The Hungarian Frontier

It has to be said that I am often confused, perplexed, bemused by a whole raft of things, not just wine! But there was one wine that was very confusing - in a good way - this past week. I was in the town of Villany, southern Hungary, tasting through some red wines from the region. We moved through some of the lighter styles of wine - Portugieser, Pinot Noir - and then we got to the Cabernet. It was one particular blend that confused me the most: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Kékfrankos. From the very first smell, I suddenly thought I was back home in Australia, or perhaps in another New World region, but certainly not in Europe. On the nose this wine was explosive. Minty, packed full of red berries. And the New World style continued on the palate with punchy, big, mouth-filling flavours. I was thinking Mclaren Vale, Margaret River. Seriously good wine.

This could be a great source of big rich red wine. The region is at the same latitude as the northern most part of Bordeaux, and sits on a vein of limestone soil, seen below in these caves that run underneath the Csányi winery. And the best news...the wines certainly stack up against their more expensive New World counterparts.

Winemaking in Villanyi has been traced back to Roman times, and then to the ancient Celts, through to the Serbs living in the area after the Turkish occupation, and finally to the German settlers who can be thanked for shaping the modern industry. Outside of Hungary this region has been relatively unknown but domestically it is renowned for its quality red wine production. In any top restaurant in Budapest, the best Hungarian reds will most definitely come from Villanyi. I know, I tried quite a lot. And they are really really good!

So why is this region not known outside of Hungary? It's location might have something to do with it. Three hours south of Budapest, and that's with the relatively new motorway. I'm not sure how many tourists would be drawn to this part of the world, especially given that most people stick to Budapest or may venture to Tokaji but no further.

Previously known as Chateau Tileki, Csányi Winery was founded in 1881 by Zsigmond Teleki who we could say saved Europe from phylloxera. It was Tileki who experimented with different types of rootstock resistant to the disease. His work was carried on by his sons, and thanks to their innovative efforts, phylloxera was beaten. So Csányi has a proud history which also extends to the quality of the wines it produces. Below is the new winemaking team.

From Villanyi we moved back to Budapest as a base to get to Torley, and look at the vineyards and new 2013 wines including our customer favourite, Campanula Pinot Grigio. I think the 2013 vintage is looking better than last year with ripe fruity wines with crisp acidity. Visiting the Campanula vineyards, it's easy to see why: they are beautiful.

And finally, an interesting aside. I have discovered that there is a complimentary artisanal industry around Etyek where our Campanula wines come from: ham production (and palinka but that's a whole other story!). In this part of the world, they say that ham making is as old as the practice in Spain and Italy. There are tiny houses all throughout Etyek with amazing smoking facilities to produce beautiful specimens like this:

So next time you are drinking or recommending Campanula or our other Hungarian wines, think about some funky food matches with cured ham...A match made in heaven!

For more photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152005827041241.1073741861.738991240&type=1&l=69e05c0a2e

Bacchus was Bulgarian

Yes that's right. Bacchus, the ancient god of wine wasn't Greek as we are all taught but, in fact, was Thracian. He was said to live in the Rodop Mountains which are part of modern day Bulgaria. Forget Greece: the original wine deity was Bulgarian! So can we say that Bulgarian wine is actually divine? Based on what I've tasted over the past couple of days, yes!

There is a long history of winemaking here on the Thracian planes. According to archeological studies, the territory that Bulgaria now occupies may have been one of the first winemaking regions in the world, and is certainly the first to have decreed a geographical "denomination" in 2 AD. This is hardly surprising given the climate and soils are naturally suited to wine production, as well as the central role of Black Sea towns on the ancient trading route: Nessebar, Sozopol, Varna. 

Not only is there an ancient winemaking tradition here on the Thracian planes but there is a long history linking Laithwaite's and this region. Tony Laithwaite was the first person to export wine from Bulgaria in the late 1970s when the country's wine industry was controlled by the state monopoly Vinipex. By the early 1980s Bulgaria was exporting 1.2 million bottles of wine outside the Soviet Union, half a million of which were consumed by our Laithwaite's customers. Bulgarian Cabernet was big! 

