Do you want to taste diverse wines and learn about them, but a wine school cannot be scheduled in your life? In this case a winery visit with a wide range of wines and with a patient “teacher” is a good option for you. Kurt István Taschner loves his homeland and he never runs out of stories about Sopron. Plus, we can find the whole “course material” in his cellar, from bottle fermented sparkling wines to natural sweet wines.

(Our cover photo is from Kurt’s Facebook-page, and we are happy to share it, since it is hard to find photos of him. Being a humble person in love of nature, he prefers taking photos of the stunning sunsets and gorgeous sunrises instead of selfies.)

Versatile indeed

The family vineyard is of 26 hectares, where mostly indigenous (Austro–Hungarian) grapes are grown: Kékfrankos (black), Zweigelt (black) and Zöldveltelini (Grüner Veltliner) (white). Have you heard of Frühroter Veltliner? Don’t worry, we haven’t heard of it either B.T. (Before Taschner). He also grows grapes that are known only in Hungary – though here they are very popular. The aromatic white Irsai Olivér is a good example. In cooler climate Irsai can be fresh, crispy, not overwhelmingly aromatic – this is the case with Kurt’s Irsai Olivér, which usually wins gold at the national “New Vintage” contest, and it is often the very first release of the new vintage in Hungary.

The slightly cool climate and the soil of lime stone is perfectly suitable for making traditional method sparkling wines. Taschner Brut is made only in exceptional vintages with base wine made of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The magnum and normal bottle above in our cover photo is Taschner Pinot Noir sparkling wine. He also makes red wine of international grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, what is more, he is one of the few winemakers who bottles in mini bottles (0.18 L). If you fly with Wizzair, you can taste his still Chardonnay on board (the label is quite French-like, but don’t let yourself be deceived).

And as we mentioned in the lead, he makes natural sweet wines as well, read about natural sweet Taschner Zenitbelow. Moreover, the icing on the cake: enjoy a strong but delicious ‘pálinka’ (our national, origin protected spirit) made of 100% grapes, like Irsai.

Wine tasting at Taschner Winery

Sopron is only one hour by train from Vienna, and 2.5 hours from Budapest. At the winery Kurt István Tascner offers two types of tasting package (the names are Swabian words connected to wine cellars).
– Poncichter tasting: 6 wine samples, mineral water, bread with olive oil. Price: 3900 HUF / person (10 euro)
– Buschenschank tasting: 6 + 2 wine samples (2 from the more exclusive and expensive wines), mineral water, bread with olive oil, cheese. Price: 5900 HUF / person (15 euro)

Book your visit here

The official website of the winery is under construction, meanwhile you can find more information here.

Poncichter, Bohnenzüchter – a recipe with a pinch of etymology

The “Beangrower” grapegrowers’ everyday meal

Taschner Zenit 2020 – a dessert by itself

Natural sweet Zenit with foie gras