Beaujolais-like wine in Villány style

„Vylyan’s Bogyólé, a fresh, fruity red that puns upon the name of the most famous vin nouveau (with proper Hungarian pronunciation, the name sounds more or less like “Beaujolais,” though with a couple of noticeably longer vowels)” – as we could read on Vinepair.com American wine & spirit online publication in 2019.

Not only the pronunciation of ’Bogyólé’ resembles Beaujolais, but the vinificiation method is similar, too. Just like the French wine for fresh consumption, this refreshing, fruity wine by Vylyan is also made with carbonic maceration, when the fermentation takes place within the berries.
Vylyan Vineyard and Winery is famous for its relation with art from the artistic barrels exhibited around the cellar to the series of short stories and poems written for Vylyan wines.
For Bogyólé label Vylyan announces a contest for young artists every year. The winner of the 21st edition is Anna Dorottya Sztyehlik, a talented young art student from Széchenyi University (the winner label is in our cover photo). This year contestants – unlike in former years – were given a theme and they had to create their label designs matching the theme “Breathing Jungle”. The winner label perfectly expresses how nature pulsates in wine, it is as lively and colourful as the colours and figures of the label. “If you look at the label thoroughly, you will discover a grape berry in the mouth of the tiger and the toucan each, expressing the joy of living.” – commented Mónika Debreczeni, the owner of Vylyan.

All the awarded labels and the artists (from left to right)

“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

Complex white, light sparkling or fruity red?

If you read the advice of food & wine experts, you can find examples of all the three wines above. A white from the volcanic Somló is definitely complex enough to balance the richness of smoked ham, and if it is a slightly aromatic wine, like a Tramini, it goes well with honeyed smoked ham. Prosecco or other light sparkling wine with some sweetish character will also work, and if you would go for a red, a lighter red like Kadarka or Zweigelt will do the job.

The three wines in our cover photo

Fehérvári Grand Reserve Tramini, 2022, Somló
Grape: 100% Tramini
Barrel aged Tramini from selected barrels. Concentrated rose oil and spicy barrel aromas greet you in its fragrance. Its taste is both vibrant and rich, with a very long, spicy aftertaste and refined barrel notes.
More about Fehérvári Wine Estate

Babarczi Buborczi aerated sparkling wine 2024, Pannonhalma
Grapes: Cserszegi Fűszeres, Irsai Olivér, Tramini
Fine bubbles caress the palate, while its fragrant fruit character and lively acidity make this wine the refreshing drink of the summer.
More about Babarczi Vineyard and Winery

Vylyan ‘Ördög’ 2022, Villány
Grapes: Merlot, Zweigelt, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Kékfrankos, Cabernet Franc
Ördög is a blend of the classicus product range, named after the Devil) ‘ördög’ means ‘devil’ in love in the traditional Villány legend. Energetic, thirst-quenching and full of vitality. This wine showcases vibrant fruitiness in the form of red stone fruits. Refreshing acidity, sporty structure and pleasant warm undertones characterize this wine.
More about Vylyan Vineyard and Winery  

Vince Awards 2024

The annual Vince Awards have been handed over the winners in 27 categories. The two-round contest features nominees selected by the experts of Vince wine magazine, while the winners are chosen by the wine loving public. As a consequence, wines should be “visible”, of great quality and popular as well. Steigler Cellar from Sopron came in second in the category of light white wines made of “other grapes” (not international and not local of special importance) and won the category of “light red wines”. Kaméleon – obviously meaning Chameleon – is a fruity red blend of Kékfrankos, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zweigelt.
Find all the category winners below.

Kaméleon – whatever mood you have

The grape for this wine came from organic vines panted 8–20 years ago, the yield is 6000 vines / hectare. The soil is mica shiest and chalk, the climate is cool with the tempering influence of the Lake Fertő (Neusiedler See). The fermentation took place in open vat for 10–15 days, the wine matured in 500 L oak barrels for 10 months.
“The advantageous characteristics of each variety are added up to give a layered wine with complex aromas and flavours. Long, fruity finish, medium body, ethereal tannins – all in perfect harmony.”
More about Steigler Cellar

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

Pajta restaurant: beetroot variations with Kristinus Róka

Őrség National Park is a charming land where the concept of streets is unknown, the enchanting rural houses are spotted around like dots on a mushroom cap. This idyllic region has a Michelin recommended restaurant with a recently renewed menu due to the new chef. Having dinner here is like eating in the forest – the building is made of wood and the large windows help us feel part of nature. ‘Pajta’ means ‘Shed’ or more precisely ‘Barn’, but what a barn it is! A barn worth travelling to the west border of Hungary.

Pajta

Address: 7 Templomszer, Őriszentpéter 9941, Hungary
Distance from Budapest: nearly 3 hours by car
From Vienna: 2.5 hours by car
9-course degustation dinner with wine pairings: 46 000 HUF / 120 EUR
Pajta.hu

Too many coincidences

On Hungarianwines.eu recommend restaurants from time to time, thus this article is not an exception, yet the reason for mentioning Pajta now is a series of coincidences. I grew up in a small town at the gate of Őrség, therefore this region is always precious to me. I know Gábor Cseke, the sommelier of the restaurant personally, I participated in the sommelier championship when he became the champion in Hungary and later. I also saw him at the European Championship in Alsace. There was a recent interview with the new chef on Telex, a leading independent online news portal. On top of all this my food connoisseur son has enjoyed a degustation dinner recently with his girlfriend. They were impressed by the food, the wines and the service as well. What is more, one his favourite wines among the pairings was Kristinus Róka, a rosé from a biodynamic estate, which is close to our heart – our last Gettogether event took place there.

