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Somlói Vánder Hárslevelü, Somló, Hungary
Somlói Vánder Hárslevelü, Somló, Hungary
They call it “The Hill”. It’s a solitary, 1500 foot, volcanic mound, looming over a vast expanse of barely rolling farmland. Its true name is Somló (shawm-low), but to those who live and work there it is simply The Hill. Somló is not only Hungary’s smallest appellation, It is also one of the most exciting wine appellations emerging in the world today. It is a place that matters. A place of captivating honesty and purity. It too is a place of legend. Wines from The Hill are famous for their supposed ability to aid in the conception of male children. Such dubious ability has led to the wines’ nickname of “wedding night wines”.
For all its greatness, The Hill is just potential. A talented custodian is required to extract the liquid gold contained in its fruit. Támas Kis is one of those gifted caretakers. Támas appears has a hipster, a hipster on a Hungarian hunk of volcanic rock. He’s a young dude yet make no mistake he’s a winemaking stud with an intense work ethic. He and his Dachshund Füge (Fig) call The Hill home. His house on The Hill is also his winery, Somlói Vánder (Somloie Wanderer). The organically sustained, vegan winery is small and produces a sparse 700 cases annually. This 2021 is only Támas’ 7th vintage.
The richly flavored Hárslevelü (harsh-lay-vuh-loo) grapes that make up this wine offer a hauntingly vibrant, sexy, nervy wine. This sucker is just dripping with terroir as the volcanic soil is easily expressed throughout the drink. It offers a graceful intensity with flavors that continually evolve throughout your drinking enjoyment.
Serving suggestion: Best to serve this chilled. Throw it in the fridge until you’re ready to drink it. Then, about 20 minutes before you’re ready, open it up and take it out of the fridge. A wine that is too cold mutes the flavors and it needs about 15-20 minutes to open.
Somlói Vánder Hárslevelü, Somló, Hungary
They call it “The Hill”. It’s a solitary, 1500 foot, volcanic mound, looming over a vast expanse of barely rolling farmland. Its true name is Somló (shawm-low), but to those who live and work there it is simply The Hill. Somló is not only Hungary’s smallest appellation, It is also one of the most exciting wine appellations emerging in the world today. It is a place that matters. A place of captivating honesty and purity. It too is a place of legend. Wines from The Hill are famous for their supposed ability to aid in the conception of male children. Such dubious ability has led to the wines’ nickname of “wedding night wines”.
For all its greatness, The Hill is just potential. A talented custodian is required to extract the liquid gold contained in its fruit. Támas Kis is one of those gifted caretakers. Támas appears has a hipster, a hipster on a Hungarian hunk of volcanic rock. He’s a young dude yet make no mistake he’s a winemaking stud with an intense work ethic. He and his Dachshund Füge (Fig) call The Hill home. His house on The Hill is also his winery, Somlói Vánder (Somloie Wanderer). The organically sustained, vegan winery is small and produces a sparse 700 cases annually. This 2021 is only Támas’ 7th vintage.
The richly flavored Hárslevelü (harsh-lay-vuh-loo) grapes that make up this wine offer a hauntingly vibrant, sexy, nervy wine. This sucker is just dripping with terroir as the volcanic soil is easily expressed throughout the drink. It offers a graceful intensity with flavors that continually evolve throughout your drinking enjoyment.
Serving suggestion: Best to serve this chilled. Throw it in the fridge until you’re ready to drink it. Then, about 20 minutes before you’re ready, open it up and take it out of the fridge. A wine that is too cold mutes the flavors and it needs about 15-20 minutes to open.