Kovács Nimród Winery
by
Kathy Sullivan
Summary: Located in Eger, Hungary Kovács Nimród Winery offers a tasting room and wine cellars to visit. The winery is owned by Hungarian Nimród Kovács who is an international traveler and has explored several wine regions of the world.
Kovács Nimród Winery is located in Eger, Hungary. Shortly after entering the Kovács Nimród Winery, we noticed a crucifix on the cellar wall and later upon entering the tasting room another cross was overlooking the room. We learned that people would pray for a good harvest of the vineyards.
During our visit our guide, Noémi Pintér, talked about Nimród Kovács background. When he was a young adult, he left communist Hungary and traveled to Italy and then the United States where he learned English and worked in Denver. While in the US he fell in love with wine. Nimród went to college and found his first employment on Wall Street, working with cable companies. In 1990 he went to work in London and later during the early 1990s he went to Budapest. When Hungary opened up to free market commerce, Nimród wanted to become involved in the Hungarian wine industry. He decided to invest in a Napa winery and then imported wine into Hungary, specifically Budapest.
After importing wine, Nimród began searching for a winery in Hungary. In 2005, he bought three vineyards eventually establishing Kovács Nimród Winery.
The Cellars
The cellars consist of old and modern. The long cellars lead past small arched cubbyholes of wine, large oak barrels lining the walls and on two event rooms. Long wooden tables with green colored padded benches run the length of one of the event spaces. Green colored runners are centered on the tables. On the runners there are candelabra. A smaller circular room with a circular table was at the end of this part of the cellar.
Vineyards
The Nagy Eged vineyard had 10 hectares (25 acres) of grapevines with limestone soil. The grape varietals growing in this vineyard are Furmint, Kékfrankos and Syrah.
The Nyclasmár vineyard consists of eight hectares (20 acres) with riolits tuff soil. The grape varieties include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Kékfrankos.
The third vineyard, Nagyfai, has 12 hectares (30 acres) with rich forest and tuff soils. Growing in this vineyard are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Kékfrankos, Merlot and Cabernet Franc grape varieties.
Kovács Nimród Winery Tasting Room
Noémi led us to the tasting room and conducted our tasting. The tasting room is rectangular and accommodates a long counter where wine enthusiasts can taste and purchase wines. An assortment of decor is on the walls, providing an opportunity to browse while tasting wines. One large photo displayed portrays several jazz musicians with their musical instruments and the conductor raising a glass of red wine. The image pairs well with the music series of wines.
Nimród likes to collect artifacts. In the wine cellar, visitors can view a wine press that dates back to the 1300s. In the tasting room behind the tasting counter is a large array of corkscrews. While not quite an artifact, the tasting room has a framed image of President
Reagan and a letter written on behalf of Mrs. Regan, “On behalf of Mrs. Reagan; thank you for sending the print of the beautiful painting of her husband. It is a wonderful likeness, and we can see why you treasure the original.”
Kovács Nimród Winery Wine Tasting in Eger
Kovács Nimród Winery produces 100,000 bottles of wine. The winery has 500 barrels with about 30% of the barrels aging wine in Eger.
The 2015 Battonage Monopole was produced with Chardonnay grapes from the Nyilasmár and Nagyfai vineyards. The wine was aged in French and Hungarian oak barrels. This wine with 12.5% alcohol was a yellow color. The aroma and taste were of oak, apple and pear. The wine had a smooth mouthfeel and the wine was medium/full bodied. The finish was crisp and left a bit of oil on the aftertaste. The Battonage is available in Hungary and the United States.
The Furmint Nagy Eged 2015 Grand Cru was produced using French and Hungarian oak. The color was yellow. The aroma was fruity with hints of citrus. The wine had a silky mouthfeel. The taste was crisp and fresh with a hint of mineral, citrus, apple and pear. This wine could age for 20 years.
The 2015 Rhapsody was produced with grapes from the Nyilasmár and Nagyfai vineyards. This was a Bulls Blood wine produced with Kékfrankos, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The wine was a translucent ruby color. There was an aroma of red and black fruits. The taste had red and black raspberries and black cherries. The wine was full bodied with medium tannins. The finish was fruity with baking spices.
Monopole 777 Pinot Noir 2016 was a very good Pinot Noir wine. The wine was produced with the Pinot Noir clone - 777. Monopole 777 was aged in Hungarian and French oak. The wine was a translucent red color. The aroma was of black fruit including black raspberries and black cherries. The wine was medium/full bodied with bold tannins. The taste was dry with blackberry and black cherry notes. The finish was long.
Soul 2016 was produced with Syrah grapes. The grapes were sourced from Nyilasmar and Nagyfai vineyards. The wine was aged for 18 months in French and Hungarian oak. The color was a pale, bright red. The wine had spice notes. The wine was full-bodied and had bold tannins. There were notes of baking spices and pepper. Although we did not taste an earlier vintage of the Soul wine, a booklet from Kovács Nimród suggests, “We suggest listening to soul music during the consumption of this wine to add further enjoyment to our tasting.” This is a good suggestion also for the Soul 2016 wine.
The 2011 NJK Nagy Eged Vineyard Grand Cru had 14% alcohol. The wine was a blend of Kékfrankos and Syrah. This wine had 14% alcohol. The wine spent two years in Hungarian oak and was bottle-aged for four years. The wine was an opaque dark ruby color with a violet hue. The aroma was of black fruits. The taste included notes of black raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.The wine was full bodied with bold tannins. The finish was fruity with baking spices.
If planning a visit to Eger, Hungary consider a visit to Kovács Nimród Winery. Also look for Kovács Nimród 2015 Battonage Monopole wine in the United States.
Kovács Nimród Winery
H-3300 Eger, Verőszala u. 66.
Article written April 2019.
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