The Hungarian Girl » Wine

The legend of Bull’s Blood

The Hungarian Girl — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 01:00:15 +0000

Women of Eger by Bertalan Székely. The painting depicts the defence of the fortress, especially by the womenfolk.

There are a lot of legends about wine. Of the more strange and unusual is the parallel with bull’s blood.

Bull’s blood also known locally as “Egri Bikavér” is a potent, dry red wine that is from the Eger wine region in northern Hungary. It is reputed to have earned its name from the 16th-century invasion by Ottoman ruler Suleiman the Magnificent.

During the invasion, Suleiman the Magnificent and his army of Turks attempted to siege of the Castle of Eger. The defending Hungarians, led by Captain István Dobó , were largely outnumbered by the evaders and the situation appeared dim. To build their strength the soldiers drank the wines from the cellars, spilling the red wine over their beards and armor turning it into the color of blood. As they continued their valiant fight, word spread among the Turks that the Hungarians were drinking the blood of bulls to make them strong. Eventually, the Turks gave up, and the victory at Eger was credited with dramatically reducing the threat of Ottoman expansion into northern and western Europe.

Though it’s likelier that the name Bull’s Blood didn’t begin to be used until much later or until it was coined by poet János Garay in the mid-1800s, the legend emphasizes the enduring tradition of Egri Bikavér and its importance to the region. Today, Egri Bikavér is still produced and is very popular especially to those who seek it for the mystique of magical power as it suggests.

Interview with Gergely Somogyi from The Tokaji Journal

The Hungarian Girl — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:21:32 +0000

The Tokaji Journal, is the first digital magazine of its kind that focuses exclusively on Tokaji wines.

Launched in September, “The Tokaji Journal“, is a new digital wine magazine that focuses exclusively on the wines of Tokaj, both dry and sweet. The magazine’s aim is to provide the latest news, trends, and information about these unique wines to an English-speaking audience worldwide.

Editor Gergely Somogyi shares with us his inspiration for launching the magazine.

Why did you decide to focus your magazine exclusively on Tokaji wines as opposed to Hungarian wines in general?

We are convinced that the Tokaj region and its wines are special enough to deserve focussed, regular coverage in a topical magazine. I have been asked the question whether Tokaj can supply enough stories to fill six issues of a magazine year after year. I know it can. There are not only hundreds of vineyard sites waiting to be described in Terroir Close-Up, one of our regular features, or wineries to be featured in Winery Profile, or wine-makers in The Wine Artisan, but also a lot to tell about the special grape varieties and styles of wine specific to the region. Every issue gives a deep insight into one particular topic. I consider this to be nothing but a sort of spinoff from my twelve-year-long career in translation and interpreting. It is intended to be a reliable interpreter of what made, and still makes, this wine region one of the world’s greatest.

What can readers expect from your magazine?

A better understanding of the wines, grape varieties, geography, history, as well as the people and the terroir of Tokaj. The inspiration for me to start this came in a large part from annoyance over the numerous inaccuracies and misinformation I had encountered when reading about Tokaj in English. We attach great importance to thorough research to confirm the accuracy of information published in the magazine. The digital nature of the magazine allows audio clips to be attached to all key Hungarian terms for readers to click on and listen to the correct pronunciation of each. We are unaffiliated with any winery or other business or organisation in the region, which ensures an independent stance and an unbiased approach. We do love this region and operate under the vision of returning it to its former glory.

There are many other wine regions in the world that produce sweet wines. How does Tokaji Aszú compare?

Tokaji Aszú is a natural sweet wine made using botrytised grapes but this alone would not make it unique, though. Its speciality lies in an over-400-year-old method of macerating botrytis-shrivelled berries in a base wine or “base must” to achieve a specific degree of sweetness. Aszú wines are aged for a minimum of three years, two of which must be in wood. But even if you copied the method, you could not make the same wines elsewhere without the special local grape varieties that have perfectly adapted to the singular Tokaj terroir, and provide, among other characteristics, the acidity to balance the sweetness – that’s why a well-made Aszú is never cloyingly sweet. In addition, Aszús recieve awards and trophies at nearly all international wine competitions they are entered for. Tokaji Aszú is a category in its own right.

Do you think Tokaji wines are becoming more popular?

