-Emilia Aiello

Women winemakers are not a new phenomena, but in the last few years as I deep dive into my own area of interest and expertise (southern Italy), I have noticed a curious commonality in emerging wine regions: women.

Italy is well established on the wine map, but certain regions remain obscure. You know where Rome is, but what about Lazio, the entire region that surrounds the ancient city? As of late, Lazio is gaining momentum. Perhaps the hype has yet to reach the United States, but in Italy the region is putting on numerous tastings each year to highlight the local producers and grapes— Lazio is hyping up Lazio. Initially, creating interest in the local area is more important than abroad as working the local community inevitably works the local economy. My eyes were already on Lazio when I worked as the wine director at a Roman osteria in New York City, but before I tasted the wines of Maria Ernesta Berucci I had yet to really experience great Lazio wine. Her vini had an entirely new character— wild and bright, with a depth of flavor I had noticed only a handful of times in my youthful career. The wines intrigued me so much that I decided to meet Maria Ernesta on her own turf (vineyards) in Piglio. I met a woman so immersed in her work that it had no separation from her life. Not as as workaholic, but rather someone who applies the same ethos and dedication to their work as they do to their overall way of living. I also discovered that Maria Ernesta is well integrated in her community, aligning herself with vignaioli (winegrower in Italian) who follow similar principles. She shows up at every community tasting event and is part of Ciociaria Naturale, a coalition of small producers from a very specific part of Lazio whose goal is not just to make good wine, but to foster community and pride in an otherwise energy-barren region.

Once in tune to Maria Ernesta, my palate was primed to taste wines differently. I began to look to other regions of Italy ramping up— who was behind this energy shift, and why now? In Abruzzo, for instance, women are emerging as some of the brightest talents (Tiberio, Ciavolich, and Emidio Pepe‘s granddaugher, Chiara is officially taking over the winemaking side). Their wines are amazing, but in a particular way. Similar to the story of Maria Ernesta in Lazio, their total immersion in their work and ability to incorporate their business skills with their agricultural and winemaking prowess are bringing hype to the region among consumers and the younger local generations. Women are often at the forefront of social movements and change, and it seems that the wine industry is no outlier.

I suppose it would now make sense for me to give you an exposé on the aforementioned names and wines, but my story is not finished. These women inspire me to step outside of my comfort zone, and I am following the breadcrumbs to other regions and winemakers that make wine with this particular energetic charge. Paul Marcus Wines  gives me the space and privilege to taste and learn about pretty much every wine region of the world. Amazingly, that energy and wild nature that I first experienced tasting Maria Ernesta’s cesanese wine from Lazio, is a throughline in particular wines made in other countries, regardless of grape and terroir. My theory is perhaps now clear. Of course, I am not claiming that only women are capable of making charged vino, but rather it takes a certain investment—winemakers that have fully bought in to what they do and who view grape growing and winemaking as a way of life. I just happen to notice this approach is more prolific among women.

For Women’s History Month I chose two women trailblazers who are not Italian, that have opened up my mind and taste buds to new possibilities. They successfully weave in their own imaginations and experience to create wines that are somehow equally wholly unique and timeless classics.

 

Terah Bajjalieh of Terah Wine Co. 

Terah Bajjalieh is a winemaker and consultant from California. A native Californian with Palestinian roots, Terah refined her unique style and found her love of wine by way of food and from her travels across the globe. She started her professional career in the hospitality industry studying at the International Culinary Institute in California. She then spent time working in wine bars, a Michelin-starred restaurant, wine education, and consulting in the Bay Area. The next step for Terah was to ambitiously immerse herself into the international world of wine, studying Enology and Viticulture in both Spain and France. She has completed 13 harvests in five countries: Meursault (France); Barossa Valley (Australia); Marlborough (New Zealand); Mendoza (Argentina); Sierra Foothills (U.S.); Sonoma (U.S.); Napa Valley (U.S.); The Willamette Valley (U.S.). 

The California wine climate is shifting and while the days of big house cabs and zins are still here, they have moved aside to allow for more diversity in grape variety and winemaking. Terah’s philosophy comes from years of experience and experimentation. She focuses on lesser known California growing areas as well as Mediterranean grape varieties. Her wines are a pure and expressive blend of CA climate, Mediterranean vibes, and Terah’s kind and discerning personality.

