Sebestyén Pince

Sometimes you come across wineries where you quickly know that it is good. Sebestyén in the Hungarian wine region of Szekszárd is one of them. During a visit to Hungary we tasted the Bikavér of brother and sister Csaba and Csilla Sebestyén. With Bikavér – or Bull’s Blood – you can go in different directions. In the northeast lies Eger, where the more powerful wines often come from. Szekszárd is located in the south and here the less powerful style Bikavér is made. The same goes for the wines of Sebestyén. These are elegant, light, very tasty and lower in alcohol. The secret: In Szekszárd it is legally required to use more of the blue grape varieties kékfrankos and kadarka in the wines.

This elegant style is mainly due to the knowledge and experience that Csilla gained when she worked as a sommelier and travelled around Europe. She also managed to convince her brother Csaba, once a car mechanic but now the highly skilled winemaker of the small family estate, that the future of the Szekszárd region lay in refined wines. And now Sebestyén is without a doubt one of the top estates in Szekszárd.

Brother and sister have vineyards in the best and most beautiful places in the region, including the bowl-shaped Iván Valley, with vineyards facing both southeast and southwest. There is plenty of sun, but it rarely gets too hot. In addition to internationally known grape varieties, typical Hungarian varieties such as kadarka and kékfrankos (which is called blaufränkisch in Austria) are planted.

The real sun worshippers among the grapes are in Görögszó, where the red clay retains enough water for the hot, dry summer. Sebestyén also has two cooler vineyards, Nána and Szentgál, and plots in the warm, sunny Porkoláb Valley, where the soils are an ideal combination of loess, limestone and red clay.

Through meticulous vineyard management, manual harvesting, strict selection of the grapes and restraint in the use of wooden barrels, Csaba ensures high-quality wine, with an emphasis on the pure taste of the grapes and the terroir. And through his fantastic insight into blending, he knows how to raise the level even further to something truly special.