Discover Hungarian Wine is a project that we’ve been working on for over two years. Exotic Wine Travel is proud to announce that our fourth wine book is now available for pre-order on Kickstarter. We will need to reach our funding goal in order to bring this book to life.

Hungarian wine is one of the best-kept secrets in the world of wine. By backing our Kickstarter, you have the power to help us illuminate the mysterious and beautiful world of Hungarian wine. 

Hungary remains one of the last traditional European wine-producing countries yet to be fully appreciated internationally. It has a rich history with a wealth of indigenous varieties and wine styles that deserve to be better known.

 – John Szabo, Master Sommelier and author of Volcanic Wines: Salt, Grit, and Power.

Hungarian Wine & Exotic Wine Travel

A few years ago, Charine and I did a pair of masterclasses back to back that changed our lives. The first was 2010 Bordeaux (left bank, 3rd – 5th growths) with the next featuring Villányi Franc from Hungary. Villány is Hungary’s premier region for Bordeaux blends and varietal Cabernet Franc. The highest quality examples are allowed to be named Villányi Franc. 

We were blown away by the quality of the wines in the second class. They stood toe to toe with the 2010 Bordeauxs. At that point, we made a pact to ourselves to explore the wines of Hungary in depth. Over the next two years, we would visit the wine regions of Hungary. In between 2017-now, we’ve spent six months in the country tasting wines and visiting producers nonstop. 

The quality of Hungarian wines continues to blow our minds. The country is famous for the sweet wines of Tokaj which can be ravishing, but there’s so much more than that. There are special wine styles that have persisted throughout the years, even through the Communism era. We are blown away by the barrel-fermented, mineral-driven wines of Somló. It’s a region that sits on a small extinct volcano (topped by a castle) with no paved roads. 

We suggested a Somlói wine to our friend (a serious Burgundy collector) and he wrote back saying, “this is the most complex 15 Euro wine I’ve had in my life”. 

Other styles have improved drastically, like the traditional Bikavér (Bull’s Blood) blend from Egér and Szekszárd. It’s a wine whose reputation was diminished greatly in the communist era. Now there are ambitious and well-crafted examples that some people might call a red Burgundy if tasted blind (we’ve witnessed it first hand). 

One of the most exciting styles for us is Tokaji Szamorodni Szaraz (Dry). It’s a high acid, barrel-aged wine with botrytized berries. It’s fermented dry and aged under the Flor, a la Sherry. When dry Tokaji wines started to become popular, this style started dying off because of the difficulty to make it (and the cost). Now it’s having somewhat of a renaissance thanks to producers like Frenchman Samuel Tinon. 

Hungarian wines are of outstanding quality and are strikingly original. Hungary is located in between 45-49 degrees north, allowing for true cool climate viticulture. In a world where alcohol levels are rising, local winemakers are finding beautiful flavors at 11.5-13% of alcohol. We are well-schooled in the wines of Eastern Europe and feel like the overall quality is highest in Hungary and Slovenia, with Croatia continually edging closer. 

It has become our mission to inform people of exciting wines being made in unheralded corners of the wine world. We believe people need to know about Hungarian wines. Because of this, we are launching a Kickstarter for our fourth wine book Discover Hungarian Wine: A Visitor-Friendly Guide. It’s meant to be a practical guide to the mysterious world of Hungarian wine. The book also has contributions by local experts like Ercsey Dániel and Győrffy Zoltán, in addition to Master of Wine Elizabeth Gabay, Master Sommelier John Szabo, and more.

We were not commissioned to do this book, it is 100% independently funded, like all of our other books. The research and writing of our book are about 50% done. We will be spending another six months in Hungary in 2020 to finish the research and writing before going to print. That’s why we are launching this Kickstarter, which gives people an opportunity to reserve a special edition, signed copy, along with some other goodies. 

I hope this guide would be useful to those who enjoy our work. You can take a look at our campaign below – complete with videos. Thanks again for letting Exotic Wine Travel be a part of your lives, it’s something that we treasure and is a responsibility that we take seriously. 

Please take a few minutes to look at our Kickstarter and feel free to back it and it with your family and friends. Hungarian wines are phenomenal and need more attention, but it will take all of us.

