You don’t have to be a wine snob – or to even know the first thing about wine – to know that it’s probably a very good idea to steer well clear of the bulk wine that flows at your local borozó or is necked from plastic bottles by your local bum. There’s a good reason it’s so cheap. But what if it’s made by top Hungarian winemaker Ferenc Takler (pictured)? On a visit to Takler’s winery in Szekszárd earlier this year – which involved tasting a head-spinning number of wines – Takler drew a red cuvee from the barrel, which he proudly told us was his kannás bor (“jug”, or indeed “chug”, wine). Many of his local customers are everyday wine drinkers, but can’t afford a daily splurge on a bottle of his stuff, he explained as he swirled his wine. So, they bring their own bottles to his cellar, and this is what he sells them.
While it certainly won’t win any awards, it’s not bad for a Monday night wine or for drinking when cash flow is a problem. Few winemakers would so proudly show off their kannás bor (the thought of which in alone can bring on a hangover in some drinkers), and most of the better winemakers wouldn’t even make it. But down-to-earth Takler devoted just as much time talking about this wine as he did to his Ft 10,000 Regnum cuvée. Try it for yourself, it’s available in Budapest for Ft 420 (Olaszrizling) or Ft 620 (red cuvée) at El-Hordó Borbolt, a small District XIII wine shop. (Note: Those prices are by the liter.) They’ll let you taste if you’re not sure about buying your wine in a plastic bottle, and if it’s not for you there are always the usual bottled varieties, or the local bums to share it with.
