Uncorked with Henry Butler: Go east and try something different
For me, the amazing thing about wine is that there’s always something new and exciting to try. I love to try wines that aren’t always familiar or widely available to us here in the UK and – I have to say – countries in Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans continually deliver bang for your buck.
Even if you don’t know your Assyrtiko from your Rkatsiteli then don’t panic. Here’s my pick of great wines that are drinking incredibly well right now.
Verus Pinot Gris 2025 (Slovenia) £18.99
Slovenia has a very buoyant wine market with around 70% of production from white grapes and most of that wine is consumed within Slovenia itself.
Verus was established in 2007 by three friends. The vineyards are situated in the Štajerska Slovenija appellation, a cool area in northeast Slovenia perfectly suited to making characterful dry white wines.
It’s easy to pronounce – always handy for export markets – and made from the recognisable Pinot Gris grape, making it a great gateway wine if you want to experiment with Central and Eastern European wines.
It’s an unoaked wine with ripe apple and pear flavours alongside lime zest notes, keeping it upbeat. I think it works particularly well with Asian food.
Gizella Estate Blend Tokaji 2025 (Hungary) £19.49
Hungary has a very long history of wine-making, in fact for generations the iconic sweet Tokaji wines were regarded as ‘Wine of the Kings’. Modern Hungary has been able to reinvent itself, making a broad range of high quality and very food-friendly red and white wines..
I find this a particularly delicious, dry white wine from the Tokaj region. This wine is all about precision and freshness. It is made from the region's traditional grapes: Furmint, that serves up apricot and honeyed flavour, and Harslevelu which brings a citrus zip to the party. It is reminiscent of a Chablis.
Logodaj Melnik 55 2024 (Bulgaria) £17.95
If you’re old enough – and I am – you may remember supermarket shelves being flooded with cheap Bulgarian wines in the mid-80s. Most of the wines back then were made by state supported cooperatives, favouring quantity over quality. Thankfully this changed dramatically by the 1990s with the fall of the Iron Curtain and the ability for growers and winemakers to regain freedom over production. It’s safe to say that the current Bulgarian wine scene is in a much better place.
Logodaj is the name of the winery and Melnik is a Bulgarian red grape variety. The winery and vineyards are located in the warmest part of south west Bulgaria. The Melnik grape is only grown in this part of the world making it a very unique red wine: big, rich and spicy thats been aged in oak adding a smooth vanilla-led creamy finish.
Butlers Wine Cellar, 88 St George's Road, Brighton BN2 1EE
01273 621 638 • www.butlers-winecellar.co.uk
spinbara I like the idea of looking beyond the usual European wine choices, especially when regions like Slovenia, Hungary, and Bulgaria have so much variety . The Pinot Gris from Slovenia sounds like an easy place to start, while the Tokaji blend with Furmint and Harslevelu sounds a little more distinctive. It’s interesting to see how the Bulgarian wine scene has changed as well, and the prices mentioned make trying something unfamiliar less intimidating.
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