Hungarian Wines Tour Day 3: Villány, Máriagyűd, & Gere Attila
After our tasting and dinner at Lajvér Borbirtok in Szekszárd, we got back in our cars for the day’s final drive. Happily, not three hours again. This time just one hour to get us to Villány. Half of us were dropped off at the winery Csányi Pincészet (producers of Teleki Villány wines) to stay in the winery’s guesthouse. While day 2 involved a great deal of road time, day 3 of our Hungarian wines tour with Hungarianwines.eu would see us in just this one location.
Map courtesy of Hungarianwines.eu
Villány
Due to its location in the south of Hungary, near the Croatian border, Villány (pronounced vie-añ) is the country’s red wine strong hold. And not just any red wine. This is Cab country. No, not Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc.
Not only is Villány Hungary’s southernmost wine region, it’s also the one that receives the most hours of sunshine every year. The south-facing slopes of the Villány Hills stretch across two districts: Villány and Siklós. A sub-Mediterranean climate with early springs, hot hot summers, and mild winters gives the region a long growing season. Dolomite and limestone form the base here with top soils of lime-rich, fertile clay loess; red clay; and brown forest soils.
Cab Franc may be king here, but it does not sit alone on these hills. Villány is known for its powerful Bordeaux blends which means Cab Franc is joined in the vineyards by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Villány is also Portugieser’s stronghold in Hungary. Kadarka and Kékfrankos also claim some vineyard space as do Blauburger, Menoire, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Zweigelt.
And while this is red wine country, there are still some white wines produced. In fact, while the overall plantings may be smaller than black grapes, there is a larger variety of white grapes. Olaszrizling and Hárslevelű dominate white grape plantings but make room for Chardonnay, Cserszegi Fűszeres, Irsai Olivér, Királyleányka, Muscat Ottonel, Müller-Thurgau, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sárga Muskotály, Sauvignon Blanc, Traminer, Zengő, Zenit, and Zöldveltelini.
Máriagyűd Pilgrimage
The morning of day 3 dawned and, after a wonderful breakfast prepared by two of our group, we all piled into a van for a ‘cultural activity’. The cultural activity turned out to be a visit to Máriagyűd, a minor basilica from the Pécs diocese. This Catholic girl loves a church visit and even more so when I learned that Máriagyűd is a pilgrimage site as the Blessed Virgin appeared to two villagers here. I had never heard of this particular apparition.
The church’s history goes back quite far. Benedictines built the original chapel in 1006, although I believe Franciscans have since taken over. The building itself has changed quite a lot over the centuries as buildings do. It survived the Ottoman invasion, then the Serbians got in on the invasion action here which is where Our Lady enters the story. Literally. The story goes that she appeared to two villagers to ask that the church be given back to the Catholics which was done in 1687. Since then, a number of cures and other miracles have been attributed to the church.
I’ve been on several deliberate religious pilgrimages but never had I had one coincidentally spring on me! So that was pretty awesome.
Gere Attila Pincészete
Next, we were off to one of the vineyards belonging to Gere Attila Pincészete. I was onboard for this visit for the name of the winery alone. I’ve known a few Attilas over the years and am tickled by it every time. Gere Attila Pincészet also markets itself as A. Gere. From one of the other competition winners, I learned that “a” means “the” in Hungarian. Gere Attila Pincészet is not the only winery in Hungary owned by someone with the family name Gere, so by calling themselves A. Gere, they’re cleverly using the initial from Attila to also indicate their wine is “The” Gere wine!
Now in its seventh generation, this longstanding family winery farms organically and ferments its wines with locally selected, indigenous yeast strains to further draw out expressions of terroir. The winery has some 75 hectares on which they grow Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Portugieser, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Medoc Noir, Tempranillo, Kékfrankos, and Fekete Járdovány.
Frici and Frici Rosé, 2020
Frici is A. Gere’s carbonated sparkling wine. The white blends together three grapes: Királyleányka, Muscat Ottonel, and Sauvignon Blanc. The resulting wine has low alcohol at just 11.5% abv and a lightly frizzante-style sparkle. Pretty, green-flecked straw color in the glass with lively bubbles. Ripe tropical fruits, splashes of key lime, and a distinctive Muscat grapeyness on the nose. Charmingly fizzy and lively on the palate with citrus, tropical fruit, and juicy peach.
The rosé version of the Frici (also made via carbonation) blends Medoc Noir, Merlot, and Kékfrankos. Similarly finished with 11.5% abv and cheerful fizz. Red fruits and flowers on the nose with cherry-berry flavors and a crisp acidity.
Both nice apéritif wines.
A. Gere Olaszrizling, 2020
While in the vineyard we also tasted a 100% Olaszrizling. Unoaked and finished with 12% abv. The wine poured a bright straw with fruity orchard aromas. Lots of green apple, peach, and orchard grasses leading to similar flavors on the palate with a splash of lemon. Round with a streak of acidity to keep it balanced.
Gere Schubert Czerszegi Fűszeres, 2020
In 2007, A. Gere launched a new project to feature a different side of Villány. The Gere Schubert project produces fresh, and easy, mainly white and rosé wines to balance the region’s otherwise full-bodied red reputation. One such grape vinified under this label is the native Czerszegi Fűszeres. Which is as much of a mouthful to pronounce as it looks! My new friends had fun withholding wine from me until I could actually say it!
The Gere Schubert Czerszegi Fűszeres was most definitely easier to drink than to say. Stone fruits, tropical fruits, and flowers filled the nose with lively acidity, ripe peach and mango flavors, and a hint of grapefruit on the palate.
A little strange that I started this post talking about how Villány is the big red region for Hungary…then gave notes only for white wines! Stay tuned for the next post all about Villány Cab Franc!