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European Wines

HomeEuropean Wines (Page 10)

By 0European Wines, Red Wine, Rose Wine, Sparkling Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  After lunch at the Paris Passage, we headed east of Budapest to the Mátra region. With vineyards located on the lower slopes of the Mátra mountain range close to the border with Slovakia, this is Hungary's second largest PDO. Just west of Eger, the soils here consist largely of volcanic soils, sand, and loess which contribute to the region's signature aromatic whites and structured red wines. [caption id="attachment_16378" align="alignright" width="500"] Map courtesy of Hungarianwines.eu[/caption] White grape varieties here include Irsai Olivér, Rizlingszilváni, Olaszrizling, Zenit, Leányka, Hárslevelű, Sauvignon Blanc, Szürkebarát (Pinot Gris), Chardonnay, and Tramini. For reds, Kékfrankos dominates but Turán, Zweigelt, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Merlot. Getting to Know Mátra We arrived

By 0European Wines, Sweet Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  For the last four years, Hungarian Wines EU, founded by the fantastic Ágnes Németh, has run a writing competition. This was the first year I'd heard of it (thanks to an email from Ágnes and a nudge from a friend!). I entered in two categories, was a finalist in one (you can read me piece here), and actually won! Huzzah! I never win anything. And this wasn't just anything to win. Winners from each of the four categories (four each in English and four each in Hungarian) were invited to participate in a three-day study tour in Hungary. As soon as I got confirmation, I booked a flight, contacted

By 0European Wines, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Based on the Ionian island of Corfu, the Grammenos Family launched its winery in the late 1980s, before the Corfu PGI (est. 1996) even existed! The family has vineyards in several locations on Corfu including the village of Sinarades, about 2 km from the winery, as well as in Skafonas, Korakas, and Vouni on the west of the island, at an altitude of 250-300 meters. They grow several varieties but one of their main grapes is Corfu native, Kakotrygis. Κακoτρυγης (Kakotrygis) gets transliterated in several ways. I've seen it as both Kakotrygis and Kakotrigis, but it can also apparently be spelled: Kako Tryghi, Kakotriguis, Kakotriki, and Kakotryghis. Κακό (kako) means

By 10European Wines, Red Wine, Rose Wine, Sparkling Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  My introduction to Hungarian wine occurred on a work trip to Budapest in 2004. Budapest is a beautiful city I have since fallen in love with. But I felt strange in this wintery, new country where I didn’t speak the language. The wine, a syrupy, low quality Tokaji sold in the tourist shops. A memory quickly forgotten. More than 10 years later I would find myself in Hungary again for work. This time, I was not alone and was sequestered with colleagues in a spider infested hotel on Lake Balaton. The hotel food was terrible, the conference not going well, and we were at one another’s throats. Then someone

By 0Articles, European Wines

  While Turkish wine is my raison d'etre, over the last few years I have developed deep love, enthusiasm, and respect for wines from other counties as well. I prefer white wine to red and find that I gravitate towards white wines with tightly strung energy. Their verve is electric and exciting. I've been very lucky to experience a lot of Greek wine over the last few years. Two of my best friends live in Athens, always have a couch for me, and indulge my need to explore the wine scene. Given my zeal for zesty, racy wines, it's little wonder that in Greece I lean towards wines from Santorini.

By 0European Wines, Red Wine, Wine Reviews

  When I'm in Athens, my friend M and I play a game. We stand in front of the wine shelves at his local grocery and pick out a few bottles with grape names unfamiliar to us. We've had some massive failures doing this. Once we got a wine that tasted like liquid perfume soap. That bottle went straight down the sink. Even though it may well be just an enormously bad example of that particular grape, we're now terrified of it. On the flip side, we have discovered a number of new (to us) varieties we like quite a lot. While I typically veer towards Greece's white grapes, I've

By 0European Wines, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Pošip was a new to me grape when I got this bottle. I'd heard of it but hadn't ever had it. Luckily for me, I managed to source a bottle during one of my last trips back to the states. And no, the irony of buying a bottle of Croatian wine imported to the US then bringing it back to Turkey-geographically so much closer to Croatia than is Las Vegas-is not lost on me! Native to Croatia, Pošip grows mainly on the island of Korčula in the middle of the Adriatic Sea. A number of grapes grow on Korčula, including  Plavac Mali, Plavac Sivi, Maraština, etc., but the island

By 0Amber Wine, European Wines, Orange Wine, Wine Reviews

  Franco Terpin's winery straddles two worlds. Well, two countries in any case. Located in San Floriano del Collio, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy, the winery sits steps from the Slovenian border. In fact, Terpin is one of those Italian winemakers to also have vineyards across that border. After the fall of the Roman Empire, eastern Friuli, i.e. Venezia Giulia, got folded into the Austrian Hapsburg Empire where it joined portions of Slovenia. Then for a brief period, the Austrians controlled the entirety of Friuli Venezia Giulia when the Venezia Republic ceded control. In 1866 the western and central areas went back under Italian control, this time to the Kingdom of

By 1European Wines, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Last summer during a trip to Hungary, I discovered a new (to me) grape: Kéknyelű. Little is known about this grape's history. What I know for certain though is that it makes knock out wine. Kéknyelű, which is actually pretty fun to say, fell out of favor in Hungary after the second world war because of how difficult it is to grow. A naturally late-ripening grape, it gives low yields with poor fruit set. It's also one of those odd grapes that needs another variety to help pollinate it. According to Taste Hungary, which introduced me to the grape, for this reason locals have long referred to it as the "gentleman's