Wine of the Weekend

VinAgora international wine competition (controlled by OIV and VINOFED) announces special prizes every year to highlight the best wines of a region or variety. The latest edition of VinAgora selected Eszterbauer Tivald Cabernet Sauvignon 2017  from Szekszárd as the best example of the variety. Matt Damon is lucky to have tasted it!

Indigenous or international?

Whenever a winery starts to flirt with the thought of exporting, the first tough decision to make is whether local or international grape should be promoted. While wine geeks are curious to discover unknown varieties, however the average wine drinker is still on the safe side and more likely to pick a wine from the shelf made from a familiar grape variety. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most planted black grape in the world with reason – it has the potential to give amazingly juicy, flavourful, complex, full bodied wines. If a Cabernet is made well, it can be outstanding. Wine drinkers have a reference, they know what to expect – thus a small wine country like Hungary can prove its winemaking expertise through international varieties. Szekszárd wine region in the south of Hungary is ideal for the variety, it ripens fully, yet refreshing acidity is retained to give a vibrant character to the wines.

Tivald – balanced and complex

Since 1746, Eszterbauer family’s vineyard has been included in the archives of Szekszard city. János is the 10th Eszterbauer generation, who operates the tradition-based wine company harvesting from 25 hectares. Grapes for Tivald came from Görögszó vineyard. The hand harvested berries fermented spontaneously, the wine aged in barrique for a year.

“Deep, dark colour. Medium intensity on the nose, but complex, full of black berry, blueberry, bitter chocolate and bonbon filled with cognac infused sour cherry. On the palate firm, but still pleasant tannins, pepper and Christmas spices. The alcohol is high, but the structure is still balanced, the wine is matured, complex, characteristic with beautiful barrel notes. Good length with a wide range of aromas.“

More about Eszterbauer wines

Matt Damon receiving Tivald Cabernet Sauvignon

Compensing Tivald, the shabby dayman

The wine is dedicated to a dayman of the owner’s grandfather. ‘Tivald’, the dayman was rather shabby in his look, and therefore he was despised by the owner who was a child that time. János Eszterbauer, the owner of the winery was a naughty child who used to disturb this old man – of course now he regrets this naughtiness and therefore dedicates a premium wine to him as a kind of compensation for the hard work Tivald had done.