Zenit

We're headed back to Hungary today, specifically to the Eger wine region. Sitting roughly 80 miles mostly to the east and slightly north of Budapest, Eger is famous for Egri Bikaver (Bull's Blood), a red blend and Egri Csillag (Star of Eger), a white blend. Under Hungarian rules, at least 50% of each of those must be made of native grapes and in the Csillag in particular, at least 4 such grapes must be used. Zenit is one of them.

Zenit is a young grape as it was bred sometme in the 1950s as a cross between Ezerjo and Bouvier. Seeking a grape that would harvest early to combat the early frost in this part of Hungary and one that would have nice acidity and strong aromas, Zenit was born. It took almost 25 years though for the Hungarian rulemakers to recognize Zenit as an approved native grape despite having been bred in the town of Eger. Likely this was due in large part to the changing governments as Hungary went through a number of changes after WWII.

When Zenit was officially recognized, the local growers took an immediate likening to it. Often harvesting in early August and rarely later than the first week in September, it tends to produce intense tropical notes including mango and pineapple and balanced, yet fairly high acidity. Its short hang time, leaves us with grapes picked at a relatively low brix level allowing for lower alcohol content, yet highly aromatic wines.

Typically, in an Eger Csillag, Zenit is blended with the likes of Furmint, Leányka, Hárslevelü, Zengö, as well as some local grapes of foreign, often German origin. Surprisingly, perhaps, for wines produced in cool temperatures, the flavors are highly tropical in nature. Serve them fridge cold for a refreshing drink on a hot summer day, perhaps with soft cheese and a few slices of pineapple and mango.

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