Table wines from Villány Summer has arrived and with it the wedding season. And of course, every reception needs to have wine on the table. This is the reason for our latest trip to Villány. You see, one of my friends finally gave in and decided to get married. Because the happy couple have always liked Villány and the wines from the region, we kept our search close to home. The selection, I would say, was average: in whites, mostly Olaszrizling was available, only a few places carried rosé, and Portugeiser was the most commonly available red wine, but of course there was also Kékfrankos and Cabernet Sauvignon. ...

Perhaps the winery with the best selection was Siklós’s Fontányi Pincészet. There were about twelve wines to choose from and the prices were very friendly too. Amongst the whites, they offered Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Pinot Grigio, Olaszrizling, and Ottonel Muskolály. Their rosé, made from Pinot Noir, makes a pleasant spritzer. In reds, they had Cabernet Sauvignon, Zweigelt, and Syrah. A couple of their prices: rosé cost 400 forints per liter, and their Sauvignon blanc cost 350 forints per liter.

We began our excursion on Villány’s main row of cellars. Szende Pincészet offers four types of wine. Their rosé is made from many grapes and is not the fresh, crisp rosé you may prefer, but it makes a good spritzer. 700 forints per liter. Their Oportó has a nice fruity spiciness to it with herbal aromas. A bit weak in acidity with a medium-long finish and a slightly bitter aftertaste. Price: 600 forints per liter. Kékfrankos: bright purple color, intense fruitiness with hints of mint, solid acid spine, light-to-medium body and a short finish. 600 forints per liter. A slightly more serious wine is their Cabernet Sauvignon-Cabernet Franc Cuvée. A dry wine with notes of ripe and overly ripe fruit. Its finish has medium intensity, and taste is quite simple, a bit bitter. It costs 1000 forints per liter.

The next winery we visited was Günzer Tamás’s winery. Here they had two types of table wine: an Olaszrizling for 400 forints and a Portugieser for 600 forints. The Olaszrizling was quite disappointing, stuffy in the nose, hardly any acidity, residual sugar, leaving a syrupy taste in the mouth, all this accompanied by a damp smell that would not subside. Their Portugieser was better with nice fruity notes of sour cherries and other aromas true to its varietal character. In appearance, however, it was quite out of the ordinary with its bright, almost cherry-red color and cloudiness. The alcohol is a bit out of balance, but otherwise, it has structure and a long finish.

Our next stop was a Keller Pince where the wine is not measured out in jugs or plastic bottles, but in glass bottle-cap bottles. Of course, these bottles are not nice enough to be put out on the table, but they preserve the wine’s quality longer and should any wine remain after the big day, you can enjoy the rest of it later. Here we tasted three wines that ended up winning Borturista’s and the couple’s happy approval, so they rung in our order and we brought the following wines to the reception: Olaszrizling 2008 – In aromas and in taste it is filled with fruity, exotic fruit notes including mandarins and banana. Its acidity is not very crisp, medium body, easily drinkable, clear and creamy, nicely prepared wine. Though it is a dry wine, those who say they like „sweet” wines will not say this is „sour”. The price was 600 forints per liter. Next was their 2008 Rosé (Kékfrankos, Oportó, Merlot) ) – its color reminds me of the sky at sunrise, exciting bouquet, trendy wine with good balance. Easy, pleasant, slightly carbonated. Price: 720 forints per liter. Finally we tasted their 2008 Portugeiser, dark purple in color, a bit closed in the nose, nice palette, fruity, easy, great accompaniment to spicy dishes. The price is 720 forints per liter.