So I’m in the medieval monastery of Pannonhalma in northern Hungary to judge at the Pannon Wine Challenge, the country’s most prestigious wine competition. The competition is now in its 13th year but has been substantially remodelled as of last year. Formerly there was a large jury (approx. 50% Hungarian and 50% international) that would be divided into several commissions each tasting their wines blind in isolation and rating them on OIV evaluation sheets. The top-scoring wines would be determined arithmetically. There would be no discussion.
The Pannonhalma Abbey with its renovated restaurant where the judging takes place.
And in actual practice more often than not, the competition became a political ballot for or against Hungarian red wines: a number of the jurors both from Hungary and outside would lobby for a red wine to win the grand trophy. Their argument would be to showcase and promote Hungary as a red winemaking country. I’ve nothing against the latter, but the situation became ludicrous one year when that lobby would push an oaky international-styled Merlot (that I generously rated 88/100) against an emotional, world-class sweet Tokaj that was a 100-pointer if there ever was one.
The new organisation is an improvement in that we work in small 3-strong juries in two rounds, first eliminating the ordinary wines and then actually selecting the medal winners. It’s a faster, more efficient and more reliable way of sifting the excellent out of the very good and not so good. There are no damn evaluation sheets requiring you to rate, among others, the wine’s ‘genuineness’ and there is more focus on what is important: whether the wine is nice to drink and will appeal to the public. Honestly it’s the only sensible way of doing a wine competition.
OIV wine tasting sheet: the wrong way to do a wine competition. © Blog.wblakegray.com.
We’re about 2/3 through the first round, having finished the ‘good value’ category for wines that retail below 7€ (a good general level, with whites showing better than reds and a few respectable rosés) as well as all the whites. We’ve also gone through reds based on Pinot Noir, Merlot and the local Kékfrankos and Kadarka.
It’s too early to indicate my favourite wines but two things have clearly emerged from yesterday’s tasting. Firstly, it never ceases to amaze me how many faulty and mediocre wines are entered. To expect an oxidised 5-year-old red wine with brett and no fruit to fare well in the ‘Best Hungarian Red’ category shows that some producers are completely alienated from reality. But Hungary is no exception here and it happens in all competitions in the world.
A random 2009 Kékfrankos: (some) Hungarian wines are getting more elegant.
The second observation is that Chardonnay and Merlot are the poorest wines currently produced in Hungary. They offer no personality and are clearly not adapted to most of the local terroirs and climates. Chardonnay is flabby, with no structure or minerality and easily dominated by oak (even worse when there is heavy-handed malolactic fermentation as well). Merlot is picked too late (as are most Hungarian red grapes), overextracted and overoaked and makes a jammy, flabby wine with no sense of place and no sense of refreshment. Those grapes were planted in the early 1990s in the first wave of modernisation and it followed a post-colonial logic that those most popular international varieties would have been embraced by emerging vintners. Twenty years on, it’s time for a ceremonial burial of these consistent underperformers.
Disclosure
I am paid to work as a juror at the Pannon Wine Challenge and my flights, accommodation and evening programme are paid for by the organisers.
That sums it all up. Sobering article. Well done!
Love the title. Makes me think of Monsieur Crochet and his criticisms.
“The second observation is that Chardonnay and Merlot are the poorest wines currently produced in Hungary.”
I’d like to assure the author and also the readers of this blog that there are some excellent Hungarian red wines (let alone the white ones), including Merlot wines (e.g. the Jánoshegyi Merlot 2007 from the Kislaki Bormanufaktúra).
Good article, keep it going writing about hungarian wines!
@Wine Geek: no doubt, but also a large proportion of shitty Hungarian wines comes from these two grapes.
@István: thanks for reading and replying!
Thanks for writing up your experience on PWC, keep up doing it and stay critical! I’d like to clarify one thing: according to your post, merlot and chardonnay are not performing very well here (in Hungary) and should be forgotten. I think Hungary’s climate and varied wine producing regions are just perfect for Ch and Merlot. Merlot for example seemingly has much more to do here than cabernet sauvignon. They are the producers who take wrong decisions regarding harvest dates and elevage. Let me point to a Merlot from the Etyek-Buda wine region which exactly shows what would be possible merlot-wise in Hungary: Szentesi József Merlot 2009.
