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Hungary

Hungary: Reflections

Hungary has always been the Mitteleurope's leading country in terms of wine traditionwith an impressive range of indigenous varieties and state-of-the-art regulations, which already in the 18th century valued the individual vineyard. At last now these local grapes are being promoted, and what was previously a flaw now turns out to be a trump card, and in fact the post-communist Magyar style offers a wide range of indisputably well-made wines. .
Warm, spicy, and with a wild note that deeply characterises it. Obviously international grape varieties such as Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc have never been abandoned and indeed are an integral part of the Hungarian wine system. In all regions the climate tends to be milder than in neighbouring countries, the climate is cool and the growing season shorter than in Mediterranean areas. All the most important vineyards shield themselves from the mountainous reliefs, and this creates an ever-changing micro-climate depending on the region under consideration. The most famous Hungarian grapes are the structured and lively Furmint, the soft and binding Harslevelù, the aromatic Leanyka and the vinous Kiralyleanyka. Then again the hybrid Irsai Oliver, Olaszrizling, Welschriesling, and Szurkebarat, Pinot Gris. There are also some very rare ones such as Keknyelu, the sour Ezerjo and the elegant Juhfark from Somlò that requires oxygenation and ageing to smooth out.
Le Magyar red grape varieties are still in the minority and limited to the areas of Eger, Sopron, Szekszard and Villany (the warmest, where full-bodied and powerful wines are born); among these, the most important is Kekfrankos, the Blaufrankisch, fresh and with great potential, especially in Szekszard.
Half of Hungary's vineyards are in the large plains, where it is easy to work, between the rivers Danube and Tiszain the regions of Kunsag, Csongrad and Hajos-Baja.
Other noteworthy areas are Matrawest of Eger, where the impetus for natural winemaking is quite high; east of Sopron we find Neszmelyonce known as the forge of wines with an international flavour, destined for foreign countries. To the west of Budapest, another flourishing source of whites, Etyek-Buda. A Somlò some really interesting wines are produced, such as the Juhfark mentioned earlier and the very elegant Furmint. Not far away is the limestone clay of Mor, which results in fresh and tasty Ezerjo, sometimes nobly sweet. And finally, before speaking of His Majesty Tokaj, mention must be made of the Lake Balatonthe sea of Hungary, which with its mild climate perfectly accommodates the Olaszrizling: the four sub-regions of the area are Badacsony, Balatonfured-Csopak, Balatonboglar and Zala.
The Tokaj has been a region apart for 400 years, in style, quality and prestige and is named after the town of the same name. According to myth, the noble Tokaji Aszu was methodically produced from botrytised grapes by the Rakoczi family chaplain, Szepsy Lacko Matè, in the legendary Oremus vineyard as early as 1630. What is certain is that this nectar was the first wine made using this method, probably well over two centuries before the equally famous Sauternes. In this region there are in fact all suitable climatic conditions so that the drying of the grapes and its consequent concentration of sugar give rise to such iconic wines.
Let's talk about wines remarkable for their combination of sweetness, acidity and fruit, very reminiscent of apricots. The grape harvest usually starts at the end of October, when theshrivelled grapes, known as aszu, and those not yet affected by Botrytis are harvested together but stored separately. The latter are then crushed and fermented to make dry wines, including a powerful base for Tokaji. The aszu, on the other hand, is stored in typical containers known as puttonyos (20-litre vats), from which the Eszencia, with its 850 g/l of sugar, slowly pours out. At the end of the harvest, the aszu berries are soaked for up to 5 days in the fresh must or in the previously (or partially) fermented base wine, in the proportion of one kg/l. Fermentation is then calibrated according to residual sugar and temperature in the cellar.. If the former is higher, the latter lower, with slower fermentation, or vice versa. The best wines maintain a high natural sugar content and thus a low alcohol content, around 10%, as opposed to the more humble products. The degree of sweetness is traditionally the result of the number of Puttonyos of Aszu added to each Gonci of base wine, a 136-litre barrel.
At the top of the quality pyramid we find the Aszu 6 puttonyos, inferior only to Eszencia, which is worth 7, practically unfermented or almost. The Aszu 6 puttonyos must have a residual sugar of at least 150 g/l, while the 3 puttonyos, the basic one, has 60 g/l, the equivalent of an Auslese. Those with 4 and 5 puttonyos correspond instead to a Beerenasulese. It is aged for at least three years, two of them in barrels. The most incredible thing is that it has a possibly infinite ageing potential.
What remains of the base wine is defined Szamorodni (literally 'as it comes' in Polish) because it is generated with less care from botrytised and/or overripe grapes, in its dry version it is called Szaraz and resembles a Sherry, while theEdes is more amiable.
Hungary has an area under vine of approx. 65000 hectares and an annual production close to 2 million hectolitres, worth around 25 million by 2019.

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