They definitely are, which I believe is mainly due to the fact that Tokaj is by no means just about sweet wines. In the past decade, there has been an upswing in the production of dry Tokaji wines, for which demand is continuously rising. I have recently talked about this to Sarolta Bárdos, one of Tokaj’s most gifted winemakers and owner of Tokaj Nobilis, a small, family-run winery which is going to be featured in Winery Profile in the November/December issue. She informed me that dry wines had, for a while, been the key growth driver for her business, while sweet wine sales remained stagnant. Today, she produces as much sweet wine as dry wine, but she believes the balance is going to tip towards dry ones in the near future. This trend appears to be true of many other producers in the region.

What are some of your favorite bottles of Tokaj?

Well, there are quite a few. Some bottles that come to my mind (in no particular order) are Dobogó Aszú 6 Puttonyos 2005, Bott Aszú 6 Puttonyos 2007, Szepsy’s 2009 Sweet Szamorodni, Hétszolo Muskotály Off-Dry 2010, Disznóko Hárslevelu Dry 2007, and Ábrahám Winery’s Gyertyános Furmint Dry 2009.

What to drink in Hungary

The Hungarian Girl — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:48:01 +0000

Bottles of palinka for sale at a wine shop in Budapest. Palinka is one of Hungary's most prized drinks.

Hungary has a vast array of alcoholic beverages including quality wines and beers, as well as liqueurs and brandies that are made exclusively in the country.

Here are a few suggestions of various drinks to try.

Egészségedre! (Cheers!)

Pálinka

Produced in both Hungary and Transylvania, this traditional brandy is made from various kinds of fruit such as plums, pears, apricots, mulberries or quinces. It is consumed at all hours of the day, but is particularly popular as an after work or after dinner drink. A must try!

Wine

Hungary is famous for its excellent wines. There are 22 distinct wine regions across the country which produce the full spectrum of wine styles including reds, whites, roses, and sparkling wines. Tokaji Aszu, which comes from the Tokaj region, is Hungary most famous wine and is even mentioned in the Hungarian national anthem. Other wines include full-bodied, robust reds from Villány-Siklós and Szekszárd, while Somló and Badacsony is regarded for its mineral rich whites.

Beer

Although Hungary is better known as a wine-producing country, beer has been made here for over a thousand years and the country has a significant history of commercial beer production. Top domestic brands include Arany Ászok, Kobányai (the first commercial brewery in Hungary that was established in Buda in 1845), Borsodi, Soproni and Dreher. A number of small microbreweries have also emerged in recent years.

Spritzer

Spritzer also known as fröccs in Hungarian, is a popular drink in Hungary that is mixed from wine and soda water in varying proportions. The most common is the basic classic, known as the “nagy“, or large, fröccs. This is a mix of two parts wine to one part soda water, a third of a litre in size. Fröccs is especially ideal for the summer.

Unicum

This traditional bitter liqueur has been produced by the Zwach family for over 150 years. It is a blend of 40 different herbs, based on an old secret recipe. Unicum is sold in a characteristic bomb-shaped bottle which features a golden cross on the front. Usually drunk as an apéritif, Unicum is an acquired taste.

Twenty years and still going strong

Kristian Kielmayer — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:12:50 +0000

Visitors arriving at the entrance of the Budapest International Wine Festival. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the festival which was founded by the Hungarian Viniculture Foundation in 1991.

After spending an enjoyable day at the Budapest International Wine Festival last week, I thought I would share some of my favorite moments.

Arriving in style

If you know Budapest, you know how painfully slow your journey can be through the city. I tend to walk, sometimes it’s the quickest way, but this time I decided to arrive in style by taking the funicular which links at river level from the Chain Bridge to the Buda Castle above. I bet the Ottomans would have loved to have such a transport into the castle as well!

It’s like a big family

If you work long enough in the wine business you will evidently catch up with people who you know, it’s like family, a big family and it gets bigger. My mentor and friend Robert Cey-Bert introduced me to some friends from Serbia and we had a great discussion about the wine regions of “Szerémség” (today Croatia and Serbia). Emperor Probus home town is in the area; it was thanks to him that vine growing got re-established in Pannonia. It is also the home of the Tarcal mountain (also known as Fruska Gora today) and what better way to be acquainted with this region than to try a glass of Tokaji (as Tarcal is also a town within the wine region of Tokaj). One of the wines we happen to sample was a Muscat Lunel 6 puttonyos aszú 2006 from Crown Estate. Both the base wine and the aszú berries come from 100% Muscat Lunel. It’s rather unsual to have base wine and aszú grapes made from this variety, as it’s the least planted.

