Kékfrankos

• August 2009

  I can't believe I missed this: "Yearly my wife's Hungarian family gathers to a ... the Hungarians call it Kekfrankos and they do a wonderful job with it. It's actually an "Austrian" grape that was brought to Germany in the late 1800s. But remember that what we see as the... Read moreI can't believe I missed this: "Yearly my wife's Hungarian family gathers to a ... the Hungarians call it Kekfrankos and they do a wonderful job with it. It's actually an "Austrian" grape that was brought to Germany in the late 1800s. But remember that what we see as the political borders of Austria and Hungary today are not what the Austro-Hungarian empire constituted, so both modern-day Austria and Hungary make really good blaufrankisch, or blue franc. The red grapes that were more respected were called franconian, or French, and the grapes that were less respected were called "Hunnic" and this grape, which apparently is not French, was given that name for prestige purposes. But in Eger it can make a really good wine IMO and I'd love to try it from Michigan. Those that I've had from Washington have been really disappointing. Incidentally, of course I disagree with this statement regarding "European" wine: "Less oak, generally, but potentially higher acidity, more subtlety, but at the expense of fruit. . ." If you can ship in, I'll tell you some Hungarian wine you might try. If you can't but you can name a store or two nearby, we can tell you something about the wines they offer. Meantime try Winebuys in MI and tell them to link to Snooth if they haven'    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Another wine fan from Michigan by GregT

  
  

• July 2009

  Oh you poor people - if you have to buy what the PA liquor folks select, you ... It's from a grape called kekfrankos, or what the Austrians call blaufrankisch or blue franc. In Washington they call it lemberger but the only ones I've had were not something I'd want to drink and... Read moreOh you poor people - if you have to buy what the PA liquor folks select, you ... It's from a grape called kekfrankos, or what the Austrians call blaufrankisch or blue franc. In Washington they call it lemberger but the only ones I've had were not something I'd want to drink and definitely wouldn't recommend. Again, some people like those but perhaps they never had any good ones. However, I think kekfrankos should be the signature grape of Hungary, i.e. something to differentiate it, because they do such an outstanding job with it. As I mentioned, most aren't imported, which is too bad. But this one is a decent effort. If you want to compare to some Blaufrankisch from Austria, you might want to try Weninger. They have vineyards on both sides of the border and make single vineyard wines from both. It's interesting to compare them, however to my knowledge the Hungarian version isn't imported, only the Austrian one. As a general observation, the grape typically has great acidity, often with a spicy and peppery quality, not unlike a really cool-climate syrah might have. The area around Eger in particular seems to bring out those qualities, which is why I like those wines. You might also try the Kadarka by Takler. Again, it's not that Takler is one of my favorite producers, but he is available because he's one of the first wines imported by Monarchia before they were merged with Matt Bros. Kadarka was brought to Hungary by the Serbs around the time of the Turk invasions, and it can be a really interesting and good wine, often with floral notes. It may be the most "indigenous" of Hungarian reds - don't forget that the political borders have been very fluid over the centuries. Bikaver, or "Bull's Blood", is usually a blend of these, along with some other grapes. Then they have some wines from Villany, which some people think is Hungary's best red grape area. There's Vylyan Zweigelt, which is another grape that is generally light in body, high in acid, showing a red-fruit profile without a big base of tannins. Part of that has to do with the continental climate of Hungary - it's nowhere as hot as Napa or Barossa or the Rhone, so they end up with grapes that are ripe, but rarely overripe. If people knew about those wines, they'd be calling them "food wines". They do an excellent job with cabernet franc too, as they're usually not as green as those from the Loire but they're still recognizably cab franc, with the herbal edge and body weight that you want in cab franc. Unfortunately, as I said, there's a limited selection available in the US. Gary V at Wine Library doesn't know all that much about Hungary, but he's super-enthusiastic and he's at least been there and he's eager to learn. As a result, he usually has a few in the store. He also has a dry furmint by Demeter Zoltan. The whites from Hungary are world-class at this point. The reds aren't there yet, although they're improving yearly. You should try that white. It's lean to the point of being austere - very acidic, reminiscent of a muscadet from the Loire, but also really well-made and an excellent example of an indigenous grape done well. FWIW - Egervin, which produced your wine, was created in the 1940s after WWII. It was the state-owned cooperative that everyone was forced to belong to and which bears a lot of responsibility for destroying Hungarian viticulture. Today it's "privatized" but it's still the first or second largest producer of wine in Hungary. If you can imagine the PA Liquor Control taking over Gallo and appointing all their hack friends to run it for about 50 years, you'd probably still be better off! Anyhow, best of luck with your endeavor    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic New East Coast Wine Geeks... by GregT

  
  
• 

  July 2009

  Villa Stephen Kekfrankos Hajosi 2003

  Snoothrank:

  Soft and fruity; reminiscent of an ageing Spanish Tempranillo. Quite a light wine; personal taste being for a more full bodied wine. Very pleasant.

  Wine review by Grape Friend

  
  
• 

  November 2008

  Vivamus Zweigelt 2002

  Snoothrank:

  No written review

  Wine review by wolszczak

  
  
• 

  July 2008

  Dr. Wein Eger Egri Merlot Cuvee 2003

  Snoothrank:

  Semi-sweet red wine made of variety Merlot, Cabernet and Kekfrankos. It has specific fruity taste. Nice red color. When traveling in Hungary we learned that this cellar is located in Eger region, one of the best known locations in Hungary. Dr.Wein Eger holds a crucial position in the... Read moreSemi-sweet red wine made of variety Merlot, Cabernet and Kekfrankos. It has specific fruity taste. Nice red color. When traveling in Hungary we learned that this cellar is located in Eger region, one of the best known locations in Hungary. Dr.Wein Eger holds a crucial position in the Eger region and secures whole proces of wine production from growing its own grape to bottlig. For the price, worth each penny.    (hide)

  Wine review by wolszczak

  
  

prev 1 next