Author: Kristian Kielmayer, Ágnes Herczeg
A Furmint and Bouvier crossing created by Ference Király in Pécs in 1951. It was originally called Oremus, but as there is a vineyard with that name, it was renamed and given the name Zéta. It was named after the main character, Zéta, in Géza Gárdanyi’s work ‘The Invisible Man’.
It was authorised at the start of the 1990s and renamed in 1999. It is the fourth most important variety in the Tokaj wine region.
It is a mid-ripening variety with moderately large, U-shaped leaves, small, cylindrical, densely packed clusters and berries that shrivel easily. It is susceptible to botrytis, which was the main goal of the breeders when they crossed the two varieties. It inherited Furmint’s ability to shrivel on the vine and the early ripening and fragrant character of Bouvier.
The variety is essentially only grown in the Tokaj wine region on 115 hectares. It is the fourth most important and widespread variety here after the three main Tokaj varieties. It thrives on both loess and erubase soils, has an affinity with botrytis, is a real sugar pump and yet retains its acidity. It generally yields wines with a rich, oily, fleshy texture.
It is not only used in Aszú blends but can also produce lovely wines in its own right. It is most common in late harvested and Aszú blends, where it gives the wine a rich, sweet oily texture and perfume. It is not as aromatic as Sárgamuskotály but boasts peach blossom and elderflower notes as well as fresh acidity. It may also produce monovarietal Szamorodni or late harvested sweet wines, which are characterised by rich sweetness, delicate spiciness, a creamy, oily texture and a medium body.
Zéta grape bunch and leaf
Wines made from the Zéta variety in Hungary are almost only found in Tokaj. In the past, it was mostly used to produce late-harvested wines and Aszú, while nowadays increasing numbers of wineries are also producing dry styles from it. It is not as aromatic as Sárgamuskotály, but its fruity apricot flavours and oily texture place it firmly in the realm of aromatic wines. The variety is very prone to botrytisation, so it is often found as a sweet wine, late-harvested Zéta or Szamorodni.
Wines and blends made from late-harvested Zéta are fruit-forward with notes of pure peach and elderflower, so, depending on sweetness, work well with light fruit salads, fruity desserts, cream pots or vanilla slices. Serve these wines chilled at 8-10°C in a small tulip-shaped white wine glass or dessert wine glass.
The special flavours of Aszú and Essencia mean that they can also be a dish in themselves. Nowadays, it is increasingly fashionable to serve Aszú instead of a dessert. They also open up infinitely intriguing new dimensions when combined with a range of savoury or sweet dishes. Classic pairings are with goose liver, Roquefort cheese, desserts with walnut and honey and Gundel pancakes. However, they can also work well with more extreme dishes. Serve both Aszú and Essencia chilled at 6-8°C.