Olaszrizling step-child or more

You either like it or hate the idea of Olaszrizling as a leading grape variety. Some people look at it as rather inferior, especially as it does not have the same quality as Riesling (no relationship what so ever), on the other side it’s the most planted grape variety in Hungary and it does occasionally shine and makes more than just a coughing wine. While Szekszárd is clearly a red wine region, the Olaszrizling from Bösz Adrián showed the typical characters of the Olaszrizling. Dry, slightly tangy, salty-mineral note with a citrus fruit touch of floralness in the background and in this case a bit of the less protective (oxidative) character. The Kálikövek a new winery from the northern side of Balaton had a blend of Rajnai (Riesling) and Olaszrizling (Welschriesling). The Rezeda from the 2010 vintage was delicious with ripe fruit, notes of maracuja and pineapple followed by some floral notes and a hint of cashew nuts in the background, supported by great acidity.

Meeting the wine personalities

Winemakers have opinions and that’s good. They should interpret their passion from the land on which they live and Mother Nature via their wines. Attila Németh from the NAG winery of the Mátra regions does this. He is not afraid to let the wine be as nature wants it. By this I mean, if the wine has some residual sugar, so let it be. It’s about the balance, not just individual bits and pieces of the wine. József Horváth from the Ráspi Winery at the Sopron wine region shares similar thoughts. He not only runs one of the best restaurants in the country at the Fertö Lake (near the Austrian border) but delivers quality and passion through his wines. The main focus for him is “terroir”; he really wants to know what’s possible in each unit and elevates Kékfrankos and Zweigelt into a different league.

Budapest International Wine Festival

The Hungarian Girl — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:40:21 +0000

The Budapest International Wine Festival is the largest and most prestigious wine festival in Hungary. Featuring wines from across the country and the world, the festival is a great opportunity for visitors to learn about the history of Hungarian wine making and meet renowned wine makers, while enjoying traditional Hungarian music and gastronomic delights. Several wine workshops and lectures are also held. A charity wine auction wraps up the event, with proceeds donated to the Hungarian Maltese Charity Service.

Here are some of the highlights of the festival which were taken by our photographer Gabor Ancsin.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the festival which was founded by the Hungarian Viniculture Foundation in 1991.

The festival is traditionally held at the grounds of the Buda Castle district, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

There are 220 winemakers from 15 countries with a total of 5,000 wines on exhibit.

The festival's location provides a breathtaking view over the Danube.

Wine bottles of Disznóko, a well-established winery that produces some of the country's best sweet wines.

VinAgora Tent which allows visitors the opportunity to learn about the customary methods of wine evaluation.

A bottle of Szent István's Korona Szekszárdi Bikavér, a full-bodied red wine from the Szekszárd wine region.

Vendors pouring samples of wine at the Bock winery booth.

Attila Gere, owner and winemaker of Gere Attila Pincészete located in Villány.

Vendor preparing "tócsni", which is similar to a potato pancake.

Cherry strudel "meggyes rétes", one of the many favorite foods to enjoy at the festival.

Visitors enjoying a live performance on stage.

István Pál with the Szalonna band.

The festival continues to attract more visitors each year.

Visitors enjoying a glass of wine overlooking the Danube.

Evening at the festival with the Buda Castle in the background.

Getting to know Hungarian wines

Kristian Kielmayer — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:18:45 +0000

A wine tasting event being held at the Kodolanyi János University College in Hungary.

Learning about Hungarian wines can seem pretty daunting. All those hard-to-pronounce names, obscure labels, and a rather complex classification system, would even turn the most dedicated of wine enthusiasts away.

But if you’re willing to spend some time and effort, you’ll discover a very rewarding part of the wine world.

Here are some suggestions to get you started.

Taste

It might seem obvious but there’s no better or easier way than to simply try as much Hungarian wine as you can. Hungary produces a wide range of wines including reds, whites, rosés, as well as sparkling wines. Both international and indigenous varietals are grown throughout the country. This year Hungary adopted a new wine classification system according to EU standards. Wines are now classified as either ”protected designation of origin”, “protected geographical designation of origin” or “without geographical designation of origin”. A convenient way to get Hungarian wine is to buy on the Internet. This way, you’ll have a wider selection than what you could stumble upon at your local liquor store, plus you’ll have the convenience of ordering online and having the wine bottles delivered to your home.

Attend a wine festival

Hungary has several wine festivals. The largest is the Budapest International Wine Festival which occurs annually in September at the terraces of the Buda Castle. There is also several smaller wine festivals which offer local varieties and gastronomic specialties such as the Etyek Cellar Festival, Autumn in Tokaj, and the Villány Red Wine Festival. Some wine festivals require admission tickets which can be purchased either in advance or at the door.

