Journalists, sommeliers and winemakers who tasted and rated 5,460 different wines from 47 countries at the 2007 “Concours Mondial de Bruxelles” gave gongs to four Hungarian wines. According to gondola.hu, the Hungarian “team” presented 27 wines at the event, which was held a few weeks back, meaning an entry-to-medal rate of almost 15%, which seems pretty darn good.
The big winner was Huba Szeremley, who snatched a “Great Gold Medal” for his 2005 Badacsonyi Zeus Late Harvest. According to Szeremley, the Zeus, which we haven’t tried, is “unique” and “easy to differentiate” from other sweet Hungarian whites, including the more famous Tokaji Aszú, because of the mineral content of the local soil in Badacsony, which is down near Lake Balaton. The three silvers brought back to Hungary went to more traditional offerings: The 2004 Feketehegy (“Black Hill”) Cabernet Franc from József Bock; an ’06 Balatonboglár Sauvignon Blanc from Chapel Hill; and the 2004 Szekszárdi Grádus Cuvée from Sebestyén.