But following the disbanding of the USSR, Bulgaria suffered from a downturn in industry, lack of investment, and a constant egress of population. In fact, Bulgaria is one of the poorest coutries in Eastern Europe. The wine industry also stagnated as producers struggled to access the tools they needed to make high quality wine, and so could no longer find a route to market or could only sell their cheapest, high volume wines to supermarket chains. But recently, some growers have risen from the post-communist difficulties to develop modern wineries with cutting-edge technology while looking after the fantastic vineyards that have always flourished in this part of the world.

This story of renewal can also be linked to Laithwaite's. Back in the 70s and 80s a young Margo Todorov worked for the state monopoly. As Tony explains, Margo was one of the few people who could speak English in the government-run export board for Bulgarian wine. He was exposed to the more modern wine styles from all around the world that were in our range at that time, and the methods by which those wines were made. He took all this knowledge back to Bulgaria to help develop the wine industry there. Since the 90s he has invested his time and money in building the most successful independent commercial winery in democratic Bulgaria. Now he is keen to return to his routes and see his wine sold by the company that put Bulgaria on the map.

Margo's winery is Domaine Boyar, and they have made a special Cabernet based on the wine that was so well-loved by Laithwaite's customers 30 years ago. This is a rich, bold Cabernet, full of juicy red fruits with just a touch of oak to add structure and complexity. 

The wine is named after the treaty which gave Bulgaria its independence from Turkey after five centuries of rule, and so it is a name very dear to our Bulgarian  friends. This special Cuvée Cabernet will relaunch Bulgaria into the Laithwaite's range, and continue the exciting developments of our Eastern European portfolio. We were there first in the final decade of the Soviet Union, and now we can be there as Bulgaria focuses on developing a quality wine industry opening up its well-kept secrets to an eager drinking public!

Beyond the Forest

Spooky eh? Where else could this be but Transylvania. I'd venture to say that this is one of the richest wine regions in the world in terms of myths, legends and fascinating history. The legend of Count Dracula began here, based on the true history of Vlad Dracul. And we walked past his house in the stunning fortified town of Sighisoara (he didn't answer).

We discussed impaling (Vlad's son Tepes became extemely well-known for the practice) and, would you believe it, embroidery too. Apparently embroidery was The Impaler's second favourite hobby, after the killing thing.

This somewhat colourful history aside, the town of Sighisoara is beautiful with pretty buildings, dramatic rooftops and cobblestone streets.

It was the perfect start to our Transylvanian adventure even if it was a trek to get there: 4.30 start on a Sunday, early (very budget) flight, landing at Targu Mures "Transylvania's International Airport" (look it up - I had to!). And then a lot of time on a bus, driving through the Transylvanian countryside. This really is Europe's final wine wilderness...

Whilst we didn't see an actual vampire, I can understand why stories abound in this corner of the wine world. Transylvania - or "Ardeal" in the ancient tongue - translates literally as "beyond the forest", and for long hours we drove through beautiful wilderness, ancient villages, and dark imposing old Saxon towns with winding streets leading to beautifully preserved buildings. But here even the houses have intent; in the pituresque towns of Sibiu and Sebes, one could be tricked into thinking they are watching your every step...

We discovered that the gory history of Transylvania even reached into the wine world. Burebista, the warrior king from the first century BC made the brave, and foolhardy move of banning wine production. Can you believe it? Well, the locals couldn't and he met a gruesome end, á la Julius Caesar. There's a lesson there: don't ever mess with the wine.

Conquering Emperor Trajan was a big oenophile, insisting that only the best - Romanian - wine be served at his infamous victory dinners (of roasted pigeon and hay-smoked hare, apparently). Even Plato - widely acknowledged to be a pretty smart guy - reckoned that Romania had the "best vineyards in the world". Fact. So how could we learn more about these wonderful vineyards and long winemaking history? Of course, on horseback...

