Online Tasting: Volcanic Wines of Hungary with Mihaly Konkoly, Istvan Balassa and Jimmy Smith

West London Wine School Chief Tutor Jimmy Smith will be joined by two fantastic ambassadors of Hungarian wines - Mihaly Konkoly and Istvan Balassa - on this fascinating two-part exploration of the volcanic wines of Hungary. We will be joined by Mihaly on Tuesday 23rd June at 6:00pm who will be discussing the volcanic wines of Lake Balaton. Then on Tuesday 30th June at 6:00pm Istvan will cover the volcanic wines of Tokaj. An optional, supplementary tasting case is available to purchase with free delivery to all UK mainland addresses. Further details are below. The Volcanic Wines of Lake Balaton with Mihaly Konkoly Our guest speaker, Mihaly Konkoly, will introduce Somlo, Badacsony and Csopak, three volcanic wine regions around Lake Balaton in Hungary. Anyone who has visited the stunning northern shores of Lake Balaton—or simply admired the extent of Mount Badacsony from the southern side of the lake—must wonder how this unusual landscape was formed. Badacsony’s twin, the volcanic butte of Somló, rises dramatically from the surrounding farmland. Approaching it, you have to ask yourself how this huge black hill with its fringe of verdant vineyards ended up located in the middle of a totally flat plain. More than fifty volcanoes were documented in the area, with their violent eruptions and explosive magma being cooled by the sea’s marshy shores. Huge tuff rings surrounded massive craters, which were later filled with lava lakes. Once the volcanic activity ended, erosion stripped away the lighter ash and tuff rings leaving the solidified basalt within. These are the basalt hills we know today as Badacsony, Szent György-hegy, Csobánc, and Szigetliget, to name but a few. Further to the north, Somló and its neighboring hills share the same ancestry. Nowadays, the curious formations are skirted with terraced green vineyards and picturesque white press houses. Badacsony, Balaton-felvidék, and Somló’s exceptional terroirs produce some of Europe’s most distinctive white wines. Badacsony and Somló boast their own local varieties– Kéknyelű and Juhfark respectively. These varieties now only have limited acreage, but growers are increasingly aware of their potential as unique selling points for their regions. Both had substantial fame in the past as quality varieties. The Volcanic Wines of Tokaj with Istvan Balassa István Balassa, a new wave winemaker in Tokaj, started his winery in 2002 and produces world-class wines. He will introduce Tokaj, which is a UNESCO Heritage wine region and home of one of the best sweet wine in the world. In Tokaj, the hills and valleys of Hungary’s most prestigious wine region are also the result of volcanic activity, with miles of picturesque twisting black-mold-coated cellars carved out of the soft volcanic tuff. The Tokaj-Eperjes range of mountains boasts a full spectrum of volcanic rocks and soils which differ from one side of a hill to another. On one side there’s a vineyard with dusky red nyirok soil, and on another black basalt and then white soils glint in the bright sunshine. The diversity of Tokaj’s famous vineyards—first classified in the 18th century—are perfectly translated into wines by its flagship white variety furmint, followed by its stablemate hárslevelű. Just like in Burgundy, another region with greatly diverse soils, many wineries cultivate vines in a wide range of different vineyards. Tokaj is the birthplace of world-famous sweet botrytized wines, Tokaji Aszú, which are made by soaking hand-picked individual berries in fresh wine or fermenting must. The region was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2002 thanks to its traditional viticultural landscape and historic wine cellars. TASTING SERIES DATES (Both sessions begins at 6:00pm and will last approximately 1 hour): - Tuesday 23rd June 2020: The Volcanic Wines of Lake Balaton with Mihaly Konkoly - Tuesday 30th June 2020: The Volcanic Wines of Tokaj with Istvan Balassa COURSE STRUCTURE AND FORMAT: On the first evening, Jimmy Smith will be joined by Mihaly Konkoly, and on the second evening, he will be joined by Istvan Balassa. Each session will begin at 6:00pm over 2 consecutive Tuesdays. Each session will be approximately 1 hour in length. Unable to commit to each evening? No problem! Anyone registered for this tasting series will gain access to the video recordings of each session, so you can always revisit any of these at anytime in the future - whether its because you missed participating in the live evening or if you want to revisit the presentation at a later date. Each evening, we will be tasting three wines that are indicative of the wine styles being discussed. A case of each wine covered throughout the course (6 in total) will be available to order for anyone registered to attend the course, so if you'd like, you can also purchase and enjoy the wines with João, Antonio and Jimmy on the night (or at a later date). The cost for this 6 bottle case is £120. Any wine orders received after 12pm will be processed on the next working day. We are working hard to deliver your order within two working days of the order being processed however due to the current environment the wines may arrive a day or two later than expected. PLEASE NOTE: As this is a virtual tasting, only one seat needs to be booked per household UNLESS individuals will be logging into the tasting series with different computers/tablets. OPTIONAL TASTING CASE PRICE: £120 You will receive a link to purchase the wine after you have registered for the session. If you have registered at the weekend it will be sent to you on the Monday. If you have registered after 4pm Monday to Friday it will be sent to you the next working day. Figula Safrankert 2018 Spiegelberg Juhfark 2017 Kolonics Harslevelu 2018 (SWA 2020 bronze) Balassa Furmint 2018 (SWA 2020 gold) Balassa B-37 2017 late harvest Tokajicum 5puttonyos Aszu 2014 (SWA 2020 commended)