Discover Hungarian Wine: A Visitor-Friendly Guide

Take a look at our Kickstarter campaign for an opportunity to reserve a special edition, signed copy. We have a number of exciting rewards including.

• A pairing dinner with us in Budapest, complete with unique, hard to find vintages.
• A day trip with us exploring Tokaj.
• An opportunity to have us present at your company or tasting group.
• And more!

Back the Kickstarter campaign today and scoop up your reward, supplies are limited.

What Other Wine Professionals Are Saying

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Thank you to the Hungarian Tourism Agency who provided the photos in this article. Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are unsolicited and have not been paid for in any way by governmental bodies, enterprises, or individuals. We do not sell editorial content as that would destroy the legitimacy of our reviews and the trust between Exotic Wine Travel and its readers. On occasion, we extend the option of purchasing the wines we review or/and the products we spotlight. Some of these product links are set up through affiliate programs, which means Exotic Wine Travel gets referral credits if you choose to purchase these items via the links we provide.

The post Discover Hungarian Wine on Kickstarter appeared first on Wine Travel.

Charine and I are huge fans of Hungarian wines and jump at every opportunity to return to the country and taste. So when hungarianwines.eu invited me to attend their 4-day study trip for the second year in a row, I immediately said yes.

The trip included stops in the Hungarian wine regions of Egér, Hajós-Baja, Mór, and Balaton. The trip consisted of visits with producers, winemaker dinners, and organized tastings. I attended the trip with guests from Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Spain.

As expected, the quality of Hungarian wines I tasted on the trip were very good. This is a country with a long history of wine production and it’s unfortunate the world doesn’t know more about these wines. I feel there are several good reasons for that. First is the fact that the Hungarian language is incredibly difficult to grasp. To the consumer, Hungarian wine labels might as well be written in Martian.

In my opinion, the second reason is the overall mindset when it comes to marketing. Hungarians are proud people, as they should be. For decades, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was one of the largest and most powerful nations in Europe. It seems to me that many Hungarians feel too proud to market their wines or seek help. This is unfortunate because it deprives the wine consumer of experiencing fantastic and unique wines.

Despite these two factors, I am optimistic that Hungarian wines can breakthrough. Hungary is home to Tokaj, which produces some of the world’s greatest sweet wine and the quality of the dry wines is equally impressive. There is a wide range of styles from the rich reds of Villány and Szekszárd to the mineral-driven whites of Somló.

Charine and I continue to be the biggest cheerleaders of Hungarian wine. Overall, the quality of wine production in Hungary is among the highest in Eastern Europe. It should be a matter of time before the rest of the wine world shares our sentiment.

Here are the Hungarian wines that stood out the most during my four days back in the country.

Exotic Wine Travel’s Picks:

You can find out more about our scoring system on the WINE RATING page.

• Juliet Victor, Tokaji Édes Szamorodni 2017 – Tokaj-Hegyalja 

Juliet Victor is a new producer in Tokaj and this is their only sweet wine so far (they will be releasing a Tokaji Aszú in the future). Szamorodni is a unique style of sweet wine usually only sold in Hungary. The Juliet Victor Tokaji Édes Szamorodni is a blend Furmint, Hárslevelü, and Yellow Muscat. It has rich notes of sweet peach, white flowers, mineral, and lemon. It’s full and concentrated with a high level of residual sugar for a sweet Szamorodni (189 g/L). This needs to lay down in the cellar for a few more years to show its best. Score: 92/100

• Toth Ferenc, Egri Bikavér Grand Superior 2016 – Egér

The Toth Ferenc Egri Bikavér Grand Superior 2016 is the most impressive wine I’ve ever tasted from this winery. This Egri Bull’s Blood is a blend of Kékfrankos (Blaufränkisch), Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir. It has notes of sour cherry, graphite, pepper, and stemmy. Aged for 15 months in the barrel. This plays on the lighter and stemmier side of red. It’s a medium-bodied red, the tannins are a little unripe, but overall this is a solid effort. Score: 90/100

• St. Andrea, ‘Boldogságos’ Egri Csillag Grand Superior 2018 – Egér

Egri Csillag translates to the “Star of Eger”. The St. Andrea Boldogságos isn’t the winery’s top Egri Csillag but it delicious and well made. This is a single vineyard wine with Olaszrizling, Pinot Gris, Hárslevelü, Furmint, Sauvignon Blanc and this vintage has a touch of Viognier in it. The latter grape adds some floral notes in addition to the flavors of white peach, lemon, and yogurt. It’s full-bodied and rich white with a grassy, spiciness to it. This is a baby now but will round out beautifully with some age. Score: 90/100

*For a step up in complexity we highly recommend their Örökké and Maria Egri Csillags.

