Hungary

Of all the Eastern European countries, Hungary has the longest tradition of wine production and the most developed food and wine culture and laws. Really fine wine has been made here for centuries and whilst the interruption of communist rule dented quality and worldwide recognition, the last 20 years have seen a return of self-confidence in producers, proper investment in vineyards and wineries and some outstanding wines being made. On a visit to Budapest last summer, I was amazed by the quality of the wines I tasted, not just the (often very) dry whites, but also the reds, especially from the Viilány region in the South. Wines from Hungary tend to a rich spiciness and as a non Euro country, they have become better and better value over the last couple of years. The one cloud on the horizon is the disastrous 2010 harvest, which saw rot sweep through the vineyards severely restricting the crop.