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Hárslevelü is a white-wine grape originating in the Pannonian (aka Carpathian) Basin, a region in the southeastrn part of central Europe; it encompasses a number of modern-day nations, but predominantly Hungary.
Hungary is today the chief source of Hárslevelü grapes and wines (though there is now a bit being grown in Germany, Slovakia, and even South Africa). The grape is planted in several Hungarian wine regions, but chiefly in the area of Somló, and therein most notably in the Tokaj wine region.
Hárslevelü is mainly used in the production of sweet dessert wines such as the famed Tokaji Aszú. There remains, however, a nontrivial amount of dry table wine being made, and it is that we are interested in here. Those wines are typically described as full-bodied, with a strong herbal-floral nose and corresponding flavors.
Though it is not yet well known in the U.S.—undoubtedly the pronunciation and complex accenting are barriers—it is an important and good-quality grape, and its wines, though currently scarce here, worth seeking out.
(Another drawback is the terrible reputation the wines got during the Soviet hegemony, when The All-Wise in Moscow turned most or all of the satellite nations into “wine factories”, making ghastly but cheap plonk for the masses. Hungary, home to many excellent grapes, got hurt especially badly, and the miasmic reputation of all the wines of that era lingers.)
Factoid: Hárslevelü winemakers include an unusually high percentage of women.
“Vinified as a pure varietal dry wine, Hárslevelü is capable of yielding a dense, full-bodied, green-gold wine with an intense aroma of spice, pollen and elderflowers.”
“Hárslevelü can also be vinified dry, making a more herbaceous, full-bodied style of wine. This is a more modern approach to the grape, and vignerons have been known to experiment with barrel maturation and wines aged using flor (in the style of Sherry or Jura’s Vin Jaune).”
“Erika Racz from SanzonTokaj winery is also a big believer in Hárslevelü…She just wanted to see what it could do at a point when few people were making it as a single-varietal wine and found that customers liked it so much, that it completely sold out from the winery door…At this point, making exciting Hárslevelü wines in Tokaj seems harder than with Furmint – vineyard selection, clone and age of vine all seem to be critical, combined with attentive winemaking. Most winemakers are using judicious barrel fermentation…”
“Wines made from Hárslevelü have remarkable depth of flavors and are typified by linden honey and blossom, pollen, chestnut, cloves, pear and elderflower…”Hárslevelü is distinctively aromatic but never overly perfumed or Muscat-like…Producers are…increasingly making single-varietal wines from Hárslevelü. Wines produced on loess are smoother and more floral, whilst those on the volcanic soils of Tokaj and Somló have more intense acidity and a rather more honeyed nose, with those from Somló tending to be more mineral. Hárslevelü from hot southern Villány-Siklos is softer and fuller bodied with riper fruit and plenty of aromatic honey. Hárslevelü has the potential to produce equally great dry wines as the current rising star, Furmint, with the best being full-bodied and viscous.
“As a dry varietal wine, Hárslevelü is typified by high acidity, a full body and floral and spicy aromatics. The acidity can be overbearing if it’s not cultivated or vinified properly…Hárslevelü produces a lightly colored, densely packed white wine with layers of spicy and floral characteristics. And while only a few winemakers of Hárslevelü are currently imported in the United States, one can speculate that this wine is ripe to become popular with the esoteric somm crowd.”
“
Taste: Aromas of lime tree blossom, elderflower, apple and honey, followed by citrus and stone fruit flavors of lemon, gooseberry, peach and pineapple, together with lychee and spice (ginger), while many can also display a pronounced mineral quality. Body: Full. Acidity: Medium to high. Age: Generally drink while young and fresh, but the best wines can age well…Hárslevelü is also capable of making excellent dry varietal wines. These varietal wines are quite dense and full bodied, with a very appealing texture and display an intense aromatic quality. Despite their dense structure they can be quite bright, with medium to high levels of acidity, making them very good food wines. You can expect aromas of lime tree blossom, elderflower, apple and honey, followed by citrus and stone fruit flavors of lemon, gooseberry, peach and pineapple, together with lychee and spice (ginger), while many can also display a pronounced mineral quality. Some of these wines are oak aged and when yields are kept low, they can be well structured and very complex.”
“If you like your dry white wines spicy and aromatic, you will love Hungary’s hidden gem – the Hárslevelü grape…Hárslevelü on its own as a varietal wine has a distinctive floral, pear, grapefruit and quince character. Some say it is similar to Austria’s Gruner Veltliner in character, but I find the Austrian grape is much more peppery, while Hungary’s Harslevelu has an appealing fieriness [sic] when made as a dry wine.”
“The grapes that grow in the Somló region produce wines that have fewer aromas, but a greater amount of minerality. Hárslevelü white wine is great but, those produced in the Somló region are quite extra-ordinary…The wines produced by Hárslevelü white grape variety can be described as intensely aromatic, rich in texture, green-gold wine having Linden honey flavours. The aroma of the wines has spicy notes along with elderflower and pollen. The wines made by Harslevelu showcase intense character, whether its aroma or taste. The smoky and honey character of the wine stand out.”
