Hungarian Wine
Much of the wine produced
in Hungary is exported, often turning up on off-licence (liquor store) and supermarket
shelves at the cheaper end of the market. Whilst many overseas wine buyers tend to ignore
Eastern European wines in favour of their French, Italian and New World counterparts, high quality wines
are produced here in abundance. Therefore, hopefully, as marketing practices become more
sophisticated and focused, Hungarian wines will start to enjoy the higher reputation that they
deserve. Although wines such as Bulls Blood and Tokaji are well-known, they aren't the only gems
that Hungarian wine makers have to offer.
Probably the best place to appreciate the variety of wines on offer is a
specialist wine shop (Italbolt). Here, you'll find selections from both large estates and smaller
family owned vineyards. In more upmarket wine shops, sales assistants are normally happy to offer
advice on grape varieties and best buys as most speak reasonable English. To help, we list below a
selection of well known/respected wine companies. However, it is only intended to give you a
helping hand rather than make specific recommendations.
Particular labels/producers to look for are:
Tokaj-Oremus - a vineyard in the Tokaj region which produces the famous
Tokaji Aszú, a sweet but full bodied dessert wine and Tokaji Szamorodi, a popular dry
white.
Tokaj Disznókő - another winery in the Tokaj region
producing both Aszú and Szamorodi as well as the less well-known Eszencia.
Szekszárdi Mezogazdasagi - a winery primarily producing a
variety of well-respected reds, but also with a few white wines in its repertoire. The
Szekszárdi Bikavér (Szekszárd Bulls Blood) is a strong rival to the
traditional and much more well-known Bikavér produced in the town of Eger. Indeed, some
would claim that Szekszárd has the edge over its more famous competitor.
Sop-Vin - produces good quality red and white wines from its
vineyards around Sopron on the Austrian border. The Kékfrankos is well-liked by Hungarians,
although much of their production is sent abroad, reaching as far afield as Canada.
Csányi
Pincézet - based in the well-regarded Villányi wine area, Csányi
exports much of its production to markets in North America and Australia.
Reds have the slight edge over whites, although both are of good quality.
Tokaj Kereskedoház
Rt - although this is the last remaining
State owned wine company in the Tokaj region it produces high quality Tokaji for both domestic and
overseas consumption. It also holds Tokaji vintages produced before 1989 which are highly sought
after by connoisseurs.
Hungarovin - the biggest wine company in Hungary which is dominant in
the domestic market and has a good range of red and white wines. It also produces Törley
champagnes.
Hungarian Beers
Sadly, Hungarian
beers have not really been able to break out of the domestic market. This is not surprising given
that its near neighbour is the Czech Republic, a country famed for its brewing prowess and superb
beers.
And that's a real shame as, by and large, Hungarian beers are of very
good quality. There are two
types, vilagos (lager) and barna (brown) which although similar in colour to an English bitter,
have a much sweeter taste.
The most famous known Hungarian brewery - Dreher - is based in
Budapest. Producing both vilagos and barna beers, the best are sold under their own label
(világos, Pils and Bak barna) although Kőbányi világos is also very
pleasant.
Dreher's main rival is the Borsodi Brewery which also produces both
világos and barna beers. Other regional breweries have a more localised following, although
most Budapest supermarkets will carry a decent selection in 1 litre bottles. A small deposit is
paid on each bottle (to encourage recycling) so remember to return empties to the shop as this will
be repaid.
Hungarian Brandies and Liqueurs
These range from distilled brandies (which are potently lethal) to sweeter
liqueurs. Hungary's native spirit, pálinka (a distilled brandy) is mainly produced in the
Kecskemét region. Available in a variety of flavours, barack (apricot), cseresznye (cherry),
körte (pear, see below) and szilva (plum) are the most popular, although others such as
körte (pear) above are also available. A favourite hobby of many older ladies is to brew their
own apricot or plum brandy. This is real moonshine and not for the casual drinker. Consequently, if
you're ever offered distilled brandy in a Hungarian household, it's likely to be a home brew. So
drink it sparingly unless you want to nurse a monster hangover the next morning!
The best liqueurs (likor) are Bon bon meggy (sweet cherry brandy) and Kakao
likor, a delicious chocolate liqueur. Don't be misled by the sweetness though, these are also
potent brews.
Unicum - Unicum is a national institution. Produced for over 150 years
to a secret recipe by the Zwack family, this bitter liqueur contains more than forty different
herbs. Worshipped by many as a 'cure all', Unicum is sold in unique bomb shaped bottles which
feature a golden cross on the front. Usually drunk as an apéritif, Unicum is an acquired
taste, although strangely enough most Hungarians swear by it. Known also as the "national
accelerator" (for good reason) when drunk alternately with pints of beer.
Hungarian Sparkling Wines
Prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union, cheap Russian sparkling wine vied
for market share in Hungary alongside its more illustrious domestic equivalent Törley.
Today, only the latter remains, enjoying a hefty share of Hungary's sparkling wine market.
Introduced to the country by Jozsef Törley in 1881 (who had previously learnt the classic
method of making champagne in France) his company has gone on to make superior quality sparkling
wine (pezsgő) for well over 100 years. Although even vintage Törley wines are inexpensive
to many westerners, they compare favourably to those from New World countries such as
Australia.
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