Hungarian Wines – A Sampler
One hundred years ago, Hungary was one of the most important wine producers in Europe. Every royal court in Europe clinked glasses filled with precious gold Tokaji (“toe-kye”) wine, while other lush Hungarian whites and reds were lauded and enjoyed throughout Europe. So why don’t we see more Hungarian wine today? Cue the aggressive assault of phylloxera in the 1880’s, two world wars, and forty years of communist collectivization and we begin to get our answer.
Fortunately, Hungary is bouncing back. Countless small estates, replanted and cultivated across the country are turning out beautiful wines–a result of traditional winemaking culture mixed with a modern sensibility. With 22 wine regions growing hundreds of varietals, the country offers a multitude of great wines to explore. So, where to start? You can get a really great overview of the country’s wines from 4 of its top regions: Eger, Tokaj, Villány and Somló.
The country is located between the 46th and 49th parallel which is actually the same latitude range as many of France’s top wine regions from Northern Rhône to Champagne. Hungary’s rolling hills are rich in volcanic soils and limestone–idyllic soil types for fine winemaking.
Eger: Eger is in the north, about 86 miles northeast of Budapest. Grapes grow natively on Eger’s rolling terrain; in fact, scientists actually identified a 30 million-year-old wine grape fossil in Eger, among the modern-day vineyards. Eger is best known for two of its native blends: the Bikaver, or “Bull’s Blood” (a red blend), and the Egri Csillag, or “Star of Eger” (a white blend).
Tokaj: Tokaj is the gold standard of the Hungarian wine regions. It is Hungary’s most famous wine region, the oldest classified wine region in the world, a Unesco World Heritage Site, and home to the world’s first noble rot wine–the sweet golden Tokaji Aszú (“toe-kye as-zoo”). Named after the village of Tokaj, the region is made up of 28 towns scattered along rolling hills and nestled between two rivers, the Tisza and the Bodrog. The rivers create a special microclimate in the area with high levels of moisture in the air, offset by wind and abundant sunshine. This creates optimal conditions for botrytized wines.
Villány: Villány is a warm region in the southernmost tip of Hungary, famous for its opulent red wines. It is 140 miles south of Budapest, near Hungary’s border with Croatia, and only about 340 miles from the Adriatic Sea. The sub-Mediterranean climate is particularly ideal for making wine, with long hot summers and mild winters. The wines here are world-class, structured and elegant, with good tannins and a balance of fruit and earth. Native grapes are grown volcanic soils, include Portugesier and Kékfrankos, but many producers focus on red Bordeaux varieties, like Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.
Nagy Somló: Nagy Somló is Hungary’s tiniest wine region, but its wines are possibly the most fascinating in Hungary. Somló is only 300 hectares (741 acres), located on an extinct volcanic butte about 90 miles west of Budapest. The bedrock is black basalt, the remnant of ancient lava flows, and above it lies a topsoil with loess, clay and sand. The unique terroir makes some of the smokiest, most fiery white wines in the world.
For centuries, people believed that the volcanic Somló wines had positive effects on everything from anemia and paralysis. In fact, legend has it that aristocrats and monarchs sent fertile women there to drink the wine, believing that the wine’s overpowering masculinity would lead them to beget a male heir.
