Furmint forges forward!

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furmint grape

Food-friendly dry Furmint wines are catching the eyes and hearts of consumers and professionals alike. One of the six varieties allowed in Tokaji wines, Furmint produces remarkable full-flavoured wines – both sweet and dry – with sparkling acidity and legendary longevity. Likened to a mirror, Furmint’s ability to reflect the terroir mean it is adept at expressing the minerality of the volcanic land here. It is a late ripener; grapes are generally harvested in September for dry wines but can continue into November for sweeties which charm with the dashing combination of natural sweetness and refreshing acidity. This noble grape that covers some 60 % of the wine region is considered a local variety – and there are plenty of stories about how it arrived. But that story’s for another day ;)

As producers explore the wines their vineyards excel in, over the last 15 years Furmint has been making its name as a dry white, often single vineyard. And through the whole scale of fermenting and aging with(out) oak. Production is fairly small, so Furmint is carving out its own niche market. And is being increasingly well received. As Kristian Kielmayer writes in his extensive tasting notes from Furmint Február Budapest tasting, “Can you ever get tired of Furmint? Don’t think so.”

Here’s a selection of recent quotes:
Gabriel Stone in The Drinks Business:With many of today’s younger generation of sommeliers captivated by the food-friendly, charismatic expressions offered by Furmint…” 18th March 2015

Thaddeus Buggs in The Minority Wine Report: The latest craze, though, is a newly available dry version of furmint, Hungary’s alternative to chardonnay and riesling.” March 2015

Susy Atkins in The Telegraph.co.uk:The heavenly dessert wines from Tokaji, all marmalade, butterscotch and orange peel, are made from furmint grapes, very late picked for intense sweetness and rendered complex after being shrivelled by the “noble” rot botrytis.” 15th August 2014

And a much older one here:
Matt Walls @ Tim Atkin: “It is an unusually versatile grape. … The typical aromas range from green apple and pear through to more tropical fruits such as mango and pineapple. It works well in a fruity, unoaked style, but it also takes very well to ageing in oak barrels. What all the dry styles have in common is a bright, vibrant acidity running through them, making them buzz with energy.” 30th August 2012