Where To Buy Hungarian Wine In The Us
Hungarian Wine House is an awarded online wine trader dedicated to promoting premium quality Hungarian wines in the UK. We have been providing excellent wines to individual customers, and businesses, including wine bars, wine shops, restaurants, and different Hungarian cultural events since 2008. Our aim is to cultivate a link between the fine wine market in the UK and talented Hungarian wine makers in order to mutually benefit from the colours of Europe.
where to buy hungarian wine in the us
We are dedicated to supporting family run and talented artisan wineries of Hungary, and introduce them to passionate wine lovers in the UK. Over the years, we have developed long standing relationships with our selected wineries and built mutual understanding of our goals of raising the reputation of great quality Hungarian wines amongst UK wine fans. We work closely with our selected wine makers through blog posts, interviews, wine tasting sessions, and visits to their estates or UK wine fairs, with a view of building upon our mutual goals.
We not only aim to provide access to a premium selection of Hungarian wines online, but also to offer a platform where we can share knowledge and interesting facts about Hungarian wines as well as sharing your experiences with Hungarian wines, and visits to Hungary.
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.
This treasured wine often tastes like candied tangerines and apricots, cinnamon and cloves, with a sweetness somewhere between honey and nectar. Its bright acidity balances out the extreme sugar content. In Hungary, the classic Aszú pairing is foie gras, but you can drink it with creamy cheeses, lemon tarts, or simply on its own. Expect to fork over $55+ for a bottle.
Hungarian wine is probably more than you expected, with wine regions and local styles that are as alluring as they are diverse. If a wine shop were organized by flavor profile, the wines of Eger, Tokaj, Villány and Somló would all respectfully belong in different corners of the store. Yet all the wines reflect something of their shared history. The fresh wines of Eger, the golden delights of Tokaj, the lush reds of Villány, and the ashy whites of Somló: they are bold, spicy, authentic and persistent. They are under-hyped, but are begging to become the next stars of the wine world. Opening a bottle of Hungarian wine is like uncovering a great historical secret. Luckily for us, the secret is out, and the history is just beginning.
Typically known as a blending grape for Furmint, Hárslevelű is gaining attention as a varietal wine both within and outside Tokaj. It tends to be more aromatic than Furmint, with a round texture and spicy or mineral notes.
Moreover, Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski, owners of Apteka, a vegan Polish restaurant in Pittsburgh, are particularly drawn to small wineries in Central and Eastern Europe, many of which are sourced from Hungary.
The Royal Tokaji Company is a relatively recent addition to the ranks of Tokaj producers, having been founded in the Hungarian village of Mád in 1990. Acclaimed wine writer Hugh Johnson teamed up with Ben Howkins and winemaker...
Hungary is famous for both red and white wines. Here you can find excellent reds from all over Hungary. Discover Cabernets, Merlots, Pinots and Syrahs from Old World and our unique local grapes such as Kekfrankos and Zweigelt. Don't miss Bikaver (Bull's Blood) as being the most famous Hungarian red.
Hungary makes some really fascinating wines. In fact, if you take a look back in history, Hungary was once one of the most important and major wine producing regions in Europe, before phylloxera in the late 1800s and war made it nearly impossible for the wine growing tradition to continue there.
Fast forward 100 years and the wine growing tradition in Hungary is back on track and the wines of Hungary are once again being enjoyed by wine enthusiasts around the world. These are the Hungarian wines you must try, whether you can visit Hungary for a wine tasting trip or not.
These grapes have a high concentration of sugar and, therefore, after fermentation, the high levels of sugar remain. Each liter must have a minimum of 120 grams. Tokaji Aszú is often paired with lemon tarts, creamy cheeses, foie gras, or by themselves as a dessert wine. It also goes well with prawns or gnocchi for something different.
The wine regions of Szekszárd and Villány produce Cabernet Franc from the Bordeaux grape. Located in the southern part of Hungary, the soil and climate in these regions are known for producing the unique wine with blends of floral, plum, spice, blueberries, and red fruits.
Wine cellars are built underneath houses, instead of in the hillside. Kékfrankos (Blue Frankish) grapes are very dark, but the wine is a deep ruby red in color and has a unique taste, somewhere between a Zinfandel and Syrah. It has a very balanced acidity, spice, and dominant tannins.
You may notice an aroma of anise, blueberries, and black pepper. An interesting fact about this region is that cellars tie red or white ribbons on their gates to indicate which type of wine they sell. Recommended food pairings are: spicy dishes, game or beef stews, but can also be paired with sour cherry or dark chocolate desserts.
