Somlói Tavasz Fesztivál (Somló Spring)
Author: admin | Category: 3 points, 4 points, 5 points, 6 points, 7 points, Balatonfelvidék, Best price, Eger, Györgykovács, Hollóvár, Kaló Imre, Kreinbacher, Laposa, Somló, Takács Lajos, Tokaj, Tornai, Wine reviewsI must admit I am not a regular festival visitor and I was surprised by the size of the Somló Tavasz festival: about a dozen twin kiosks, a hundred visitors and a huge tent describe well the scale of this event on the meadow on the outskirts of Somlóvásárhely. According to my winemaker friend, 40% of the visitors are regular festivalgoers who never miss one (hence the marketing value of the event is a bit questionable). All ages and all types of people were present: old ladies from the neighbouring villages sat in the tent quitely sipping their drinks while staring at the stage to check the appearance of a folklore dance group, there were families wandering around, kids riding horses, and some young folks trying to get a bit drunk. I really couldn’t spot any of the urban yuppies here who usually frequent these types of events. And no foreigners either.
It was charming and looked more like a big family reunion in a family where winemaking tradition’s got its roots from times when Juhfark was not yet recognised as a standalone grape.
Besides the local names (Györgykovács, Tornai, etc.) almost the same number of guest winemakers offered their wines, with few exceptions almost only from 2006 and 2005.
I really don’t think that festivals allow you to do some in-depth analysis of wine, it’s rather a quick scan of where are we standing and tasting unknown wines and trying to memorise those that you would like to try at home. So here are my notes, but since I did swallow all of these (at least in quantities of 1/2 dl) the objectivity is questionalbe. So I keep the order, I leave it to you what “filter” you apply to my judgement.
|
Somlói Tavasz fesztivál (Somló Spring Festival) 2008 |
|||||
|
On-site tasting notes. |
|||||
|
Laposa |
Olaszrizling |
2005 |
5+ |
Good start. Light, fresh, friendly wine. |
Fair value |
|
Kreinbacher |
Olaszrizling |
2005 |
4 |
Deeper colour, grassy smell and taste. Heavier. |
Overrated |
|
Györgykovács |
Olaszrizling |
2006 |
6 |
Light in color. Round. A lovely bitter edge at the end. Fresh, almost crispy. |
Fair value, almost best buy |
|
Tornai |
Olaszrizling Selection |
2006 |
6-, 6 |
Round wine, but not perfectly balanced: it requires a bit more acid. Extremely friendly wine. Floral and earthy smell, smooth taste but not overly spicy. Nice finish (only some acid missing). Surprisingly low alcohol (11,5%). Mouthfilling sensation. |
Fair value, almost best buy |
|
Laposa |
Bazaltbor, juhfark |
2006 |
5+ |
Tuttifrutti and hay in smell. Hay in taste too. Hot aftertaste. Alcohol 14,5%! |
|
|
Tornai |
Juhfark selection |
2006 |
7 |
Even for those who don’t like juhfark, this friendly version of it makes it more drinkable than its harsh companions. Could have some more acid, but otherwise round and well balanced. Vanilla is present but not too oaky. Long lasting taste, great finish. |
|
|
Györgykovács |
Furmint |
2006 |
5- |
Apple. |
|
|
Györgykovács |
Tramini |
2006 |
6 |
Intense, grassy and gooseberry smell. Well balanced. Residual sugar and acid at finish. Interesting wine. Smell of traubi*. |
|
|
Hollóvári (Takács Lajos) |
Hárslevelű |
2006 |
3+ |
Forgettable. |
|
|
Hollóvári (Takács Lajos) |
Furmint |
2006 |
|
|
|
|
Kaló Imre |
Leányka |
2001 |
|
Intense smell, not so fresh, but elegant. Not too sweet, but some acid would do well for this wine. Very nice finish. 14,7%! |
|
|
Györgykovács |
Hárslevelű |
|
4 |
Average. |
|
|
Tornai |
Olaszrizling |
|
4- |
Sparkling. Cheap. |
|
|
A non-alcoholic drink produced in the socialist era in Hungary. Still produced in smaller quantities. |
|||||
