In the 1980s, Albariño was barely known in the US. A decade earlier, the same could have been said about Sancerre, and it wasn’t until the 90s that the first big wave of Grüner Veltliner hit American shores.

In each case, wine lovers in the States were given a window into an ancient winemaking tradition, and they viewed each with suspicion at first—interlopers in a “classic” wine world. But each of these now seems essential to a fully formed wine list.

If you feel the same way about Hungarian wine in three decades, you can bet that we won’t be surprised.

After all, Hungarian wine traditions are old. Eger, which Toth Ferenc calls home, has been making wine for nearly a millennium. French priests brought “modern” techniques to the area in the 13th century. Hell, Hungary beat the rest of the world to an enforceable governmental classification of Premier and Grand Cru vineyards, and for centuries their wines were some of the most expensive in Europe. If the country hadn’t been hidden behind the Iron Curtain for most of the 20th Century, Hungarian wines might be as well known today as bottles from Spain and Portugal.

Now, Hungary is riding a wave of white-hot enthusiasm back into international relevance. Importers who were early champions of Burgundies that are now thousands of dollars have been staking their claim in Hungary, and we’re starting to see the wines pop up in some of the most in-the-know restaurants in the US.

Eger is basically on the same latitude as Chablis, but the presence of the Bükk mountains creates a climate that’s warm enough to ripen red wines—and makes growing modern, zesty white wine a snap. And even though there’s been immense commercial pressure to plant grapes like Chardonnay and Merlot, Ferenc has been a champion of heirloom indigenous varieties like the white grape Leányka.

Leányka’s name translates as “the maiden,” in reference to its delicate features and pretty, floral-accented wines (though it’s not actually related to Feteascǎ Albǎ, in Romania, which also shares a translated name). In the hands of Ferenc and his daughter, Katalin, it produces a beautiful white wine, which in today’s case was custom-labeled for their American importer.

Showing fragrant aromas of elderflower, pear, and white peach and a fresh, lithe palate built on crisp acidity and subtle salinity, this wine is a dream to pair. Try it with an herby composed salad, poached halibut in beurre blanc, or a chicken cooked under a brick and dusted with fennel pollen—although we dusted our sample bottle with takeout falafel and it performed beautifully.

This is a standout wine that you’ll rarely see on US shores. Don’t miss it.

About Hungary