Lisa's Wine Wednesdays!
The Hungarian wine industry can be traced back to the Roman Empire. Through the mid-1900s, Hungary saw a decline in the quality wine while the country was under communist rule. Quantity and profit for exports was favored over quality. It wasn't until the 1990s that the Hungarian winemakers began to craft quality and award-winning wine.
The oldest and most famous wine in Hungary is Tokaj. This particular wine, named after the town of origin, has been continuously crafted since the 1400s and enjoyed as a favorite by kings and queens. It is one of the most unique wines in the world. It is also one of the sweetest, with up to 800 grams of sugar per standard bottle. Just for comparison, a French Sauternes has approximately 90 grams of sugar. Tokaj is typically a blend of 4 native grapes to Hungary. During the harvest, the grapes that were affected by the Botrytis mold are harvested and made into a paste called "Aszu". The unaffected grapes are crafted into the base wine and the paste is added according to the desired sweetness. The Aszu is collected into baskets called 'puttonyos'.
Below is the sugar content per puttonyo:
As you can see below, the wines are labeled with the amount of puttonyos in the bottle. 
The more paste that is added, the greater the sweetness.
Grape varietals that are native to Hungary include: Furmint, Harslevelu, Olaszrizling, Kadarka, Kekfrankos, and Portugieser. Traditional international grapes such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir are also grown.
Shown below is a map of the major Hungarian wine regions.
Needless to say, there were not many Hungarian wines in my local wine store. I was lucky to find a red and a white. Here is what I found:
Little Cricket- Gruner Veltliner 2018 (USD $12)- from Del-Pannonia, Hungary.
It is made with 100% Gruner Veltliner grapes. This is a common varietal grown in Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia. It is a dry white wine with typical tasting notes of lime, lemon, grapefruit, white pepper, and sometimes green pepper on the nose. This particular bottle had very light aromatics, flavors of green apple and citrus with a light effervescence. It was medium-bodied, slightly sweet, and fairly acidic. I'm not sure I would buy it again, but it was ok.
Egri Bikaver Bulls Blood Red 2017 (USD $10) from Eger, Hungary
This wine is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. It is medium-bodied, nice acidity, tannic, with hints of black currants, the earthiness of mushrooms, leather, oak, and chocolate. It was another wine that was so-so to me, but it is always amazing to taste the terroir of such history. This wine is steeped in tradition. The town of Eger (where this wine is produced) was the site of the 16th Century battle between the Hungarians and the Ottomans. The Hungarian victory was attributed, in legend, to their drinking red wine that the Turks thought was bull's blood. Kind of a morbid thought, but superstition was a very real sentiment during the time.
I was a little disappointed I was unable to find some traditional wines that were native to Hungary. I will do some more digging and circle back with another blog if I come across any......
Have a wonderful night and Saluti!!!
Xoxo- Lisa.