Hungary may not spring to mind when we think about important winegrowing areas, but that should change. With 65,000 hectares under vine on ideal soils for viticulture, it makes sense that grapevines have been planted here since the Romans. Maybe because of 40 years of communist rule, where the state seized vineyards and mandated bulk production of fast-growing, high-yield varieties, then demanded uniformity in vinification (because variety wasn’t a part of the plan), Hungarian wines fell off the map for most of us. Because it was bad.
But now there are energetic, talented, inspired winemakers taking the reins, investing in Hungary's particularly rich selection of native grape varieties and enhancing her old traditions with improvements to technique, to make memorably distinctive wines that’ll delight and satisfy any wine lover.