Zengő Öcsi – Szentesi

The Zengő grape is a Hungarian crossing (of Ezerjó and Bouvier) created in 1951 by Ferenc Király, who was an agricultural scientist and prolific creator of grape crossings. Working at different grape research institutes across the country, he spent most of his life studying aromatic grape varieties. He created some other Hungarian varieties, and he seemed to like the letter Z—Zefír, Zenit, Zeta, Zeusz. Zengő is only grown in Hungary, mostly in Etyek-Buda, around Balaton, and occasionally in Eger. It produces aromatic wines with good acidity, and it is usually used in blends. So this 100 percent Zengő is an unusual one. Grapes are from Szentesi’s Nadap vineyard at Lake Velence, harvested between September 6th to 9th. This wine is a complex but easy-drinking one—with lots of nice texture, a rich and thick mouthfeel, and a creamy yogurt body. It has elegant flavors of mango and pineapple, as well as candied fruit flavors (lemon and pineapple). And so much pear! Poached pear, quince, and baking spices give the wine a warm sensation. Some tannins give the wine a nice structure, and a sort of smokiness that you could think comes from barrel aging (but this wine only saw steel tanks). We love its elegant fruit-forward character. Try this wine with salted cod dishes, creamy…

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Etyek is the closest wine region to Budapest. Since it is located less than an hour’s drive west of the Buda hills, and has many festivals and events throughout the year, it is also among Hungary’s most visited wine regions. Etyek is a small region, with around 1,400 hectares of vineyards. It has protected designation of origin (PDO) status.

Historically, Etyek was known for producing sparkling wines. Hungary’s first (and largest) sparkling wine producer, Törley, started producing sparkling wines from grapes grown in the region in 1882. Since then, the area has continued to focus on this style. Etyek’s limestone soil and overall colder climate make it, arguably, Hungary’s best region to grow Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. These are the most important types of wine produced in the area, both as still wines and sparkling wines. Even the Sauvignon Blanc is used to produce Asti-like sparklers.

Etyek’s best features were not always considered a strength. During the time where full-bodied red wines were the most popular style, the southern-Hungarian red wine producers made fun of Etyek’s producers for not being able to produce this popular style and for only being capable of producing ‘base-wine’ for sparklers. Ironically, elegance and bubbles are once again very popular, and now even the southern-Hungarian producers are trying to make bubbly wines. Etyek is living a renaissance. From Etyek’s wines you can expect fresh acidity, chalky minerality (due to the limestone soil), restrained fruit, and an overall cold-climate-wine-feeling. Traditional method sparkling wines are especially worth seeking out, as well as spicy Pinot Noirs and aromatic whites.

Szentesi is one of Hungary’s biggest champions when it comes to re-discovering old grape varieties, and bringing them back into the vineyard and into the glass. His passion is researching ancient grape varieties (which mostly died out during the phylloxera scourge in the late 19th century), and then acquiring rare vine cuttings from the research institute to plant in his vineyards. He has done this with dozens of varieties, which he then makes experimental small quantities of wine with—magical re-incarnations of ancient, Hungarian varietals which have been (nearly) lost to history. He is the go-to man when it comes to growing grapes like Laska and Tihanyi Kék—grapes grown nowhere else in the world, which he brought back from nothing. Szentesi has 16 hectares of vineyards planted with nearly 30 grape varieties.

About 15 percent of the area is dedicated to growing old, obscure varieties that he has resurrected. His cellar is in Budaörs, just beyond Budapest’s border. But his vineyards are at Lake Velence, a 45-minute drive from downtown Budapest‑officially part of the Etyek-Buda region. The shallow lake is Hungary’s third largest, and it contributes to the area’s special climate and terroir.

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