Wine & Food

In a Villány Pincesor, kitchen and wine cellar almost always sit wall to wall, and that's no coincidence. Whoever makes wine here also eats here, often at a single long table shared by all the guests. Young Kékoportó or RedY flows well before the first course.

Young Kékoportó pairs with Stifolder Szalámi, an air-dried, lightly smoked sausage made according to the German settlers' recipe, often seasoned with paprika or caraway. Salt and fat tame the already-mild tannin almost completely. Afterward, the wine's acidity cleanly rinses the fat off the tongue. A heavier wine would be out of place here. It would simply overwhelm the delicate smoky note.

Mangalica, the region's long-haired, fatty wool pig, calls for the big wine instead. Braised as Pörkölt, with plenty of paprika and onions, the meat demands tannin and acidity that cut through the fat without being overwhelmed by the spice. A Cabernet Franc with dark fruit stands its ground. That's exactly why many cellars keep a Villányi Franc right next to the cooking pot. Both are often served lukewarm, straight from the same cellar, without much fuss.

When it comes to steak from the Szürkemarha, Hungary's grey steppe cattle, the logic almost reverses. The meat is lean and quickly grilled, with little fat to cushion a firm tannin, and so it calls for the most concentrated wine in the house. A Szuperprémium Villányi Franc, with its own fruit, fills exactly the leanness the meat lacks, and never comes across as dry or harsh alongside it — this dish needs nothing more.