Best of Budapest & Hungary

Furmint February is a campaign running in Hungary with the aim to get people more familiar with this specific white grape variety. Special wine dinners and furmint tasting packages are offered to wine lovers countrywide, following the main tasting event to be held on February 2.

Furmint is a hidden treasure. While the world seems to be awash with Chardonnay, Furmint also has every potential to attract serious consumer interest with its wide spectrum of flavors. This is the motto of a series of events entitled ‘Furmint February,’ brainchild of Dániel Kézdy. This year’s celebration is the 8th being held in a variety of ways throughout the country, starting with the main tasting event to be held on February 2 at Budapest’s Vajdahunyad castle, with the presence of some 90 cellars and winemakers. Visit the event's Facebook page for the list of exhibitors and for more information on ticket prices.

DID YOU KNOW?

-    Furmint is the grape responsible for Hungary’s legendary dessert wines from the Tokaj region, which presents some of the world’s greatest vineyards. However, this grape is perfectly capable of producing a variety of styles ranging from bone dry to extremely sweet wines afflicted by noble rot. Therefore, vintners from Tokaj have started to reintroduce their classic grape lately, producing top-quality dry wines, which feature the style and persona of big, oak-fermented and aged wines such as a white Burgundy.

-    The name Furmint is taken from the word "froment" for the wheat-gold color of the wine it produces. While it is possible that it is native to Hungary, the grape was likely brought to Hungary in the 13th century. Luckily, the Carpathian Basin proved to be the most ideal home for this variety, which is resistant against winter freezes and illnesses, and it can stand both the strong sunlight and rainy but warm autumns. There are variable types, but white is dominant.

-    By tradition, the harvest of Furmint starts on Oct 28. During the long ripening period, the thin skinned berries concentrate a very high level of sugars, making them particularly susceptible to 'Botrytis', the noble rot. These grapes possess excellent acidity.

-    Furmint is rarely seen outside of Hungary, except for Germany and those countries surrounding the Hungarian borders. Within Hungary, Furmint is also cultivated in Somló, but mainly in the Tokaj region.