Hungary, in Central Europe, has gained its reputation in the wine world through just a couple of wine styles, but for centuries it has been a wine-producing nation of considerable diversity. In addition to the Sweet wines of Tokaj and the Deep Bull's Blood of Eger, the Hungarian wine portfolio includes Dry whites from the shores of Lake Balaton, Somló and Neszmély, and finer reds from various regions, notably Villány, Sopron and Szekszard.
Hungarian wine culture stretches back to Roman times and has survived numerous political, religious and economic challenges, including Islamic rule during the 16th Century (when Alcohol was prohibited) and the Phylloxera epidemic of the late 1800s.
The modern Hungarian wine regions are distributed around the country.
Sopron, in the north-west, is separated from Tokaj, in the north-east, by 370 kilometers (230 miles) and from Hajós-Baja in the South by about two-thirds of that distance.
Between these key areas lie the country's 22 official wine regions, each of which have their own particular blend of culture, history, Terroir and wine style. The quantity-driven vineyards of the southern plains, for example, are quite distinct from the lakeside vineyards of the west and the foothills of the north-east.
The eastern side of Hungary is Wrapped by the Carpathian Mountains, which have a considerable impact on the local climate, protecting the land from the cold winds that would otherwise blow in from across Poland and western Ukraine.
The generally continental climate is also moderated by lakes Balaton and Neusiedl, allowing for a longer, more temperate growing season.
The most important wine grapes currently grown in Hungary's vineyards are a mixture of traditional, regional varieties and the international varieties of French origin which are better known and more easily marketed. The traditional Hungarian white wine varieties include Furmint and Hárslevelu (the white grapes used in Tokaj), Olaszrizling, Leányka and Kéknyelukekfra. These have been joined lately by a raft of new crossings such as Irsai Olivér, Cserszegi Fuszeres, Zefír and Zenit, a number of which have been created locally by Hungarian ampelographers.
Cabernet Franc is one of the oldest red grape varieties in Bordeaux. The Libourne region is its terroir where it develops best. The terroirs of Saint-Emilion and Fronsac allow it to mature and develop its best range of aromas. It is also the majority in many blends. The very famous Château Cheval Blanc, for example, uses 60% Cabernet Franc. The wines produced with Cabernet Franc are medium in colour with fine tannins and subtle aromas of small red fruits and spices. When blended with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, it brings complexity and a bouquet of aromas to the wine. It produces fruity wines that can be drunk quite quickly, but whose great vintages can be kept for a long time. It is an earlier grape variety than Cabernet Sauvignon, which means that it is planted as far north as the Loire Valley. In Anjou, it is also used to make sweet rosé wines. Cabernet Franc is now used in some twenty countries in Europe and throughout the world.
wines from the region of Észak-Dunántúl go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or shellfish such as recipes of sauté of veal with olives (corsica), smoked salmon pasta gratin or scallops with chorizo sauce.
Direct-to-consumer (DtC) wine shipments dropped by 10.3% in volume and by 1.6% in value in the US in 2022, according to the latest report from Sovos ShipCompliant and Wines Vines Analytics. It’s the first drop in drinkers buying wines direct from US wineries in the report’s 13-year history. Yet DtC still accounted for around 12% of the total retail market (off-premise) for domestic wines, level with 2021. ‘After the all-time high of $4.2bn in value that the DtC shipping channel experienced ...
Château Angélus’ announcement that it is withdrawing from the process to create the 2022 St-Emilion Classification has sent shockwaves through the region and raised questions about the ranking’s future form. With Châteaux Ausone and Cheval Blanc having announced their withdrawal last year, three of the top-ranking ‘Premier Grand Cru Classé A’ estates from the last edition of the St-Emilion Classification in 2012 will not be candidates for the revised ranking, due this ye ...
The researchers conducted a crossover trial featuring 217 UK households that drink wine on a regular basis. They were randomly given 290ml or 350ml glasses to drink from during the four-week study period. Researchers noted that wine consumption fell by 6.5% when those featured in the study were drinking from the smaller glasses. The trial also focused on bottle sizes. The households taking part in the survey spent two weeks drinking from full-sized 75cl bottles and two weeks drinking from half b ...