2023 Falanghina Skin Contact Orange (Lost Slough Vineyard in Clarksburg)

100% Falanghina, native to the Sannio area of Campania, Italy

Situated in the heart of the Clarksburg AVA, this growing region benefits from the cool breezes that flow from the Sacramento River Delta. Combined with the rich sandy, clay loam soils, it is an environment that is optimal for producing exceptional wine grapes. The maritime influence tempers the region’s warm days, allowing for slow and even ripening, which preserves acid and results in wines with incredible freshness. 

100% destemmed and fermented on skins through primary fermentation for 12 days. This process allows the grape skins to impart color, flavor, and texture, resulting in a wine with enhanced complexity and character. Pump-overs were performed during the maceration period, and fermentation naturally commenced due to the wild yeast and native bacteria. These techniques ensured even extraction of flavors, and tannins from the skins, promoting a harmonious integration of elements. The wine was aged on fine lees for 10 months in stainless steel. Unfined and unfiltered to preserve texture and integrity.

Crisp notes of freshly picked green apples and vibrant citrus peel intertwine with more intricate layers of brioche, dried apricots, and honeyed figs. Chewy tannins with long-lasting minerality. This is a very approachable orange wine, with zero funk. Think of it more like a rich white when you choose your food pairings: hard cheeses; hearty roast chicken dishes; al pastor tacos. 

2024 Terah Wine Co. Vermentino (just bottled/new release!)

100% Vermentino

The vermentino grape’s origins are unknown, with Spain, France, AND Italy claiming native rights over the variety. Regardless of its true origin, it is 100% Mediterranean. 2024 was just bottled four weeks ago and is making its debut with Paul Marcus Wines. The classic subtle peachy stone fruit, fresh cut grass, lemony zing is reminiscent of a Corsican version, while the palate has an oily/silky feel more akin to Sardegna’s blueprint. I suppose what we are tasting is the richness of the California climate and fertile soils, combined with Terah’s unique ability to coax out the grape’s vivacious acid and minerality.

 


 

Sarolta Bárdos of Tokaj Nobilis

“Sarolta is one of these people who is constantly and seemingly unconsciously sampling herbs, smelling blossoms, inspecting leaves and so on. Her palate isn’t just shaped and informed by the grapes, but everything surrounding them” Eric Danch

Hungary is not a country that first comes to mind when we list off the great wine regions of the world, though the sweet Tokaji wines made from Hungary’s native furmint grape is one of the most reputable sweet wines of the world. It remains as the country’s flagship wine and the only testable Hungarian wine on the blind tasting portion of certified sommelier exams*. So what about the region’s other varieties and wines? While they do not totally remain in oblivion, they are so obscure we really only source them from one importer here in California, Danch & Granger. 

Tokaj, Hungary has an extraordinary number of women winemakers. According to Eric Danch, importer and our de facto Eastern European wine guru, the reasons for this are varied: since sweet wines were historically the most important wine, it’s often cited that women had a better sense of sweetness and therefore when to pick the grapes. Out of practicality, they found themselves in the cellar tasting as well. Another potential impetus could be that during the communist period, men were obligated to go out and work, leaving the women at home to tend to the family, cook, and make the house wine. 

Born and raised in Tokaj, Sarolta Bárdos possesses a keen awareness of the changes and challenges facing the region. Beginning her career studying at the University of Horticulture in Budapest, she took advantage of the recently fallen Iron Curtain and spent time in France, Italy and Spain. Upon returning to Hungary, she worked at Gróf Degenfeld and soon after became the inaugural winemaker at Béres Winery in nearby Erdőbénye overseeing 45 ha of vineyards. Preferring closer attention to detail and the total knowledge inherent in small-scale winemaking, she left and planted her own 6 ha in 1999. In 2005 she converted a traditional 19th century house into a winery and cellar in the middle of the town of Bodrogkeresztúr.  All sites are worked by hand, certified organic, and rely mainly on plant extracts, orange oil and sulfur. The wines embrace a myriad of volcanic soils with remarkable aromatics and balanced acidity. 

