From the beginning of December, anyone can taste the first wine of the premium wine family of the Archbishop of Veszprém Winery, the 1277 Rajnai Rizling. In May this year, the winery launched new wine families and a unique image, and several of their wines have received significant professional recognition in recent months.
“The 1277 wine family includes those varieties that come from the winery’s ancient estate, the Püspökdomb in Mindszentkálla. We make these premium wines exclusively from the highest quality grapes, harvested at full biological maturity, and from selected clusters. The 1277 wine family includes two white varieties – Sauvignon Blanc and Rhine Riesling – and the third wine is a red cuvée,” explained Antal Benesch, chief winemaker of the Érseki Winery in Veszprém.
The winery launched three new wine families and a unique image in May of this year. The three wine families – Vesprim Infula, Mandorla and 1277 – are closely linked to the archdiocese in both their appearance and name. One element of the name Vesprim Infula, infula, means bishop’s mitre, and the puttos on the wine labels were inspired by the ceiling painting of the ceremonial hall of the Archbishop’s Palace in the castle district of Veszprém.
The name of the Mandorla wine family refers to the glory surrounding the saints, as can be seen, among other things, on the stained glass window depicting the eponymous saint of the St. Michael Cathedral in Veszprém, but the figures on the labels also appear on the ceiling painting of the Archbishop's Palace. The name of the premium wine family – 1277 – refers to the year when the Archdiocese of Veszprém and its legal predecessor, the Bishopric of Veszprém, began to deal with grape growing and winemaking.
The Vesprim Infula and Mandorla wines have already been tasted by the general public, and from December 1st, the first item in the premium category, the 2022 vintage Rhine Riesling, will also be available. The latter is characterized by apricot flavors, complemented by coriander, orange, salty, mint and citrus notes. The wine was bottled in April and matured until December.
Award-winning wines
The new wine families were already successful in their debut year. Vesprim Infula Rouge won gold at the 2023 National Wine Competition, Mandorla Sauvignon Blanc received silver, and Mandorla Rajnai Rizling was included in the TOP 100 Hungarian Wines selection published a few days ago.
"I am very proud of each of our wines. My main goal is to be able to show the values of the winery's two estates - Felsőörs and Mindszentkállás - in our wines. Both production areas have characteristics that are unparalleled in the country," emphasized Antal Benesch.
This year they have had an excellent harvest – despite the fact that the rainy, humid weather made things difficult. “Our whites have beautiful aromas and flavors, thanks to the cold vintage. We have high expectations for the Sauvignon Blanc, and our reds look excellent too. The next few months will be about maturation, with our whites getting 4-6 months of aging and our reds getting 11-12 months,” said the head winemaker.
He highlighted: 2024 will be mainly about planting. They will replant their Mindszentkálla estate with their main varieties, Sauvignon Blanc and Rhine Riesling, and will also plant Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Pinot Noir grapes.
