Blog

Longing for Hungary and Hungarian Wine

 

---

I, like many people, have had my spring/summer travel plans interrupted by COVID-19. In May I was going to return to Budapest. I’ve been to Hungary a couple few times over the years but last summer I went for the first time for a dedicated wine trip. I’ve been wanting to go back ever since.

On my trip last summer I arranged private tours of the Tokaj and Somló/Badascony wine regions through Taste Hungary. Several days I also dedicated to Budapest itself. Nothing much traditionally touristy having both been there and done that a few times. Probably the only semi-touristy thing I did was to visit the Great Market Hall where I spent a fun hour shopping for Hungarian delicacies to bring home. But no, I was not in Budapest for museums or castles. I was on a mission to visit as many of the wine bars and wine shops as I could. Robert Smyth’s Wines of

Hungary includes a very helpful section about just such places. Sadly several locations must have closed since the book was published. However, I still found enough places to keep myself entertained.

DiVino Wine Bar, on the plaza where St. Stephen’s Basilica looms, had a delightful and long menu of wines by the glass. They also have a rather spectacular steak tartare on the menu. Not an item menu we see much of in Turkey; I think I spent as much time eating that as I did drinking wine during that trip!

I whiled away a drizzly Sunday afternoon at Doblo. This cozy wine bar with its warm brick wall interior, also had a great list of wines by the glass. With Jason Wilson’s Godforsaken Grapes in hand, I worked my way through Doblo’s sparkling wine (pezsgő) and white wine offerings.

When I wasn’t in a bar drinking I was wine shopping. I bought quite a few bottles directly from Taste Hungary but also, on their recommendation, trekked across the Chain Bridge to visit Bortársaság. This well-stocked and sleek wine shop had a fantastic selection of pezsgő and I picked out several bottles with the help of their friendly staff.

And speaking of Taste Hungary. Not only did I book tours with them but also attended several tasting events at their Tasting Table. I spent my last afternoon there doing a private tasting during which one of their sommeliers and tour leaders, Sebastian, brought me wine after wine to taste

and discuss. Truly, if you’re interested in wine and are going to be in Hungary, you must visit Taste Hungary. Below is a snapshot of just some of the wines I tasted that day.

Kolonics Hárslevelű, 2016

I really love Furmint but I’ve come to appreciate Hárslevelű almost as much. Aside from being fun to say, Hárslevelű makes wines that are unfailingly pretty and elegant.

Based in Somló, the smallest of Hungary’s wine regions (seriously it’s small, it’s a hill), Kolonics is a small production winery (like many of those featured by Taste Hungary) that grows Olaszrizling, Furmint, Juhfark, and Hárslevelű.

Alcohol: 13.5% abv

Color: light gold

Nose: Aromatic and floral with a smoky depth, honeysuckle, ripe yellow fruits, fruit blossom, wet stone

Palate: Like the aromas, the flavor intensity was pronounced echoing the aromas on the nose. Added to those were crunchy pear and a savory and briny herbaceousness. Medium-bodied with refined acidity and a lingering mineral-edged finish, this was a beautiful wine.

Szász Birtok Rózsakő, 2017

Located in Balaton, Szász Birtok is an organic winery (and guest house!) that focuses on both domestic and international grapes. One such grape is Rózsakő. Meaning “rose stone” Rózsakő is a white grape cross between Kéknyelű and Budai Zöld grown in the Badascony region.

Alcohol: 13% abv

Color: pale gold

Nose: Intensely aromatic and floral on the nose, quite similar to a Traminer, with notes of citrus, exotic lychee, and white flowers.

Palate: On the palate, the Szász Birtok Rózsakő showed itself a charming wine with honey detail and exotic fruits and citrus/grapefruit notes. Firms acidity braced by a light spritz awakened my palate to enjoy the lingering, dry finish.

Hernyák Birtok Etyek Zöldveltlini, 2017

In the Etyek region, Hernyák Birtok Etyek is a BIO certified winery dedicated to sustainability, biodiversity, and the foundation of Hungary’s first sparkling wine designation.

Alcohol: 13% abv

Color: medium intense lemon

Nose: The nose on this struck me as very different from what I have learned to expect from Austrian Grüner Veltliner. Only fair I suppose as, while Zöldveltlini might be the same grape, Etyek is not Niederösterreich. Really lovely nose full of flowers, lavender, pear, and in situ honeycomb.

Palate: A round wine hinting at a touch of oak, pronounced flavors of grapefruit, pears, and flowers that transitioned into honeycomb on the medium long finish. Dry, medium-bodied, with a lightening streak of acidity.

Havas & Timár Kékfrankos, 2012

Havas & Timár is an Eger-based winery. Eger, one of Hungary’s most renown wine regions, is home to the famous Egri Bikavér, Bull’s Blood. In Eger, Bikavér must contain minimum 30%, and no more than 60% of the local grape, Kékfrankos. Havas & Timár is owned by childhood friends Balázs Havas and Laszlo Timar who graduated together from the Soós István Wine Technical School in Budafok.

Aged for 24 months in large, used oak vats, they bottled their Kékfrankos unfiltered.

Alcohol: 13% abv

Color: medium garnet

Nose: Spicy, black cherries, dried blueberries, stable

Palate: Elegant and balanced with fresh acidity and sandy tannins; flavors of tart sour cherries, fresh blueberries and nutmeg leapt off the palate and slid into silky milk chocolate on the finish.

Oremus Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos, 1989

Having visited the Oremus winery in Tokaj a few days prior to this tasting, I was already familiar with many of the winery’s wines; dry and sweet. I was however, in no way bored or tired of their wines! It thrilled me to try the 1989 5 puttonyos Tokaji Aszú that the Tasting Table offered by the glass. While not all that old in the wine world, and practically still a baby by Tokaj standards, this 1989 was the oldest wine I’ve ever drunk.

Alcohol: 12% abv

Color: deep, toffee brown

Nose: Intense aromas of brown sugar-coated walnuts, dark honeycomb, and coffee flirting with the scents of flowers and citrus peel.

Palate: I think I spent as much time savoring these flavors and the way the wine clung to my lips as I did all the previous dry wines together. (Likely) A blend of Furmint and Hárslevelű, this wine was the culmination of my mini tour through Tokaj. Sweetness balanced perfectly by an intense acidity added bright flavors of orange and grapefruit peel and dried stone fruits which then wandered off into the realms of coffee and toffee and lingered in an unending, nutty finish.

Tokaj-Hétszőlő Aszú 5 Puttonyos, 2001

Tokaj-Hétszőlő’s 2001 Aszú is special for not being the traditional Furmint-lead Tokaj blend. Rather, this wine is 100% Hárslevelű. The winery even used 100% Hárslevelű for the base wine (before the puttonyos of botrytis grapes were added).

Alcohol: 11% abv

Color: blond toffee

Nose: Still youthful for a Tokaj Aszú but no less mature for all that with stunning aromas of citrus rind, dried mango and apricot, caramelized sugars, and nuts.

Palate: Smooth, thick without being cloying, with a finish for days, the wine had dizzying flavors of sundried apricots, grilled peach preserves, dried citrus rind, and lightly toasted bread with lingering walnuts and blond coffee.

Thanks to this trip, and drinking most of the wines I brought home with me, I have come to realize that Hungary’s white wines (dry and sweet) are my favorite white wines on earth. I cannot wait to get back there and discover more!