portfolio.
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Our selections includes some of the rarest natural wines, grape varieties that have an important significance of being cultivated within Central Europe and highlights family owned vineyards that believe in low intervention practices and sustainable growing.
Our ties to wine growing originate with our father, János, who has been spending most of his time in local vineyards since the 1980s. A few decades later, in 2015, we introduced wines of the first vintages to the market after some years of experimenting. We are reflecting to challenges all the time, but have definitely realized we want to work in the vineyard as well as in the cellar as natural as possible. It is simple, we also drink these wines.
Our vineyards are located in Tihany (6 ha.), Balatonfüred (4 ha.) and Csopak (1 ha.). We have 10 hectares of own land mostly planted with old vine plants and with young plantation in some areas. Welschriesling and Blaufränkisch are in the focus of our offer, with some small stocks of Muscat Blanc and Zweigelt.Always proceed from the grapes. After harvest, the best and purest raw material is in the cellar, because we believe most of the work is done on the vine-plant and only very basic bits and pieces are added in the cellar, cleanly, carefully and humbly.
In the foothills of Mátra, a volcanic wine region, not too far west of Eger, has become an escape from living in the busy city of Budapest. Here we find Páger (pah-ger) winery. A small yet ambitious operation that has embraced natural winemaking since its existence. From the concrete fermentation tanks, to the once abandoned cellars and hand cranked presses, Mátyás Páger is definitely taking part in the Hungarian natural winemaking revolution. A picturesque narrow winding road with 180' turns opens up to a small leveled area, framed by a half dozen wine cellars, built into the hillside of which the road above descends from. Framed also by a small brook with a footbridge that leads to a newer extension of Páger's winery. Mátyás himself is soft spoken. He makes wine with the help of his wife, who lends her feet, and dance moves as she stomps on grapes atop an old wooden framed press. Time stops and slow living seems to consume you when visiting. This is believed to seep into every bottle of wine produced by Páger.
Oliver is a devoted husband and father, a seasoned winemaker and a man with ambition. Most notably Oliver has spent years in Austria honing his winemaking skills. He believes in natural winemaking and is an important advocate for sustainable and organic farming in Somló. Over the years he has perfected a method of vineyard management called soft pruning, that improves the health of the vines by limiting airborne disease from entering the vines. The attention to detail is felt through the character of his wine. Winemaking is nothing but fun for him. Always smiling and laid back, even when troubles arise. While thinking of a name for one of his newest natural wines, he mockingly called it "Bipolar". This was in spite of the wine changing profiles from day to day while in the tank. "One day it was amazing and the next, I wanted to dump it all out. With so many personalities, I had to call it bipolar." said Oliver. We too agree that it ended up being a very special wine, and imported it.
The Etyek hills are characterised by windy plateaus, and despite the abundant sunshine, the average temperature is lower than the country’s average. The limestone-based and deep-layered brown forest soil is perfect for growing grapes with excellent acidity. The conditions of the terroir are usually compared to those of Champagne and Sancerre in France. In line with this, the style of the wine region is marked by acidity-driven white wines, light rosé wines, sparkling wines and, as an exception, red wines made from Pinot Noir.
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“We have to make the most of our resources under all circumstances, and there is only one way of achieving this: with decent, persistent and hard work.”
Sándor Mérész, head winemaker
Most of the grapes are harvested in small crates and delivered to the winery as soon as possible. This is when the winemaking, or vinification, begins. For our white wines, we try to protect the bunches, the berries and the must from oxygen, to thus preserve the fruitiness in the wine. This means we generally ferment and mature these in closed stainless steel tanks, using a reductive process. When making red wines we ferment the grapes in open tanks, and then mature the wines for an average of one year in small Hungarian, French and Austrian oak barrels.
Patricius Winery was created in the Tokaj Wine Region by the Kékessy family’s winemaking commitment that draws from the past and future. It is owned by DezsÅ‘ Kékessy and his daughter Katinka Kékessy. Ancestors on both the paternal and maternal sides were renowned vineyard owners in Mátraalja and the Tokaj Wine Region from the 18th century. The 85-hectare estate, which has eight historic first-growth vineyards, is based in Bodrogkisfalud, in a press house we renovated that once belonged to nobles. This building is connected to an organic-style, modern winery with gravity-flow system, that perfectly reflects the co-existence of traditions and the state-of-the-art modernity in the world heritage landscape.Patricius Winery has 85 hectares throughout 8 vineyards within 5 villages. The Kékessy family chose the vineyards that had been first growths for several hundred years for their diversity and rich soil qualities. Not only the variety of vineyards are reflected in these wines, but the grape varieties and their age also contribute greatly to the varied world of flavours. The lands is cultivated to offer a home to both young and old vines. It can be said that most of the varieties in the Tokaj Wine Region grow here. Furmint, Hárslevelű, Sárga Muskotály, Zéta and KövérszÅ‘lÅ‘ are all cultivated. The eight vineyards represent the starting point in which their wine is born. This is why Patricius finds it extremely important to get to know and protect their vineyards.
The winemaker, János Bolyki, started working with grapes in 1998, after graduating from the leather department of the Light Industry College. He is a first-generation winemaker in Eger, although his parents always cultivated grapes in their backyard, but primarily as a supplement to his salary by selling the produce. He founded the estate by planting the land he received back from compensation. In 1998, he planted 11 hectares of grapes as a first step on Öreghegy. As a newly graduated light industry engineer, he calculated quite well, calculating that he would snowboard in France from the end of October until the harvest, from the income made from the 1,500 grapes grown in the area. When the area became productive in 2002, new plantings and winemaking took place, so snowboarding took a back seat, but today's 27-hectare Bolyki estate was formed. János is married with 5 children, lives on a ranch type estate and still throws raging parties on the grounds of his modern built winery. He is known for being as charismatic as the designs on his wine labels.
about.
After moving to the USA from Eger, Hungary in 2015, I noticed it was almost impossible to find quality Hungarian wine. Citadella Imports was founded in 2019 and helped fill a void I had after moving away from home. While on my wine journey and with some self reflection, my portfolio expanded to better tell my story and keep Citadella Imports authentic. While personally trying to live a healthy and sustainable life, I felt a connection to Natural/Living Wine. I've expanded to represent countries in Central Europe to stay true to myself and the history of wine in the area. Europe has constantly redrawn its boarders but what remains constant throughout Central Europe are the autonomous grape varieties that retain their geographical significance, each with their own history and multiple names. Please join me in this wine journey as I help tell their story.
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