Tokaji Fordítás, Zsirai Winery, Tokaj, 2008

– ‘Puttony’ is a well known expression when speaking about Tokaj – but according to the recent regulation the word Puttony is not to be used for signing the sugar content of a Tokaji Aszú.
Tokaji Aszú (equivalent of 6 puttonyos), Pajzos Tokaj, 2013

Irsai Olivér – a representative of the new vintage

One of the favourite wines of the above wine list will undoubtedly be Babarczi Irsai Olivér, the only wine from 2017. The typical notes of Irsai Olivér grape variety are well represented in 2017 vintage. The colour of this wine anticipates the featherlight body and its freshness. On the nose and palate the muscat flavours of Irsai Olivér dominate the wine – the intense, attractive muscat notes “jump out” of the glass! A lovely, refreshing wine typical of the grape variety.

The idea behind DiVino.Taste

Gourmet Publishing is organising wine events since 2010 and DiVino.Taste is the crown of their work. The idea behind the forum is to organise a simple, business and clients oriented, meeting point, where all the Bulgarian producers can be presented on an equal footing, divided by main regions and sub zones. The key position in the heart of Sofia is also very important for the clients and the image of the event in general. The additional program of seminars and master classes are the added value of the event with interesting and useful tasting subjects and speakers such as Michel Rolland, Angelo Gaja, Dr. Wine Danielle Cernili, Caroline Gilby MW, Konstantinos Lazarakis MW and many more.

Budapest Wine Festival is really „the” program you can adjust your stay in Hungary to. It is the oldest wine festival in Hungary, the wine event of wine events, a huge wine tasting which will be organized for the 26th time this year. The setting, the Castle of Buda is part UNESCO World Heritage, the visit is an unforgettable experience in itself. There is a huge opposition to events held in the historic buildings, most of the regular events were „evicted” as a consequence, but Budapest Wine Festival was allowed to stay due to its long tradition and values.
More than Hungarian 200 wineries offer their new vintage wines to taste, and on the stage, all the four days will host different genre of music: Thursday pop music, Friday world music, Saturday jazz and Sunday folk.

Discover new wines, deepen your knowledge

Budapest Wine Festival has several side events, which are suitable for professionals or for the ones who are seriously interested in our wines.

• Wine University is a two day set of masterclasses just before the wine festival in various topics, usually in a different location from that of the festival. (At the moment of our post the program is not known yet, but you will soon find it at the website of the festival).
• Taste Hungary is the name of a set of theme routes which can guide you through the exhibitors to find out more of Hungarian grapes and wines. „What’s the secret of Tokaji Aszú? What goes into Bikavér (bull’s blood), a special red blend produced in Eger and Szekszárd? Where does the scent of Cserszegi Fűszeres or Irsai Olivér come from? What’s the difference between a light and a full-bodied Furmint? How is rosé, a definite summer favourite, made? These are the questions that will be answered at the Budapest Wine Festival, where guests from all over the world gather to learn about Hungarian wines from our best wine makers and producers” – say the organizers. Visitors should pick up Taste Hungary brochures at the cashier and start their routes.

A couple of wine couples – a witty way to taste yourself through the exhibitors. Some of them – not all of them – offer two glasses of wine for the price of one, and the two glasses are somehow interesting to compare. Probably the same grape, but different vinification. Same wine, but different barrel, same wine: still and sparkling, etc. The list of partcipating wineries will be updated on the website, and a booklet is available at the cashier.

Wineries – the „line-up” is not ready yet!

The list of exhibitors is tempting already, but there will be more signed wineries by September. For sure you will meet Winemaker of the Year Frittmann winery from Kunság, Winery of the Year Koch from Hajós–Baja, Kovács Nimród Winery and Egri Borvár / Tóth Ferenc Winery from Eger, Tornai Winery from Somló, Haraszthy Winery from Etyek, Kristinus Wine Estate from South of Balaton, Pajzos Tokaj and Sauska from Tokaj, Bock Cellar, Csányi Winery and Gere Attila Winery and Sauska from Villány.

Tickets: a daily ticket costs 2500 HUF (8 euros) if you buy it before 15 August, and 3200 HUF (10.5 euros) if you buy at the venue.

More information

 

Etyeki Kúria is situated in Etyek, near the capital, only a short drive from Budapest. Their next big thing is ChardonnÉJ on 24 June (the name of the event is a pun with the pronounciation of the famous grape and the Hungarian world ’éj’, which means ’night’), a great tasting event organized by Etyeki Kúria. You can taste still and sparkling Chardonnay wines from the host and from invited Hungarian wineries (like Babarczi from Pannonhalma, Gróf Buttler from Eger, Pajzos-Megyer and Sauska from Tokaj and many others). Of course there will be music accompanying this event, too: Random Trip, a formation with talented musicians and Juli Fábián, a wonderful singer with stunning voice.

Tickets: 9800 HUF (around 32 euros) and include the bus transfer from and to Budapest (however for the transfer you need to register in advance).

