March 16, 2009

 

Austrian-Hungarian Wine Seminar

 

 

The Embassy of Austria and Embassy of Hungary co-hosted a unique ‘wine seminar’ on Thursday, March 5 to introduce not only the treasures of the two countries’ wine industry but also to introduce what lies beyond them: history, land, industry, wineries and people.

 

Austrians and Hungarians are not simple neighbors, they are brothers-in-law or ‘sógorok’ in Hungarian. Besides the shared borders, the history and traditions of the two countries are closely interlinked. And most importantly: both countries have a remarkable and upcoming wine industry. With the words of Andreas Riecken, Chargé d’Affaires of the Austrian Embassy: ‘The love for wine outlasted all historic developments in this sometimes very troubled spot on the European map.’

 

 

Chargé d'Affaires Andreas Riecken and Deputy Chief of Mission Zoltán Gábor opening the seminar

 

‘While having great traditions, Hungarian wine industry has undergone a significant change in the last ten years and by now we are ready to produce wines that can stand the competition with the top wines of the world. Fortunately, besides the so-called ‘world varieties’, we have a wide range of our own native grape varieties, like Furmint, Hárslevelű, Kékfrankos and Kadarka, which provide great potential for our wine industry in the future. And they are good for you as well if you want a real change after so many years of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay,’ Mr. Zoltán Gábor, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Hungary, welcomed the audience.

 

 

Agricultural Attaché Attila Tóth speaking about the Furmint (a Hungarian grape variety)

 

The wine tasting included five Austrian and five Hungarian wines as well as learning interesting facts on grape varieties, wine regions and wineries through a PowerPoint presentation held by the Agricultural Attachés Hans Kordik (Embassy of Austria) and Attila Tóth (Embassy of Hungary). After the presentation, the audience had an opportunity to re-taste the wines paired with some of the culinary wonders of Mr. Lázár Kovács, Chef-in-Residence of the Embassy of Hungary.

 

 

Embassy of Hungary Chef Lázár Kovács and two wine lovers

 

The wine list included the following items:

 

  1. Grüner Veltliner Steinhaus 2007

        Winery: Sonnhof Karl Jurtschitsch

        Wine region: Kamptal, Austria

 

  1. Disznókő Tokaji Dry Furmint 2007

        Winery: Disznókő

        Wine region: Tokaj-Hegyalja, Hungary

 

  1. Riesling Platin 2006

        Winery: Sonnhof Karl Jurtschitsch

        Wine region: Kamptal, Austria

 

  1. Királyudvar Tokaji Sec 2006

        Winery: Királyudvar

        Wine region: Tokaj-Hegyalja, Hungary

 

  1. Zweigelt vom Heideboden 2004

        Winery: Hans & Christine Nittnaus

        Wine region: Lake Neusiedl, Austria

 

  1. Weininger Spern Steiner Kékfrankos 2005

        Winery: Weninger

        Wine region: Sopron, Hungary

 

  1. Blaufrankisch 2006

        Winery: Hans & Christine Nittnaus

        Wine region: Lake Neusiedl, Austria

 

  1. Takler Heritage Cuvée 2003

        Winery: Takler

        Wine region: Szekszárd, Hungary

 

  1. Premium Eiswein 2004

        Winery: Hans & Christine Nittnaus

        Wine region: Lake Neusiedl, Austria

 

  1. 5 Puttonyos Tokaji Aszú 1993

        Winery: Hilltop

        Wine region: Tokaj-Hegyalja, Hungary

 

And the outcome? From the reactions of the audience we can conclude that the wines were of an equally high quality, and it would be very difficult to declare any wine as the sole winner or ‘wine of the day’.

 

However, with a tiny bit of bias, we would note that it was no accident that the Királyudvar Sec was selected among the wines of the year by Wine Spectator’s Matt Kramer in 2008…