In addition to our own first-hand research into the world of Hungarian food and wine, part of what we like to do here is act as a "filter" for the Hungarian-language media, highlighting some of the news and views (and recipes) that non-Hungarian speakers would normally miss. So, for your edification, here comes a nicely re-fermented (i.e. translated and re-written) selection of recent posts from Művelt Alkoholista ("The Educated Alcoholic"), the Index.hu wine blog.

• One of the Alkeszek reports on a recent tasting of wines made from the Kadarka varietal, the grape best known for being the primary ingredient in Egri Bikavér ("Bull's Blood of Eger") and apparently the most widely-planted red grape in Hungary. Unfortunately, of 27 Hungo Kadarkas tasted, only three scored more than a five on the Alkoholista's 10-point rating scale: Gróf Buttler's (8 points), the St. Andrea Magyalos (6 points), and Frittman's (6 points), all from 2005. Left behind in the under fives were the '05 Vesztergombi (3 points) and the Dúzsi 2004, which was tied with a '03 from Bulgaria's Magura Winery on a szánalmas 2 points. That's even sadder for the Bulgars - they had time to practice for centuries with the Kadarka grape before it was brought here by their brothers the Turks.
• Meanwhile, in further proof that the Alkoholista is not only educated but hard to please, they are almost as hard on some of the Merlots they uncorked from the Monarchia borbolt. Among the Hungarian bottles popped, MA gave the highest scores to Weninger's 2002 Spern Steiner from Sopron, István Tóth's Egri 2003 - both with 6 points - while Gábor Kiss's '04 from Villány, the '05 Vesztergombi Merlot (Szekszárd) and Thummerer's "Tekenőháti" '99 (Eger) scored just 4. Beating the last three were two (we believe) foreign Merlots that are Monarchia exclusives, the '03 Cherry Tree Halewood from Romania (5 points) and the '02 JT Cellars Russian River from California, both of which tied with the big guys on 6 points.
• The Bortársaság is contemplating marketing wines from Burgenland, just across the border in Austria. To this end, the company went over, packed up an assortment of the finest local specialties and held a wine tasting evening (for buffs only) to assist the decision-making process. According to our friends at MűvAlkesz, the selection included more than two dozen wines from the Heinrich, Kollwentz, Schloss, Prieler and Hillinger wineries, with the first two said to be the clear winners.
• This year's Etyek Pincefesztivál, organized by media guru Pál Rókusfalvy, will be the fifth to be held on the trot and takes place on the weekend of May 19. In addition to top Hungarian and international wines, the event will feature the usual concerts, children's programs and handicraft exhibitions. For the first time, a "best winemaker" award will also be handed out to the finest of the participating wineries.

• The Metro retail chain is holding a month-long sale of mainly Hungarian wines ranging from the cheapest Ft 229 "Mulatós" table wine to some of the top heavyweights of Tokaj, Eger and Szekszárd, such as Takler Regnum 2003 and Thummerer's Vili Papa 2003 Cuvée.
• The Hungarian Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, held a free Hungarian wine tasting at Seoul Station on March 29-30 in partnership with Korea Railroad, the Korean Times reported. According to the paper, "about five kinds of representative Hungarian wines" were introduced to the public to taste, but there was no mention of names. Let's just hope they weren't mediocre Kadarkas, and that if they were, no educated Korean alcoholics were in attendance.