Very interesting addition Mr Kovacs. Must say, based on the samples provided at PWC, PWG’s judgement is correct as is JG’s. I don’t share your positive views on Chardonnay or Merlot in Hungary, sure there are the occassional good examples but those grapes will never become leading varieties due to the lack of professional interest and dedication from those growing them. Merlot in Italy proved itself with the likes of Le Macchiole and others and Chardonnay already advanced further in neighbouring Austria . I applaud the wake up call made by PWG at this recent event, hopefully paving a way for a much better challenge next year. Ps: I look forward tasting that Szentesi with you soon.
Ps2: Without providing a point of contradiction, the greatest Hungarian red I tasted last year was indeed, a fine Merlot:
2003 Malatinszky Kúria-Kúria Villányi Merlot
my notes:
“Unfiltered. Powerful, impeccably balanced wine with high quality oak. Varietal and serious. Beautifully proportioned with perfectly ripened dark cherry fruit. The finest Merlot and Hungarian red of recent times. Priced accordingly.
96 points. 20 000 Ft USD $100
Ps: You may never come across this limited release as only 1996 bottles were produced.”
Well then. This wine however is an exception rather than the rule.
@Europai: thanks for your comments.
@Andras Kovacs: knowing Szentesi I trust your judgment that his Merlot 2009 is very good (haven’t tasted it).
My point was not to say that very good Merlot or Chardonnay cannot exist in Hungary: certainly Gróf Buttler’s Chardonnay is a case in point and I have in the past praised that of St. Andrea. The point is that generally, across the board, these varieties do not perform so well, and should be gradually phased out in favour of more consistent one. Not to mention that from an international perspective, it is far more interesting to taste Hungarian Harslevelu and Kekfrankos than grapes that are grown in every single winemaking country from Thailand to Poland.
At the moment the Chardonnay represents 6% of the white and Merlot the 9% of the blue grapes in Hungary. The Chardonnay is the 5th most popular white grape type in Hungary after the Olaszrizling, Furmint, Cserszegi Fűszeres and Bianca. The Merlot is the 4th most popular blue grape type after Kékfrankos, Cabernet sauvignon and Zweigelt.
According to these facts I would not be worried about quality of the Hungarian Chardonnay or Merlot wines. They are not really significant.
In fact the largest proportion of shitty Hungarian wines come from both leading grapes… olaszrizling and kékfrankos. They are cultivated on 3 times bigger area than Chardonnay and Merlot. Not to mention that both the Olaszrizling and Kékfrankos are flagship types in several regions, not like the other two. So I would expect much better Olaszrizling and Kékfrankos wines what is available now on the shelves.
Personally I am way much more disappointed that both Bianca an Cserszegi Fűszeres are cultivated on larger area than for example the Chardonnay but the amount of serious wines from these grapes would easily fit in to the backseat of a Polski Fiat. On the red side the same can be told about the Zweigelt what can be considered as semi-local (comes from the next door), not global type.
Also please remember, that on the PWC the judges tasted only few vintages from a limited number of wineries. Such harsh statements might not be so good idea or constructive from the point of the Pannon Wine Challenge. You as a juror has the right and responsibility to measure the performance of the wines in your glasses. But if I were you I would be a bit more politically correct with my general statements.
It is important to give the message to the Hungarian wine producers that your feedback is objective, impartial and fully professional. You remember when a chap last year said something awfully silly about the Olaszrizling… I know he managed to piss off several wine producers. That was so unnecessary. Hungarian wine producers need the feedback of wine critics (as the local wine journalism ceased to exist) with global experiences. But now it is more important to win the trust of the wine producers as they were mislead and cheated too many times in the past.
So please, be firm and strong when you write or talk about Hungarian wines, but try to be careful with general statements, especially when they are negative.
Anyway, here I list a dozen of Hungarian Merlot and Chardonnay wines:
2HA Merlot 2010
Iványi Zsófia Merlot 2008
Gróf Buttler Merlot Nagy-Eged 2005
Ráspi pince Merlot 2007
Kislaki bormanufaktúra Merlot Válogatás 2008
Kislaki Bormanufaktúra Jánoshegyi Merlot 2009
Szeleshát Nomád 2008
Gere Solus Merlot 2007
Bock Magnifico 2008
Konyári Merlot – Kékfrankos 2009
Weninger Merlot 2009
Bolyki Merlot 2009
Gróf Buttler Chardonnay 2009
Kislaki Bormanufaktúra Vitéz Chardonnay 2009
Losonci Chardonnay 2010
Orsolya Chardonnay 2007
Scheller birtok Kereklevelű 2003
Scheller birtok Kereklevelű 2006
Szászi Endre Lesencetomaji Chardonnay 2009
Szabó Zoltán Ördögárok dűlő 2008
Etyeki Kúria Chardonnay 2009
N.A.G. Cserepes Chardonnay 2009
Sauska Makár Chardonnay 2009
St Andrea Kovászó Chardonnay 2009
This is not an objective list, just a random selection of wines I find interesting or even good. But they all worth to try. I am very confident, that whatever camp one might belong should find 4-5 very good wines from both lists.