Find or buy on Wine-Searcher.

• Thummerer, Egri Csillag Grand Superior 2015 – Egér

The Thummerer Egri Csillage Grand Superior is one of the best wines I’ve tasted from this particular estate. It’s a partially barrel-fermented white blend of Chardonnay, Olaszrizling, Királyleányka, Leányka, and Traminer. The Chardonnay really dominates here. This is ripe and big with notes of white peach, melon, yogurt, and a touch of grass. Score: 91/100

• Bolyki, Egri Bikavér 2016 – Egér

There were many good Egri Bikavérs at the tasting including Gál Tibor, St. Andrea, Kovacs Nimrod and others but the Bolyki Egri Bikavér stood out for its great value. This is found under 10 Euros in Hungary and is exported. This unfiltered wine is a blend of Kékfrankos, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Zweigelt, and Pinot Noir. It has a rich nose with flavors of blueberry, cherry, earth, and a touch of pepper. This is a medium-bodied red with juicy acidity and soft tannins. Score: 89/100

Find or buy on Wine-Searcher.

• Koch, Premium Kadarka 2017 – Hajós-Baja

Don’t let the score fool you, the Koch Premium Kadarka is a fantastic wine that can be found for under 5 Euros in Hungary. It has notes of strawberry, pepper, and earth. The finish is earthy and spicy. Another excellent vintage of this wine, which we buy often when in Hungary. Fantastic fruit for an inexpensive wine. Score: 88/100

Find or buy on Wine-Searcher.

• Koch, Vin Art Csanád Villányi Cuvée 2012 – Villány

Koch also produces several reserve wines including the Vin Art Csanád Villányi Cuvée which is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon aged in oak for at least 18 months. This has a pretty nose with black cherry, violets, tobacco, cedar, and toast. Full in body with chalky tannins and a long finish. Score: 91/100 

Find or buy on Wine-Searcher.

• Kristinus, Kékfrankos Selection 2017 – Balatonboglár

The Kristinus Kékfrankos Selection is aged in oak for 14 months. It has notes of crunchy red fruit, fall leaves, pepper, and cedar. The wine is medium-bodied and silky on the mid-palate with a spicy finish. This is never overburdened by the oak and is food-friendly. Score: 91/100

• TR, Tokaji Dry Furmint 2017 – Tokaj-Hegyalja

The prices of dry Tokaji continues to rise, which makes the TR Tokaji Dry Furmint so appealing. TR is a young winery located in the village of Tállya. This wine has everything that I want in a dry Furmint, white pear flavors with intense mineral notes, combined with fiery acidity. Some of this wine was barrel-aged which builds up the body. For a wine that retails at around 10 Euros in Hungary, this is a steal. Score: 90/100

Find or buy on Wine-Searcher.

• Tornai, Top Selection Grófi Hárslevelü 2017 – Somló

Tornai is one of the big names in the tiny, volcanic region of Somló. The Tornai Top Selection Grófi Hárslevelü is in the top range of their portfolio. This is barrel fermented and half-dry with flavors of yellow peach, mineral, smoke, and white pepper. Like many wines from Somló, this is full-bodied with mineral notes and a powerful, long finish. The high acidity makes this feel like a completely dry wine. Score: 92/100

Find or buy on Wine-Searcher.

