Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
VINTAGE ADVANTAGE
Generally speaking, theévjárat(vintage) of Hungarian wines has only become import-
ant in the past decade or so.
2004
004Inferior year throughout, with aggressive whites and thin reds
2005
005The very wet summer was catastrophic for whites, but the quality of reds beat
the previous year.
2006
006Bad start with a cool summer, but the long, very hot autumn proved excellent
for whites and certain reds; good late-harvest sweet whites.
20007Much hotter summer created more rounded acidity in whites, especially in
Tokaj.
2008
008Nice quantity of noble rot produced some decent but not outstanding sweet
wines.
2009
009Favourable weather conditions brought excellent reds and good Tokaj.
20010Inferior year with incessant rain produced thin and diluted red and white wines.
2011
011Balanced weather, with a hot summer and sufficient precipitation, produced
wine drinkable after just one year.
2012
012Most arid summer in memory produced small quantities of grapes in most re-
gions, but the potential for excellent-quality wine from top growers is great.
20013Too early to call at press time but seems to have been the third very good year in
a row, with many growers rating it eight or nine out of 10.
Badacsony
Badacsony is named after the 400m-high basalt massif that rises like a bread loaf along the
northwestern shore of Lake Balaton. The region's signature Olaszrizling, especially pro-
duced by Huba Szeremley and Ambrus Bakó, is among the best dry white wine for every-
day drinking available in Hungary. The most reliable Chardonnay is from Ottó Légli on
Balaton's southern shore.
The area's volcanic soil gives the unique, once-threatened Kéknyelű (Blue Stalk) wine its
distinctive mineral taste; it is a complex tipple of very low yield that ages well. Szeremley's
version is the only reliably authentic example.
