At Etyeki Kúria, there has always been room for winemaking experiments, and with the new processing facility which was completed in 2023, the possibilities have only expanded. Here, well-established grape varieties meet new raw materials, fermentation techniques and ageing methods. These unique experimental wines are released in chief winemaker Sándor Mérész’s name, and in January, we tasted three of his ‘project wines’. Among them, we chose the ‘Konkrét’ (concrete) – a Chardonnay fermented and aged in concrete tanks. "I love it because it works similarly to a barrel, but without the influence of wood. It gives the wine a rounded structure without overpowering its original character," says Sándor about the winery’s bright red, 20-hectolitre concrete tanks.

The grapes were picked from the Öreghegy vineyard in Etyek and Nagy-Látóhegy in Alcsútdoboz. After chilled pressing, fermentation and ageing took place in concrete tanks for a year. Yellow-fleshed fruit, citrus, lime and white flowers. On the palate, it is round, pristinely pure, long and vibrantly flavourful. A total of 2,666 bottles were made of it.