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From summer-ready rosé to intense, opulent red, these are the vinos to try
Overlooked perhaps by the general public, but lauded by those in the know, Hungarian wine has a huge amount to offer, with a large and exciting range of wines.
Most will have heard of its signature dessert Tokaji wines – popular in the UK since the Victorian era – and the exuberant Bulls Blood red wines.
But there are so much more being produced by a new generation of Hungarian winemakers.
Many feature indigenous grapes such as kekfrankos, keknyelu, olaszrizling and kadarka.
Others have taken the country’s most versatile grape, furmint, and turned it into a world-class dry white. It’s no wonder that the country’s wines have won bucket loads of prizes at recent blind tastings.
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Now’s the time to get ahead of the curve and enjoy some of the most outstanding wines that eastern Europe can offer.
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Here’s a great chance to explore some grape varieties which may be new to you, from the kekfrankos in the rosé cuvée villany Heumann to the kadarka in the Bonsai Oregtokek and the zweigelt in the Esterhazy Etyeki Kuria.
The furmint, known for its use in sweet wines such as Oreg Kiraly Dulo sweet szamorodni, also impresses in the crisp Chateau Megyer tokaji dry furmint. But it’s the elegant, light and beautifully aromatic Archabbey Pannonhalma sauvignon blanc which takes the honours. It’s rare to find a sauvignon blanc which is as refreshing, flavoursome and exhilarating as this.
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