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2010. Februar 12. Freitag
'Ungarns bester Pinot' - Caroline Gilby MW
The warm, southern region of Villány is leading the way with reds, says CAROLINE GILBY MW in Decanter Magazine's February issue.
The article "HUNGARY SEES RED" points out, that there’s more than Tokaji and cheap white in Hungary.
Hungary’s wine industry was reborn after the fall of the Iron Curtain and the most dramatic transformation occurred in the challenging red wine scene and still it's Villány that holds the red crown.
Hungary’s wine industry was reborn after the fall of the Iron Curtain and the most dramatic transformation occurred in the challenging red wine scene and still it's Villány that holds the red crown.
CAROLINE GILBY’s top four is Vylyan, Malatinszky, Gere and Bock.
“Vylyan
Mónika Debreczeni is one of the few women in Hungary in charge of a major winery. ‘I took over in 2004 after the death of my husband. The children were 11 and 9 at the time. I shifted to automatic pilot mode – the possibility of not taking over did not come to mind at all.’
Debreczeni had studied economics but after meeting her husband, Pál, became involved with ‘planning the winery and vineyards at our dining room table’. Pál had bought land in 1989 at a time when everyone else was selling, and with his wife’s help planted the first vines in 1992. By 2004, when he died, the winery had 125 hectares.
‘The vineyard is like our third child; and you don’t abandon children just like that,’ Debreczeni says, adding that the tragedy has brought her and her children closer together; last summer her daughters worked at the winery.
Vylyan was named Winery of the Year in 2008 by both its peers in Hungary and by Danish magazine Vinbladet; it was also a Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Trophy winner in 2006 for its 2004 Pinot Noir. ‘I like wines with personality. Our task is to bring out gently what lies in the grapes,’ says Debreczeni.
Debreczeni remains frustrated at the lack of international recognition for Hungary: ‘My dream is that one day the names of Hungarian wines and regions will be pronounced with the same ease as names from France, Italy and Chile.’
Debreczeni had studied economics but after meeting her husband, Pál, became involved with ‘planning the winery and vineyards at our dining room table’. Pál had bought land in 1989 at a time when everyone else was selling, and with his wife’s help planted the first vines in 1992. By 2004, when he died, the winery had 125 hectares.
‘The vineyard is like our third child; and you don’t abandon children just like that,’ Debreczeni says, adding that the tragedy has brought her and her children closer together; last summer her daughters worked at the winery.
Vylyan was named Winery of the Year in 2008 by both its peers in Hungary and by Danish magazine Vinbladet; it was also a Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Trophy winner in 2006 for its 2004 Pinot Noir. ‘I like wines with personality. Our task is to bring out gently what lies in the grapes,’ says Debreczeni.
Debreczeni remains frustrated at the lack of international recognition for Hungary: ‘My dream is that one day the names of Hungarian wines and regions will be pronounced with the same ease as names from France, Italy and Chile.’
ONE TO TRY: Vylyan, Pinot Noir 2006 (18.5/20)
“The current release of the DWWA Trophy winner (the 2004 is still drinking very well), made under the guidance of a Burgundian consultant and picked much earlier than is typical for this warm region, to ensure elegance and silken finesse. Hungary’s best Pinot to date.”
