Csopak has a claim to being the best address in Hungary for Olaszrizling. The grape — Welschriesling elsewhere in central Europe — is planted everywhere and treated as a workhorse almost everywhere, which makes the handful of sites that take it seriously worth seeking out.

Slikker is one of those sites: a single vineyard on the volcanic slopes above Lake Balaton, farmed organically by Szent Donát. The wine that comes off it has the orchard-fruit and bitter-almond character the variety gives at its best, but carried on a chalky, mineral length that ordinary Olaszrizling never approaches.

Tamás Kovács runs the estate on slopes overlooking Kerekedi Bay, in a landscape where viticulture is documented back to the seventh century and Roman villa ruins sit among the rows. The farming is organic and the stated philosophy is one of preservation — working the way the estate's predecessors did while continuing to develop it.

The lake matters here too: it moderates temperature and reflects light back onto the slopes, which is why the whites keep their acidity in a climate that would otherwise cook them.

Drink it with: lake and river fish, roast chicken, fresh cheese, vegetable dishes, or lightly creamy sauces.

Details

• Producer: St. Donat
• Region: Csopak, Balaton, Hungary
• Grapes: Olaszrizling (Welschriesling)
• Vintage: 2023
• Bottle size: 750ml