Taste it on 3 October in Szekszárd!

The subtitle reveals that the winner of the Siller tasting of the Hungarian online wine magazine called Borsmenta is from Szekszárd. The third one is as well (from Tüske Cellar), altogether 4 Siller wines arrived from Szekszárd to the tasting of 14 Siller wines. The second best is from Osváth Cellar in the village of Soponya, and the winner is Heimann & Fiai Piros Siller BIO 2025!

Obligatory with fish soup

Borsmenta is an online, quality wine and gastronomy magazine with trustworthy wine reviews. The editor-in-chief is Edit Szabó, a renowned wine writer and radio broadcaster, the author of several books.
As Borsmenta comments, a good Siller is “light, firm, fruity and pale red. Not pink like rosé, not red either, but red like May cherries. It is a little fuller in body than rosés, and in its aroma, it is more reminiscent of red wines, but in hot summers it is worth cooling it, and even adding soda is not a sacrilege. Yes, everyone read it correctly: Siller can be used to make a perfect red spritz.”
The magazine also emphasises the role of Siller in gastronomy: “Siller is therefore a great refreshment, but it is also at least as important that it is an excellent accompaniment to dishes with Hungarian flavours and spicy paprika. Every family in Szekszárd serves Siller with their Christmas fish soup, there’s no question about it, but it also goes well with chicken stew, ‘lecsó’ (the Hungarian ratatouille), paprika potatoes, Easter ham or Hungarian cold dishes.”
See the full article (in Hungarian) here.

“Ultralight red wine”

Borsmenta about the winner Heimann & Fiai Piros Siller BIO 2025: “The winemaker presents their Siller, which goes by the name Piros (meaning ‘Red’), as an ultralight red wine – and not by chance. It is based on Kékfrankos, the spicy associations flash subtly in the fruity flavour, and the pleasant bitterness that appears in the aftertaste is particularly lovely. It is adorable, just as it is, exactly what one imagines a Siller to be. It does not require food, but it does not refuse it either. Whether we serve it with fish soup, paprika potatoes or chicken stew, we have a winning case.”
Another seasoned description of the wine by Eric Danch of the American Danch & Granger Selection: “This has been a long time in the making. Over a decade ago, Heimann, along with 10 or so other producers in Szekszárd, re-introduced Siller as “Fuxli” into the market. Somewhere in between a rosé and a light red, it was meant to revive a style lost during Communism. It was more of a dark, reductive, and slightly bitter rosé often meant to be used for a Fröccs (aka spritz). Since then, what is a Siller has been reinterpreted and in our opinion, become one of the most delicious wines in Central Europe. We now have versions from Austria, Serbia, Romania, Slovakia and more than 5 from Hungary. It’s now time for an update from Zoltán Heimann. This is just vintage number two, and quite different from the first. Last time it was more of a rosé with a firm tannic structure, this vintage is juicy, aromatic and more of a light red with white wine extras. Two-thirds of the blend is direct pressed Kékfrankos fermented like a rosé which is then blended with whole cluster Kadarka with a little stem inclusion for good measure. Aged for just a few months in tank, this is spicy, fresh, and chillable non glou-glou goodness from Southern Hungary.”
Buy the wine from Danch & Granger Selection

Tasting of novelties at the Heimanns on 3 October

Every year the Heimann family welcomes followers at a relaxed walk-around tasting their home in Szekszárd. Ági, Zoltán Heimann Sr’s wife provides delicacies made from local ingredients (she has a stunning garden with herbs and vegetables), and to elevate the event, an art exhibition is inaugurated as well.
The participation fee is 25 000 HUF, out of which 10 000 HUF is redeemable on the spot or on the webshop. For club members participation is free, but registration is necessary. Maybe it makes sense to become a member. The wine list will soon be announced, we will report it as well.
More information about Heimann & Fiai and Heimann Family Estate

Our earlier article about a Canadian importer selling Heimann wines

Importer of the Month: Salivate Wine Consulting, Canada

“Watch glass after glass disappear”

“Crunchy and dynamic, this biodynamic, minimal-intervention from Hungary’s Lake Balaton region has minerally notes alongside raspberries, currants, and cranberries. It’s a light-bodied red that could easily be mistaken for a rosé, and its slightly earthy undertone keeps things not only balanced, but also endlessly interesting. Serve it with a slight chill and watch glass after glass disappear.” — Emily Saladino

This Siller is a steal

Kristinus Siller 2022 made of Zweigelt has recently received 96 points at Wine Enthusiast blind tasting. The organic, natural wine fermented spontaneously, unfined and unfiltered, contains only a tiny amount of sulphur. At 18 USD it is a steal!

