Tüske Pince “Harmados” Kadarka 2017, Szekszárd, Hungary

How to describe Kadarka? For us Hungarians, it’s a bit like what Cinsault is to South Africans – a pale red wine with serious history, seeing a revival in recent years. We don’t know why it was so widely planted and popular, growing it is just as challenging as making solid wine from it. I have tasted a few dozens recently, and they were generally massively disappointing. The Tüske was a highlight among them, being free of flaws and a quite good representation of grape.

Pale like a Spanish rosado. Cocktail cherry nose and a typical light body (alcohol is 12.5%). The usual Kadarka-weight, but nice intensity of flavors, balanced with refreshing natural acidity. Not much tannin, as is the norm for the variety, this could even work with fish. Such a joyful drink.

Rating: good, 86 points.
Price: 7 Euros at Bortársaság, but 2017 run out, now it’s the 2018.
Value: great.
Drinking window: don’t hold, probably better to drink up before 2020.