Sweet dreams from the corner of Balaton

Hungarianwines.eu — Thu, 16 Dec 2021 09:00:10 +0000

Feind Choice – a botrytized dessert wine from Zeus

Choice by Feind – it sounds like the name of a perfume and actually this small bottle is like a perfume. ‘Édes’ means sweet, we use it for wine, for cakes and for our loved ones (something like ‘honey’ in English). Tamlyn Currin, wine writer of JancisRobinson.com has recently published a collection of reviews of sweet wines of Central Europe. Tokaj takes the lead obviously, some Croatian and Slovenian sweet wines are featured as well. But also from Hungary you can find great sweet wines in other wine regions – for example in the “corner of Lake Balaton”.

Cover photo is by Norbert Varga. His stunning photos are available in printed calendar format as well. Contact Norbert here. See more photos here.

Feind – a key player nationwide, newcomer worldwide

Feind is a family winery situated in the east edge of Lake Balaton, in a village called Balatonfőkajár, which belongs to Balatonfüred wine region. The winery is well established in Hungary, it has a wide audience, thousands of regular customers, however, until now it has not stepped onto the stage of international wine market. They wanted to make a proper antré, and for this they needed some development, renovation and reconstruction. By now most of the work has been done, and Feind Winery is ready to introduce itself to the word.

Tamlyn Currin is really positive about the dessert wine of the estate: “Golden. Smells like golden syrup on the nose. Koeksisters and konfyt and ginger root cooked and drenched in syrup. Clove spice. Instant-coffee note. This is very, very sweet. An interesting planed sandalwood lift to the finish.” 16 points out of 20. (Koeksisters is an African type of sweets.)

“Choice” made of 100% Zeus

Zeus is a rare grape variety grown in less than 20 hectares, mostly in Badacsony wine region. Feind “Choice” is made from Zeus grapes. “In 2018 the circumstances were perfect for the Noble Rot (botrytis cinerea). Strict hand picking was followed by sorting by hand, the grapes were soaked for two weeks and then aged in a barrel for 15 months. Citrus flavours along with candied apricot, honey, spices and a little mint appear in both its taste and aroma; all this with elegant acidity. With 175 g/l naturally residual sugar this wine is a dessert in itself!”

The price is moderate: only 5699 HUF / bottle (0.375 L), which is around 7 euros.

Order Zeus from Feind webshop

Read the full article by Tamlyn Currin (you need a subscription)

More about Feind Winery

Feind Winery

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More about Zeus variety

Zeus (or Zeusz) is a crossing between Ezerjó and Bouvier, introduced by Ferenc Király at the University of Pécs, Hungary in 1951. Its other name is Badacsony 10 (Zengő, another crossing made by him is called Badacsony 8, and Zenit is also a Ferenc Király crossing, so he seem to like the letter Z…)

Zeus has quite high yields, and it gives a white wine with relatively high acidity – thanks to one of the parents, the Ezerjó. If harvested late, amazing dessert wines can be made of Zeus (like Choice by Feind). Moderately susceptible to botrytis bunch rot and some tolerance of cold winter temperatures.

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“Sunflower” – the Cake of Hungary 2021

Hungarianwines.eu — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 11:30:45 +0000

Try with Soproni Zenit, Badacsonyi Zeus or Tokaji Late Harvest

The 15th edition of “The Cake of Hungary” contest took place before the 20th of August, so that people celebrating the foundation of the country could taste the winner cake on the National Day. Though this year the celebration included a rather controversial parade with several kitsch elements, the Cake of Hungary is a sweet tradition in every aspect. This year Sándor Fodor confectioner won with a cake named sunflower, inspired by summer fields of the yellow flowers. The main ingredients include William pear, roasted sunflower seeds, honey and chocolate. We have tasted the cake, and recommend the following three wines.

Taschner Zenit 2020, Sopron

Zenit is a lesser known, but exciting Hungarian grape variety with great potential, a crossing between Bouvier and Ezerjó grapes. Kurt István Taschner winemaker in Sopron has released his first sweet Zenit this year – as he commented, an old dream of his had come true. 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 a 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. The price is moderate: only around 5–6 euros in retail.

More about Taschner Winery and Sparkling Wine Cellar

Borbély Zeusz, Badacsony

Zeus grape is another “child” of Ezerjó and Bouvier, the crossing was made in the same institute (Pécs University Research Centre). The grape is especially popular among winemakers of Badacsony wine region, the legendary late Huba Szeremley was one of the pioneers to explore the variety. Borbély Family Winery makes a late harvest wine of Zeusz, since this grape – thank to its parents – has the ability to concentrate sugar while retaining acidity. Harvest took place at the end of November, and the shrivelled berries turned into a dessert wine with 70 g / l residual sugar. Refreshing acidity, moderate sweetness, fruity aftertaste – the balanced wine pairs well with the moderately sweet, complex cake.

More about Borbely Family Winery

Béres Magita Cuvée 2016, Tokaj

William pear is quite dominant in the cake, the sweet honey and chocolate stay in the background along with the roasted notes of the sunflower seeds. The Hárslevelű and Furmint (and a touch of Yellow Muscat) blend boasts with some pear notes as well, perfectly together with fruitiness of the cake. And the oaky tones match smoothly with the roasted sunflower seeds in the aftertaste of the cake. “A wine of golden hue with lush texture and enticing aromas of stone fruits, honey and Christmas spice. Made using the classical varieties of Tokaj this is a complex and exciting late harvest blend.” The wine is named after a legendary young girl, who lived in the village of Erdőbénye (in Tokaj region, where Béres Vineyard is situated) in the 16th century, and her house was a shelter where – risking her life – she hid Hungarian refugees when the Turkish troops invaded the country.

More about Béres Vineyard

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Zeus grape Archives - Hungarianwines