WINE COUNTRY NETWORK

From Bull's Blood to Youngbloods Hungary's Wines: Revolution...Evolution...Revelation

Story: Jordan Simon

Hungary Wine Touring

Hungary's major wine regions are lovely, historic, relatively unspoiled and (mostly) remote, which is part of their charm. While many regional organizations have created wine routes, roads are often bumpy; signage poor or non-existent; official maps might lack names, hours and addresses; English skills could be minimal; and the quality of member wineries wildly variable. Still there's no better way to appreciate wine's importance in everyday Hungarian life, where tiny plantings often replace gardens and backyards.

You'll need a car, map and fortitude. Good highways and trains connect Budapest with the most famous regions, Eger and Tokaj-both walkable villages, but whose actual wineries are scattered through several communities. Lake Balaton, "the Hungarian Sea," is also geared toward intrepid vini-tourism. Independent operations such as Hilltop Neszmály have set up small inns (replete with tennis courts and pools), but there's little else in the area. In Villány, Siklós and Szekszárd, you can stroll from one cellar to the next. Call to ensure wineries are open for tours!!!

For the less adventuresome, starting May 2004 Monarchia Wines and New York's Pro Travel will organize custom tours (partnering with top hotels) of wineries in its portfolio, from Tokaj to Villány. Check their website, www.monarchiawines.com, for details.

BALATON:

Volcanic hills, including distinctive basalt "pipe organ" formations, ring the northern edge of Central Europe's largest freshwater lake. Ancient monasteries and waterwheels adorn tiny villages, ruined fortresses command lonely craggy hills and thermal waters sculpt eerie lunarscapes woven with ribbons of green. Members of the Badacsony Historical Wine Region (aka Valley of the Volcanoes Wine Route) believe that "three sunshines" create the perfumed, briskly acidic wines: direct sunlight, reflected rays off the lake and the "black sunshine" of basalt releasing the day's warmth through the night.

Articulate, opinionated Huba Szeremley, founder of the Hungarian Winemaster Guild, operates the country's largest family-owned wine holdings, including the modernized 19th century mountaintop Helvácia Estate (Fo utca 41, 36-87/571-210). Szremeley's wines, from both indigenous and international varieties, exemplify the terroir's crispness, smokiness and minerality. The breathtaking lake/vineyard views are best savored from his Szánt Orban Restaurant (Szegedy Róza utca 22, 36-87/431-382), which offers fresh indigenous lake fish and free-range gray longhorn beef (Szremeley is so passionate about tradition he re-introduced and populated this ancient Hungarian breed).

In the adjacent viticultural region to the east, Balatonfüred-Csopak, is Mihály Figula's modern, beautifully situated "Fine Wines" winery (Siske u. 42, 36-87/343-557). Figula-who also produces for other local growers (and resembles the prototypical "B movie" mad scientist)-is a colorful font of folklore and information, some of it unprintable.

EGER:

Utterly ravishing town near the Slovakian border, established in the 11th century and seat of the Hungary Bishopric since the 1300s. Parts of the castle/fortress crowning the town (with splendid panoramas) date to 1272; today the maze of catacombs hosts impromptu discos. Magnificent late-Gothic and Baroque churches serenely command tree-choked plazas. Ornately embellished buildings in hues from olive to ocher with cast-iron balconies and elaborate interior courtyards tiptoe up and down hills. Stone bridges cross the tiny river. Pedestrian cobblestone streets overflow with sidewalk cafes; old ladies in babushkas sell fish, fruit and flowers in markets scented with dried peppers.

Along with Szekszárd, this is the home of the unjustly dismissed Bull's Blood, around which many romantic legends have been woven. Several winemakers have won international awards for their reds (this is an up-and-coming area for Pinot Noir, Merlot and Syrah), including Egri Bikavár. Among the many superb vintners attempting to resuscitate the tradition are Tibor Gál at GIA (Ver\oszala u. 22-24, 36-36/429-800), Vilmos Thummerer (Alvági u. 32, 36-36/463-269), Bála Vincze (Vaci M. Út 65, 36-36/427-515), István Tóth (Kisvölgy út, 36-36/313-546) and Dr. Tamás Pók (Monarchia's head winemaker and co-owner of its subsidiary, Pók-Polónyi Pince). Monarchia-sponsored tours will visit Pok-Polonyi (Veroszala u. 66, 36-36/436-021), Tóth and the company's state-of-the-art winery (including VIP tasting rooms, extensive cellars and restaurant), crowning one of the region's prized hilltop vineyards in Noszvaj; the facility, designed in classic Hungarian style, is slated for completion September 2004.

Right by Eger Castle's entrance, Imola Udvarház (Dósza György Tár 4, t/f 36-36/516-180; restaurant 36-36/414-825, www.imolanet.hu, doubles from 16,500 HUF) is an excellent restaurant/apart-hotel. You enter an ivy-draped stone courtyard; otherwise the dácor is Hungary-does-IKEA. There are six fully equipped apartments (1 and 2 feature the best views). The restaurant excels in artfully prepared and presented nouvelle Hungarian fare.

TOKAJ-HEGYALJA:

Hungary's other great northeastern wine region, legendary for half a millennium as the true birthplace of botrytized dessert wine, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002. Tokaj is just one of 27 villages within the appellation, all indescribably picturesque, with the Tisza and Bodorg rivers snaking around emerald rolling hills. Creeping vines adorn 18th century houses painted orange and ocher with red barrel tile roofs. Tokaj's labyrinthine cellars are carved from solid volcanic rock and covered with a mold that helps maintain proper temperature and humidity, "cleanses" the air and retards development of harmful bacteria. Best, if most touristy option: the grand original, Hátszolo (Kossuth tár 15, 36-47/352-009), built in 1502, right off the main square.

