24 June 2025 / Péter Blazsovszky
I approached my jury duty this year with a mix of excitement and apprehension, as in 2024 the traditionally late-September Olaszrizling harvest had already wrapped up by August. I feared for the wines' acidity, complexity, and aging potential. Fortunately, my concerns proved to be unfounded: the producers handled this challenging vintage admirably. While fewer single-vineyard wines were produced than usual, overall the wines from Csopak turned out to be well-balanced and beautiful.
Photo: Pelsophoto
We evaluated finished wines and tank samples, estate blends and single-vineyard selections, from both 2023 and 2024 vintages. We tasted Olaszrizling and even 100% Furmint bottlings. The majority passed this final filter – the sensory assessment – with flying colors. During these tastings, we not only assess whether the wine is clean, balanced, and has moderate alcohol, but also whether it captures the essence of “Csopak-ness”: that honest austerity which, even when accompanied by friendly fruitiness, distinguishes Csopak wines from other Olaszrizlings (and Furmints) across Hungary, the Carpathian Basin, and the world.
Photo: Hungarian Wine Marketing Agency
The Csopaki Kódex
The Csopaki Kódex is an independent system of origin protection and trademark regulation that focuses on Csopak’s traditional grape varieties: Olaszrizling and Furmint. It was created in 2010 with the aim of strengthening the protection of Csopak’s wine quality.
Its four-pillared production guideline has since become the foundation of the official EU PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) for Csopak, which was recognized in 2017 as part of the Balaton wine region.
The EU's 'Csopak OEM' regulations define two quality categories—Estate Wine (Hegybor) and Single-Vineyard Wine (Dűlőbor)—which may only be made from grapes grown within the Csopak PDO zone and from Olaszrizling and Furmint, under strict production rules (see Csopak OEM).
Since its inception, the Codex’s primary role has been to examine how official regulations can be improved. Acting as a professional think tank, the Codex producers further refine the OEM rules with forward-looking enhancements, structured around the Codex’s four pillars. Csopak Estate and Single-Vineyard Wines made in accordance with the Codex may carry the silver or gold Codex seal.
Source and more information: csopaki.hu
In addition to promoting terroir and preserving the region’s traditional grape varieties – Olaszrizling and Furmint – the work of the Codex producers is also one of value preservation and creation. Part of this effort includes an honest confrontation with emerging challenges. Climate change, for instance, is making vineyard irrigation increasingly inevitable, and the construction of water reservoirs necessary. Meanwhile, phytoplasma bacteria – spread by leafhoppers and causing devastation on a scale reminiscent of the phylloxera epidemic – are now, as the saying goes, “already in the pantry.”
So yes, challenges lie ahead, especially with another dry and scorching summer at the doorstep. Hungarian wines – including those from Csopak – deserve attention and dedication. Hopefully, wine lovers will appreciate the effort. Let’s choose Hungarian wines – moderately, of course – and within that, Csopak wines in particular: kind but not ingratiating, honest but not loud, understandable yet complex. Wines that not only capture the essence of summer but, through every season, perhaps also reflect a little of who we are as Hungarians.
Professional Jury Members
dr. Gabriella Mészáros – DipWSET, international wine academic
Mária Antoinette Crab – wine expert, wine merchant (BoRett Wines)
Dániel Kézdy – wine expert and wine marketing specialist
Norbert Nádházi – Sommelier Champion, Head Sommelier at Platán Gourmet Restaurant (2 Michelin Stars)
Péter Blazsovszky – wine and gastronomy expert (MBÜ), sommelier
Cover pictures and photos: Pelsophoto/St Donat/Csopaki Kódex and Hungarian Wine Marketing Agency
