I quite like what the Bock crew brings out from Hungary’s native kadarka grape. With just a touch of oak this fragile variety becomes a bit more serious, yet does not lose its charm – being light and so drinkable.
90points+
Four dry furmints from Hungary
Hungarian dry furmint can be challenging sometimes. We got a reminder of that in November, when our small wine club sat together to open a bunch of white wines (I only collected the furmints here). The most expensive turned out to be the least loved, and sadly no one was even surprised…
Outstanding blaufrankisch: Dorli Muhr Prellenkirchen Samt&Seide 2021
I’m not a fan of the 2021 vintage in Hungary, but interestingly it’s a completely different story for Dorli Muhr, just outside the country border. Its her best so far I was told, and when she presented a mini-vertical of her Prellenkirchen Samt&Seide a year ago in Budapest, it was indeed the 2021 which impressed me the most. Continue reading
Telmo Rodriguez Gaba Mencia 2020
A nice example of mencia. I expect a wine made by Telmo Rodriguez to be pure and this one does not disappoint. Highly recommended!
My favourite wines: Tyrrell’s Semillon 2023
Hunter Valley semillon is a unique white wine style (although Australian riesling is similarly built one could argue) and while not widely available in Europe, it’s really worth seeking out. Start with this one from Tyrrell’s – it’s one of my favourite whites consumed in the last few months. Continue reading
Amazing supermarket Tokaji: Royal Tokaji Late Harvest 2017
This widely distributed, big production sweet tokaji has been on the market for around two decades, and while I liked the early vintages, I missed the last ten vintages or so. What about the current release? It’s not just good, but actually great! An amazing sweet wine for 9 euros!
Three affordable ports
Vintage ports are crazy expensive these days, but it’s not hard to find value in other styles. Or is it just a result of a great vintage (2017)?
High-end grüner veltliner: Veyder-Malberg Hochrain 2021
A real beauty. A fantastic grüner veltliner.
Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, an excellent champagne
Happy New Year! This champagne was opened last night at a tasting with my friends, and we loved it – if you are lucky (or rich) enough then you will probably have this in your glass while saying goodbye to 2023 tonight. It’s quite a pricey one, not surprisingly.
Top notch kadarka: Heimann & Fiai 2022
The Heimann family did it again. An outstanding kadarka, great successor to the amazing 2021 – and one of the most exciting Hungarian red wines out there.