Nimrod Kovacs's Wine Credo
Life has been very good to me, as I was given the opportunity to travel the world and "beheld its wonders" for may many years! This of course included dining in fine restaurants and drinking great wines from all around.
It has been amazing to see the emergence of countries and regions such as Italy, Spain, California, Oregon, Australia, New Zealand etc., all successfully challenging the French hegemony, when it comes wine quality and styles.
I noticed similar tendencies in my native county, Hungary, where quality conscious wineries started to emerge, taking advantage of unique terroirs and local varietals. At the same time, the wine loving public all around, started to show receptivity toward the plethora of new choices in wine. It is still true, that in most countries, the locals favor their own wines, but international choices are steadily gaining in popularity.
As I have been spending more time in Hungary as of late, I became intrigued with the cool climate region of Eger and with how differently international varietals reflect the unique microclimates and terroirs of the region. Aside from the international varietals, I also discovered the great potential of local varietals such as Furmint and Kekfrankos both of which are capable of producing world class wines. Since Eger is the home of Bikavers (Bullsbloods) or Cuvees, blending international varieties with local ones can create intriguing wines. So, in light of this, we at Kovacs Nimrod Winery, feature both single varieties such as; Battonage Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah , Pinot Gris, Furmint and Kekfrankos and blends such as; Egri Csillag, Rhapsody, Superior Bikaver and NJK.
I am delighted to see that our wines, aside from the Hungarian market, are being well received in the USA, Germany, UK, Poland, Scandinavia and in Hong Kong/China. Borrowing from the advertising campaign created by my old employer DDB for Avis, we have to try much harder to show what Eger or Hungary can do in the world of wine.
