“Bátyus” Rajnai Rizling – Szentesi Pince
József Szentesi is one of Hungary’s biggest champions when it comes to re-discovering old grape varieties, and bringing them back into the vineyard and into the glass. Before starting in the wine business, he was an entrepreneur in the freewheeling late 1980s and early 1990s—doing things such as importing pool tables, opening a fitness center, and operating restaurants. When Szentesi started making wine as a hobby in the late 1990s, his winery was literally a garage winery—located in his brother’s auto mechanic shop. Initially Szentesi planned to make only one barrel of wine per year. Today he has 14 hectares planted with nearly 30 grape varieties. His cellar is now located inside of his family’s old house in Budaörs, which was once a village full of vineyards and cellars, which have largely disappeared due to Budapest’s urban sprawl. So Szentesi instead has vineyards in settlements around nearby Lake Velence, where there’s more room to grow. Early on, Szentesi became passionate about researching historical sources, and reintroducing near extinct varieties, with lyrical names which were unknown to everyone except the historians. But he also makes wine from more common varieties, such as this Riesling. This is a full-bodied wine with texture, nice acidity, and good structure. It’s a rich wine, with mineral, floral, and fruit flavors (some peach and apricot). It’s a food-friendly wine, which goes especially well with fried foods or Indian cuisine.
6,490 Ft
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*Prices shown include Hungarian VAT (27%). Final prices are calculated based on the VAT of your shipping country.
Etyek is the closest wine region to Budapest. Since it is located less than an hour’s drive west of the Buda hills, and has many festivals and events throughout the year, it is also among Hungary’s most visited wine regions. Etyek is a small region, with around 1,400 hectares of vineyards. It has protected designation of origin (PDO) status.
Historically, Etyek was known for producing sparkling wines. Hungary’s first (and largest) sparkling wine producer, Törley, started producing sparkling wines from grapes grown in the region in 1882. Since then, the area has continued to focus on this style. Etyek’s limestone soil and overall colder climate make it, arguably, Hungary’s best region to grow Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. These are the most important types of wine produced in the area, both as still wines and sparkling wines. Even the Sauvignon Blanc is used to produce Asti-like sparklers.
Etyek’s best features were not always considered a strength. During the time where full-bodied red wines were the most popular style, the southern-Hungarian red wine producers made fun of Etyek’s producers for not being able to produce this popular style and for only being capable of producing ‘base-wine’ for sparklers. Ironically, elegance and bubbles are once again very popular, and now even the southern-Hungarian producers are trying to make bubbly wines. Etyek is living a renaissance. From Etyek’s wines you can expect fresh acidity, chalky minerality (due to the limestone soil), restrained fruit, and an overall cold-climate-wine-feeling. Traditional method sparkling wines are especially worth seeking out, as well as spicy Pinot Noirs and aromatic whites.
Szentesi is one of Hungary’s biggest champions when it comes to re-discovering old grape varieties, and bringing them back into the vineyard and into the glass. His passion is researching ancient grape varieties (which mostly died out during the phylloxera scourge in the late 19th century), and then acquiring rare vine cuttings from the research institute to plant in his vineyards. He has done this with dozens of varieties, which he then makes experimental small quantities of wine with—magical re-incarnations of ancient, Hungarian varietals which have been (nearly) lost to history. He is the go-to man when it comes to growing grapes like Laska and Tihanyi Kék—grapes grown nowhere else in the world, which he brought back from nothing. Szentesi has 16 hectares of vineyards planted with nearly 30 grape varieties.
About 15 percent of the area is dedicated to growing old, obscure varieties that he has resurrected. His cellar is in Budaörs, just beyond Budapest’s border. But his vineyards are at Lake Velence, a 45-minute drive from downtown Budapest‑officially part of the Etyek-Buda region. The shallow lake is Hungary’s third largest, and it contributes to the area’s special climate and terroir.
