cuisine

A Tale of Botrytis & Bull’s Blood

A winery with roots that stretch from the
mountains of Hungary to a house on Highland Road.
Story by James Fox-Smith • Portrait by Wes Kroninger
For Baton Rouge obstetrician Dr. Edward Schwartzenburg and his wife, Cynthia,
a family connection to Hungary and an
enthusiasm for its centuries-old winemaking traditions proved impossible to resist.
Usually when writing about some product with Louisiana origins, the first order of business is to go and see the operation. But when said operation is taking place in the Mátrallja mountain region of north-central Hungary, arranging an on-site visit presents something of a challenge.

So for this story we met Dr. Edward Schwartzenburg, owner and founder of Black Castle Wines at his Baton Rouge home off Highland Road. There, with several bottles of Black Castle wine on the table and a couple of Hungarian hunting hounds underfoot, the well-known obstetrician explained how he and his wife came first to fall in love with the wines of Hungary, then became landowners there, and finally established their own label to share the fruits of Europe’s recently reawakened winemaking giant with the wine lovers of Louisiana.

If you haven’t had much experience with the wines of Hungary you can blame communism. Blessed with richly fertile soil and a temperate climate, the country has a winemaking tradition that extends back to Roman times. In the early twentieth century Hungary produced more wine than any country except France or Italy, and exported to all of Europe and beyond. Wines from the Tokaj region were especially sought-after in seventeenth century Europe, when, if legend has it right, an impending attack by invading Turks caused farmers to delay the grape harvest of 1647. A late harvest fungus called botrytis (or noble rot) affected the grapes, causing them to shrivel and dry on the vine. But upon their return, the farmers proceeded with the harvest anyway. The resulting wine, sweet and redolent with notes of honey and spices was the world’s first botrytized wine—a complex, sweet wine that came to be known as “the wine of kings and the king of wines” and made Tokaji, or Tokay, the toast of the courts of Europe.

But that winemaking tradition was almost broken in the wake of the communist takeover of the nineteen-forties, which ushered in a period of farm collectivization that saw vineyards uprooted in favor of grain crops, and surviving viticulture devoted to mass production of poor quality wine, most of which was drunk locally or exported to the Soviet Union. Between 1947 and 1980 very little Hungarian wine found its way beyond the Iron Curtain, and what little did didn’t inspire much enthusiasm from oenophiles used to the products of France, Italy, Spain and Germany.

But interestingly, if communism is to blame for fine Hungarian wines disappearing from the world market for half a century, in a way it is also responsible for us being able to enjoy them in Louisiana today. Edward Schwartzenburg’s father-in-law and Black Castle partner is John Paul Fodor, a native Hungarian who has called the U.S. home since 1956. In that year Fodor was living in Budapest and studying to become a civil engineer when he participated in the Hungarian Revolution—a nationwide uprising against the Stalinist regime. The uprising began as a student demonstration in Budapest and, as a major participant, Fodor was forced to flee when the Soviets sent hundreds of tanks into the city to crush the revolution. He fled on foot to Austria and made his way to the United States later that year, where he completed his engineering degree, married and had two daughters, one of whom—Cynthia—is today an anesthesiologist married to Dr. Edward Schwartzenburg.

Though he was not able to return to Hungary for more than twenty years, John Fodor maintained contact with family and friends that stayed behind, and ensured that his daughters grew up with an appreciation of their Hungarian heritage. The Iron Curtain officially came down in 1989, and after Cynthia Fodor married Baton Rougean Edward Schwartzenburg in 1991, the couple began making trips back to Hungary most years. During these trips they developed an appreciation for the singular wines of Hungary, and the speed with which Hungarian wines were improving as winemakers from France, Italy and other regions invested infrastructure and expertise to rebuild the industry. Eventually the Schwartzenburgs found themselves looking at land and in 2003 purchased nine acres on the south-facing foothills of the Matra mountains in the Mátrallja region. Under the watchful eye of Nyilas Janos, a local winemaker with thirty years’ experience, the vineyard has been replanted with some varietals familiar to American wine lovers—cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, pinot grigio—and some traditional Hungarian varieties including muscat lunel and kékfrankos, (known more broadly as blaufränkisch). “Hungarian winemakers have been trying to introduce grapes more familiar to western consumers,” explains Schwartzenburg, “and we planted these varieties on the advice of Nyilas, who knows the land well.” Vines take around five years to mature and the Schwartzenburgs hope to realize their first significant grape harvest in 2008, which should make estate-only whites available in 2009 and reds in 2010.