The beetroot case

The previous chef cooked local dishes, while the new chef, István Akács believes that since he is not local, it would not be honest. Akács has trained in several top restaurants including the 3-star Noma in Denmark and cooked in many countries Mexico. He inserts a bit from each of his memories into the plates of the degustation menu of Pajta, but local impressions are not excluded either. In the Telex interview by Bori Ács he gave an example: a woman living nearby had an outstanding beetroot crop, but her wholesale merchant did not buy it, so she was in big trouble. Akács decided to help her so he put a beetroot dish on the menu. The beetroot comes onto the plate with goat cheese, and the different textures due to different techniques elevate the root vegetable to a different level.
The wine partner is Róka by Kristinus, a rosé made of 100% Zweigelt grape on the south shore of Balaton. The wine matured in stainless steel tank after spontaneous fermentation, unfined and unfiltered. The natural flavours of the wine nicely correspond with the earthy tones of the beetroot. On this is just one of the fascinating pairings.
(By Ágnes Németh)

More about Kristinus Wine Estate

6–12 November: special offers, open doors and more

The official Hungarian wine marketing initiated a new campaign called ‘Libabőr Festival’. The name is witty, we must admit: ‘libabőr’ means goose bump, but the literal meaning is the skin of the goose – a delicacy when roasted into crispy. However the online version of the word – due to the obvious omittance of accents – is ‘libabor’, which means goose wine. Since we celebrate St Martin and new wine this weekend, the name is really adequate. Libabor.hu offers a wide range of programmes and offers, visitors can search by the name, wine region and can also browse the map, however only in Hungarian. We help expats and wine tourists with the translation of some of the goose offers.

The official website of the campaign (in Hungarian)

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

Another reason to go to Villány

The first vintage of the ancient method sparkling wine was released last year and now the 2021 vintage is available – though only 700 bottles. The Villány estate creates something exciting from time to time with only one negative attribute – the quantity. Vylyan Pét-Nat is available only at Vylyan Depó (in the centre of Villány) and at Vylyan Terrace, on the site of the wine estate itself, surrounded by the astonishing artistic barrels decorated by contemporary artists. Vylyan Vineyard and Winery is situated in Kisharsány, only a few minutes’ drive from Villány.

How did we make?

Vylyan team reveals how they created the second pét-nat of their history under the guidance of Sándor Tóth head winemaker: The blend is Pinot Noir, Merlot, Kékfrankos, Zweigeilt and Syrah. Fermenting rose must was bottled directly from the stainless steel vat on 17 September 2021. The fermenting must contained 18 g / l sugar (not it contains 7.4 g / l only). The wine stayed on the lees until 1 March, when we disgorged each bottle manually and closed with crown cap again.

The colour is bright, salmon-like, almost siller colour. The nose is fresh, straightforward, abundant in jogurt with strawberry and raspberry, pleasant and fine with only a hint of yeast. The palate also features red berry fruits, a lot of sour cherry, strawberry, raspberry, cherry. Playful, happy wine with tart acidity and popping candy. Easy going, not oversophisticated. Meaty, fleshy, juicy, we can almost bite into it! A popular summer wine, a “hipster” joywine.

At Pentecost weekend and after

Vylyan Terrace await guests during the upcoming long weekend with the following opening hours: Friday: 17.00–22.00, Saturday: 11.00–20.00, Sunday: 11.00–20.00, Monday: closed. If you miss this upcoming weekend, no problem, Vylyan Terrace welcomes guests on every Friday in the summer season: “This year we are saying goodbye to the barbecue kitchen and our general opening hours will also change. Every Friday, we are waiting for wine lovers with our “Friday Wine Night” program series, during which you can choose from our wines, our cheese and ham plate and if you are feeling adventurous we will even take you for a cellar tour.”

Further details about Vylyan cellar tours

Friday Wine Night

Summer is just about to begin, a well chilled rosé with vibrant acidity is the ideal drink of the season. Especially if it is fruity, easy-to-drink, juicy and has a moderate price. Taschner Soproni Zweigelt Rosé 2020 is a perfect choice.

Zweigelt is a grape variety important in Austria, in fact it is the most planted black grape there. A grape scientist called Friedrich Zweigelt created it in 1922. The new varietal is a crossing between Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent. The varietal is also grown on the Hungarian side of Lake Fertő (Neusiedler See), in the Hungarian Sopron wine region. Due to its characteristics – medium body, low tannins, medium-high acidity, fruity profile – Zweigelt gives bright, vivacious, thirst quenching rosé wines.

Taschner Soproni Zweigelt Rosé 2020 has a lovely, peach colour. Intense nose with peach and notes reminiscent of fresh grape. Light, refreshing wine with some carbon-dioxide. Vibrant fruitiness and spicy aftertaste with some pleasant tartness.

It costs only 1490 HUF in retail (4.3 euros).

More about Taschner wines

Taschner homepage

Our earlier article about Kurt István Taschner, the owner of the winery, who happens to be a passionate photographer