The Wine Fairy

It’s kind of an obvious tip–but if you’re ever stuck in a wine rut, ask a sommelier what they’re drinking at home.

Somms work in the food and beverage industry, which means most are chronically underpaid. They regularly taste all the big name wines at work, so that’s not what they’re buying on their days off. Somms often have more taste than money. When they’re picking out their own wine, it’s usually something under-exposed and usually something awesome.

The last time I took a random recommendation from a somm, it was a wine I never would have discovered on my own. It was a region and grape I didn’t know anything about: A Hungarian Blaufränkisch blend. I took a leap of faith, and was rewarded with a wine of startling beauty. (Plus, it’s under $25!)

Blaufränkisch, for the fellow uninitiated, is a black grape that has its most significant plantings in Austria and Hungary. It’s a parent of the more widely planted varieties Gamay and Zweigelt. The blue-black skins are rich in tannin and can have a distinctly spicy character. It’s a high-yielding variety, but if not overcropped can produce ageworthy wines of great fruit concentration. Its high reputation in Eastern Europe has caused Blaufränkisch to be sometimes called “The Pinot Noir of the East.”

Today’s pour comes from Hungary’s Villány PDO, which is near the Croatian border. Once mainly a white-wine producing region, Villány switched to red wine production after the phylloxera epidemic and never looked back.

According to the local tourism board, Villány boasts Hungary’s first organized wine trail. Visitors can explore its beautiful whitewashed “cellar row” by bike or on foot. The local specialties are bold, oak-seasoned reds from Bordeaux grapes and local varieties.

This is a single-vineyard blend in which Blaufränkisch–co-planted with Syrah and Cabernet Franc–plays the starring role. Enticing and complex, this bottle contains both a cabinet full of spices and a field full of exuberant fruit.

Medium garnet, it asserts its presence with the aroma of a bakery at Christmastime. Wild berries, macerated red plums, mulled cider. There’s a light, toasty chocolate–like the crispy edges of a chocolate brownie–and baked cheesecake. Blueberry, black, licorice, coriander, white pepper…and that’s just the nose. A parade of red and black fruits unfold as you sip it (blackberries, lingonberry jam, raspberry, redcurrants), ending very dry with an intriguing whiff of anise seed and horehound.

This nuanced but substantial wine has medium high acidity and firm tannins that elongate the experience of tasting. Alcohol and flavor are in perfect balance. Both harmonious and intense, it’s a wine that makes you simply say, “This.” This is how red wine is supposed to taste.

Günzer’s Bocor vineyard was planted in 2006 and the winery itself has only been around since 1990. That ought to be encouraging news to anyone who’s afraid that you need ancient vines and centuries of experience to make phenomenal wine.

This was a recommendation from visiting somm Brandon at a Wine Authority member event. (It sold briskly.) My local Total Wine stocks it for $17.99, which is an eye-watering value.

Further reading:

Taste Hungary: Villány PDO: A Guide to the Wine Region

Producer’s website: Günzer Estate Winery

Bottle: Günzer Estate Bocor Single Vineyard Selection Cuvée (2016)

Variety: Blaufränkisch (48.5%), Syrah (25.81%), Cabernet Franc (25.69%)

ABV: 13.5%

Suggested retail: $24.99

My rating: 9.2 (out of 10)

Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.