Szentesi, White Érintes, 2020

Szentesi Winery, Etyek-Buda Region

This is a wine to drink in the moment—the moment when friends drop by and something refreshing and simple is called for, or the moment you have prepared something delicious (but not too fussy) to eat and want to open a bottle that matches the mood. Or really, just any moment when you want to spontaneously open a bottle of wine. This wine is a blend of 40 percent Zengő, 40 percent Riesling,10 percent Zöldveltelini (Grüner Veltliner), and 10 percent Sauvignon Blanc. The least known variety in the mix, Zengő, stands out in the nose. Zengő is a Hungarian crossing—a cross of Ezerjó and Bouvier—which produces aromatic wines with good acidity. There are also some aromas of cut grass from the Sauvignon Blanc. This is a steel tank wine and is all about fruit flavors—green apple, pear, gooseberry, lime, quince, and persimmon. We love the hint of dusty minerality that also emerges. This is a medium-bodied wine, with healthy acidity. Grapes come from the Nadap vineyard, on the northern side of Lake Velence. Planted in 1987, it has high limestone content, with some loess, volcanic magma, and andesite. 2020 was a great vintage in the area, and harvest happened on September 9th, 15th, and 29th. The Érintes wine blends are the creation of Szentesi’s daughter, Katalin, who first started making the red blend in 2014 and added the white Érintes blend in 2019. The name refers to the silky texture of the wine. Even though the blend is different from year to year, the texture is always what they aim for. Serve this wine well-chilled, and enjoy with smoked fish, pad Thai, steamed mussels, or potato latkes.

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