Hungarian Wine Challenge – 16 to 20
Why would anyone do a wine challenge in Hungary? Surely France, Italy, Australia, South Africa or California would have been a better choice? Well, there is no denying that all those places produce examples of fine wines. But I have noticed increasingly quality is getting hard to find at an affordable price. And, let’s be honest, all the countries above don’t really need any help promoting their wines.
And then there is Hungary. A country of less than 10 million people, and producer of around 3.5 hectolitres of wine per year. Maybe because I come from a wine producing country which is trying to get onto the map (the UK) and struggling, I have a lot of empathy with Hungary. But good wine is good wine wherever it comes from. So this wine challenge is all about raising awareness of Hungarian wine. To prove we can find at least 100 good wines here.
Badacsony wine region
Anyone who has studied wine production will know how important bodied of water are in the grape growing process. If you were were to make a list features required to make good wine, on that list you would almost certainly find:
- Good slopes
- Well draining soils
- Good sunlight
- A decent length growing season to allow the grapes to fully ripen
- Cooling influences during hot spells
Well the Badacsony wine region has all of this in spades. Steep hills on volcanic soils, a lake which reflects sunlight and provides a moderating effect on the temperature, and a long growing season which allows grapes to fully ripen.
Besides producing good wines, it is a great place to visit for stunning views and has been compared to Tuscany.
So anyway, on to the next 5 wines.
Wine 16 – Valibor Szürkebarát
If you think you don’t know the Szürkebarát grape, you are likely incorrect. It is fact Pinot Gris / Pinot Grigio. As you can see from the colour of this wine, this is a more complex wine. This is made in a style I would compare to a Szamorodni. This had nutty, unripe apple, dried fruit and marzipan notes with some stone fruit and mildly tropical flavours. This had a decent finish.
To me this was a 88 point wine.
Wine 17 – Valibor Pinot Noir
I find it hard to find good Pinot Noir and a ‘typical’ Pinot Noir is usually very disappointing. Occasionally you find an example that has good fruit, and some complexity which makes the search worthwhile. This one is such an example. Red fruit dominated, medium high acidity, but complex flavours of minerality, tertiary flavours that are subtle, but developing and just enough tannin to hold it all together.
Here I would say 87 points, but don’t be fooled by the score, its a decent Pinot Noir.
Wine 18 – Fata Olaszrizling
This was a dry white wine in a simple style. Flavours of apple, hints on stone fruit and lemon / gooseberry. This was very fruit forward and had some minerality on the palette.
For me this was an 85 point wine. I would serve this on a hot summer day.
Wine 19 – Valibor Ottonel Muskotály
The wine had a sweet floral smell. The minerality was more pronounced on the palette. Pear, peach, and apple were the most prominent flavours. This was a very easy drinking wine. The slightly sweeter style than the Valibor one was a nice contrast of the versatility with which this wine can be made.
For me this was an 86 point wine.
Wine 20 – Fata Rozé
This was my kind of rosé! The dominant flavours were of red apply, with subtle oxidation which gave it a bruised apply flavour. I would say it was not a typical rosé and wasn’t as dominated by red fruits, which I quite liked. The minerality worked well here, and I think this wine would pair very well with food.
This was an 88 point wine for me.
Stay tuned for more!
I really hope you are enjoying reading about these amazing wines. I’m enjoying discovering them! Next time we check out the next five! And in the meantime, keep exploring this beautiful planet we live on, one glass at a time!