See Kristinus Siller on WineEnhusiast.com

Do you know what Siller is?

As Elizabeth Gabay MW describes it in one her articles: “Siller (Schiller in German) is one of the oldest styles of rosé made. Its name means ‘to shimmer’ referring to the colour being between red and pink. Few people make Siller today, with the fashion for an international pale rosé.” Nowadays Siller is a rosé with darker pink colour, made with longer maceration (24–36 hours usually). The method comes from Swabian winemakers and traditionally it was produced by picking and fermenting red and white grapes together, but today it is made from red grapes only.

More about Kristinus Wine Estate

Did you know? 7 facts about Siller

How many wine colours exist? White and red, basically, and rosé became a hit in the last decade. Orange has joined lately and has become trendy, but how about siller, the 5th colour? It is a wine made Hungary and in some parts of Germany, it is darker and more flavoursome than a rosé and sometimes it is aged in barrel. And does it have anything to do with the poet Friedrich Schiller?

1          Schiller – siller – what about the name? According to Wein.Plus, “Schiller is a wine from the German growing region of Württemberg with pale to light red color. There are various versions regarding the meaning of the name. Allegedly, the name refers to the poet prince Friedrich von Schiller Friedrich (1759-1805), who was born in Marbach in Swabia. However, the name was already used centuries before Schiller’s lifetime. It is likely derived from the shimmering color. The wine must be produced from a mixture of freely usable red and white varieties from Württemberg.”

2          The most typical grape of Siller is Kadarka, a light skinned variety of the Carpathian Basin.

3          While the rosé wines ferment separately from the skin, in case of a siller the fermentation happens together with the skin, at least for 2-3 days. Then the skins are separated, hence the light colour.

4          Mix of white and black? Well, it used to be! In the good old days, black and white grapes were allowed to harvest and processed together, so it was a typical way to make siller. The other reason of the popularity of siller in our region is the amount of Kadarka plantations before phylloxera. There were a lot, about 80% of all the vineyards, and since Kadarka can be tricky, in some vintage it does not produce colour, so the solution was to make siller then.

5          Siller is ideal for summer grill dishes, but we can pair it with Hungarian fish soup and also with the famous rooster stew of Szekszárd.

6          Antal Kovács sommelier champion of Hungary (3 times) says that “siller is the rosé wine for those of refined taste”.

7          There is an annual wine competition of Siller in the town of Paks (famous for its nuclear power plant). At the 16th National Siller Competition 90 wines received medal, and only 16 of them won gold medal.
Tóth Ferenc Winery Kadarka Siller 2024 is one of the gold winners of this year’s Siller contest. The nose is abundant in red fruits, mainly cherry and chocolate cherry. The palate features strawberry and raspberry, while the fish is full of sour cherry accompanied with spices. Refreshing, but not excessive acidity, medium body. A true summer evening wine!

Find the wine on the winery webshop

Heimann & Fiai tasting in an Irish wine bar

Zoli Heimann has not arrived at the Daróg Wine Bar yet, we just copied him in the interior of the award-winning place for Irish wine connoisseurs. Daróg Wine Bar is led by Zsolt Lukács Hungarian born sommelier, whose “wine passion is infectious”. We hope that Zoli Heimann’s single vineyard Kadarka and Kéfrankos wines will also “infect” the audience. Book your place now here for the Wednesday tasting!

The wines to be tasted

Heimann & Fiai Piros 2024
Heimann & Fiai Kadarka 2024
Heimann & Fiai Kékfrankos 2018
Heimann & Fiai Kékfrankos 2019
Heimann & Fiai Kékfrankos 2020

You can find detailed descriptions all the Heimann & Fiai wines here, on their website.

