You may not be familiar with many Hungarian wines.  I would like to explain why this is so.  Although Hungary has been producing wine since ancient Roman times, the recent past was not so inspiring.  You see, in 1947, Hungary became a communist nation and the vineyards were state controlled.  An era of large production of very ordinary wine for the masses ensued for four decades.  Most of this mediocre wine was consumed in Hungary and exported to the Soviet Union and East Germany.  This all changed, however, with the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989.  Since then, the vineyards are once again privately owned.  Investors from Western Europe including France, Germany, Italy, Austria aided the modernization and dramatic rise in quality wines from this now free country.

There are two famous Hungarian wines that you may have heard of.  The first is from the region of Tokay which became the most sought after wines in Europe in the seventeenth century.  The laws regulating Tokay wine were written in 1641 among the first controlled wines in the world.  Tokay wine is known as “the wine of kings and the king of wines”.  The wine is produced by allowing a late harvest botrytis (noble rot) to affect the grapes.  Hungarian wine lore states that in 1647 the harvest was delayed due to fear of an attack from the Turks.  The late harvest botrytis affected grapes were then added to the regular must resulting in a much appreciate wine that was enjoyed the following Easter.  The popularity of this complex sweet wine with tastes of apricots and high acidity to balance, quickly exploded.

The second famous Hungarian wine is from a beautiful Baroque town named Eger.  The full bodied rich red wine from this region is made with local grapes including Kadarka, Kekfrancos, Kekoporto, in a blend called Bikaver.  Known as Bull’s Blood, the legend is that the invading Turks of 1552 were deterred due the powers of the wine.  The outnumbered Hungarians were able to successfully defend the fortress of Eger.  The Turks were afraid of the Hungarians due to there red stained beards which was thought to be from the drinking of bulls blood.  Thus the Eger Bull’s Blood, Bikaver Wine.

I was able to witness the dramatic change in the wine quality firsthand.  My father-in-law, John Paul Fodor is from Hungary.  He immigrated to the U.S. for political reasons following the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. He was a participant in this brave uprising against the Soviet Union.  This revolt was successful but only for a short while as the USSR quashed the uprising with miles and miles of tanks through the center of Budapest.

In 1991, I married Cynthia Fodor and traveled frequently to Europe and, especially to Hungary.  I quickly became enamored with the Hungarian culture and people.  In particular, I fell in love with the wine culture.  I have never seen a more fertile soil coupled with a people so dedicated to it.  It is amazing to see and taste the produce, fruits and vegetables created here.  Every household has a vegetable garden, fruit trees, and of course, grape vines.  Every family makes their own wine in small quantities. You would not believe the amount of produce that can be grown in a tiny  backyard here.  This nation is blessed with abundant sunshine, rich soil,  a long growing season, and a hardworking people with a longstanding agricultural history.

My wife and I dreamed of somehow being involved in the romance of wine making.  With each visit, we would tour the different wine regions and enjoy the fruits of the winemakers.  Eventually, we became more serious about delving into our dream and began inquiring about purchasing property in one of the wine regions.  After much research and travel, we happened upon a jewel.

In the foothills of the Matra mountain range there was an elderly couple whose son went to work in France.  When it was decided that he was not to return, the family removed their old vines and placed the property for sale.  The nine acres slope southward from the mountain covered with rich black volcanic soil.  This location receives abundant sunshine and the northerly winds are blocked by the hills.  This yields an excellent microclimate well suited for growing grapes.  The land was purchased in 2003.

The vintner, a man named Nyilas, has been growing grapes and producing wine in this, the region of Mátrallja, for more than thirty years.  He too has seen the evolution of wine production here and now combines his old world experience with modern machinery and equipment from Italy.  The result is beautiful sophisticated wine, both red and white.  We are producing international varieties such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Blanc, Pinot Gris.  We are producing local varieties such as Kekfrankos, Kekoporto, Harslevelu, Furmint, Olaszrizling, Muscat Lunel, Zweigelt.  And, we are blending the traditional international varieties with the Hungarian varieties to add unique nuances to old standards.

As for the name, my family heritage descended from nearby Vienna, Austria.  At that time Hungary and Austria were under one empire, ruled by the Hapsburg family.  The name Schwartzenburg translates into Black Castle.  The Black Castle image is an artist rendition of the Swartzenberg Palace in Vienna.  After much hard work, time, and effort, our dream is becoming reality.  We would like to share this dream with family, friends, and all wine lovers.  We would like to introduce you to our Hungarian wines.  Try them.  Taste them. Share them.  It’s a good wine.

Edward Schwartzenburg