“The name Hárslevelü translates as ‘Linden Leaf’, and good examples of Hárslevelü wines are powerfully aromatic, rich, green-gold, with Linden honey flavours. It is a late ripening grape and requires warm climatic conditions…Hárslevelü is also capable of making excellent dry varietal wines, which are full bodied, with a very appealing texture and display an intense aromatic quality. Despite their dense structure they can be quite bright, with medium to high levels of acidity, making them very good food wines.”
There are no Hárslevelü bottlings that meet our quality/price/availability criteria. But, if one relaxes the price and availability criteria a little, one can find:
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Some Descriptions of Hárslevelü Wines
“Vinified as a pure varietal dry wine, Hárslevelü is capable of yielding a dense, full-bodied, green-gold wine with an intense aroma of spice, pollen and elderflowers.”
“Hárslevelü can also be vinified dry, making a more herbaceous, full-bodied style of wine. This is a more modern approach to the grape, and vignerons have been known to experiment with barrel maturation and wines aged using flor (in the style of Sherry or Jura’s Vin Jaune).”
“Erika Racz from SanzonTokaj winery is also a big believer in Hárslevelü…She just wanted to see what it could do at a point when few people were making it as a single-varietal wine and found that customers liked it so much, that it completely sold out from the winery door…At this point, making exciting Hárslevelü wines in Tokaj seems harder than with Furmint – vineyard selection, clone and age of vine all seem to be critical, combined with attentive winemaking. Most winemakers are using judicious barrel fermentation…”
“Wines made from Hárslevelü have remarkable depth of flavors and are typified by linden honey and blossom, pollen, chestnut, cloves, pear and elderflower…”Hárslevelü is distinctively aromatic but never overly perfumed or Muscat-like…Producers are…increasingly making single-varietal wines from Hárslevelü. Wines produced on loess are smoother and more floral, whilst those on the volcanic soils of Tokaj and Somló have more intense acidity and a rather more honeyed nose, with those from Somló tending to be more mineral. Hárslevelü from hot southern Villány-Siklos is softer and fuller bodied with riper fruit and plenty of aromatic honey. Hárslevelü has the potential to produce equally great dry wines as the current rising star, Furmint, with the best being full-bodied and viscous.
“As a dry varietal wine, Hárslevelü is typified by high acidity, a full body and floral and spicy aromatics. The acidity can be overbearing if it’s not cultivated or vinified properly…Hárslevelü produces a lightly colored, densely packed white wine with layers of spicy and floral characteristics. And while only a few winemakers of Hárslevelü are currently imported in the United States, one can speculate that this wine is ripe to become popular with the esoteric somm crowd.”
“ Taste: Aromas of lime tree blossom, elderflower, apple and honey, followed by citrus and stone fruit flavors of lemon, gooseberry, peach and pineapple, together with lychee and spice (ginger), while many can also display a pronounced mineral quality. Body: Full. Acidity: Medium to high. Age: Generally drink while young and fresh, but the best wines can age well…Hárslevelü is also capable of making excellent dry varietal wines. These varietal wines are quite dense and full bodied, with a very appealing texture and display an intense aromatic quality. Despite their dense structure they can be quite bright, with medium to high levels of acidity, making them very good food wines. You can expect aromas of lime tree blossom, elderflower, apple and honey, followed by citrus and stone fruit flavors of lemon, gooseberry, peach and pineapple, together with lychee and spice (ginger), while many can also display a pronounced mineral quality. Some of these wines are oak aged and when yields are kept low, they can be well structured and very complex.”
“If you like your dry white wines spicy and aromatic, you will love Hungary’s hidden gem – the Hárslevelü grape…Hárslevelü on its own as a varietal wine has a distinctive floral, pear, grapefruit and quince character. Some say it is similar to Austria’s Gruner Veltliner in character, but I find the Austrian grape is much more peppery, while Hungary’s Harslevelu has an appealing fieriness [sic] when made as a dry wine.”
“The grapes that grow in the Somló region produce wines that have fewer aromas, but a greater amount of minerality. Hárslevelü white wine is great but, those produced in the Somló region are quite extra-ordinary…The wines produced by Hárslevelü white grape variety can be described as intensely aromatic, rich in texture, green-gold wine having Linden honey flavours. The aroma of the wines has spicy notes along with elderflower and pollen. The wines made by Harslevelu showcase intense character, whether its aroma or taste. The smoky and honey character of the wine stand out.”
“The name Hárslevelü translates as ‘Linden Leaf’, and good examples of Hárslevelü wines are powerfully aromatic, rich, green-gold, with Linden honey flavours. It is a late ripening grape and requires warm climatic conditions…Hárslevelü is also capable of making excellent dry varietal wines, which are full bodied, with a very appealing texture and display an intense aromatic quality. Despite their dense structure they can be quite bright, with medium to high levels of acidity, making them very good food wines.”