2019 Tokaj Nobilis Barakonyi– fully dry

100% furmint

Underbrush. As if a warm breeze just rolled through kicking up a chalky/dusty whiff. Subtle oak spice with rich caramelized pineapple and lemon curd notes on the palate, offset by high, mouthwatering acid. I usually don’t like comparing unique wines and grapes to more recognizable, pricey regions. My concern is that I will take away from the obscure wines’ unicorn vibes, but to give you an idea of what kind of value this is for the quality: think southern Burgundy (chardonnay) but with riesling** acid. What impresses me more than simply the high quality of the wine is that Sarolta achieves it via minimal intervention techniques. This wine is made from more than organic grapes— she uses orange oil in the vineyards, for Bacchus’s sake! In the cellar, it is fermented with wild yeasts, has very minimal sulfur additions, with no fining, clarification, or filtration. 

100% hárslevelű
Hárslevelű is genetically related to the furmint grape and its name means linden leaf  in Hungarian, capturing the citrusy, slightly musky aromatic intensity of the grape. Sarolta’s hárslevelű shows restraint on the musky white floral notes and instead expresses its more nuanced character: wildflower honey offset with a sour green apple pop; fresh hazelnuts; underripe yellow pear; bergamot; and wild camomile. The wine has a touch of residual sugar to it, but if I didn’t say so you likely would not have noticed due to the high acid and tingle of salty tannin on the finish. Try it with Pad Thai, miso marinated fish, chicken paprikash (Hungarian paprika chicken).

*for sommelier exams and blind tasting, there is a list of grape varieties made into certain styles of wines from various regions that the examiner is allowed to present to the examinee. This list does expand and change as our collective knowledge and curiosity grow beyond French appellations and “classic” grape varieties. But to give you an idea of how slow the process is of allowing more wines into the blind tasting exam, the only testable Italian red wines are Barolo made from the nebbiolo grape; and Brunello and Chianti Classico made from the sangiovese grape (Italy boasts over 400 documented native varieties). The sweet Hungarian Tokaji wine has been on that codified list since the inception of the certification exams and remains the only wine from Hungary allowed on the tasting portion of the exam.

**furmint and riesling share a parent grape, Gouais Blanc

 

Readers of our newsletter already know that I love kékfrankos, the Hungarian version of blaufränkisch. If you need a reminder why, read Why We Love: Blaufränkisch/Kékfrankos from last year. Last week, Eric Danch, our favorite importer of Hungarian and other Central and Eastern European Wines, brought us three completely distinctive kékfrankos. The show-stealer was the 2019 Heimann & Fiai Kékfrankos Bati-Kereszt.

Zoltán and Zoltán Jr. Heimann are father and son (fiai means “sons” in Hungarian). They, along with wife/mom Ágnes, grow and make wine in the southern Hungarian appellation of Szekszárd (pronounced SEX-hard, more or less… yes, really). Check out the Danch & Granger page on this family winery for a sense of the long and tortuous history of wine production in Szekszárd; Celts, Romans, Cistercians, Turks, Serbians, and Swabians have all played a role.

Bati-Kereszt is a single, north-facing vineyard near the Danube River with loess (wind-blown silt) soils over red-clay layers. Heimann’s vineyards are certified organic; they ferment naturally and generally mess with the wine as little as possible in the winery. This wine ages in a combination of stainless-steel tanks and wooden barrels for eight months. It’s got a wildly expressive spicy and floral nose that’s redolent of dark berries.

This is a kékfrankos with some structure, yet still lively and refreshing. Drink it with roasted vegetables and/or braised meats–bonus points for anything involving Hungarian paprika.

Imagine a grape variety that gives you the silkiness and grace of pinot noir; the dark fruits, pepper, and floral notes of syrah; and the joyous lift and moderate alcohol of gamay. This grape shares nebbiolo’s knack for making a variety of wines–everything from easy everyday wines to important site-specific ones, not to mention singular rosés and sparkling wines. And, to make it even more palatable, it boasts an appealing quality-to-price ratio, with most coming in at under $25. Voilà: we give you blaufränkisch!

