Kolonia 52 Blue de Hongrie

Vintage: 2023

Origin: Balaton, Hungary

Grapes: Kekfrankos

Alcohol: 12%

This is Kolonia 52's most serious red wine, made entirely from Kékfrankos (better known as Blaufränkisch), whose poetic French name "Bleu de Hongrie" celebrates the signature dark grape of Central-Eastern Europe. The hand-picked grapes get a thoughtful whole-cluster treatment—half are foot-stomped whilst the other half stay intact—then spend 10 days on skins in open vats before being pressed and aged for 11 months in a big old 600-litre oak barrel. Bottled by gravity with no filtering, fining, or additions, this wine shows just how brilliant Blaufränkisch can be when it's in the right hands. It's deep and contemplative, packed with blue and purple fruit, warm spices, and earthy forest floor notes that really capture the fascinating terroir of Central Europe. You'll taste bright red cherry and cranberry with herbal touches and a peppery kick, but it stays fresh and vibrant with those lovely earthy undertones that make it perfect with hearty sausages or game. No matter what you call this grape—and it has plenty of aliases—it makes genuinely captivating wine when treated with this kind of care and respect for what it can become.