Szent Donát Estate
Balatonfüred-Csopak Region
The Kovács family has deep roots at Lake Balaton and the nearby Káli Basin region, having been involved in making wine there for centuries. They founded the Szent Donát Estate in 1994, located in Csopak, a lovely village on the northern side of the lake (where they also have a restaurant). The whole family is involved in running the winery and its about 15 hectares of vineyards, with Tamas Kovács—the next generation—taking the lead as winemaker. There is minimal intervention during the winemaking process, and since 2015 Szent Donát has been officially organic. Their vineyards are located in some of the prime areas in Csopak, the Tihany peninsula, and the Kál Basin. Tamás Kovács is one of the leaders in the Codex of Csopak, an independent trademark protection system guaranteeing quality, which was created jointly by the region’s leading producers.
Kopaszhegy Olaszrizling, 2018
The Olaszrizling grape comes into its own on and around the northern shore of Lake Balaton, which is the largest lake in Central Europe. This wine, made from 100 percent Olaszrizling grapes, comes from the volcanic basalt tuff and limestone soils from Cserhegy’s Kopaszhegy (Bald Hill) vineyard, dramatically located on the Tihany peninsula jutting into Lake Balaton. The grapes here ripen perfectly courtesy of plentiful sunshine, balanced by the lake’s moderating influence. The talented young winemaker, Tamás Kovács, hand-harvested these grapes on September 4th, spontaneously fermented them in stainless-steel tanks, and then aged the wine for eight months in tanks. This is a very natural unclarified and unfiltered wine. The color is pale lemon-green, with medium intense aromas and flavors of green apple, lime and peach. It is a medium-bodied wine, delightfully pure, juicy, and fruity on the palate, with the kind of vibrant and tongue-tingling acidity that is often lacking with this variety. It has a stony mineral kick on the finish. This is an elegant expression of Olaszrizling—which is the same grape as Austria’s Welschriesling. It is great with fish, soft cheese, chicken and other poultry dishes, and salads.
Márga Furmint/Olaszrizling, 2017
This is a rare blend comprising Furmint (80 percent) and Olaszrizling (20 percent), two of Hungary’s key white wine grapes, skillfully crafted by Tamás Kovács, one of Hungary’s brightest young winemakers. Grapes are from the marl and loess soils of Csopak’s Nagykút, Kishegy, Hegyalja, and Szitahegy vineyards—which benefit from the moderating effect of Lake Balaton, Central Europe’s largest lake. Furmint, an indigenous Hungarian grape variety that is most associated with the Tokaj wine region in the northeast of the country, was once the most planted grape around Lake Balaton. Here it used to go by the name of Szigeti, until the phylloxera louse wiped it out over a century ago. Noble Furmint, which shares a common parent (Gouais Blanc) with both Chardonnay and Riesling, is now making a comeback around Lake Balaton. These grapes were hand-harvested in the second half of September, spontaneously fermented in both amphora and tanks, and then aged for eight months in the same vessels. The wine is a lemon color, with pronounced aromas of honey, flowers, lemon hard candy, pear, and a touch of caramel. It is full-bodied, complex, and rich, with apricot, orange peel and quince flavors, and a very long finish. It is ideal with cheese, fish, chicken, pork, veal, duck, and lamb.
Only Available in the 6-Pack
Magma Rosé Brut, NV
The Kovács family started their winery in 1994 with just a tiny piece of land. But their family’s history with winemaking in the region goes back 200 years! These days three brothers run the winery, which was founded by their parents, with Tamás Kovács doing the winemaking. The winery has grown slowly but surely over the years, and now has 15 hectares of vineyards in the Balatonfüred-Csopak region and surroundings, spread out over Csopak, Tihany, and the Káli Basin. These three terroirs each have specific microclimate and geology, and Szent Donát strives to make their wines true expressions of their terroir, growing their grapes organically and using natural winemaking methods in the cellar. This extraordinary traditional method sparkling rosé is 100 percent Kékfrankos. The grapes were grown on the volcanic hillsides of the Tihány peninsula, which just into the northern side of Lake Balaton. The early (end of August) harvest helped the grapes to retain acidity, making this wine super fresh. The traditional method winemaking process gives it beautiful, soft, and well-integrated bubbles (dosage is eight grams). This wine is the color of pale onion skin. Typically Kékfrankos is full of cherry and sour cherry flavors. But this sparkling version shows lots of berry aromas—like raspberry, strawberry, and currants which continue on into the palate. Light citrusy flavors and some yeastiness complement the berry flavors. This acidity perfectly balances the fruitiness. Enjoy this wine as an aperitif, with salty foods, or with egg dishes. With 94 points, this wine was awarded with the highest rank in Decanter Magazine’s special Hungarian wine edition last year. Enjoy this wine while you can … the winery has nearly sold out of this batch, and won’t be making it again until next year!