| Country | 1-3 bottles |
4-6 bottles |
7-12 bottles |
13-15 bottles |
16-18 bottles |
19-24 bottles |
25-27 bottles |
28-30 bottles |
31-36 bottles |
37 or more bottles |
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| Austria | 7,800 Ft | 8,300 Ft | 9,500 Ft | 17,300 Ft | 17,800 Ft | 19,000 Ft | 26,800 Ft | 27,300 Ft | 35,600 Ft | 28,500 Ft |
| Belgium | 10,200 Ft | 10,500 Ft | 12,200 Ft | 22,400 Ft | 22,700 Ft | 24,400 Ft | 34,600 Ft | 34,900 Ft | 45,400 Ft | 36,600 Ft |
| Bulgaria | 13,800 Ft | 14,500 Ft | 15,900 Ft | 29,700 Ft | 30,400 Ft | 31,800 Ft | 45,600 Ft | 46,300 Ft | 60,800 Ft | 47,700 Ft |
| Croatia | 10,200 Ft | 10,500 Ft | 12,200 Ft | 22,400 Ft | 22,700 Ft | 24,400 Ft | 34,600 Ft | 34,900 Ft | 45,400 Ft | 36,600 Ft |
| Czech Republic | 7,800 Ft | 8,300 Ft | 9,500 Ft | 17,300 Ft | 17,800 Ft | 19,000 Ft | 26,800 Ft | 27,300 Ft | 35,600 Ft | 28,500 Ft |
| Denmark | 13,800 Ft | 14,500 Ft | 15,900 Ft | 29,700 Ft | 30,400 Ft | 31,800 Ft | 45,600 Ft | 46,300 Ft | 60,800 Ft | 47,700 Ft |
| Estonia | 13,800 Ft | 14,500 Ft | 15,900 Ft | 29,700 Ft | 30,400 Ft | 31,800 Ft | 45,600 Ft | 46,300 Ft | 60,800 Ft | 47,700 Ft |
| Finland | 19,900 Ft | 21,200 Ft | 23,800 Ft | 43,700 Ft | 45,000 Ft | 47,600 Ft | 67,500 Ft | 68,800 Ft | 90,000 Ft | 71,400 Ft |
| France | 13,800 Ft | 14,500 Ft | 15,900 Ft | 29,700 Ft | 30,400 Ft | 31,800 Ft | 45,600 Ft | 46,300 Ft | 60,800 Ft | 47,700 Ft |
| Germany | 7,800 Ft | 8,300 Ft | 9,500 Ft | 17,300 Ft | 17,800 Ft | 19,000 Ft | 26,800 Ft | 27,300 Ft | 35,600 Ft | 28,500 Ft |
| Greece (mainland) |
19,900 Ft | 21,200 Ft | 23,800 Ft | 43,700 Ft | 45,000 Ft | 47,600 Ft | 67,500 Ft | 68,800 Ft | 90,000 Ft | 71,400 Ft |
| Hungary (outside of Budapest) |
4,000 Ft | 4,000 Ft | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Hungary (Budapest) |
4,000 Ft (free for orders over 20,000 Ft) |
4,000 Ft (free for orders over 20,000 Ft) |
4,000 Ft (free for orders over 20,000 Ft) |
Free | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Ireland | 13,800 Ft | 14,500 Ft | 15,900 Ft | 29,700 Ft | 30,400 Ft | 31,800 Ft | 45,600 Ft | 46,300 Ft | 60,800 Ft | 47,700 Ft |
| Italy | 13,800 Ft | 14,500 Ft | 15,900 Ft | 29,700 Ft | 30,400 Ft | 31,800 Ft | 45,600 Ft | 46,300 Ft | 60,800 Ft | 47,700 Ft |
| Latvia | 13,800 Ft | 14,500 Ft | 15,900 Ft | 29,700 Ft | 30,400 Ft | 31,800 Ft | 45,600 Ft | 46,300 Ft | 60,800 Ft | 47,700 Ft |
| Lithuania | 13,800 Ft | 14,500 Ft | 15,900 Ft | 29,700 Ft | 30,400 Ft | 31,800 Ft | 45,600 Ft | 46,300 Ft | 60,800 Ft | 47,700 Ft |
| Luxembourg | 13,800 Ft | 14,500 Ft | 15,900 Ft | 29,700 Ft | 30,400 Ft | 31,800 Ft | 45,600 Ft | 46,300 Ft | 60,800 Ft | 47,700 Ft |
| Netherlands | 10,200 Ft | 10,500 Ft | 12,200 Ft | 22,400 Ft | 22,700 Ft | 24,400 Ft | 34,600 Ft | 34,900 Ft | 45,400 Ft | 36,600 Ft |
| Poland | 7,800 Ft | 8,300 Ft | 9,500 Ft | 17,300 Ft | 17,800 Ft | 19,000 Ft | 26,800 Ft | 27,300 Ft | 35,600 Ft | 28,500 Ft |
| Portugal | 19,900 Ft | 21,200 Ft | 23,800 Ft | 43,700 Ft | 45,000 Ft | 47,600 Ft | 67,500 Ft | 68,800 Ft | 90,000 Ft | 71,400 Ft |
| Romania | 10,200 Ft | 10,500 Ft | 12,200 Ft | 22,400 Ft | 22,700 Ft | 24,400 Ft | 34,600 Ft | 34,900 Ft | 45,400 Ft | 36,600 Ft |
| Slovakia | 7,800 Ft | 8,300 Ft | 9,500 Ft | 17,300 Ft | 17,800 Ft | 19,000 Ft | 26,800 Ft | 27,300 Ft | 35,600 Ft | 28,500 Ft |
| Slovenia | 10,200 Ft | 10,500 Ft | 12,200 Ft | 22,400 Ft | 22,700 Ft | 24,400 Ft | 34,600 Ft | 34,900 Ft | 45,400 Ft | 36,600 Ft |
| Spain | 19,900 Ft | 21,200 Ft | 23,800 Ft | 43,700 Ft | 45,000 Ft | 47,600 Ft | 67,500 Ft | 68,800 Ft | 90,000 Ft | 71,400 Ft |
| Sweden | 13,800 Ft | 14,500 Ft | 15,900 Ft | 29,700 Ft | 30,400 Ft | 31,800 Ft | 45,600 Ft | 46,300 Ft | 60,800 Ft | 47,700 Ft |
| UK | See instructions |
