Bock is one the most well-known names in Hungary, one that even not wine drinking people are familiar with. Big, expensive reds made them famous three decades ago, when Hungarian wine started basically from scratch (after the Communist rule, which ended in 1989), but they make lots of cheap(ish) wine for supermarkets.
villány
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.
Fun Villány red: Kiss Gábor Rouge 364 2022
Kiss Gábor is a well-known Villány producer, but he operates on a lesser scale then big names like Gere or Bock. What I tasted from him in the past did not make me a fan, but his 2022 reds are a completely different story. I liked his cabernet franc quite a lot so I bought a bottle of his entry level Rouge 364, and it’s actually almost as good its pricier brother.
Villány rose: Vylyan Kakas 2022
That’s exactly how most Hungarian roses taste like. Continue reading
Four cabernet franc from Hungary
From the Bordeaux varieties it’s cabernet franc which is the most accepted and famous in Hungary. And not just because Villány declared it as its main variety, although no other region focuses on it to this extent. I tried four recently, and I was really happy with only one of them, the Kiss Gábor; the others are not entirely convincing and some are also overpriced.
Vylyan Macska Portugieser 2022, Villány, Hungary
Great merlot from Hungary: Gere Solus 2006 from Villány
High end merlot was a thing in Hungary two decades ago, inspired by the great supertuscan examples if I’m not mistaken. Expensive big, beefy reds are
now mostly out of favor here as well, but that’s a different story. The Gere Solus was (and still is) one, if not the most coveted example of this style. And well, it’s amazing as a 16 year old wine.
Nouveau time: Vylyan Bogyólé 2020
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
Good white from Villány: Bakonyi Csavargó 2020
Villány is a red wine region but you can find good white wines. I would recommend to start with the Csavargó from Bakonyi…