Visiting Szekszárd - about the Bodri Winery - Report 2.

Continuing our reports on our Szekszárd trip in February, we have to talk about the Bodri Winery.



At present, the Bodri estate is about 40 hectares, of which 22 hectares is vineyards. A good part of it (11 hectares) is located in Faluhely, as well as rather dispersed and in several pieces, among the fabulously beautiful hills and valleys of the Szekszárd region. ( e.g.: Iván-völgy, Gurovica, Gesztenyés and the Csötönyi-völgy).

The rest part of the estate includes three more premier cru areas with southern exposure and several forests therefore, if need be, there are pontentials for increasing their production area.

As a matter of fact, the development of the cellar is also well underway. At the moment they are working on a huge investment project to achieve a 1,720 m2 complex, with a guest-house, new storage area, warehouse for finished goods, and a new place for bottle mellowing. Moreover the construction of a 3.3 km water-channeling system is also underway. According to the plans, the whole complex will be finished around 2013.

So the investments and infrastructure of the Bodri Winery are really impressive, even by international standards, therefore, the framework is there.

And what about Bodri wines?




Beside their infrastructural investments, their main goal is: to achieve international standards in their wines. According to the international successes (the most recent of which is the Brussels gold of Optimus 2006), no question, the Bodri winery works with professionality.

Their wine-maker, Bősz Adrián, is a young viticulturist with high qualification in viticulture, and who has a very consciously and modern approach to making wines.

Disvovering the Bodri wines, we can find from the interesting and fresh white Kadarka, till the real selection wines almost everything (Kékfrankos, Pinot Noir, Red Cuvée-s, Bikavér etc...), which are so good and drinkable everyday wines.
But the selection wines are the real top wines of the cellar, which are marketed only if they achieve especially high quality at the harvest.


In February, thanks to the very kind Bodri hospitality, we tasted the following wines at the winery.

"Kati" - white Kadarka 2008
Kadarka 2008
Bodrikutya(cuvée)2008
Kékfrankos 2007
Civilis Cuvée 2007
Kékfrankos Selection (Faluhely) 2006
Cabernet Franc Selection (Faluhely) 2007
Bikavér Selection (Faluhely) 2006
and finally the Optimus QV.

As you can see in the picture, on the left side. :)

One thing is sure - we only can recommend you to taste Bodri wines, because they are carefully made and good structured wines, but let us suggest you to have one, at least:
Cabernet Franc Válgotás (Faluhely) 2007.
This is really so good... Hm... I also have to drink again! :)

Visiting Szekszárd /26.02.2010/ - about the Sebestyén Winery - Report 1.

At the end of February we visited our one of the favourite wine regions of Hungary, Szekszárd. Beside our old partner wineries we were interested in getting to know new wines and new wineries from the region, and telling the truth, preparing a little bit for the March Wine-Klub event in Munich.
That time we got in touch with 2 different winery oweners called Bodri István and Sebestyén Csaba who showed us everything about their work and about their wines…

Firstly let’s have a look at the map to get an overview about the Szekszárd region….so we try to answer your first questions: where?, when? and what?... :)

Szekszárd wine region is one of the oldest and one of the most Southern (beside Villány) red wine bearing areas in Hungary.
The Celts were the first ones who estabished wine-growing in this region more than 2000 years ago. (so, yes, it was really long time ago.)

The vineyards are situated in closed valleys of submediterranean micro climate and loessal soil providing a great variety and out-standing aptitude for red wine making. Can be found that the Szekszárd wine region has one of the best climatic conditions among the wine regions of Hungary.

Wine from Szekszárd shows a great variety, ranging from lighter and elegant to more heavy-bodied and robust red wines. Apart from being fruity, they are harmonious and spicy making them unique. So as the old saying reflects: „Varietas delectat” – Variety delights....

Our first way, arriving from Budapest, led us to the Sebestyén Winery, where Csaba Sebestyén, who is the owner and the winemaker at the same time, was waiting for us.

The Sebestyén Winery is a smaller family winery in Szekszárd and was established in 1998.
The owners continuously increasing the acreage of their areas and they have been growing wine since 2009 on 8,5 ha – with a strict yield limitation system – and since 2008 they purchase well sorted grape from 8-10 ha.

Until the harvest that is made by hand they thin the clusters several times, so in the end they get the best quality grape ready for harvest.

Their wine making is also done with special care. For example during the fermentation they mix the traditional methods with modern technologies.

During their aging process afterwards they use not only new oak barrels but old ones as well, that is why their wines are not so oaky or full with oak, they are more smoothy and full with fruity flavours.

I think, after this short introduction we can be interested in tasting the Sebestyén wines.

So let's have a look at which wines we tasted at Csaba.

First of all, we started our tasting with a typical Hungarian grape variety, Cserszegi fűszeres what is the result of crossing the cultivars Tramini and Irsai Olivér and we can declare this grape is exclusively grown in Hungary. Wow, this is really a nice summer wine.

Then, we continued the queue with the followings:

Icze Cuvée 2007, Kékfrankos Sel. 2006, Kékfrankos Sel. 2007, Bikavér Sel. 2006, Bikavér Res. 2007, Gradus 2006 and finally we closed our tasting with the Iván völgyi Cuvée also from 2007. This last one is the top wine of the winery but at the moment you can not find on the market (only at us! :) ) and you have to apply for advance booking to get this wine.

Summarizing our experiences, we can tell you the truth: more than suggested to taste Sebestyén wines in the near future (!!) :) as they are really beautiful and well-made wines of the region.

The month of the Furmint - Furmint February in Budapest

Last Thursday we could paticipate in a very special event in Budapest in the Festetics Palace.
Namely we could taste only Hungarian Furmints from different part of the country, from 30 different wineries for the first time and at the same time.
Well, what can I say? :)

Wonderful place. Elegant wines. New and interesting vintages. That was the furmint tasting in a short way. And moreover professionally well-organised. :)

But what's the Furmint exactly?

Furmint is a variety of wine grape, used for white wines. The name Furmint is taken from the word "froment" for the wheat-gold color of the wine it produces.

While the exact origins of Furmint are not clear, it is generally well established that the grape was introduced to the Austro-Hungarian area in the Middle Ages, so can be declared that the grape is native to Hungary. It is a late variety, usually ripening in the second half of October.

Today, Furmint is most widely grown in Hungary, particularly in the Tokaj-Hegyealja wine region where it is used to produce single-varietal dry wines as well as being the principal grape in the better known Tokaji dessert wines, and where it is often blended with Hárslevelű. But it is also cultivated in the wine region of Somló where producers dedicated to producing dry styles of Furmint have been steadily increasing plantings.

Furmint can be produced in a variety of styles ranging from bone dry to extremely sweet wines afflicted by noble rot.
The grape has the potential to produce wines with naturally high levels of acidity with complex flavors derived from phenolic compounds in the juice and through brief contact with grape skins.

Also Furmint wines, particularly the botrytized dessert wines, that can have immense aging potenial with some well made examples from favorable vintages continuing to age for over a century.
For example, the aszú wines of Tokaj are made from the top 10-15% of Furmint harvested. This potential comes from the balance of acidity and high levels of sugars in the wine.

Dry styles of Furmint are characterized by their aroma notes....what you can recognise suddenly in your glass.