• Teleki, Villányi Franc ‘Kopar’ 2015 – Villány

Teleki is one of the oldest and largest producers in Villány, a red wine-producing region in the south of Hungary. The region is known for Cabernet Franc. The Teleki Villaányi Franc ‘Kopar’ is 100% Cabernet Franc from the esteemed Kopar vineyard. The wine has the typical notes of the grape, black cherry, olive, and capsicum with a touch of wood. It’s a full-bodied and dense Cabernet Franc with firm, but not overly drying tannins. Score: 90/100

• Csetvei, EA 2018 – Mór

Csetvei is a young producer in the tiny region of Mór. They specialize in the grape Ezerjo. The Csetvei EA (Ezerjo Amphora) is fermented and kept in amphora for 5 months without the skins. This is a clean and well-done amphora wine with notes of dried pear and pineapple. The wine is rich and chewy with a salty, complex finish. This is a producer we will be keeping our eyes on. Score: 92+/100

Find or buy on Wine-Searcher.

• Jackfall, Grand 2012 – Villány

Jackfall is a small producer in Villány and their Grand is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s rich with notes of graphite, black cherry, tobacco, capsicum. This is full-bodied with many layers of texture and Bordeaux-like flavors. The long finish is guided by chewy tannins. Score: 93/100

Find or buy on Wine-Searcher.

• Heimann, Barbar 2016 – Szekszárd

Heimann is one of the big names in Szekszárd and this is their flagship wine. The Heimann Barbar is made from Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Tannat, and Kékfrankos. It has notes of capsicum, black cherry, chocolate, green herbs, and tobacco. This is full-bodied and rich with smooth, ripe tannins. Score: 91/100

Find or buy on Wine-Searcher.

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Thank you to hungarianwines.eu who provided accommodation and meals during my four days in Hungary. Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are unsolicited and have not been paid for in any way by governmental bodies, enterprises, or individuals. We do not sell editorial content as that would destroy the legitimacy of our reviews and the trust between Exotic Wine Travel and its readers. On occasion, we extend the option of purchasing the wines we review or/and the products we spotlight. Some of these product links are set up through affiliate programs, which means Exotic Wine Travel gets referral credits if you choose to purchase these items via the links we provide.

The post Hungarian Wines Revisited appeared first on Wine Travel.

During our first trip through the wine regions of Hungary, we missed the Szekszárd region. It was a place that we wanted to see dearly. All of the Szekszárd wines we tasted prior to visiting impressed us, peeking our curiosity. After a two-week tour through Slovakia, we returned to Hungary for some unfinished business.

Szekszárd is a small region in southern Hungary. It has the reputation of producing top-notch, spicy red Hungarian wines. Szekszárd is 70 kilometers north of Hungary’s other great red wine region, Villány, where Bordeaux varieties take center stage. In Szekszárd, Bordeaux varieties flourish too. However, there is a push from producers to focus on softer red wines made from Kékfrankos and Kadarka.

The town of Szekszárd sits in a north-south chain of rolling hills. Looking east of town, the views are expansive. The great plains extend east and south of Szekszárd. The hills allow for good drainage while hot air from the plains aid in helping to ripen the wine grapes. The hills reach 200 meters in height in some places and contain mostly loess soil.

The Direction of Szekszárd Wine

“The problem in Szekszárd is that all red grapes do well,” Adras Takler of Takler winery told us.

Many of the wineries in Szekszárd want to move toward marketing the region as an elegant red wine area. The fact that Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon does so well in the microclimate of the region, that it’s tough to just forget them. Couple that with the fact that there is still a fairly strong local market for big, luscious, and higher priced red wines.

Through our few days of touring the region, we tasted several excellent Hungarian wines made from international red grapes. However, many producers are putting their focus on producing elegant reds from the local grapes Kékfrankos (known internationally as Blaufränkisch) and Kadarka. Many of the producers we visited still make at least one big red wine from international grapes.

The Szekszárd Bottle

In the Fall of 2017, the region introduced a branded bottle – the Szekszárd bottle. The bottle is meant to brand the region and show a mark of quality, giving consumers confidence. A local committee blind tastes wines that wish to be packaged in the Szekszárd bottle. Two-thirds of the committee has to approve a wine for it to don the Szekszárd bottles.

Photo Courtesy of WineSofa

The bottle is beautiful and is a hybrid shape, in between a Bordeaux and Burgundy bottle. It also has the word Szekszárd embossed around the lower shoulders of the bottle. It’s a bottle that looks attractive and has won us over. All of the wines we have tasted out of the Szekszárd bottle have been very good to outstanding.

