In keeping with the tradition of recent years, Master of Wine Peter McCombie will be presenting the wines of Villány at the Wines of Hungary stand at ProWein. The New Zealand-born wine expert, who now lives in London, was asked about the ongoing wine revolution in his antipodean homeland and what makes Villány, Hungary’s southernmost wine region, so special to him.
You are not only a graduate of the Institute of Masters of Wine famous for its demanding course, but you are now an active instructor there. How would you describe the difference between studying and teaching?
Funnily enough you have to learn to teach. In other words, even though you might ‘know’ a subject, when you have to teach it you need to check that your knowledge is up to date and correct. Which is actually fun! But I guess the big difference is that you have the time to enjoy the studying you do to teach, without the stress of studying to pass exams.
Although you now live in London, as a New Zealander you must be following the development of your country’s wine industry. What do you think makes the New Zealand wine industry unique, what is the key to its tremendous success in recent decades?
What makes New Zealand’s wine industry unique is that by serendipity it discovered and nurtured a unique wine style. This is not to underestimate the visionaries who imported Sauvignon Blanc vines, nor the viticulturalist and winemakers who make the wine, but New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc struck a chord with wine drinkers around the world.
It dominates the industry in every way and it’s style is emulated in many places, but it remains distinctive; intensely aromatic and fruity, zesty and superfresh. The ongoing success is down to hard work, responding to consumer preferences, while maintaining consistency, but also trying to tweak the style to make it better. The success of Sauvignon does tend to over-shadow everything else, but if you care to look, you can find some delicious wines, in particular made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Syrah
As a returning speaker, you have been presenting Villány wines at ProWein for several years now. If someone didn’t know this Hungarian wine region at all, what would you say about it, how would you recommend it to them?
I like Villány as a region, because it’s small and rural and – in a sense – easy to get to know. It has tradition, but in many ways it’s a new or maybe re-discovered tradition. Perhaps because of that relative newness, there is a desire to innovate and improve. Wine makers want to know what is happening outside their area, what is best practice and that is not necessarily commonplace in European wine making regions. For me that is very positive. The wineries welcome visitors, so I definitely recommend a visit. There are lots of chances to discover and taste the wines and…there is pogácsa!
This year’s wine flight will exclusively showcase cabernet franc in three consecutive categories. What should attendees look out for in these wines?
I think the categories are the key. In general terms we can say that Villany Cabernet Franc tends more to the riper, more structured style. Classicus wines are fresh and fruity, a little lighter and in the words of the late, great Michael Broadbent MW “digestible”. I am also reminded that Jancis Robinson MW once said the first duty of a wine is to refresh, a thought I totally agree with. That fits with the modern trend towards juicy, thirst quenching wines. Premium wines show a bit more ambition, often revealing some barrel aged characters, with greater concentration and depth, while the Super Premium wines are built to impress and to last.
How do you see the opportunities for Hungarian wines on the international scene? What values should be emphasized, what trends should be explored for success?
In the international market there are plenty if opportunities for Hungarian wines. Consumers and buyers are looking both for familiarity and novelty, although clearly some markets are more open to imports than others. Hungary’s challenges include unfamiliar grape varieties and wine names, although these can also be seen as positives. Hungarian wine needs to go out into the market, talk about its unique identity and its unique styles and above all give people a taste of the wines.
Join us on the masterclasses at Wines of Hungary stand at ProWein! Please register HERE.