Our latest article about Heimann & Fiai Piros Siller

Learn the word ‘Piros’

And listen to Galway Girl by Ed Sheeren…

Heimann & Fiai at Wine Paris and in Szekszárd

Zoltán Heimann junior never stops, just like his parents. Zoltán awaits visitors at Wine Paris on 10–12 February, his new vintage siller wine called Piros is about to be released, and he keeps his followers posted on his lively Instagram page. Meanwhile Zoltán Heimann, the founder of the estate is selling the last bottles of the 2018 vintage and the first bottles of 2020 of the iconic Barbár blend, with his wife, Ágnes they are preparing for their first “Pizza & Wine Fair & Art” event on 1 March, and the whole family is planning the annual “Heimann Estate Tour” on 3 May in Szekszárd, Hungary. Oh, almost forgot: their website has just been renewed.

Kadarka and Kékfrankos in Paris

Hungary will be represented by the official wine marketing agency and by a proper, large exhibition area for the first time at Wine Paris. Heimann & Fiai will be found with four other Szekszárd producers under the name Szekszárd Bottle Community at HALL 4 / C 153, under the umbrella of Wines of Hungary. Kadarka and Kékfrankos are not only the most important indigenous grapes of Szekszárd, but they are the main grapes for the famous red blend, the Szekszárdi Bikavér as well. “The Szekszárd Bottle alliance unites leading wineries from the Szekszárd wine region to showcase its rich winemaking heritage. The hallmark of this collaboration is its focus on the region’s signature wines—Kadarka, Kékfrankos, and Bikavér. Only wines selected through rigorous monthly blind tastings by member wineries earn the right to be bottled in the Szekszárd Bottle, which features a unique design with the Szekszárd logo on its neck. This initiative highlights family-driven values, respect for tradition, and innovative winemaking, embodying the true essence of Szekszárd.”
More about the Szekszárd Bottle Community at Wine Paris

From today Csetvei Cellar is officially organic!

Mór is the headquarters, but the vineyard in Somló is equally important for Krisztina Csetvei and her husband, Frici. And now both vineyards are officially organic, transition period is over! We celebrate this adorable couple and their estate with one of their latest releases: Csetvei RAW/ka KF 2023, a natural siller with all the fruit power of Kékfrankos grape.

“Fruit juice for adults”

According to label, this darker-than-rosé wine is ideal for those adults, who like drinking wine, but also appreciate the clean, intense fruit flavours. Red berry fruits, mainly strawberry is abundant in this wine, which fermented spontaneously, free from “added anything”, unfined and unfiltered.
The wine belongs to the RAW/ka family of the estate, a natural wine line and with a fox as a symbol (raw obviously refers to the natural character of the wine, while with -ka suffix together it sounds like the Hungarian “róka” word, meaning fox).

Congratulations to the Csetvei Family!

Have a happy “first-official-organic-day”!

More about Csetvei Cellar (on the website vintage 2022 is featured, but will be updated shortly)

Not only wine…

 

Raw/ka EzerYO IPA by Csetvei & Hedon

 

Kristinus Siller from South Balaton in Montreal

La QV, a Canadian specialty wine shop has recently posted about one of the wines from their selection, a Siller from Kristinus Wine Estate, Hungary. The darker-than-rose “siller” style is quite popular in Hungary, and Kristinus Siller with its white label featuring a leaf (though not maple, but vine leaf) might resemble the Canadian flag. Especially, if you are Canadian, living in Montreal. If this is the situation, visit La QV and taste a whole range of Kristinus wines!

La QV – 189 artisan producers

La QV is a wine store founded in 2007, specialized in organic, biodynamic and natural wines. They work closely with the producers and try to present wines that express the terroir. Their exciting selection consists of wines from 189 from all over the words, just to mention a few countries: Canada, South Africa, Croatia, Georgia, Austria, Switzerland, France. From Catalonia (Spain), La QV sells Corpinnat sparkling wines from the amazing Recaredo winery, and they even have the still wines of the estate (Can Credo), which are quite rare in foreign countries. From Hungary there is only one producer, but a great one: Kristinus Wine Estate, a biodynamic estate on 60 hectares from the southern shore of Lake Balaton.

More about La QV

Take a look at the team (scroll down) – a brave, funny and humble way to present the team!

