Zenit is a lesser known, but exciting Hungarian grape variety with great potential. Kurt István Taschner winemaker in Sopron has released his first sweet Zenit recently – as he commented, an old dream of his had come true. The wine gives a superb Sunday meal with foie gras, but also stunning by itself.

Crisp and subtle with a mineral edge

Zenit is a crossing between Bouvier and Ezerjó grapes created in Pécs University Research Centre by Ferenc Király in 1951, but it was officially recognized only in 1976. Thanks to its good abilities Zenit is getting more and more popular. In Bükk wine region some young pioneer winemakers take Zenit very seriously, they make crystal clear, yet complex white wines, while last year the above mentioned research centre made a bottle fermented sparkling wine of Zenit – again elegant, juicy, delicious. According to “Wine Grapes” (Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and Jose Vouillamoz) Zenit wines are crisp with flavours of apple and citrus but not overly aromatic; the best examples are potentially long-lived and subtle with a mineral edge. There are less than 600 hectares, therefore it is quite a rarity.

Taschner Zenit 2020 – a dessert by itself

Sopron wine region is situated in the north-west of Hungary, its climate is cooler and influenced by Lake Fertő (Neusiedler See). The region is ideal for elegant Zenit wines without any excess of aromas, without overwhelming perfume notes. Taschner Zenit is single vineyard wine from Ranisch vineyard, one of the best plots of the region. The wine is ideal for people, who drink wine less often, since its alcohol content is only 9 v/v %. The residual sugar is 82 g / l, perfectly balanced with its 5.38 g / litre acidity. “Fresh and easy drinking wine with white fruits and citrus, vibrant acidity and medium aftertaste.” – commented Dániel Ercsey wine writer, editor in chief of WineSofa. The wine is bottled in small, 0.375 bottles – ideal to share with a partner in a restaurant with the dessert, though as Kurt István Taschner suggests, the wine pairs perfectly with foie gras and it serves as a dessert by itself. The price is moderate: only around 5–6 euros in retail.

Do you know what buffalo kiss is? Well, it is a less known type of “fröccs” aka wine spritzer. Fröccs is simply wine and soda water, and it is highly popular in Hungary. The different names refer to the different ratio of wine and soda. The most common is “nagyfröccs” (‘nagy’ means big) with 2 dl wine and 1 dl soda, while “bivalycsók” (‘buffalo kiss’) is quite a hit: 4 dl wine and only 1 dl soda.