I hope this photo looks commanding, as though I'm in charge. Pretty sure the horse was. Even though I'm Aussie, I've never been the horseriding type. May have been on a pony when I was 10! But I braved it, and managed to survive the ride through the Halewood Sebes vineyards. Wow was it worth it. The grapes may had been harvested but the leaves had started to take on their autumn hues. It's easy to see why there is so much great wine coming from Romania with beautifully tendered vineyards like these.

But it's not just the vineyard. We are lucky to be working with the unsung superstar winemaker of Romania. Lorena has travelled and worked extensively in other wine producing regions, in particular spending several vintages in California honing her craft. This comes through in her love of smart, aromatic whites and boldly-flavoured, blockbusting reds.

Not surprising then that my favourite find of this trip was the perfect blend of the New and the Ancient world. Local grape Feteasca Negra (in Romanian the Black Maiden) is a dark, luscious beauty that, paired with spicy Shiraz is amazing. And all the whites have been picked at just the right time so they are aromatic and super crisp. A new Sauvignon is on its way. Tropical, explosive flavour. A lot to look forward to. 

The Grapes Come In

Finally it's not just the white grapes being harvested in Rioja: the reds at last are being picked but with loads of variation in the vineyards, it looks like it will take a while for those with the sense and patience to wait. It's been tough work for the harvesters in the Gómez Cruzado vineyards as only very small areas are being picked at a time in order to bring in the grapes at the right levels of maturity and at similar levels of quality. This means the harvesters have had to move from site to site within vineyards, as well as from one vineyard to another quite frequently. While taking more time, this will ensure the hard work is done in the vineyard, and grapes of lesser quality are kept out of the tanks where the best material will ferment away, destined for Reserva level and above.

Fortunately the rain has mostly kept away this week so grapes are coming in with more frequency. Sure, as I've said, there is variable quality but with all the work having been done in planning how to harvest, the last bunches of grapes to be discarded are easily spotted on the sorting table. Not many botrytised bunches are getting through which could mean the difference between great wines -from wineries taking the time and care to sort - and the bigger wineries where less attention is paid at this vital step. Even where producers have the latest technology on the sorting lines to measure the density and size of the grapes - a machine that costs a fortune! - it still takes careful attention and people power to sort the grapes of lesser quality.

We've also now had the chance to taste some of the earliest juice just in from the pressed grapes. Some of the early parcels look very good: full of bright red fruits with length and great acidity which should make long-lasting well structured wines: again proving that careful planning in the vineyards is crucial this year. Very happy that we are working with these sorts of growers!

An interesting thing to watch this year will be the quality of wines from the various regions of Rioja. Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa often produce high quality grapes that benefit from a long maturation and cooler climate than the warmer Rioja Baja. With the rain, the risk of disease and botrytis is very high in those regions so it is testing for growers who are keen to get their grapes in. But with the later harvest this year, Rioja Baja has some very good parcels of vines which are benefitting from longer time to develop. We visited some particularly good parcels of old vine Garnacha. A very interesting year developing...

Harvest Time

I know I'm on holiday, and yes I acknowledge it may appear a little weird to take a vacation in a place where I also do a lot of work. But if you love it, what can you do! So I'm in Rioja for the 2013 harvest. A late one. But it is also going to be very interesting, and my initial thoughts are ... this is one of those years that will really benefit the guys with older vines and who really work the vineyards. 

Yesterday evening we walked through many of the small parcels that will eventually go into the making of Gomez Cruzado Vendimia Seleccionada and Gomez Cruzado Reserva. It was really interesting to taste the difference in maturity between some of the parcels, and the different character of the fruit depending on the soil, aspect, and in particular the age of the vines. The picking date will be key. There are disease pressures - we saw quite a bit of botrytis following all the rain over the past few weeks - and ripening was slow. But we were in some of the best sites in Rioja Alta and tasted from a lot of older vines so most of this fruit is looking good.

At this stage, white grapes have come in but we are waiting on a day to start picking the reds. Looks like some work Wednesday (conveniently allowing us to make the Gastronomia festival in San Sebastian on Tuesday!) and then a lot of harvesting Friday and Saturday. The biggest threat to this plan is more rain. True at the moment I am sitting in some glorious Autumn sun looking out over the Cantabrians but this could change...Fingers crossed!