06 April 2022 / Sue Tolson
Well, let’s start with a few legendary names. Of course, it would be highly remiss of me not to mention István Szepsy, one of Hungary’s most important winemakers, with his son, István Szepsy Jr, following in his footsteps. The Szepsys are a Tokaj winemaking family dating back to the 16th century, whose name is closely linked to the history of Tokaji Aszú. As well as creating this amber nectar, Szepsy was the first producer to really start making dry Tokaj wines too. They aim to produce the best wines without compromises, and they succeed, as their wines are among the best in the Tokaj Wine Region.
Another member of the old guard is József Bock, one of the figureheads of the Villány Wine District. If you’ve never tried a Bock wine, you’ve never tried Villány. Bock, who first bottled wines in 1987, now produces about a million bottles per year and represents the high-quality side of old-school Villány with a wide range of wines, a comfortable four-star hotel with spa facilities and a restaurant. The Bock chapel-like cellar is a must-see – their top wine ‘Capella’ is named after it. (Cover picture)
Known as the “flying Hungarian wine wizard”, another of Hungary’s most influential and passionate winemakers was Tibor Gál, who sadly died in a car accident in 2005. He famously worked for Super Tuscan Ornellaia in Bolgheri. One of his missions was to revive Egri Bikavér, which is being continued by his son Tibor Gál Jr, who is now reinventing Bikavér through single-vineyard Bikavérs, with exciting wines coming out of Síkhegy, Pajados and Nagy-Eged. His contemporary, youthful wine bar, Fuzio, in the centre of Eger is also worth a visit.
Ferenc Takler is one of the Szekszárd Wine District’s most renowned wine producers, now helped at the Takler Wine Estate by his two sons, András and Ferenc – the latter is now responsible for the winemaking, which he feels is best accompanied by some Bruce Springsteen. They are known for their big, bold wines from the Bordeaux varieties and increasingly their high-quality Kadarka, Kékfrankos and Bikavér. The Takler Mansion with its spa is also a great place to lay your head.
Mention should also be made of the cycling ‘King of Rosé’ Tamás Dúzsi. As well as making high-quality Szekszárd reds, he, now assisted by son Tamás, has also scooped up numerous awards both domestically and internationally for his rosés, thus earning himself the above moniker. Now in his seventies, Tamás is still active in the vineyards and also goes out training on his bike each day.
Hungary boasts great winegrowing terroir, and many regions are now rediscovering their top vineyard sites and producing single-vineyard wines to reflect their differences.
In the Tokaj Wine Region, István Balassa, also viticulture director at Grand Tokaj, is obsessive about the region’s different terroirs, bottling numerous, extremely high-quality, single-vineyard wines under his own label Balassa Winery. He produces both dry and sweet wines from 11 different terroirs in 30 parcels to showcase the incredible diversity of Tokaj’s unique terroir. He’s also an excellent photographer, so follow him on Instagram to see Tokaj reveal itself through his beautiful photos.
Not only Furmint is a great translator of terroir, Kékfrankos is pretty adept at it too. In Szekszárd Wine District, young Zoli Heimann, son of Zoltán Heimann Sr, one of the region’s biggest personalities, has been revamping some of the wines at the Heimann Family Winery, creating a new line – Heimann & Fiai – which focuses on terroir-driven wines, in particular single-vineyard Kékfrankos and Kadarka. He claims crafting the best Kadarka in the world as one of his missions. Incidentally, the hands behind the classic Heimann wines are not those of Zoli senior, but rather of his talented wife Agnés Heimann.
Charming György Lőrincz Sr and Jr and the wines of St Andrea Vineyards and Winery in Egerszalók are loved by everyone. Egri Bikavér trailblazers, they also craft elegant, modern wines based on local varieties, seeking to create terroir-specific wines with character. Their top single-vineyard Bikavér and Csillag wines are setting a fine example for the Eger wine district. Their 2017 Nagy-Eged Egri Bikavér Grand Superior scooped up 97 points in the Decanter World Wine Awards!
In atmospheric foodie village Kövéskál in the Balaton Highlands Wine District, Gyula Pálffy and sons, Gyula Pálffy Jr and Attila Pálffy craft lovely mineral Olaszrizling and Furmint, but they’ve also been dabbling in orange wine. Attila has come up with some funky Pét-Nat named P.A.N.K.
The Hungarian winemaking scene boasts some real characters too. Imagine a larger-than-life guy DJing and organising festivals and concerts, as well as wine tasting, at his winery in an old tufa quarry on the edge of Eger. This is János Bolyki, or Jani. His approachable, well-made wines are always a winner, and the quirky labels and playful names that adorn his wines have won him success in both Hungary and abroad.
Finally, high up on his wine terrace on Somló Hill, you can meet Stephan (István) Spiegelberg, half German, half Hungarian, who produces some of the Somló Wine District’s most characterful wines. István himself is quite a character. Born in Berlin, he used to be a BMW crash test driver in Munich, plays Gregorian chants to his wines in his tiny cellar and is now probably the first in Hungary to install some Georgian Qvevri.
There are also plenty of winemakers, whose names do not feature on the wine bottle, but who are definitely worth a mention. Winemaking legend Ákos Kamocsay’s name is hidden behind the Hilltop Neszmély Winery, a modern winery overlooking the Danube whose varietally pure wines, high volume but outstanding quality, have achieved great success both in Hungary and abroad; Ákos was even named Winemaker of the Year in the UK in 1997. In the Etyek-Buda Wine District, you should watch out for the wines of Etyeki Kúria Winery, expertly crafted by winemaker Sándor Mérész, who makes what is arguably Hungary’s best Pinot Noir. You will, however, find his name on the ‘Mérész Sándor Projekt’ wines, an experimental range, which includes a Pinot Gris orange wine. Artisanal winemaker Tamás Kiss is behind the elegant Juhfark, Hárslevelű and Tramini from the boutique, organic Somlói Vándor winery.
I think I have, perhaps more than, exhausted my 14 – there are some fathers (and a mother) and sons too. You’ll note I haven’t really included any ladies. But that’s because I’m saving a whole article for these talented women winemakers!
