Warning

It is going to be quite a personal post (written by Ágnes Németh, editor of Hungarianwines.eu).

My niece is a successful poet in Hungary. Yes, this phenomenon exists, she writes poems, she is online, she is acknowledged by the literary men and she can even make money of it (her books of poets are bestsellers). She still decided to leave Hungary for a while and to study in her dream school in London. Of course she needs something to live on, thus she started help promote a tiny but chic pastry shop. Today I checked the Instagram page of Maison.vie, this is how I learned that 1st October is World Vegetarian Day.

Not many vegetarians…

So when I realised that it was the day of vegetarians, it occurred to me to mention some vegetarian winemakers, but finally it turned out that there were not many. I have learned about some people, for example Papa Aron on Szent György-hegy (Saint George mountain in Badacsony wine region) or Mihály Fekete in Szekszárd wine region but for some reason – I cannot explain why – I had wanted to introduce women. But one – an amazing woman – recently stopped being a vegetarian after five years, another one was flirting with the idea but never started.

Angelika Árvay, a missionary

But finally Angelika Árvay told me that she had been a vegetarian for a few years. The name Árvay may be familiar to many of you, since this is an outstanding family winery from the tiny village of Rátka, Tokaj wine region.

Angi (short for Angelika) is a missionary indeed. She was born into a wine family, and following the family path was not enough for her. She runs a Facebook page called “Borokról könnyedén”, which is something like “let’s explain wine in an easy going way”. Many videos, clever but consise posts, radio podcasts – all to educate those who want to learn more about wine.

Angi is a vegetarian because she feels better not to hurt anyone and anything on this planet. ‘I used to like the taste of meat, but now I feel much better not to hurt any living creature and not to cause pain to them. Since I have known what it causes to eat animals, I do not want it any more, thanks. I believe it helps the Earth in a way.’

So, it is the evening of the World Vegetarian Day, let us cheer all the living creatures of the world – of course with a glass of wine made of grapes!

Green peas instead of egg whites

The number of vegan people is increasing rapidly, many of them with the strict alimentation rules respect the rights of animals,while others avoid animal based products for healthy reasons. Padthai wokbar opened its first restaurant in Budapest 7 years ago, and now 7 restaurants await the lovers of Asian food. „We decided to go against the current paradigms: we believed that a quick meal can also be healthy and high-quality”– says Padthai team and their success gives evidence of their mission statement.

Kristinus Wine Estate from South Balaton exports its wines to 7 countries including Japan and China. No wonder: some of the varieties grown in the vineyards of Kristinus work very well with Asian cuisine, like Irsai Olivér or Muscat Lunel– this latter varietal was used to make the first vegan wine of the estate. As it is well known by winelovers, during the clarification process (before bottling) in most cases animal based product is used. The most common organic compounds used include egg whites, caseinderived from milk, gelatin and isinglass obtained from the bladders of fish. Kristinus, however uses a product derived from green peas and potatoes to fine the wine. Muscat Lunel Selection Vegan 2018 is available in all the padthai restaurants.

Floral and citrus notes – summer feeling

Kristinus Lunel Selection Vegan 2018 is made of Muscat Lunel and all the grapes for this wine were harvested in Vári vineyard. After a very short skin contact controlled fermentation took place, the wine was vinified in stainless steel, and thanks to the reductive technology the floral and citrus notes were captured. The resulting wine is fresh and charming, ideal for the summer. How about some whole grain noodle, bamboo shoots and Indonasia satay sauce with the wine?

More about Padthai Wok Restaurants

More about Kristinus Wine Estate