Márga Furmint Brut, NV
St. Donát produces mostly still white wines, as well as some amazing bubbly. This traditional method sparkling wine is made of Furmint (75 percent) and Olaszrizling (25 percent). Márga is a soil-selection wine, with the grapes grown on marl and loess soils. St. Donát began making this still version of Márga in 2013, and this is their second vintage of the sparkling version. Furmint is a wonderful Hungarian variety for sparkling wine because it retains acidity and gives the wine a beautiful spine. It’s an indigenous Hungarian grape variety that is most associated with the Tokaj region, but was once the most planted grape around Lake Balaton (where it used to go by the name Szigeti), until the phylloxera louse wiped it out over a century ago. Furmint, which shares a common parent (Gouais Blanc) with both Chardonnay and Riesling, is now making a comeback around Lake Balaton. The methode traditionnelle (which means that the second fermentation takes place in the bottle) makes for nicely integrated bubbles, which are mouth-filling with great vibrant acidity and freshness. It has delicate aromas of peaches and almonds (which are typical to the Furmint and Olaszrizling grapes). The shy nose is slightly overshadowed by the elegant yeastiness (resulting from the bottle fermentation). On the palate, we get lots of green apple, fig. and pear flavors, all wrapped in creamy bubbles. There’s a light toasty finish. The acidity makes this wine an amazing aperitif or partner to seafood (especially raw oysters or grilled shrimp). This is a perfect bottle for either a celebratory occasion, or just a dinner which you’d like to elevate a bit. Enjoy this wine while you can … the winery has nearly sold out of this batch, and won’t be making it again until next year!
Magma Kékfrankos, 2019
This is a real gem of a red wine from a region (Balatonfüred-Csopak) dominated by white wine. More precisely, it comes from the stunning Tihany peninsula that juts out in Lake Balaton. The special meso-climate here enables the grapes to ripen perfectly, with the lake providing a moderating effect on hot summer days, which helps to preserve the acidity and aromas. The grapes (100 percent Kékfrankos) come from Tihany’s Lapi,and Farkasverem vineyards. These basalt tuff and limestone soils also bring structured acidity and minerality to the wine. Kékfrankos is Hungary’s most planted grape and is the same as same variety as Austria’s Blaufränkish. Grapes for this wine were harvested in the second half of September, then spontaneously fermented in open vats, and aged for 10 months in French barrels. It was unclarified and unfiltered. The wine has a vibrant ruby-purple color, and delightful and varietally pure potpourri and sour cherry aromas. It is a medium-bodied wine with lovely fine-grained tannins, lively acidity and minerality. It has graphite and earthy notes, alongside raspberry, anise and more sour cherry. It is focused and long, with a stony finish. It goes wonderfully with pork, veal, duck, lamb, and cheese.
Slikker Olaszrizling, 2018
The Szent Donát Winery is located in one of the most idyllic spots on Lake Balaton’s northern slopes. The estate overlooks the lake, and is surrounded by its own vineyards. Being there makes it clear why all of their wines are so tasty—only wonderful wine can come from a place this spectacular. This is the only single-vineyard wine that Szent Donát produces every year, because the larger size of this vineyard allows them to make a premium selection of grapes every year. This wine comes from the historic Slikker vineyard, which was first mentioned in 1079, located just above Csopak’s ancient Roman road. This vineyard’s particular red sandstone soil produces a wine with a special richness and mouthfeel. This is 100 percent Olaszrizling, which has been bottled unfiltered and unfined. The wine had a short period of skin contact, which adds complexity, intense flavors and, according to the winemaker, an especially long ageing potential. It was aged on its lees for six months in steel tanks. One of the most unique features of this wine is its texture. It has a rich and almost oily body, which is accompanied by a moderate acidity and a soft and enjoyable almondy finish and chestnut taste. It has flavors of quince, red apple, and citrus, with a long mineral finish. Enjoy this wine next to couscous, rice with almonds, or Northern-African food. This wine is all about the texture.