Visit a wine region

Hungary has 22 distinct wine regions. By far the most prestigious wine region is Tokaj-Hegyalja, where the only Tokaji is produced at the southern part of the Zemplén mountains. Somló, one of the smallest and most beautiful wine regions in Hungary, is noted for its source of traditional native varieties. In the southern part of Hungary near the Croatian border is Villany-Siklos, which produces some of the country’s best red wines. The easiest way to reach these regions is by train or car. Wineries are generally open for tastings and tours from May through October. It is best to make appointments with individual wineries ahead of time.

Enroll in a wine program

If you’re considering taking your interest in wine more seriously, you might want to enroll in a certified wine program. Hungary’s newest wine school, the Central European Wine Institute (CEWI) located in Budapest offers comprehensive courses for both locals and foreigners. Courses range from beginner to advance and some are based on the London Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) teaching system. In addition, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, has recently expanded their curriculum to include a new diploma course focused on the wines and spirits of Central Europe. The program is based in Austria with workshops held in Hungary.

Read

Although, there isn’t a significant amount of materials available especially in English, you can still find some excellent books on Hungarian wine and winemaking. “The Wines of Hungary” by Alex Liddell explores the history of Hungary’s wines, offering a full description of its grape varieties, viticulture, and winemaking techniques. If you’re interested in learning about Hungary’s sweet wines, “Tokaji: a Companion for the Bibulous Traveller” by David Copp features a comprehensive guide to the Tokaj-Hegyalja wine region, along with detailed information about its winemakers.

Blue Danube Wine Company hosts Slovenian wine tastings in the U.S.

The Hungarian Girl — Mon, 09 May 2011 23:20:41 +0000

The Blue Danube Wine Company will be hosting a series of Slovenian wine tastings with winemaker and proprietor Jean-Michel Morel in California and New York throughout this month. This will mark Morel’s first ever public appearance in the United States.

After working in numerous cellars in France (Bordeaux and Languedoc) and Italy (Collio), Morel settled down in Slovenia and met his wife Katja Kabaj.

The Kabaj family have grown vineyards in Goriska Brda for generations. Under Yugoslav Communism they, like all grape growers sold their fruit to the state. In the early 1990’s Slovenia disbanded from Yugoslavia and after decades of collective production, private wine producers were allowed to resurrect this long heralded wine region that predates the Romans. In 1993, Morel and his wife released the first wine of the estate under the family name.

Today, this kind and determined couple works tirelessly to produce wines of great distinction and quality.

In collaboration with the Blue Danube Wine Company, Morel will be presenting wines from his estate for a limited time. For more information, visit the Blue Danube Wine Company.

Introduction to Romanian wines

The Hungarian Girl — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 13:12:52 +0000

An underground winery room in Brasov, Romania. The abundance of food and fame of the Dacian wines were so well-known and tempting that, to put an end to the migratory peoples' repeated invasions, the Dacian king Burebista (1st century BC), ordered the destruction of all vineyards, as his high Priest Deceneu suggested.

Most people don’t think of Romania for wine but this Eastern European country has a long history of viticulture.

Wine was first introduced to the area by the Greeks over 3,000 years ago who arrived from the Black Sea.

According to Greek legend, the country was so rich in vineyards that it is believed that Dionysos, the god of wine, was born in Thracia, on what is now the territory of Dobrogea.

In the middle ages, wine production developed thanks to the Saxons who brought different varieties of Germanic grapes to Romania.

As member of the European Union since 2007, the country now aims to produce top quality wines.

There are many different types of wines in Romania ranging from dry, sparkling whites to rich, aromatic, purplish reds. Local grape varieties include the Feteasca Neagra (Black Maiden), Feteasca Alba (White Maiden) and Feteasca Regala (Royal Maiden). Romanina also produces international varieties such as Riesling, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Muscat Ottonel.

The main wine regions are to be found in Cotnari, Tarnave, Murfatlar, and Dealu Mare. As of 2003, Romania has become the twelfth largest wine producing nation in the world.

Hungarian wine gets royal wedding approval by wine critic Mark Oldman

The Hungarian Girl — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 08:30:36 +0000

Royal Tokaji Wine Company’s Red Label 5 puttonyos.

Drink Bravely TV launched a new webisode on Tuesday featuring a selection of “royal wines” in anticipation of the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton this Friday.