More about the event

Pyramid of medals

DWWA has more categories than most of the contests. Here is how they categorize wines:

1. Top: Platinum Best in Show (only 25 wines, no Hungarian wines here)
2. Platinum Best in Category (175 wines, among them 4 Hungarian wines!)
3. Gold medal winners (455 wines, 10 Hungarian wines)
4. Silver medal winners (3340 wines, 34 Hungarian wines)
5. Bronze medal winners (7038 wines, again 34 Hungarian wines)
6. Commended wines (3651 wines, 21 Hungarian wines)

This pyramid and the number of entries prove that it is a prestige indeed to be awarded at this wine competition. To gain a Platinum, when only 175 wines got this trophy out of the 17 200 wines – well, it is something!

In „Platinum” Limelight

We keep saying that méthod traditionelle sparkling wine from Hungary is something to watch. Here is a new evidence: Kreinbacher Classic Brut from Somló has won Platinum, the first sparkling platinum for Hungary! Kreinbacher Classic Brut was made of Furmint grape (with a touch of Chardonnay), and was aged 22 months on the lees. The vineyard plantation and the creation of Classic Brut was supervised by Christian Forget chef du cave from Paul Bara Champagne. Hungary is a kind of „used to receiving rewards” for the stunning sweet wines of Tokaj, but a sparkling praised so high is new for us and makes us very glad.

Pajzos Tokaj: double trophy!

The winery from Tokaj has an amazing achievment this year: they have won two Platinum Best in Category awards:
– Pajzos 5 puttonyos Tokaji Aszú, 2011 (96 points, the highest score for Hungary)
– Pajzos Late Harvest Hárslevelű, 2013 (95 points)
This latest wine again proves the potentian of Hárslevelű grape. Apart from Pajzos, another winery from Tokaj, Szent Tamás has won a Platinum as well with their Szent Tamás Furmint 2013.

10 gold medals: 8 Tokaj, 2 Balaton

Out of the ten Hungarian gold medals 8 wines comes from Tokaj, all of them are sweet wines.
Chateau Dereszla has double gold:
– Chateau Dereszla 6 puttonyos Tokaji Aszú, 2008
– Chateau Dereszla 5 puttonyos Tokaji Aszú, 2010
The other winery from Tokaj with double gold is Royal Tokaji:
– Royal Tokaji Blue Label 5 puttonyos Tokaji Aszú, 2013
– Royal Tokaji Gold Label 6 puttonyos Tokaji Aszú, 2013
The other gold winning wineries: Grand Tokaj, Holdvölgy, Hétszőlő, Szent Tamás.
The two gold medals for Balaton region were awarded to Villa Sandahl, Badacsony:

– Citrus x Limon Genesis Vineyard, 2015
– Dry Honey Bishop Backyard Vineyard, 2015.

More medals

Apart from the stunning results detailed above, Hungary has won 34 silver medals, most of them for Tokaj, again some for Balaton, and Villány, the southern red wine region of Hungary also got silver (Bock Cellar, Csányi Winery, Heumann and Sauska), and Etyek–Buda wine region has four silver, too (Nyakas and Törley), Tolna region has one (Tűzkő). Hungary has won 34 bronze medals, too, and 21 wines have been have been awarded Commended.

Fort he full list of results click here

 

 

A weekend in Hungary

The renowned British winewriter, columnist of The Guardian, restaurant critic of Decanter magazine and owner of the popular www.matchingfoodandwine.com, has recently been a lecturer of VinCE Budapest Wine Show, Hungary’s prestigious wine event. Though her masterclass was about matching wines made of Hungarian indigenous grapes with different pieces of food, Furmint was not included in her flight, but in the wine exhibition she had plenty of opportinities to taste Furmint, a grape that she has good opinion of. What’s more, she says that Furmint might be the trend grape of 2017! She points out that

• unoaked Furmint is like a good soave or chablis,
• oaked Furmint wines are more like more southerly white burgundy,
• all are extremely versatile with food.

Patricius Dry Furmint with salmon

The author then lists dry Furmint wines available in the United Kingdom, for example Patricius Dry Furmint from Tokaj, which is „musky, slightly spicy” and „would be delicious with smoked and salted fish such as salmon or salt cod, or a smoked fish pie.”

Read Fiona Beckett’s article here

Read more about Furmint in our Grape Dictionary

Taste more great Furmint wines:

• Dereszla Furmint 2015

• „T” Furmint, Pajzos Tokaj, 2015

• Zsirai Tokaji Furmint, 2015

• Sauska Furmint, Tokaj, 2015

• Kreinbacher Furmint, Somló, 2015

• Béres Tokaji Lőcse Furmint, 2013

• Zsirai Tokaji Furmint Középhegy, 2015

• Pajzos Furmint Selection, Pajzos Tokaj, 2013

• Sauska Furmint Birsalmás, Tokaj, 2015