The best-known name of the grape, blaufränkisch, gives us an idea of its pedigree: From the Middle Ages onward, German-speaking peoples used variations of fränkisch (“from Franconia”) to distinguish higher-quality from run-of-the-mill varieties. Blaufränkisch is the name that’s used in Austria, which is the most important source of quality wines made from the variety. But there are lots of synonyms, depending on where it’s grown: kékfrankos in Hungary, limberger/lemberger in Germany, borgonja in Croatia, and gamé in Bulgaria, among others. (I’m not the only one to have noticed the partial resemblances to pinot noir and gamay!)


Whatever you call the grape, the wines made from it are as much fun to pair with food as they are to drink, thanks to their lively acidity, moderate alcohol, and judicious dollop of fruitiness. Start with the dishes you love to eat with pinot noir or syrah, especially savory things like mushrooms, tomatoes, sausages, and smoked meats. Then dial up the spices if you want: paprika, barbecue sauce, capsicum…. If you’re up for going Hungarian-style native, importer Eric Danch suggests offal (“bloody, minerally stuff”), culminating with kakashere pörkölt (rooster testicle stew). Back here in the Bay Area, experiment with izakaya plates: grilled and fried bites, pickled vegetables, and the like.

Here are eight examples of this variety from Paul Marcus Wines. (Continue reading for a special discount.)

2020 Pfneisl Blaufränker 1-liter [Austria]

Sisters Birgit and Katrin Pfneisl farm their family’s certified organic vineyards in eastern Austria, near the border with Hungary, and make this deliciously gulpable blaufränkisch. The wine is light, fresh, fruity, and just 12 percent alcohol. Chill it for 20 minutes to enhance all of these qualities. It’s great for barbecues, picnics, and camping–the full-liter bottle is finished with a screw cap, for easy access.

2019 Schreiner Blaufränkisch Burgenland – Rust [Austria]

Gernot and Victoria Schreiner practice certified organic farming in their hometown of Rust, on the western shores of Lake Neusiedl. This wine is from a parcel called Gemärk (limestone, sand, and sandstone). It’s aged in large, old oak casks for 14 months and is classic Burgenland blaufränkisch: inky black and blue fruits without heaviness and with a pleasing bitter hint. At 12.4 percent alcohol, it’s lively, fresh, and fun, yet with a serious, elegant side.

2017 Burg Ravensburg Blaufränkisch Sulzfeld [Germany]

Here’s a German example of blaufränkisch/lemberger. It’s perhaps a little higher-toned than the Austrian and Hungarian versions, with especially bright acidity. The grapes are farmed organically, and the wine comes in at 12.5 percent alcohol.

2017 Stumpf Pinceszet Kékfrankos Nagy-Eged [Hungary]

Father János and son Péter Stumpf dry-farm 20 hectares of vines in the Eger appellation of Hungary, halfway between Budapest and Tokaj. This wine is from 40-50-year-old vines. Nagy-Eged means “Eged Mountain,” and it’s the highest-altitude red-wine vineyard in Hungary. The wine is aged for 20 months in 500-liter acacia and Hungarian oak barrels and bottled unfined and unfiltered. The only addition is a small amount of SO2 at bottling. This is a kékfrankos that’s sophisticated and even a touch flashy, with dark fruit and noteworthy structure. It gains complexity with bottle age.

2020 Wetzer Kékfrankos [Hungary]

Peter Wetzer is a producer in the appellation of Sopron, right next to the border with Austria. His kékfrankos is a blend of several organically farmed 40-50-year-old vineyards, with loam, limestone, and mica-schist soils. Fermentation is in open vats and aging in used 500-liter Hungarian oak barrels. It’s bottled unfined and unfiltered, with a small addition of sulfur. Vivid dark fruits are etched with vibrant minerality and acidity. This is a lot of wine for the money.