Siller by Kristinus

“Pure Zweigelt grapes, low intervention wine: unfined, unfiltered, low added sulphur. A wine halfway between a rose and a red.” The best is to taste it chilled at the estate, where Lokál 47 bistro awaits foodies with 0 or few km products, and Kristinus also has some cosy rooms to stay.

More about Kristinus Wine Estate

An earlier article of us about Lokál 47, the in-site restaurant at Kristinus

Love on the plates

Vince magazine panel tasting

Siller is not an easy genre – since siller is made with longer skin contact, there is a risk of getting a clumsy, tart, heavy wine. This is not the case with the organic siller of Steigler Cellar. Elegant and brilliantly refreshing. Made of 100% Zweigelt.

The latest panel tasting of Hungarian wine magazine called Vince is published in the June issue. The protagonists are vintage 2022 wines between 1500–2500 HUF / 4–7 euros, ideal for a summer garden lunch or for an evening on the beach. Around 50 wines were evaluated, all vinified in stainless steel and contain relatively low alcohol.

Steigler – an organic siller from Sopron

2022 Steigler is made of Zweigelt black grape, just like the earlier vintages. It fermented under controlled circumstances and matured in stainless steel for 3 months. Altogether 1000 litres were bottled with 12.5% alcohol.

According to Vince experts: Brilliantly clear, typical siller colour. Seductive, intense aromas with refreshing red berry fruits. The palate follows the nose with a huge basket of red currant, fresh sour cherries, cranberries. A pinch of pleasant tartness reminiscent of the skin of the fruit, crispy acidity, great balance. A true “joy wine”.

Price: 2500 HUF / 7 euros

More about Steigler Cellar

Sopron Steigler wines in the UK and the US

More than 100 Hungarian gold medals from Berlin

With 18 wineries from Szekszárd we can say that the wine region goes to Budapest with their latest releases. Fuxli, the siller of Szekszárd is darker than a rosé, a traditional style, worth a try itself. Then there is Szekszárdi Bikavér, the famous red wine with Kékfrankos and Kadarka in the blend. And Szekszárd also has the potential to give great wines made of the international superstar grapes, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Franc or Merlot.

Date and time: 5 May 2023, 17.30–21.30
Venue: Stefania Palace, XIV., Zichy Géza. u. 3. (Enter from Zichy Géza street)
Ticket: 8900 HUF / 23-24 euro (in case of purchasing in advance), 10 000 HUF / 26-27 euro (on the spot)
Buy tickets here (click on ‘JÖVÖK’ on the left)
Glass rental: prepare 2000 HUF in cash for the glass rental, but you will get it back upon the return of the glass
Mineral water is provided free.
Food is available to buy at the venue.
Exhibitors featured in the cover photo: Dúzsi Family Winery, Eszterbauer Winery, Heimann Family Estate, Lajver Wine House, Vesztergombi Cellar
Full list of exhibitors here

Some more recent readings about Szekszárd producers

Golden rose: Dúzsi Syrah Rosé 2021

The winner of the 17th edition announced

Sparks of the Weekend: Lajver Blanc de Blancs

Save the date: Bikavér ‘Wine Wandering’ in Szekszárd on 13 May

 

 

 

Ferenc Tóth, founder of Tóth Ferenc Winery loves indigenous Kadarka grape, and the family believes that if this spicy variety could speak, it would tell them how much he enjoys being converted into a darker siller instead of a pale pink rosé. Siller is a Swabish speciality, originally black and white grapes were harvested together, but since this blend is not allowed in the EU any more, nowadays siller is simply a longer macerated rosé – sometimes it ferments together with the marc. This is how Tóth Ferenc Winery makes its siller: „The point of siller technology is – contrary to red wine making technology – doing maceration only for limited days. This year it took 4 days. Afterwards, we have drawn off must and fermented this into wine. Therefore, its colour will be darker than a rose wine. On the other hand, it will not contain as much tannin as a red wine. The result is a light, fruity wine.” The crimson colour wine bursting with red berry fruits and spices is ideal with pasta dishes even with tomato sauce, and as ’Mindmegette” recipe website says, it is worth trying with ratatouille and pizza. Serve it well chilled, and you can also enjoy as aperitif with cheese and olives!

More about Tóth Ferenc Siller