Okay, let’s not freak out here. This label may be daunting to contemplate at first, but the wine inside is well worth the extra effort. Plus, we’re here to help: It’s a wine from the Kadarka grape made by Heimann & Fiai (“Heimann and son,” as in Zoltán Heimann and his son, Zoltán Jr.) in the Szekszárd region of southern Hungary. See? Easy, really.
More specifically, this 2019 comes from a cool, windy subzone of Szekszárd called the Porkoláb-völgy, or Porkoláb valley. The Heimanns are among the many Hungarian wine producers doubling down on their native Kadarka, a variety once destined for the scrap-bin of history (anyone remember Bull’s Blood?) now enjoying a glorious comeback. It’s hailed as Hungary’s answer to Pinot Noir (but reminiscent of Cabernet Franc, Gamay, and Sangiovese as well), and right at the forefront of the Kadarka renaissance are the Heimanns: Winners of a Gault-Millau “Winery of the Year” award, they’ve done as much as anyone to re-establish this distinctive local variety. Today’s wine is for those who love perfume, spice, energy, and tangy red fruit—which I think is practically everyone, considering our sales of Burgundy Pinot Noir and Cru Beaujolais. Take a break from your regularly scheduled programming today: An invigorating, fascinating red awaits!
Along with Kékfrankos (a.k.a. Blaufränkisch), Kadarka had long been the signature red grape of Hungary before producers (the Heimanns included) began working more extensively with Bordeaux varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It was most famously used in the bikaver (bull’s blood) wines of the Egri region, but it fell out of favor for a time, especially during the many years the Hungarian wine industry was nationalized under Communist rule. Only very recently has Heimann & Fiai begun to focus exclusively on Kadarka and Kékfrankos, which has coincided with a conversion to organic farming in their vineyards. This winery really encapsulates everything that’s exciting about former “Iron Curtain” wine nations like Hungary: it’s all about rebirth and rejuvenation, with the wines taking exponential leaps forward in quality.
Szekszárd is in the Pannonian Basin—a broad, windswept plain covering a swath of Central Europe—giving it a cool, “continental” climate and soils of loess (wind-blown silt) and iron-rich red clay. Within Szekszárd, the vineyards of the Porkoláb Valley are mostly west-facing and exposed to brisk winds; the Heimanns planted a two-hectare parcel here in 2012, doing extensive research to identify the ideal Kadarka clones for the site, and the resultant wine is distinguished by its high-toned perfume and savory spice.
In addition to farming organically, the Heimanns are on the cutting edge of natural winemaking trends, incorporating 30% whole grape clusters during fermentation and aging the “Porkoláb-völgi” in clay vessels for eight months before bottling. There are kindred qualities to lighter-weight Burgundy Pinot Noir and Cru Beaujolais, not to mention Tuscan Sangiovese and high-toned, mountain-grown Nebbiolo. For a light-bodied red of just 12.5% alcohol, there are some nice layers and plenty of aromatic complexity here: The wine is a bright candy-apple red in the glass with pink and orange highlights, with perfumed scents of red currant, blood orange peel, cranberry, wild strawberry, white pepper, dried rose petals, wild herbs, crushed stones, and a hint of smoke. It is brisk and mouthwatering, and benefits from a rough decant of at least 30 minutes to blossom: Serve it at 55-60 degrees in Burgundy stems and pair it with grilled salmon, roast chicken, grilled sausages, and plenty else besides—this is a food wine extraordinaire, with lots of savory qualities balancing the bright fruit. I bet it will only get better with another year-plus of bottle age, so consider losing a few bottles for revisiting sometime down the line. What an impressive and intriguing discovery. Enjoy!