2019 Moric Blaufränkisch Burgenland [Austria]

Roland Velich started Moric (MOR-itz) in 2001 with the goal of doing with blaufränkisch in Burgenland what producers have achieved with pinot noir in Burgundy, syrah in the Northern Rhône, and nebbiolo in the Langhe. (Read Alder Yarrow’s article “MORIC: The Apogee of Blaufränkisch.”) This wine is from 10-50-year-old vines growing in limestone, primary rock, and loam. Farming is uncertified organic, and fermentation is with indigenous yeasts in open vats and steel tank. Aging is in a combination of barrels ranging from 600 to 4,500 liters in size. No fining or filtration and minimal SO2 added at bottling. This is a super-classy wine that manages to be both impressive and understated at the same time.

2017 Karner Vitézföld Kékfrankos [Hungary]

Here is the wild and kinky side of kékfrankos. Gábor Karner is the godfather of natural wine in northeast Hungary (as well as a progressive metal drummer with the band Æbsence). His daughter Fanni works with him in the wine region of Matrá, between Budapest and Tokaj. Their wine is from the organically farmed single vineyard Vitézföld (“the good soldier’s land”). It sees one week of maceration and then 18 months of aging in stainless steel. Unfined, unfiltered, and no additions of any kind, including SO2 (ØØ). This is a serious natural wine: concentrated and complex, while walking the line between sauvage and fine.

2021 Kobal Blaufränkisch Pét-Nat Rosé Bajta [Slovenia]

We’ll finish–but maybe you should start–with an utterly hedonistic fizzy pink wine from Lower Styria (Štajerska) in Slovenia. Four hours of skin contact give the electric-pink color. Fermentation finishes in the bottle, resulting in a wine that’s juicy, yeasty, fruity, and exuberant–the opposite of serious!

Special Offer
Take 10 percent off any three or more blaufränkisch/kékfrankos that you buy through April 15th. The offer is mix-and-match: three different wines, three of the same thing, or anything in between. Use discount code frankish10 (no “c”) if you shop at our online store.

Last month, I wrote about dry wines (and one sweet ringer) from Tokaj, in northeast Hungary. This month, we’ll fan out into other Hungarian wine regions and explore more of the dazzling plethora of characterful indigenous grapes, wine regions (many of them, like Tokaj, with volcanic soils), and small, family-run producers.

Most Hungarian white wines offer some body and texture, along with prominent acidity and minerality. They’re also low in alcohol; all but one of the wines presented here are under 13 percent. Don’t let the unfamiliar words on the labels scare you off: I’ve included some pronunciation guidance below, and in any case, the proof is in the glass. If you love French, Italian, Iberian, and higher-acid domestic white wines, these wines will expand your horizons and add a new dimension to your meals (or Zoom happy hours).

Hungary Wine Map

The Hungarian wine appellations mentioned in this article (plus Tokaj, from last month’s article).

2013 Fekete Béla Somló Hárslevelű ($23)

Somló (SHOWM-low) is a wine appellation in western Hungary, not too far from the border with Austria–a low volcanic mountain rising out of the plain. Fekete Béla is by local acclaim the “Grand Old Man” of the appellation. This very wine is the last vintage that he made before retiring in his 90s. Hárslevelű (harsh-LEV-el-oo) is the grape variety, a genetic offspring of furmint that’s more aromatic and a little softer in structure.

This wine is aged in large Hungarian oak casks for two years before bottling. The nose is a festival of dried herbs, with some dried flowers playing supporting roles. There are lots of texture and body, plus a hint of sweetness, with just enough balancing acidity and a whisper of bitterness. Those who like aged Sancerre will enjoy this. And how often do you get to drink seven-year-old Hárslevelű?! Try it with herb-y pizza or pasta sauce, or just on its own at the end of a meal, maybe with an herb-crusted semi-aged cheese. (13.5 percent alcohol)

2017 Sziegl Pince Hajós-Baja Olaszrizling Birtokbor ($22)

Hajós-Baja (HI-yosh-BYE-uh) is located in southern Hungary, near Serbia. Olaszrizling (OH-loss-reez-ling), called welschriesling or riesling italico in other countries, has no genetic relationship to true riesling. It’s widely planted throughout Eastern Europe and the most widely planted white variety in Hungary. The Sziegl family started their winery in 2012, with husband Balázs in the vineyards and wife Petra running the cellar and making the wine–a new generation following the old Hungarian custom of men working in the vineyards and women running the cellars. (Pince (PEEN-sa) means cellar; it’s a word you see frequently on Hungarian labels.)

