Grape: Kadarka
Region: Szekszárd, Transdanubia, Hungary

Distributor's Notes:

"The Szekszárd region, which covers 2,300 hectares, is part of the larger Pannonia region and is located in the south of Hungary. We currently work 12.5 hectares and integrate grapes from another 8-10 hectares every year. Our main grape variety is Kékfrankos, a local grape which provides the backbone of Bikavér. Our aim is to pick the highest quality grapes every autumn regardless of the climatic conditions that prevail. To achieve this goal, we cultivate the vineyards with the utmost care. We control yields by carrying out shoot selection. In addition to efficient ‘green work’, we carry out plant protection at the most appropriate time. We consider the specific characteristics of the vintage when we apply bunch selection to the final crop. The optimum harvest date is decided upon after tasting the grapes, which in turn allows us to better ascertain the ripeness of the tannins, though we of course also pay close attention to the lab analytics. Our grapes are picked strictly by hand, so we are able to select just the healthy bunches. Manual selection is repeated in order to be extra sure of the quality of our work during the winemaking process. Our white and rosé wines are fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks in order to preserve freshness and fruitiness and are subsequently bottled after a short period of ageing. Our red wines are fermented in open vats after being inoculated with selected yeast and we carry out punching down regularly during fermentation. A short maceration is then followed by the racking of the wines into oak barrels. The malolactic fermentation occurs spontaneously. The wines are aged for between 12 and 30 months."