Dr. Laszlo Szabo Presents Hungarian Wines From Tokaj, Eger, & Villány

"These botrytis grapes are picked by hand as they raisin so that it may take six trips to pick the entire cluster", Hungarian Ambassador Dr. Laszlo Szabo

On Monday, November 19, 2008, the Embassy of Hungary hosted a Hungarian wine tasting featuring various wines from three major regions Tokaj, Villány, and Eger.  The Ambassador Dr. Laszlo Szabo conducted the presentation and displayed a mastery of that country's wine styles, grapes, and regions. The wines consisted of four brands each representing various styles such as the wonderful dry Furmint wines to the historic Tokaji Aszú dessert wines from Tokaj. The latter is the focus on the above quote where Dr. Szabo not only emphasized the labor-intensive harvest but also the Puttonyos system which measures the sugar intensity of the Tokaji Aszú wines. The wine brands were Orosz Gabor and Bodvin from Orosz Gabor (Tokaj), Sauska (Villány), and St. Andrea (Eger).

Tokaji Dry Furmint
In general, these wines display crisp minerality as a result of the volcanic soils both in the Tokaj region of Eastern Hungary and in the Somló region of western Hungary. The grape is sometimes blended with Hárslevelű to provide more fruit and depth and can be labeled Furmint with 30% other grape varieties. The wines to seek out from this tasting are:

• Bodvin 2016 Tokaji Furmint Dry
• Sauska 2016 Furmint Dry
• Orosz Gabor 2015 Birtok Tokaji Furmint Dry
• Orosz Gabor 2015 Nyulaszlo Tokaji Furmint Hárs Dry
• Orosz Gabor 2015 Betsek Tokaji Furmint Dry

Villány Kadarka & Cuvee
This wine region located in southwestern Hungary lies at the same degree of latitude as the northern part of Bordeaux. Mountains in the north protect the area from cold northerly winds, while the southern ranges help establish a micro-climate where the number of sunny hours is the highest in the country. Villány is known for Bordeaux, Rhone, and Burgundy grape varieties as well as a few indigenous grapes like Kékfrankos and Kadarka. The later grape variety makes lighter bodied wines with cherries and spice character as evident by the Sauska 2015 Kadarka.  Think Pinot Noir.  Sauska also produces a Bordeaux styled red blend the 2015 Villány Cuvee 7 which is aged 15 months French Oak and is a fantastic silky textured wine.

Eger Egri Bikavér
Eger is located in northeastern Hungary at the base of the Bukk Mountains. It has a cooler climate which is represented in "enhanced acidity, rich aromas, and elegant tannins". Once again volcanic soil is in play planted with multiple red and white grape varieties. These include both international and indigenous varietals such as Kékfrankos, Kadarka, and Turán -- a grape that has migrated to the Pacific Northwest and goes by Agria. And all are possible participants in the famous Egri Bikavér red wines - famous for the imagery of Hungarian soldiers fighting off the Turks at Eger Castle with their beards stained red from the Bulls Blood. Here is the trio of excellent wines from St Andrea:

• St. Andrea 2017 Akutyafáját Egri Red Cuvee (Turán, Merlot, Kékfrankos, Kadarka, Pinot Noir)
• St. Andrea 2016 Áldás Egri Bikavér (Kékfrankos 33%, Merlot 28%, Cabernet Franc 18%, Pinot Noir 11%, Syrah 4%, Cabernet Sauvignon 3%, Kadarka 2%, Turán 1%)
• St. Andrea 2016 Merengő Egri Bikavér Superior (Kékfrankos, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Pinot Noir)

Tokaj Dessert Wines
Dessert wines from Tokaji range from late harvest wines to the aforementioned Tokaji Aszú. Szamorodni is a traditional late harvest style where depending on the sugar level of the grapes, can be made Száraz (Dry) or Édes (Sweet) Szamorodni. The Bodvin 2016 Tokaji Édes Szamorodni is a nice example of the sweeter style with full apricot flavors and elevated acids to alleviate the sugar. Another late harvest option was the Orosz Gabor 2015 Tokaji Sárgamuskotály -- basically an un-botrytised late harvest Yellow Muscat. This wine exudes the familiar muscat aroma with layers of acids and salt to once again balance the sugar.

Finally, there were two true Tokaji Aszú wines made from fully botrytised individually harvested grapes. These were five and six puttonyus wines, the highest classifications, and starting with the Bodvin 2013 Tokaji Aszú 5 puttonyus. This wine was aged three years in oak and is fabulous with a deep apricot base and the inherent acidity to keep the wine fresh. The highlight of the evening was the Orosz Gabor 2007 Tokaji Aszú 6 puttonyus that according to Dr. Szabo sells at the Trump Hotel for $140 a teaspoon. The wine is still fresh after three years in barrel and eight years in the bottle and shows the result of waiting for only outstanding years to make this wine. Egészségére.

Discover Hungarian Wine at Budapest's The Tasting Table

If you are spending any time in Budapest and are slightly interested in Hungarian wine then I strongly recommend that you visit The Tasting Table. This establishment was founded by Gábor & Carolyn Bánfalvi that augments their successful Taste Hungary tour company and showcases the many Central European wines they have discovered while scouring the Hungarian countryside. In addition to wine, the venue also provides a wide range of cheese, charcuterie, jams, craft beer, and the essential Hungarian spirit: palinka.