Their olaszrizling is bright, mineral, and slightly herbal, with medium body and mouthwatering acidity. It leans more toward grüner veltliner than toward riesling. GV fans, among others, should check it out. Drink it with all of those green things that you’re inclined to eat with grüner veltliner or sauvignon blanc: artichokes, green beans, basil, arugula pesto… (12.5 percent alcohol)

2018 Losonci Mátra Riesling [skin contact] ($22)

This winery, run by Bálint Losonci (low-SHOWN-see), is in the volcanic appellation of Mátra, in north-central Hungary, between Budapest and Tokaj. He and a few other likeminded small producers are rehabilitating the reputation of Mátra from decades of Communist-era industrial farming and winemaking. Bálint farms organically and works naturally in the cellar, favoring skin contact for the white wines, no filtering, and only minimal SO2 addition at bottling. All of the wines benefit from naturally high acidity due to the crazy mix of volcanic, iron-rich clay, and chalky soils in the vineyards.

This wine is true riesling–not olaszrizling—but utterly unlike any you’ve had, thanks to the soils and a week of skin contact. It’s the other end of the spectrum from a Mosel (German) riesling: spicy, smoky, redolent, textured, and powerful, yet still without overt weight or alcohol, and of course completely dry. If you love riesling, you need to try this wine–and if you don’t, you probably should try it, too, because it’s so atypical. Smoked oysters, spring rolls, kolbasz (the Hungarian version of kielbasa), and barbecue all leap to mind. My wife and I also enjoyed it with a bunch of Vietnamese dishes from Tay Ho in downtown Oakland–yes, that’s a plug. (12.5 percent alcohol)

2017 VáliBor Badacsony Kéknyelű ($32)

Kéknyelű (cake-NYAY-loo) is the grape variety, of which there are 41 hectares (100 acres) in existence, all of them in Badacsony (BOD-ah-chah-nya), a region on the northern shores of Lake Balaton in western Hungary. The producer, Péter Váli, has the perfect description of this wine: “It tastes like frosted basalt rocks.” There’s a smoky, flinty minerality. It’s textural, but with knife-edge acidity. This is a special wine; it’s age-worthy, and also drinking great now. Chablis drinkers will love it–and it offers Premier Cru quality at a Village-level price. Think oysters, Petrale sole, and shrimp risotto. (12 percent alcohol)

 

2018 Losonci Mátra Pinot Gris [skin contact] ($23)

Here’s another skin-contact white (or, more properly, gray/gris/grigio) from Bálint Losonci in Mátra. Three weeks of skin contact give a medium rosé color and extravagantly spicy nose with minerals, rocks, and baking spices. Aficionados of skin-contact white wines, step right up: This is your (dry) jam. There’s some tannin, so pair it with proteins: Meats (pork, chicken, tacos al pastor) and hard cheeses work well. Or, if you like a gentle tannic twang unadulterated, go for it. (12.5 percent alcohol)

 

 

Many thanks to Eric Danch of Danch & Granger Selections, the importer and distributor of all of these wines, for his help with this article.

Hungary Wine Map

Vinum Regum, Rex Vinorum (“Wine of Kings, King of Wines”) was the famously enthusiastic pronouncement by King Louis XV as he proffered a glass of Hungarian Tokaji to Madame de Pompadour, the official chief mistress of his court. (Yes, that was a real position in Ancien Régime France.) Louis and his main squeeze were enjoying a sweet wine in the mid-18th century. Though traditional Tokaji remains among the noblest sweet wines in the world, the habits and attention of most of us–noble, bourgeois, and plebs alike–have turned to dry wines.

Luckily for us, modern Hungary is here to help, with a dazzling plethora of characterful indigenous grapes. The white wines tend to have some body and texture, along with prominent acidity and minerality. They’re also low-alcohol; all of the wines presented here are under 13 percent. The words on the labels may be unfamiliar and a little challenging to pronounce, but don’t let that scare you off. With a wide array of wine regions (many of them with volcanic soils) and small, family-run producers, Hungary offers so much to discover and enjoy for those of us who love French, Italian, Iberian, and domestic white wines.

