This is that rare case when I taste a so called natural wine and I’m not disappointed.
Photos of beautiful Rust and top producer Ernst Triebaumer
A short visit to Burgenland at the end of August. It was just a one day trip with a friend of mine, István, but we enjoyed it quite a lot. We were lucky to make an appointment with the Ernst Triebaumer winery where our friendly host Claudia showed us the cellar and many of their wines, too. They are all great in their class, and the top one, the Mariental 2019 is a candidate for the best blaufrankisch title for sure! Continue reading
Zuccardi Serie A Malbec 2020
This April I was invited to a Malbec World Day tasting in Budapest, where most of the malbecs distributed in the country were opened. The standout estate was Zuccardi for me, and this was also the first time I tasted their wines. What an exciting range of malbec! Continue reading
Itt és Most Tihanyi Kék 2021
I must mention that Itt és Most Pince‘s owner is a fellow winemaker in the same village where I also make my wine – I’m a bit hesitant to write about his wines, but this is such an important one. To my knowledge it’s only József Szentesi who has been making wine from tihanyi kék, an almost extinct Hungarian red grape. Until 2021, when Itt és Most Pince made their first harvest from their new plantings…
A wild white wine – Fehérvári Borbirtok Petit Somlo 2020
Somló is quite special among Hungarian wine regions. It’s a tiny one, focusing on white wines, which often have a distinguished character. That’s what I struggle with, and the Petit Somlo from new producer Fehérvári is a good example.
Cote Mas Syrah Grenache 2020
I loved the 2019 version of Cote Mas Syrah-Grenache, and while a bit surprising, the 2020 is again a nice bargain.
Supermarket wines – Aldi’s Csányi Villányi Shiraz 2021, a great value red
As a winelover you won’t often find a Hungarian red for 1100 HUF or 3 Euros which is worth drinking. But the Csányi Shiraz is an exception, it always delivers, and the 2021 vintage is no exception. Continue reading
A new experience – Kékhegy Nero 2020 from Mátra, Hungary
Here is a wine to widen your wine horizon. Artisanal, well made and quite unique. Can be too much for many, though… Continue reading
Time travelling – Montes Chardonnay Reserva 2020, Chile
Haven’t had a Chilean white for a while and spot this in a local shop recently. If you hope that the style has change in the last decade, well, you will be disappointed.
Barossa Shiraz done well: Kaesler Reach For The Sky 2018
Big reds were still popular when I started to explore Barossa shiraz but they were difficult to get in this part of the World (Hungary), so there are many famous producers whose wines I never tasted. Kaesler is one of them and even though the wine world has changed since then, I still love big Aussie reds, given that they are not a caricature of a wine.