The Etyek area only produces enough wine to sell to visitors and local restaurants. The wine grapes grown there include three Hungarian types - Kiralyeanka, Irsai Oliver, and Zenit, plus Blaufränkisch, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and Syrah.
Peter, our tour guide, picked me up at my hotel at 3:10 - 10 minutes late. Transportation for the two or was a minibus which held 15 people. There were thirteen people on our bus. We spent the next 25 minutes driving to several different hotels, looking for two additional people who were supposed to be on the tour. It turned out they had the wrong time. So they were invited to come on another tour of the next day. We finally left for Etyek at 3:35.
Our tour group was a delightful mix of people it included two ladies from Scotland, an American couple teaching at an international school in Jakarta, Indonesia, a South African woman, and several other Americans, including a woman who was born in an area of Michigan where I had lived for a few years.
Along the way, Peter talked about national and local history, architecture, and Etyek wine making. The minibus ride was not particularly comfortable.
Once we reached Anonym, the first winery, the rest of the experience became very pleasant. Our guide originally worked there full time, but at the time of the tour, he was dividing his time between working at the winery and conducting wine tours.
We tasted four wines at Anonym. Réka, the young woman who presented the wines, was knowledgeable and very nice. I enjoy the first two wines, but not the next two. The wines were:
1. 2018 Egyböl kettö - 60% Zenit grapes, and 40% Pinot Gris. (Zenit is a Hungarian white grape.)
2. 2018 Frazir Sauvignon Blanc
3. 2017 Szinkopa Chardonnay. (I am not fond of oaky Chardonnays.)
4. 2016 Életjel Pinot Noir
The next winery - Nádas Szilárd (the owner - winemaker) - was a delightful surprise. I liked/loved five of the six wives we tasted, even a Chardonnay.
Szilárd has a great, engaging personality. He clearly loves wine making, and seems to be an out-of-the-box thinker. He and his wife, who is his partner, each have two Masters degrees related to wine making. He has worked at wineries in Bordeaux, Australia, and Canada.
We were only supposed to taste three wines here, but we ended up tasting eight. The wines we tasted were:
1. 2018 Kiralyeanyka. This was the first year he had made this wine – excellent.
2. 2017 Sauvignon Blanc – superb.
3. 2017 Zöld Grüner Veltliner - great!!!
4. 2016 Pinot Gris. It was orange in colour, and my least favorite.
5. 2017 Cimbi Pinot Gris - very nice.
6. 2017 Chardonnay - superb. It was interesting that the grapes for this particular Chardonnay came from the same vineyard and the same harvest as the grapes used in the Chardonnay I had had at the previous winery, and had not cared for. There was a dramatic difference between the two Chardonnays.
7. 2015 Öston (Instinct) Pinot Noir - very nice
8. 2015 Mühely titok (Secret of the Winery) - 50% Syrah, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Pinot Noir - very nice.
The third winery we went to was Buzál-Mórocza. It was both a winery and a restaurant. We had a delicious chicken dinner at a long outdoor wooden table. They served the following nice wines with dinner:
1. 2016 Grüner Veltliner
2.2016 Szurkebarat Pinot Gris
3. 2017 Blaufränkisch rosé
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