This month, we’ll discuss white wines from Tokaj (TOKE-eye), in northeast Hungary, with a little chunk of Slovakia. (Tokaj is the name of the region; Tokaji is the wine from that region.) Next month, we’ll cover white wines from four other Hungarian wine regions.

2018 Bodrog Borműhely Dry Tokaj ($16)

Bodrog is the main river running through Tokaj, and Borműhely (bor-MEW-hay) means “wine workshop.” This wine, made with 70 percent furmint and 30 percent hárslevelű (Tokaj’s two most important grapes), is organically farmed, then fermented and aged in stainless steel. Salty, high acid, and fully dry, with some texture, it’s utterly delicious and an outrageous deal for an organic wine of this quality and character. If you enjoy fresh, young Loire Valley chenin blanc, give this a try. Drink it with clams, chicken, or something spicy, or even as an aperitif if you like something with a little body. (12.5 percent alcohol)

2018 Tokaj Nobilis Furmint Barakonyi ($24)

This wine is all furmint, the most noble variety in Hungary and the backbone of most Tokaji, whether dry or sweet. Tokaj native Sarolta Bárdos created this family winery in 1999, and her vineyards are also certified organic. She is among the new generation leading the quality renaissance in Tokaj and part of a long tradition of woman winemakers in Hungary (where the men historically worked in the vineyards, and the women ran the cellars).

This wine comes from the single vineyard Barakonyi, which has been officially recognized as first-class (premier cru, more or less) since 1737. Fermentation and aging are done in Hungarian oak barrels. It delivers pear-like, slightly honeyed fruit with an almost icy minerality and a hint of oak. There’s texture, elegance, purity, and length; those who enjoy white Burgundy or restrained California chardonnay will like this a lot. (Plus, where are you going to find one of those from a premier cru vineyard for $24?!) Drink it with richer fish and poultry dishes, pork, and spicy enchiladas. (12.9 percent alcohol)

2015 Barta Tokaji Furmint Öreg Király Dűlő ($32)

Here’s another 100 percent furmint dry Tokaji, this one from the equally storied, first-class Öreg Király Dűlő (Old King Vineyard). It’s the highest-altitude, steepest, and most distinctly terraced vineyard in Tokaj. The several extra years in the bottle give you the opportunity to see how dry Tokaji ages. Winemaker Vivien Újvári, yet another woman in charge of a Hungarian cellar, uses organic farming and minimalist winemaking techniques, aging her wines in larger Hungarian oak barrels. 

This wine is beautifully expressive and vibrant now, with a more smoky minerality and a saltier, quite savory palate. If Tokaj Nobilis Barakonyi echoes some of the qualities of white Burgundy, the analog for Barta Öreg Király Dűlő might be aged Loire chenin blanc. It’s a perfect accompaniment for white meats and game birds of all species, smoked salmon, and Asian dishes without too much sweetness. (12.7 percent alcohol)

2016 Patricius Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos (500ml, $45)

OK, this is an article about dry Hungarian white wines, but it would be a dereliction of vinous duty not to mention our one sweet wine from Hungary: Tokaji Aszú. (Vinum Regum, Rex Vinorum!) It’s an aristocratically hedonistic and spectacularly delicious nectar made in part from individual berries (mostly furmint, plus in this case some hárslevelű and other local grapes zéta and kövérszőlő) affected by botrytis, a so-called “noble rot” that shrivels, concentrates, and transforms the flavor of the grapes. You’ll find notes of dried fruits, especially stone fruits, along with a thousand other flavors, fruit and otherwise. 

There’s no need to analogize here, because Tokaji Aszú is simply the greatest dessert wine in the world (sorry, Sauternes). It will sing with blue cheeses, chocolate, and even potato chips. (The last pairing is my invention, as far as I can tell. Try it with José Andrés potato chips, made by San Nicasio in Andalucía, Spain, and available at Market Hall Foods.) Or simply have this Tokaji Aszú on its own as a very special way to end a meal, perhaps with some dried apricots. (11.5 percent alcohol)

Many thanks to Eric Danch of Danch & Granger Selections, the importer and distributor of all of these wines, for his help with this article.