Parcella Kékfrankos, 2017
The Szent Donát Winery was named for St. Donat, the patron saint of the Csopak vineyards, who is believed to protect the vineyards against summer storms and hail. Donát was a 2nd century legionary in the Roman army, which protected the borders of Pannonia (today’s Western Hungary). The legend says that his unit was trapped during a battle, and were only able to escape after Donat’s prayers caused a heavy storm to interrupt the battle. Around this time, veteran legionaries began planting vineyards in Csopak—where hail damage is very rare. This 100 percent Kékfrankos is produced only in exceptional vintages, and only from the grapes which are planted right around Szent Donát’s cellar—which has an idyllic location in the town of Csopak, on the southern-facing slopes of the Szitahegy hill. The view of the lake below is impressive, and the cellar is surrounded by grape vines. Szent Donát produces many outstanding wines, and this is one of its highest-ranked. The grapes are fermented with their natural yeast, and after some barrel ageing, the wine is bottled unfiltered. This is a really elegant wine, with complex and spicy aromas of Szechuan pepper, ripe cherries, chocolate, allspice, and violets. It has a refined velvet-like texture, smooth tannins, and the trademark Kékfrankos fine cherry-like acidity. This wine is fresh, juicy, and layered, while also being complex and light. This wine represents what Central European wines are at heart—unabashedly crisp, spicy, and full of cherry flavors. Try it with duck or roasted chicken.
Tramontana, 2018
While Szent Donát produces mostly white wines, it also has some interesting reds. This is one of the winery’s newest red wines. Tramontana is the name of a legendary sail boat (pictured on the label), with more than 110 years of history. The boat was only the second sailing boat ever built for Lake Balaton. The owners of Szent Donát, the Kovács family, wanted to help keep this legendary boat in good shape, so they initially created this wine as a fundraiser, with the proceeds going to restoring and maintaining the boat. But they ended up liking this wine so much that they plan to continue to produce the blend in coming vintages. This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, organically farmed, from the Tihany peninsula’s Ráta vineyard. Tihany is Lake Balaton’s only peninsula, and it is also the lake’s premium red winemaking area, due to its warmer weather from the boosting effect of the surrounding water on three sides. It was fermented in open vats, hand-macerated, aged for 10 months in used French barrels, and bottled unfiltered and unfined. This wine is juicy, fruity, medium-bodied, and extremely easy to drink. Enjoy it with grilled meat.
Csopak Olaszrizling, 2019
Szent Donát started producing organic wine in 2017, and by 2020 they were farming organically on the entire estate. The winery also takes great care in the cellar to make its wines with minimal intervention, without added sulfur or additives, and mostly bottled without any clarification or filtration. Olaszrizling is grown all over Hungary, but it has a special affinity with the northern side of Lake Balaton, where it’s enjoyed as an easy-drinking wine by summer vacationers, either on its own or with a splash of soda water (to make it a fröccs). This wine is classified as a hegybor (“hill wine”), meaning that the grapes are all grown on one hill in the village of Csopak, but from multiple different vineyard parcels: Slikker, Nagykút, Hegyalja, Kishegy, and Berekhát. This wine has a special harmony due to the multiple different harvests from the different vineyards, as well as the blend of grapes from red sandstone and marl soils. Szent Donát makes this wine every year, and it is a classic northern Balaton Olaszrizling—refreshing, fruity, and crisp—but too good to add soda water to! The wines from each vineyard were fermented and separately blended in March. This is a crystal-clear wine, which is exceedingly easy and pleasant to drink, yet also complex. It has a moderate acidity, which is followed by a dry finish, which is at the same time caramel-like, mineral, and flinty. The wine has a slight bitterness that is typical to Olaszrizling, as well as a yoghurt creaminess, and flavors of almonds, peach, apple, citrus, and green walnuts. This wine is great with seafood, oysters, and cheese.
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