Hidden Treasures n°3 2020

The " Hidden Treasures " project is a collaboration between Roland Velich of Domaine Moric from Austria and Villa Tolnay, whose estate is located in Hungary on the northern shores of Lake Balaton. The Riesling and Fürmint vines grow on volcanic and limestone soils, which gives a very distinct minerality to the wine. The vinification takes place almost entirely naturally and the wine is aged in used Hungarian oak barrels. On the palate, we feel an incredibly fresh and fruity blend, very elegant, mineral and structured. The wine is concentrated on floral aromas, citrus peel , lime, apple and pear , mirabelle plum, almond paste and flint. Crispy, catchy and able to keep for more than 10 years, we have here the characteristics of a great wine.

It was the Romans who planted the first vines at a time when the Country was part of a region called Pannonia. It was at the dawn of the 18th century that Hungary, united with Austria, ensured the export of its most famous wine throughout Europe: Tokaj (from the Fürmint grape variety). As throughout Europe, in the 19th century, viticulture was destroyed by phylloxera. During the communist period, vineyards were managed in cooperatives which guaranteed a stable income for wine producers. Quite a few small winegrowers were unable to keep up with this growing economy, so the Hungarian vineyard was restructured, losing 30% of its surface area in the process. Nowadays, many family estates have emerged, some of which produce wines of incredible quality. As everywhere in Europe, viticulture is in decline as part of the European restructuring plan for the wine industry. Hungary, which is at the same latitude as Burgundy, has a continental climate with hot summers and cold winters. The rainfall is sufficient for non-irrigated viticulture and the soils are heterogeneous and of high quality depending on the region. With around a hundred indigenous and international grape varieties, the country has good varietal diversity. The fürmint and the hárslevelü from the Tokaj region, vinified dry and at the origin of the great sweet wines of Tokaj, are undoubtedly the best-known varieties today. The most widely planted grape variety is Olasrizling for whites and Kéfrankos for reds. International grape varieties, mainly Bordeaux grape varieties, flourish in particular in the south of the country where they produce high-class wines.