Kekhegy Siller 2024, Matra Hungary

The Wine

We are always looking for a wine like the Hungarian 'Siller' - a wine darker than a rose but lighter than a red, one that rewards a good chill and is also a perfect foil for traditional Hungarian ingredients like Paprika and Caraway, OBTW.

It’s sometimes called a “smart rosé” in that it has some grip from some light maceration along with plenty of aromatics and freshness. It’s also picked in two stages to get the full range of ripeness - half the fruit was crushed and spent two days on the skins in open vats while the other half got a head start on fermentation in tank. Both fractions were blended and finished fermentation in tank before being bottled unfiltered

The wine offers tempting aromas of rose petal, violet, crunchy red fruits like raspberry, pomegranate and strawberry all made far more interesting with a layer of herb notes led by crushed Thyme and enticing spice notes led by pink peppercorns.

These aromas provide a preview of the palate flavors, but it's the wine's tonic-like bitterness that makes the wine interesting beyond the first glass.  

The Winery

In Hungary, there is a saying “Sírva vigad a Magyar” which roughly translate to “a melancholic intermingling of joy and sorrow.” It's a sentiment acutely felt while walking around the various Pincefalu in the Mátra appellation. 

A Pincefalu is a village dedicated entirely to small family cellars dug into the hillsides with a connected, gravity-flow press house on top and often a small living space above that. The melancholy comes when one realizes how few of these are still in operation, and those that are seem mostly inhabited by hobbyists. But the intermingling of joy comes with the discovery of a few families who are doing something really special, like Szilvia and Tibor of Kékhegy Pince.

A first-generation winemaking family and not a part of long lineage in the Mátra, they actively chose this place because of its massive potential and freedom to pursue their own path. Their appelation is best known for fresh, mass-produced aromatic white wine, but it has so much more to offer, as you'll see here. It is one of the most underestimated appellations in Hungary.

It is home to a wide range of varietals and is ideal for organic farming. There’s also a synergy of other like-minded producers who are all pioneering the natural wine scene in Hungary.

Szilvia and Tibor founded the winery in 2009 with a single hectare. Certified organic in 2016 they now farm 3 hectares and every job in the vineyard and in the cellar is handled by them and their two young daughters.