But for the Schwartzenburgs six years proved too long to wait, and they hit upon the idea of bringing the wines of other Hungarian winemakers to Louisiana under the Black Castle name. Edward explains: “I went to the international wine tasting festival they hold every September and for three days I met with dozens of winemakers, found what I consider to be the best wines, and started negotiating.”

The result is a quiver of sixteen wines that represents what Schwartzenburg and Fodor consider the best examples of what Hungarian winemakers have to offer. Black Castle offers some familiar names. Among the whites chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio and riesling are all represented. Reds include a merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and meritage, which is a blend of cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. Then there are wines made from traditionally Hungarian grapes. Among the whites are a Muscat Lunel and a classic Tokaji Aszu. Both are dessert wines, rich and sweet, redolent with notes of flowers, spices and honey. The reds include Blue Frankish and “Bull’s Blood” Bikaver. Black Castle’s Blue Frankish is a bright, springy, easy-to-drink red made from the grape known as kékfrankos in Hungary (kek translates to blue), and is described as being somewhere between a pinot noir and a merlot in body. Blue Frankish won Black Castle a silver medal at the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience last year. “In Hungary, this is house wine everyplace,” says John Fodor of the style. “It’s the most popular Hungarian wine.” Schwartzenburg recommends Blue Frankish with pasta, veal, chicken or fried fish. Asked what kekfrankos would be drunk with in Hungary, Fodor declares with a grin, “We just drink it all day!”

“Bull’s Blood” Bikaver is another classic Hungarian red—a bold, dry, tannic red ideal for pairing with richly flavored beef or cheeses. A proprietory blend, by Hungarian law wine labeled “Bull’s Blood” can only be made with grapes sourced from two regions, Eger and Szekszárd. Schwartzenburg explains that Bull’s Blood, or Egri Bikaver, is another wine with a history. “Five hundred years ago the Hungarians were being invaded by the Turks and they were outnumbered ten to one. So while preparing for battle they were fortifying themselves by drinking a lot of this local wine, and spilling it onto their beards.” Legend records that when the Turks found themselves attacked by fearless men with red-stained beards and chests they surmised that they had been drinking bull’s blood and fled in terror.

With sixteen wines to select from, the Louisiana founders of Black Castle Vineyard are confident that they have the wine for every preference and occasion. “We had to start off with some wines that people would try,” explains Schwartzenburg, “then add some more.”

“There is definitely an educational component,” adds Jason Schwartzenburg, Edward’s nephew, who has come on board to promote Black Castle to Louisiana wine merchants. “We hope people will start out by trying a chardonnay or a cabernet, then branch out to a Blue Frankish or a Bull’s Blood or a Tokaj Aszu.”
Edward agrees. “But the problem is that now, each time we go to Hungary we taste something and say ‘Oh, we’ve got to have this. I don’t know if it’ll sell or not but I love it. So let’s bring it.’”

Though distinctive, their wines remain accessible—The chardonnay, for example, is fresh and citrusy on the palate, with barely discernable oak and a long, clean finish—and affordable, too. Most are in the $10–$12 range, although the signature Meritage and Pinot Noir Reserve Tibor Gal sell for closer to $25. There’s the added appeal, a chance to try something new without parting with too much money.

Three years in, it seems a strategy that is working. “The first container was a big gamble and a big leap of faith because I had nothing pre-sold,” says Schwartzenburg. “It arrived in December 2005 and suddenly we had seven hundred cases of wine to sell, so we just started going store to store. I called up Bill Hounshell at Matherne’s and, as he later told me, ‘I only let you in as a courtesy because I didn’t think it was going to be any good.’ But once he tried it he really loved it, and now he’s given us an end-cap display there. In Baton Rouge people have been very receptive.”

Into the future, the Schwartzenburgs are banking on Hungary re-establishing its reputation as a producer of world-class wines, and the American market discovering a taste for them accordingly. According to Edward Schwartzenburg, Louisiana has been a great place to begin. “We started by introducing the wines to family and friends, now we’re just seeing how far it can go. We’re selling a lot of wine now, because the wine is good, the prices are good, and there are lots of good stories to tell.”

Cheers! Or, as the Hungarians would say, “egészségere!” to that.


DETAILS • details • DETAILS

Black Castle wines are available at many locally owned grocers and restaurants in south Louisiana. Find a list at www.blackcastlevineyard.com.