Monarchia works with the exquisitely restored 18th century Királyudvar (in neighboring Tarcal, Fo u. 92, 36-47/380-111), which means royal estate. Co-owned and managed by innovative Tokaji producer István Szepsy, its wines are made by wunderkind Zoltán Demeter. The family behind Gróf Degenfeld are of noble German-Hungarian descent; Imre Degenfeld was a founding member in 1857 of the Tokaj-Hegyaljai Viticultural Association. The current countess Marie Degenfeld initiated a three-part plan in 1996 to resurrect her family's vineyards, winery and estate. The town restaurant (Kossuth tár 1, 36-47/553-050) also has rooms with kitchenettes and delectable contemporary haute-regional cuisine in a historic setting (standouts include wild fowl pie with hot sour cherries, tenderloin medallions with prunes in garlic and balsamic vinegar). The family's Tarcal estate-a gabled beige hunting lodge-reopened in 2003 as the Gróf Degenfeld Castle Hotel (Terázia kert 9, 36-47/380-173, www.grofdegenfeld.com, doubles from 20,500 HUF). The dining rooms, library and salon feature coffered ceilings, parquet floors, marble fireplaces, crown moldings, brass sconces, crystal chandeliers, antique walnut sideboards and gilt-framed landscapes and portraits. Attractive rooms with modern amenities, recreational activities and fine cuisine are bonuses.

VILLÁNY-SIKLÓS and SZEKSZÁRD:

Both regions feature towns with rows of narrow shingled whitewashed and brick houses with brightly painted shutters and doors: all small, mostly mom-and-pop cellars (many sporting gorgeous arcaded, barrel and groin vaulted ceilings and floors). Villány's association contains around 60 wineries, 30 accommodations and 5 restaurants. The sub-Mediterranean climate is ideal for reds (indigenous and international), with Siklós specializing in whites (highly aromatic, acidic yet balanced Olaszrizling, Hárslevelž and increasingly fine Chardonnay). The quaint villages, their homes and gardens a color wheel of flowers, are filled with Baroque castles and hand-painted chapels, as well as small wine museums containing ancient equipment. The region is also famous for its thermal waters.

While Villány has achieved recognition as the Bordeaux of Hungary, most producers take great pride in nurturing mittel-European grapes such as Kákfrankos, Kákoportó, Zweigelt and Kadarka. The award-winning producers listed below strictly limit yield and utilize the latest viticultural developments. The most contemporary, state-of-the-art facility is Vylyan (in Kisharsány, Fekete-hegy 092, 36-72/579-701), though using the town's 15th century name for their label clearly honors owners Pal and Monika Debreczeni's heritage. Spectacular, complex reds and blends (their 1999 Zweigelt graces the list of Paris' legendary Alain Ducasse); the Debreczenis are at the forefront of legislating a tiered appellation "with stricter regulations than the rest of Hungary to indicate our region's clear superiority." Father and son Ede and Zsolt Tiffán (Teleki Zsigmond u. 9, t/f 36-72/492-500, 592-000) started their winery in 1990 but the family had passed their winemaking traditions on for generations; superlative reds. Jószef Bock (Batthyány u. 15, 36-72/492-919), whose ancestors made wines for two centuries, was among the first vintners to bottle his own wines under Communism; virile yet silken Cabernets and meritage blends, as well as distinctive Siklósi whites. Bock and the similarly revered Attila Gere (Fáy u. 17, 36-72/492-839), who also partners in a venture with Austrian master Franz Weninger, offer simple but comfortable guesthouses decorated with folk touches. Best times to visit are during the lively traditional events (Pentecost-usually May, Wine Drinking Song Festival-third September weekend, Bacchus Days-first October weekend).

To the north lies Szekszárd, also ridiculously quaint, with grand churches and humble thatched whitewashed cellar-houses dating back half a millennium. A frequent visitor, composer Ferenc Liszt sent Kadarka Szekszárdi to Pope Pius IX who wrote in 1865, "This wine preserves my health and unbroken spirit." Ferenc Takler (Bem u. 13, 36-74/315-187, cellar Decs-Kútvölgy, 36-74/725-004) is celebrated for Bordeaux blends such as Regnum (made only in top years), but fervently, even feverishly works to reclaim both the reputation of Szekszárdi Bikavár and Kadarka. Ferenc Veszterombi (Munkácsi M. u. 41, 36-74/511-846/7) and son Csaba honor a winemaking tradition dating to 1790, yet use the latest technology in recently expanded facilities.

The 280-year-old Castle Hotel Apponyi (Ady Endre u. 2, 36-74/588-800, www.apponyi.hu, doubles from 106 euros with breakfast) lies 25km from Szekszárd in the town of Hogyász (which means ermine hunters). The surrounding 5.5-hectare park and healing spa waters have long lured hunters and health-seekers. Glassed-in spa (mud baths to massages offered) and slightly Spartan rooms diminish the effect of this lovely late-Baroque hunting lodge-somewhat restored to its original grandeur after serving as a barracks and orphanage. Avoid the modern sterile hotel annex in the park itself.

The glorious ancient city of Pács, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, also makes an excellent base for exploring both regions.

WINE TOURING ORGANIZATIONS

(also check www.tourinform.hu for info.)