The Hungarian Varieties: Major Reds

Almost one year after I wrote about some of the Hungarian major white varieties, I’m back! Ready to report on Hungarian reds. Apologies for the delay; I hope no one has been waiting with baited breath for these.

Hungarian reds, in my opinion, never really get the appreciation they’re due. I can remember so many tastings with fancy somms where they made it clear that the tasting was no longer demanding of their attention once I pulled out the reds (or any white not from Tokaj, truth be told). A smug smile on their face, like we all know the only good Hungarian wines are white. It’s amazing how these prejudices continue to shape the opinions of even the top wine experts (and some of the best wine lists). But wherever they originate, in their WSET course or some faded memory of drinking mass-produced Bull’s Blood before the fall of communism, they certainly are inapplicable to many of the beautiful, complex reds coming out of Hungary today.

I am going to focus here on three of the most important red varieties in Hungary: Kékfrankos, Kadarka and Cabernet Franc.

Kékfrankos.  Kékfrankos (called Blaufränkisch in the German-speaking world and Lemberger elsewhere) is a variety native to Hungary and the surrounding regions. It’s an early-ripening variety with big juicy berries, making it relatively easy to harvest in less-than-ideal weather conditions (which is why they’ve taken to growing it places like upstate New York). In communism it was planted with gusto all around the country, often replacing the more difficult Kadarka.

Despite the ease with which it flourishes, Kékfrankos can be made into serious red wine, with great aromatics and lively acidity. Kékfrankos wines smell like muddled forest berries, with an earthy bright palate of sour cherries, currants and cranberries. The wines range from medium to full-bodied. Because of the high acidity and bright red fruits on the palate, people can easily underestimate the alcohol content on a Kékfrankos, finding it to be “light and refreshing” when it’s coming in at 14%. I always tell people that Kékfrankos is in the same wheelhouse as (Loire-style) Cabernet Franc or Gamay — if you like those, you’ll probably like Kékfrankos.

Occasionally someone will ask me what I think the differences are between Austrian Blaufränkisch and Hungarian Kékfrankos. First, Kékfrankos is from a warmer climate: Hungary is, in all regions, at least 1 degree C warmer than Austria, making the Kékfrankos wines riper and fuller than their Austrian counterparts. Most Hungarian Kékfrankos is also coming from a different clone than the Blaufränkisch grown in Austria. Same variety, yes, but I’ve been made to understand that the differences between the clones are quite pronounced. The closest in Austrian style you’ll taste in Hungary is, not surprisingly, from Sopron, the region across the lake from Burgenland in the northwest corner of the country. Kékfrankos from Balaton and Eger will be riper and juicier, and it takes on a meatier quality in the sub-mediterranean regions of Szekszárd and Villány.

Pronunciation: "CAKE-franc-osh”

Importer insights: Don’t sleep on high-end Kékfrankos from Hungary. These juicy, earthy, food-friendly bangers can absolutely outperform for the price.

Kadarka.  This variety used to be Hungary’s most planted red grape, but it is thin-skinned and so sensitive to frost that in Communism it was almost all pulled out. There are only 300+ hectares planted in all of Hungary (out of 65,000 hectares total, so less than 1%), making this a real novelty on the contemporary Hungarian wine stage. The grape is considered to be native, although they now believe that it was brought to Hungary hundreds of years ago from modern-day Serbia.

Because Kadarka is so challenging to grow, many Kadarkas you might try are, in my opinion, a bit underripe. They feel light, herbaceous and red, with flavors like rosehip and tart cranberry. The best ones have grapes that reached full maturity, and while still lighter-bodied, you can taste delicious plummy fruit and lots of spice in these, or what locals call “Kadarka spice.” (I describe it as “plum dust,” which one buyer did confirm was a thing in some Asian countries.) The wine’s spicy fruit and soft tannins make it a perfect wine for the infamous “chillable red” category popping off on every menu in NYC. A small amount of Kadarka is also commonly included in Bikavér (Bull’s Blood) blends in Eger and Szekszárd.

Pronunciation: KUH-dark-uh. Pretty easy for a Hungarian variety!

Importer insights: Not all Kadarkas are created equally. I would always look for Kadarkas from older vines and/or excellent warm vintages. Kadarkas from Szekszárd are generally going to be riper than Kadarkas from Eger, say, because of the climactic differences between the two regions.

Cabernet Franc / Villányi Franc.  Not native to Hungary (clearly), Cabernet Franc has been grown widely in Hungary since the mid 1990s along with other Bordeaux varieties. It achieved global recognition as an ideal grape for the country’s climate and soil when Michael Broadbent MW wrote in Decanter in 2000 that Cabernet Franc had found its “new home” in the southernmost region of Villány. This spurred a major outburst of Cabernet Franc production in Villány specifically, where nearly every producer makes several single Cabernet Franc wines and Cabernet Franc blends. Villány now considers Cabernet Franc its flagship variety, which they refer to as “Villányi Franc.”

As a winemaker explained to me, Villány has a very simliar climate and soil composition to the Loire Valley, but Villány has an average of 3-4 additional weeks of sunshine at the end of the harvest before the autumn rains begin. This seems to check out — Villány Cabernet Francs have an old-world structure and flavor profile to them, but they are quite ripe and dense compared to their Loire counterparts. Moreover, the pyrazines (the naturally-occurring chemicals in the grape that can give Cabernet Franc its distinctive green bell pepper flavor) usually exhibit deeper flavors like green or pink peppercorn or green herbs.

Although Cabernet Franc is the major variety in Villány, you will also find great examples in other regions like Szekszárd, Eger, and the areas around Lake Balaton. Cabernet Franc shares many characteristics with Kékfrankos, and for that reason is often found in Bikavér blends. These Cabernet Francs will not be as hot and full-bodied, usually exhibiting more classic Cabernet Franc flavors like pepper and raspberry coulis.

Pronunciation: VEE-lawn-yee Franc

Importer insights: Vintages 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022 were all extremely hot and dry…and it will probably remain that way, in Hungary and in the world at large. Villány is the hottest place in Hungary, so the Cabernet Francs from those vintages can be pretty intense. I would look for organic / biodynamic examples where the alcohol is usually lower than their conventionally-produced counterparts.

More grapes coming soon! Leave your comment below if there’s a particular grape you’d like me to talk about.