WTN: 2006 Dunavár Muscat Ottonel

11.5% alc./vol.; bottled under screwcap (previously under high-quality solid cork).

Clear, very pale light greenish-straw colour. Intense orangey/rosewater nose with piney/terpene reverberations. Crisp and dry on the entry, light-bodied and racy, with intense and focused papaya fruit on the mid-palate. Perfectly dry and aromatic - I can just close my eyes and imagine this to be a dry Catawba with its perfume and fine acidity... Laser-bright acidity all across the palate, with a cleansing, clean and brisk finish. Beautifully suited for the table, and in fact, quite in need of food.

A beautiful yet inexpensive wine, the Dunavár Muscat remains one of my all-time favourite Hungarian whites.

Thanks for the note Paul! While I haven't seen the Dunavar, one of my favorite little wines is Szeremley Muscat Ottonel from Badacsony. In general, dry Muscat (in both Petit Grains and Ottonel form) is completely underappreciated -a shame perhaps only for those out of the loop. The rest of us can enjoy these outstanding little wines for a song. From which region does the Dunavar come?

Hey Bill, thanks for your note. Unfortunately we don't get the Szeremley Muscat Ottonel from Badacsony here in Ontario, so as much as I'd love to comment on that one and even do a side-by-side tasting comparison, I can't!

That said, I do love my Dunavár - and it truly is a steal at the cheap price, given the impeccable quality level and exemplary dryness.

To answer your question, this wine is from the Mátra region.