Wines made from old Hungarian grape varieties—such as Csókaszőlő, Laska, Bakator, and many others that are now barely known—will be featured at a grand tasting event on Thursday at Szent Angéla High School in Budapest, organized by the Association for Ancient Hungarian Grape Varieties.
At the tasting, visitors can sample around 50 wines from over 20 wineries across the Carpathian Basin.
According to the organizers’ statement sent to MTI, twenty years ago, only a handful of people were working with these old varieties. Today, however, several dozen winemakers across Hungary’s wine regions have planted these forgotten grapes.
The revival of these varieties began in the early 2000s with winemaker József Szentesi, who rediscovered several forgotten grapes. Using ten white and ten red varieties sourced from the University of Pécs’ Institute for Viticulture and Oenology, he established an experimental vineyard, studying both the advantages and disadvantages of each grape.
Szentesi not only delved into the relevant literature but also shared his findings and cuttings with interested winemakers. Thanks to this, several producers today can offer a wide range of wines from old Hungarian grape varieties. Alongside Szentesi, winemakers like László Andrási of Somló and Oszkár Maurer from the Szerémség region are actively involved in preserving these grapes.
A shared interest in heritage grapes has brought these winemakers together regularly over the years to taste, collaborate, and share ideas. This cooperation led to the formation of the Association for Ancient Hungarian Grape Varieties in February. As a formal group, they now aim to raise more awareness and support for these varieties and pursue common goals more effectively.
The association has several objectives, which its members are happy to discuss at what they consider the first milestone in their shared journey: the Grand Tasting of Ancient Hungarian Varieties.
(MTI)
