During the summer, I bought 10 bottles of wine, all under 650 huf including imports from South Africa, California, and Australia at the local COOP shop in Szendro. Yet another example of how messed up the Hungarian wine market is when imported Californian and Australian wines are 4-5 times cheaper than the Hungarian equivalent, including protectionist import taxes, and available in rural Borsod County. I worked my way through these bottles during the roof reconstruction. From what I remember, here is how they stand:

- Rocky Creek Cabernet Savignon California 2005, recommended to accompany game and grilled dishes. Good, for 500-600 huf a great bargain. Black cherry and blackberry.  A small family run business whose webpage and wine tasting room does not look like it has been updated since 1970. How did it get to Hungary? Maybe because their assistant winemaker is Hungarian Dustin Somogyi?

- Quay Landing Shiraz 2006 (Australia), recommended with herbed meats. The aroma from the openned bottle raised high hopes of a great bargain, but the taste was only good and not great. Even so, it is an excellently priced shiraz table wine, strangely better the next day after a night in the fridge.

Varga Badacsonyi Olaszrizling is the perfect froccs wine (see blog on froccs) not only for flavour, but 300 huf (1 euro) per bottle cannot be beat! Varga's slogan is “Hungary's Favourite Boroszat.” Value for money, to quote Kevin and Szilvia Jackson's son Cole, “That's what I'm talking about, sucker!” The Varga Winery is the number one winery in Hungary based on the domestic wine sales. Domestic sales are 7 million bottles of wine a year, consisting of 50 different sorts. Quantity is not quality, and while the wine is great for spritzer, I would never buy their stuff to drink straight (what you gain in savings, you pay for in hangover). Their webpage has everything you want to know about the vineyard, except info on the wines.

- Hungarovin Szekszardi Kekfrankos 2006. No notes.


- Ostoros Felso-Magyarorszagi Cabernet Sauvignon, dry red country wine.No notes.


- Stony Cape Pinotage Cinsault (South Africa) 2005. Nothing special, easily drinkable table wine, nice label.


- Ostoros Egri Bikaver 2009 (Eger, Novaj). A blend of Kékfrankos, Kékoportó, Zweigelt and Cabernet Sauvignon. No notes.


- Tokaji Furmint, Tokaj Kereskedohaz zrt 2004, Boldog Nevnapot. No notes.


- Egervin Leanyka (half-dry) 2007. No notes.


- Kiralyok Bora COOP Villanyi Rajnai Rizling, Olaszrizling (DHC) 2008. No notes.