I was excited to find this post! Am a Canadian looking for advice on which Hungarian wines to serve with meal ( and toastings) at an autumn Hungarian wedding. Half the attendees will be arriving from North America. An authentic Hungarian food/wine experience is important! Bulls Blood from Eger is the only one we have tried, and thought it was magnificent! Thats a must! But what else? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
All 5 of the wines mentioned in the article would be great for your dinner. It might be best to ask your local wine shop what they have and can get for you. Definitely serve a Tokaj sweet wine with dessert!
If you want to try Hungarian wines in California you have to order them, no place sells them. This is a great company to get them from though and they also have Facebook wine tastings and interviews with wine makers.
Hungary is one of the great wine producers of the Ancient world - and it's also the home of our co-founder Gyorgy. Featuring a variety of still styles and excellent sparkling wines, Hungary also provides some of the best value for money in return for quality. As well as the exceptional region of Tokaj, which can trace its history back centuries, the Danube River runs through the exciting regions of Eger in the north to Villany and Szekszard in the south, while Lake Balaton showcases some of the finest terroir-style wines we've ever tried. Enjoy our exclusive selection below.
We run a tightly structured, rigorous wine tasting process. That means that each wine sample is pre-poured into numbered glasses and assessed blindly by the judges. Most importantly, our IWSC wine judges are experts in their field, who work across all sectors of the wine industry. For evidence, see our full list of judges.
Only the best wines sampled receive a Gold or Silver award. For example, to win Gold, wines have to score between 95 and 100 points. Meanwhile, Silver wines range from 90 to 94 points. Click here to read more on our scoring system.
Tokaji (Hungarian: of Tokaj Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈtokɒji]) or Tokay is the name of the wines from the Tokaj wine region (also Tokaj-Hegyalja wine region or Tokaj-Hegyalja) in Hungary or the adjoining Tokaj wine region in Slovakia. This region is noted for its sweet wines[1] made from grapes affected by noble rot, a style of wine which has a long history in this region. The "nectar" coming from the grapes of Tokaj is also mentioned in the national anthem of Hungary.
The Slovak wine region of Tokaj may use the Tokajský/-á/-é label ("of Tokaj" in Slovak)[2] if they apply the Hungarian quality control regulation.[2] This area used to be part of the greater Tokaj-Hegyalja region within the Kingdom of Hungary, but was divided between Hungary and Czechoslovakia after the Treaty of Trianon.
Furmint accounts for 60% of the area and is by far the most important grape in the production of Aszú wines. Hárslevelű stands for further 30%. Nevertheless, an impressive range of different types and styles of wines are produced in the region, ranging from dry whites to the Eszencia, the world's sweetest wine.[3]
The area where Tokaji wine is traditionally grown is a small plateau, 457 metres (1,500 ft) above sea level, near the Carpathian Mountains. The soil is of volcanic origin, with high concentrations of iron and lime. The location of the region has a unique climate, beneficial to this particular viniculture, due to the protection of the nearby mountains. Winters are bitterly cold and windy; spring tends to be cool and dry, and summers are noticeably hot. Usually, autumn brings rain early on, followed by an extended Indian summer, allowing a very long ripening period.
These wines, once referred to as common, ordinárium, are now named after their respective grape varieties: Tokaji Furmint, Tokaji Hárslevelű, Tokaji Sárgamuskotály and Tokaji Kövérszőlő.
Prior to 1918 (the end of World War I and the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), the finest eszencia Tokaji was not sold but was reserved for the Imperial cellars of the Habsburg monarchy.[8] By the mid 18th century these finest eszencia Tokaji originally held by the Habsburgs were called "Imperial Tokay". Cases, barrels, and bottles of it often passed between European monarchs as gifts. In 2008, a bottle of Imperial Tokay bearing the seal of the wine cellar of the Royal Saxon Court sold at auction at Christie's for 1,955.[9]
It is not known for how long vines have been grown on the volcanic soil of the fork of the rivers Bodrog and Hernád. This predates the settlement of the Magyar tribes to the region.[6] According to legend, the first aszú was made by Laczkó Máté Szepsi in 1630. However, mention of wine made from aszú grapes had already appeared in the Nomenklatura of Fabricius Balázs Sziksai which was completed in 1576. A recently discovered inventory of aszú predates this reference by five years. 041b061a72