During a recent trip to Budapest we stopped in to partake in a range of Hungarian wines styles and regions. Our host Tamas started by introducing us to three Brut sparkling wines beyond the more familiar  Törley brand. These wines were well made and delicious showcasing different wine regions and grape varieties. The Pelle Pince Tokaji Pezsgo is made using Furmint grapes grown in the far eastern Takaj region. The Rókusfalvy Birtok Nyerspezsgo is comprised of Pinot Gris and produced just west of Budapest in the white grape growing region of Eytek-Buda. And finally, the Frittmann Gold Brut is produced in the Great Plains in Hungary's largest wine region, Kunsági, where vines share space with the Hortabagy horses. This is a proprietary blend of grapes which add velvety texture to the wine's bready effervescence.

We then moved down the dry Furmint path featuring the Hétszölö Tokaji Furmint 2012 and Fuleky Tokaji Furmint 2014. The historic Tokaj region is most famous for the Tokaji Aszu dessert wines but the volcanic soils can also produce minerally driven and racy dry wines. That was particularly true with the Fuleky whereas the Hétszölö contained significantly more depth and texture for this style.

Tamas then presented a few wines creating excitement such as the Böjt Egri Bikavér 2015 and the Böjt Egri Csillag 2017. The Böjt winery is located in Eger - home to the historic Egri Bikaver once dominated by native grapes such as Kadarka and Kékfrankos but now produced with large percentages of Bordeaux varieties. The Böjt Egri Bikavér provides layers of texture as it is drawn from 25 barrels of differing size and toast. It is also predominately Kékfrankos (Blaufränkisch) blended with lesser amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zweigelt (a cross between Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent) and Blauburger (a cross between Blauer Portugieser and Blaufränkisch). The white Böjt Egri Csillag has similar depth but with creamy stone fruit and fresh acids and is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Olaszrizling (Welschriesling), Leányka and Muskotály (Muscat Ottonel). Excellent.

Szekszard is an interesting region located on the left bank of the Danube in southern Hungary just to the northeast of Villany. It is best known for producing full-bodied and spicy red wines and is one of the oldest red-wine-growing areas in Hungary as the Celts first planted grape vines. The Németh János Sygno Szekszardi Bikavér 2015 is an excellent example of a spicy full bodied red as it is a blend of Kékfrankos, Kadarka, Zweigelt, Syrah, and Cabernet Franc.Nicely done.

The highlight of our visit however was the Szaszi Birtok Badacsonyi Keknyelu 2017. This is a very small release from a producer located in one of the micro climates on the hills north of Lake Balaton. Kéknyelű is grown almost exclusively in Badacsony, translates to Blue Stick, and exudes stone fruit -- peaches and apricots -- before finishing with racy minerals and juicy acids. This wine would be so popular in the U.S.; but for now you can only get it at The Tasting Table. Cheers.

The Hungarian Wine Roadshow Crosses the U.S.

A couple weeks back I happened upon a chance tweet from @HUN_WineRoad announcing the Hungarian Wine Roadshow tour of the United States. Even better, they were stopping in at the Screwtop Wine Bar, close to home in Arlington Virginia. If you are unfamiliar with Hungarian wines, there are a couple indigenous beauties such as Furmint, Hárslevelű, Irsai Oliver, Kadarka; with German\Austria influences of Kékfrankos (Blaufrankish), Müller-Thurgau, and Olaszrizling (Welschriesling). International varieties flourish in Villány as well as Eger & Szekszárd.

When I arrived at the tasting, there were maybe 30 wines lining the table with the Roadshow's rep Martin, ready to pour. The wines ranged in retail price from $1.50 (yes, some bulk wines) to $15 for the serious brands. So affordable. There were only about five white wines, which generally reflects the composition of the Hungarian wine industry. The most interesting of these were the Figula Winery 2012 Sauvignon Blanc and the Almagyar-Érseki Vineyard 2011 Lelkifröccs White Cuvée - a blend of Leányka, Traminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Rhine Riesling, and Olaszrizling.


For the reds, I found that the Tamás Günzer Winery was the most consistent, followed by Mészáros Winery, and Polgár Winery, and . Tamás Günzer is located in Villány and their single varietal Cabernets were the highlights of the tasting - both had juicy characters with soft tannins. Their Stílus blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Kékfrankos was not bad either. Mészáros is located in Szekszárd and specializes in Kékfrankos. Their Bodzási Lemberger was the best Kékfrankos of the group, portraying the typical slightly spicy flavor with a twist of toffee. The winery's 2011 Merlot was also well received - nice acidity and cherry flavors. Polgár is also based out of Villány with their 2011 Cuvée (Syrah and Cabernet Franc) and 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon both drinkable now with their soft tannins. A couple other interesting reds were the Demeter Winery Franc de Franc, a blend of Cabernet Franc and Kékfrankos, and the Thummerer Winery 2009 Bull’s Blood Superior. This later is a blend of Kékfrankos, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot and is velvety smooth, and like the former, juicy sour cherry flavors.

The road trip continues through mid-June, so check their schedule to see if they are visiting your area: Jacksonville, New Orleans, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Napa. And if so, definitely plan to attend. Cheers.