We came away very impressed with the quality of Szekszárd wine. In the video below, you can see what the region looks like and hear some of our thoughts (~9 mins).

Exotic Wine Travel’s Picks

(You can find out more about our scoring system on the START HERE page.)

• Heimann Céh Kereszt Kadarka 2016

Aged in a combination of barriques and large casks, the Heimann Céh Kereszt Kadarka is made from a top selection of Kadarka clones. Light in color with strawberry, red cherry, and white pepper flavors. Medium bodied red with the gorgeous mouthfeel and a slightly spicy finish. It’s not extremely elegant, but that is what makes it charming. A juicy and delicious, lighter style red wine.  4.2/5

• Heimann Alte Reben Kékfrankos 2013

The Heimann Alte Reben Keékfrankos is made with fruit from old vines. It has a brilliant nose of cherry, mineral, fall leaves, and pepper – almost like Sangiovese. It is medium bodied with a good balance between fruit and earth. The wine has sandy tannins and a long finish, it’s coming along beautifully and still has a lot of life ahead of it.    4.3/5

• Sebestyén Iván-Völgyi Bikavér 2015

A blend of Kékfrankos, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Kadarka aged in oak for 15 months. The Sebestyén Iván-Völgyi Bikavér is masterfully crafted elegant wine. It’s full of delicate red fruit, earth, graphite, and mineral notes. It’s medium-bodied on the palate and it feels very silky in the mouth. The tannins are easy going and the wine has many layers of flavors.   

This is a Hungarian wine that could be confused with a Village level red Burgundy… Seriously.  4.3/5

A post shared by Exotic Wine Travel (@exoticwinetravel) on Dec 13, 2017 at 2:30am PST

• Takler Kékfrankos 2016

For a simple, entry-level red wine, the Takler Kékfrankos over-delivers in a big way. It’s not made to be a fine wine but it’s flat-out delicious. Juicy and delicious with red fruit, menthol, and fall leaves. It’s a light bodied and easy to drink Hungarian wine.    3.8/5

• Takler Bikavér Reserve 2015

This is a blend of Kékfrankos, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Kadarka. The Takler Bikavér Reserve is aged for 12 months in used oak barrels. Black cherry, eucalyptus, spice, fall leaves, and ripe strawberry flavors dominate the palate. Medium bodied and juicy, it’s enjoyable to drink and complex at the same. It has a slightly spicy finish. We’ve had a few older vintages of this and can confidently say this wine ages gracefully in the medium term.    4.2/5

• Takler Syrah Premium 2012

Aged for 16 months in new French Oak with flavors of bacon fat, blackberry, chocolate, blueberry, and spice. Big and luscious, the Takler Syrah Premium is round on the mouth. A massive and fruity effort with high alcohol but it works here. The finish is long and citrus driven, it has a long life ahead of it.    4.4/5

• Vida Szekszárdi Bikavér 2014

This Hungarian wine is based on Kékfrankos with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Kadarka. It is aged for two years in big barrel. The Vida Szekszárdi Bikavér has flavors of light red fruit, pepper, and earth. This is medium bodied, juicy, delicious red wine. The tannins are easy going and this is a good balance between fruit and earth. With a medium, spicy finish this is beautifully crafted.    4.2/5

• Vida La Vida 2013

The Vida La Vida is 90% Merlot and the remaining blend is Cabernet Sauvignon and Kadarka. It’s aged for 21 months in 500L oak and 6 months in stainless steel. Flavors include black plum, rubber, graphite, black cherry, and earth. Elegant and structured on the palate, it’s controlled and not huge. The tannins are firm and it needs more time in the bottle. It’s a beautiful wine with a long finish.    4.3/5

Thanks to Piroska Koltai of Wine a’More Travel and Daniel Ercsey of WineSofa for organizing our visit. Additional thanks to Takler Wine Estate for providing one night of accommodation. Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are unsolicited and have not been paid for in any way by governmental bodies, enterprises, or individuals. We do not sell editorial content as that would destroy the legitimacy of our reviews and the trust between Exotic Wine Travel and its readers.

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