The video which is the 39th webisode in the series has internationally recognized wine personality Mark Oldman discussing eight wines fit for the historic event. Among the royally appropriate wines chosen was a bottle of Royal Tokaji Wine Company’s Red Label 5 puttonyos (Hungary, 500ml). Oldman stated, “This is the sort of dessert wine that ranks up there as the world’s best.”

Other wines selected were Elisabeth Goutorbe Brut Champagne 2005 (France), Chateau Laboure Roi Bourgogne Blanc 2008 (France), JAQK Chardonnay “Her Majesty” 2007 (California), Koyle “Royale” Cabernet Sauvignon Colchagua 2007 (Chile) ,Novy “Oley” Late Harvest Viognier 2009 (California) and Forlorn Hope “La Gitana” Torrontes 2009 (California).

To watch the video, visit Mark Oldman

Furmint February: tasting notes

Kristian Kielmayer — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 17:02:07 +0000

Furmint February Tasting at the at the Vajdahunyad Castle in Budapest. Photo courtesy of Vinoport.hu.

A few months ago I had the privilege of attending one of the largest tastings for Furmint wines in Hungary, organized by Vinoport at the Vajdahunyad Castle in Budapest.

Furmint is one the most widely grown varietals in Hungary particularly within the Tokaj-Hegyalja region. It’s also found in Austria where it is also known as Mosler. Smaller plantings are found in Slovenia where it is known as šipon. It can be produced in a variety of styles ranging from dry to sweet wines afflicted by noble rot.

One of my favorite winemakers in Hungary- the Fekete winery from the Somló region was present at the festival. Uncle Béla, the owner, as everybody calls him makes some pretty unique wines. He re-introduced the Juhfark variety and his Hárslevelü is simply delicious, especially in great vintages, a synergy with Mother Nature, terroir of the big Somló. The wines in Somló can be compared in many ways to Furmint in Tokaji but here the style is a bit more defined, universally high in acidity, slightly lower alcohol and body, perhaps with a more marked minerality as well.

Photo courtesy of Vinoport.hu.

It was also great to see many smaller and lesser known producers from the Tokaj region. Many of them I never heard of as they bottle only in small quantities including the family-owned Gizella winery which showcased their Szil Valley Furmint 2009 Tarcal. This wine is harvested from old bush vines with a medium high density (6000 vines/ha). They only produce 600 bottles. It had ripe fruit on the nose with a dry start on the palate yet the alcohol was high (14% ABV) but also balanced with some coconut and tropical fruit combination showing up in the wine with a fairly long finish.

There was also the Zöld birtok (green estate) winery and as the name suggests it’s organic which means only sulphur and copper is used in small quantities during the winemaking process. András the winemaker explained how producing organic wines can be difficult as the administrative process consumes a lot of time and money.

Another great example was Pók Tamás from Eger, who is a very knowledgeable winemaker but at the same very humble and open. His Pajados 2009 was a blend of Hárslevelü and Furmint. Although, Tamás agreed a bit more acidity would have been better to supplement the wine’s texture and body, as the Hárslevelü somewhat tempered the Furmint. Yet the wine is very young having been bottled only few weeks ago. I think a bit of aging will certainly bring it to its full potential.

There were a couple of guest producers that showed their wines as well. The Wenzel winery from Rust, Austria, had a fantastic range of Furmint wines. This estate, which is one of the oldest in town, is run by Robert and Christa Wenzel and their son Michael. I first met Robert Wenzel in Budapest during a Ruster Circle tasting where I had the honor to help out as an interpreter and taste his famous Satz. This night his son demonstrated the Furmint Vogelsang. They get several of the cuttings from Istvan Szepsy, a Hungarian winemaker from Tokaj who is regarded for his ground-breaking work in producing complex sweet wines and some of the most intense dry wines in the world.

From Slovenia, there was Mojca Gorjak. She represented very enthusiastically the Slovenian wines on that evening, being full of energy explaining not only the wines but also the wine tourism side of the country. Worth a visit! The Hlebec Milan 2007 fermented in wooden barrels with low temperature; it showed some pine raisin, wild honey, slightly oil attack on the palate, dry and with a rather medium acidity, round yet simple finish.

I would also like to give an honorable mention to the Bott Határi Furmint which showed plenty of complex notes with a great finesse and balance between acidity and fruit.

Overall, this was a fantastic tasting. I do hope this event will continue next year or perhaps extend itself to a roadshow across Hungary. There is so much to explore with Furmint which is just beginning to emerge in the global wine market. So, stay tuned!