Nouveau time – Bock Portagéza 2023

The best Hungarian nouveau wine I believe I’ve ever tasted. Not by miles and it’s a tiny competition, yet it’s still a real achievement.

Portugieser doesn’t often gets this good. Purple fruited, savoury and varietally correct. Great intensity and freshness, but it’s ripe at the same time. Hardly medium-bodied, effortless, almost pinot-like in structure. It has finesse and purity, and the balance is pitch-perfect. 87 points. Great value, too (2300 HUF, stockist is selection.hu). Drink now – 2026. I just opened a 2022 (also released as a nouveau) which is as good as it was on release – this isn’t a wine that declines after a few months.