@Zoltan Balogh: You raise some very important points. You are certainly right about the quality of Bianca, Olaszrizling, and many other grapes. Perhaps I should have been more precise in my phrasing: Chardonnay and Merlot are making the poorest “prestige” wines of Hungary today. Merlot might well occupy 9% of the red wine area in Hungary but no fewer than 16 Merlots were presented at the Pannon Wine Challenge this year (out of 126 samples) and 10 further wines had Merlot dominating with 40% of the blend or more. So if we take this sample as representative (and there is no reason to think it is not), Merlot is responsible for 20% of Hungary’s most prestigious wines. The fact that no Merlot even made it into the 16 highest-scoring wines this year is enough of a confirmation of my comment.
Nowhere did I say that Merlot cannot make good, or even very good, wine in Hungary – in fact I have tasted many – but statistically it performs less well than other grapes, and that is a fact that winemakers should take into account. I don’t aspire to be objective – no wine critic is – I think it is important to substantiate one’s subjective criticism with facts and well-informed opinions. My comment on Merlot certainly did not come out of the blue, but was based on hard evidence of this year’s tasting – which in fact reflected a longer tendency as the performance of Merlot in the Pannon Bormustra 2010, 2007, 2006 when I also was on the jury was very similar.
And this blog is definitely not meant to be politically correct.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
@Wojciech Bońkowski: In my opinion there is no such as “poorest prestige wine” as there is no smallest giant either. 12.7% of the samples, compare to the 9% of the plantation area is not significantly different. The problem of the blended reds go to the same depth where the problems of the once famous Bikavér lies. Yet an other difficult topic.
Also, keep in mind that the wines on the PWC are not representing the Hungary’s most prestigious wines. Far not. Sad, but the most prestigious wine makers do not attend to the PWC. The reason is simple that they do not see a value in it. You actually can help them to find some value in this event.
In 2006, 5 of 25, in 2007 2 out 19, in 2010 3 of 30 were Merlot wines and many others were blends of Merlot. So in those years, with you in the jury Merlot represented (15.6%) clearly more than 9% in the awarded wines. So the hard evidence shows that in those years when you were juror, Merlot was actually performing very well on the PWC.
Yes, this year was a disaster for Merlot. But the jury did know the grape type of the wine in their glass, didn’t they? This fact puts the whole discussion in a whole new perspective in my opinion. With all due respect I do not quite buy the argument that you did not like the Hungarian Merlot wines because they performed well. Just because I see the possibility that Merlot did not perform well exactly because the jury or some members of the jury knew what they taste and decided consciously or subconsciously that they do not like the Hungarian Merlot.
Anyhow, I know the latest history of the Hungarian wines and I remember that during the 90′s the Chardonnay, Cabernets, Merlot were very fashionable and many new producers looked to them as safe choice. The once beloved good, old local types has cracked reputation and most of the consumers lived in a pink mist of “everything from the West is better”. So these non-local grapes become popular and helped the first generation of wine producers to build their financial basements.
During those years the celebrity wine makers were confident and sure that their Merlot is just as good as a Pétrus and their Chardonnay is in pair with a Chablis Grand Cru. The Hungarian wine media was a partner in this silliness.
But fortunately this trend has turned and during the last few years the good old local grape types live their renaissance. The newcomer wineries choose local grape types as their flagship. The trend is good.
But in the wine industry only the market and the critics change fast. The plantations and the wineries need a decade or two to react on the trends.
The Hungarian Wine has suffered a lot during the last century. It needs love and attention. The Pannon Wine Challenge is one of the most progressive and most promising event in the Hungarian wine scene. We need the producers, retailers, consumers to befriend with this event. We need the producers to see value in the feedback of the international and professional jury. We need to make them understand that what they got from the jury is more than a bash on their face and more then a dry number.
Your communication, your commitment is important.