Blaufrankisch (Kékfrankos)

This is an interesting blend of 65% Blaufränkisch and 35% Syrah.  Served at Das Loft in Vienna, Austria.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque but a bit flat.  The nose has a slight barnyard note along with black cherries and slight black pepper.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, black cherries and plums.  Light tannins.  Nice finish.  A pleasant wine that drinks well on its own and will work well with food.  It should pair nicely with Indian cuisine.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

This is a blend of 35% Cabernet Franc, Porkoláb-völgy, 29% Merlot, Porkoláb-völgy, 25% Tannat, Bati Kereszt, and 11% Kékfrankos, Bati Kereszt.  It was brought up in separate lots aged in wood and blended for bottling.  Purple in color with ruby at the rim.  The nose is nice with black cherries, black olives, tobacco and a bit of chocolate.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this has a perception of sweetness but drinks dry.  Black cherries, plums and slight spice notes.  Nice finish.  This has some depth and complexity.  It drinks well on its own and will work wel

An inexpensive Rose made from Kékfrankos (Blaufrӓnkisch) with Merlot and Syrah.  Tasted atthe High Note Sky Bar in Budapest, Hungary.  Light salmon pink in color, clear and bright.  The nose has strawberries with slight peach and watermelon.  Light bodied.  Refreshing on a warm evening.  On the palate, flavors of peach and strawberries come thru.  Dry.  Moderate acidity.  Solid finish.  The bottle was quickly emptied.  This drinks well on its own and worked well with light appetizers.  Drink over the next year or two.  

Consumed at a restaurant in Budapest.  This is an enjoyable, inexpensive, light red wine.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has sour cherries with a bit of spice.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, the sour cherries come thru with strong acidity.  Long finish.  This wine begs for food and works well with pasta.  Drink over the next couple of years. 

Bikaver means Bull's Blood and is a red blend dating back at least to the 18th century.  The name comes from the comments of the defeated Ottoman soldiers who saw the dark red wines the Hungarians were drinking.  Today, they are having a rebirth of sorts.  Always a blend, it must contain a minimum of 45% Kékfrankos and 5% Kadarka and no more than 40% of the grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot can be used.  This one is 47% Kekfrankos, 27% Merlot, 10% Kadarka, 8% Cabernet Franc, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Sagrantino.  13% ABV.  Ruby in color with purple swirls, mostly opaq

Bull's blood wines are blends, traditionally from northern Hungary.   The name comes from the dubious story that says after the locals fought off the Ottoman's, the Ottomans said the people there were drinking dark red wine made from bull's blood which gave them strength.  This made from the "500 year old" recipe as a blend of Kekfrankos, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Zweigelt.  It drank nicely especially given its $12 price tag.  Purple in color, with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is dusty with plums and black cherries.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this has tart che

From what is arguably one of the "Grand Cru" sites for red wine in Hungary.  This is 100% Kekfrankos that is biodynamically grown.  Purple in color with lighter ruby at the edges.  Opaque and bright.  The nose is earthy, slight barnyard with nice cherry fruit.  On the palate, nice sour cherry fruit with medium tannins.  Slight cough drop note.  Slight forest floor.  Long finish.  This is complex and deep and also tasty.  This seems like it has some upside and will improve over the next three to five years.  Drink over the next ten to twelve.  Certainly, this will work well with meat dishes

It is hard to track down aged versions of Kekfrankos but finding this (only six years from vintage) gives me hope that the better wines will not only last but develop with some age.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries and sour cherries with some char and a bit of roasted herbs.  Very nice texture.  Nice depth.  Good acidity.  On the palate, black cherries and black raspberries with a slight sour cherry notes.  Great texture.  Long finish.  This seems young and would still benefit from three to five more years of cellaring and drink over the next t

This is a biodynamically made Kekfrankos (Blaufrankisch) from one of Hugary's top winemakers of red wines.  This is the base version.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries and sour cherries with a bit of hay and a slight green herbal notes.  On the palate, this is has a nice texture.  Very nice tart cherry fruit over a bit of smoky char with a nice backbone of acidity.  Light tannins.  Nice finish.  Very good value.  Drink over the next five years.   This will work well with Lecsó (vegetable stew) although carnivores might want to add Hurka & Kolbász (sausages).

This is 100% Kekfrankos (Blaufrankish) from Hungary.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is tight, but with air shows cherries.  On the palate, this is medium bodied with good acidity.  Nice cherry fruit with some sour cherries.  It is young, so it would be interesting to see how this develops with age.  Right now it doesn't show much complexity, but that could change with some proper cellaring.  That said, it does drink fine right now, and would be a nice pairing for Paprikás Csirke (chicken paprikash).