Rókusfalvy Birtok
by
Kathy and Terry Sullivan
Summary: Rókusfalvy Birtok is a boutique winery located about 45 minutes outside of Budapest in the small town of Etyek. It is one of several wineries located in a cellar row.
Wandering down the small street Újhegy in the village of Etyek, travelers will discover the Rókusfalvy Birtok wine tasting room with an old world ambiance. On a Sunday we visited the village after enjoying lunch at a local restaurant. As we meandered along the cellar row street passing winery after winery tasting rooms, we saw that Rókusfalvy Birtok was open. A friendly greeting encouraged us to stop in and taste a couple of wines.
Pál Rókusfalvy is a media professional. He discovered the Eytek region of Hungary, and was impressed with the area and the grapes. In 1991 Pál began making wine as a hobby. A few short years later in 1995, Pál established the winery. In the beginning the wines were made in the cellar located below the tasting room. In 2013, the winery began sparkling wine production. A modern-style tasting room is attached to the back of the cellar row tasting room. A few acres of vineyards are located on sloping land behind the tasting room and event room. Pál also owns a restaurant in Etyek. Pál’s oldest son, Falco, studied oenology at the University and is now working in the winery.
Tasting Room
The boutique tasting room offers an old world ambiance. The tasting room is on three levels. On the entrance level there is a long table with padded chairs. Next to the long table there is the tasting counter. On the other side of the long table there is another level where there is also a table. From the tasting room, a tunnel slopes down to the cellar where visitors can see the Rókusfalvy wines showcased behind a gated display wall. There is also a long table and chairs on this cellar level.
While tasting wine In the tasting room we saw a sign, “Because no great story ever started with someone eating a salad.” In the tasting room we also saw a unique idea for creating sparkling water. The idea uses an inverted bottle. It was noted that this is more natural compared to the brand name sparkling water makers using cartridges.
Rókusfalvy Estate Vineyards
The winery has 7.25 hectares (18 acres) of vineyards. Behind the tasting room there are 3.5 hectares (8.6 acres) planted with Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc and some Pinot Noir. The Rókusfalvy Birtok also grows Chardonnay, Zöldveltelini and Olaszrizling. At Rókusfalvy Birtok, each hectare of grapes produces 25,000 bottles of wine.
Event Room
Adjacent to the old wine tasting building, a new modern building was built to host events. Light floods this room with the floor to ceiling windows forming a wall. Tables and chairs are set up in different configurations to accommodate the specific event.
Wines of Rókusfalvy Birtok
The 2014 Etyki-Brut Pezscö had 12% alcohol. The yellow colored sparkling wine offered a few columns of tiny bubbles. This sparkling wine was produced with Chardonnay and was aged for 13 months. Production included a secondary fermentation in the bottle. The result was a wine with an aroma of apple and pear. The mouthfeel was lively and included notes of apple. The finish was crisp and refreshing.
The 2018 Rozé was produced with 100% Pinot Noir in a stainless steel tank. The alcohol was 12%. This salmon colored wine offered an aroma of red berry fruit. The taste included notes of red raspberries with a hint of strawberry. The finish was crisp and fruity.
The Gold Veltelin 2017 had 13% alcohol. The yellow colored wine offered an aroma of flowers, especially roses. The taste was of roses, citrus and flint. The wine had an oily mouthfeel. The crisp finish had a long aftertaste of flint.
The Pinot Noir 2017 had 13% alcohol. This wine was in oak for two years. The wine was a translucent dark red color with a ruby hue. The aroma was of red berry fruit. The taste had red raspberries with baking spices. The wine was medium bodied and had medium/bold tannins. The finish had fruit yielding to spices.
While ambling along the village street of Újhegy lined with boutique winery after winery tasting rooms, consider a stop at Rókusfalvy Birtok.
Rókusfalvy Birtok
Etyek, Újhegy, 2091 Hungary
Article written April 2019.
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