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.
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Barta Anna Kadarka 2021
The Mátra wine region is the neighbour of the more famous Eger in Northern Hungary and it’s somewhat similar in soils and climate. On the other hand it’s rather known for white wines, not reds, although long time ago it was mostly planted with kadarka, which is hard to find there these days. I know only two producers who bottle that variety, one of them is Anna Barta in Nagygombos.Unicorn Hungarian white – Bakonyi Hárslevelű 2013
Unless you visit a specialist local shop in the region, I bet you won’t easily find a hárslevelű from Villány anywhere, even if you leave in Budapest. But in the old days it was commonly planted in the region. And just look at this 12 year-old example (it was lurking in the corner of my wine fridge), there is potential for the variety for sure.
Györgykovács Imre Olaszrizling 2022, Somló, Hungary
Györgykovács Imre is a Hungarian winemaker legend, famous of making tiny quantities of a few white varieties in the Somló wine region. I find his wines more balanced than many from the region and also quite restrained. This is the latest release of his olaszrizling (welschriesling) and it reminds me of the other vintages I tasted in the past, the style (and quality) is quite reliable.
Szekretár Unfiltered Kadarka 2023
The more kadarka I taste the more I like the variety. It’s like a light pinot with a distinct spicy flavour – if you are into delicate red wines, it’s a must try. This one from Szekszárd producer Szekretár is definitely one to recommend.Nouveau time: Vylyan Bogyólé 2024
Hungary’s most well-known nouveau red wine is back on form. This 2024 vintage of Bogyólé is one the best releases ever.Exemplary entry level kékfrankos (a.k.a. blaufrankisch): Béla és Bandi 2023
Hungary’s most planted red grape variety is kékfrankos (a.k.a. blaufrankisch, lemberger, frankovka etc.) but it’s really unfashionable among local consumers and it’s just the minority of the producers who take it seriously. No wonder then that generally quality isn’t good. But this example from Béla és Bandi is a true exception, it sets the benchmark for affordable kékfrankos – both stylistically and qualitatively.
Solid Hungarian rose – Konyári 2023
One of the well-known and widely distributed roses in Hungary, the Konyári is also one of the best of its class, avoiding the typical mistakes of its peers. No off-putting bubble gum aromas here. It’s also contender of the prettiest rose label in the country…
Hungarian rose: Sauska and Font
Here are two well-known rose wines that are widely available on the Hungarian market. The Font is on the cheap side, it’s about 4 EUR (sold by Lidl) and the Sauska is on the expensive side of Hungarian rose at 8 EUR.
Standout kadarka: Bock 2019
Kadarka is an indigenous red grape variety to Hungary, even though it most likely originates in the Balkans. It produces a light red wine which tends to be fairly simple, but it’s quite distinguished and has some pinot-noir-like qualities and appeal. Continue reading