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Tom Hill: who's growing Green Hungarian these days?

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Tom Hill: who's growing Green Hungarian these days?

by Jenise » Sun Mar 19, 2023 2:28 pm

Wente was the original, or at least the popular one, decades ago. But I know you've mentioned a few lately among those brave California vintners who are reviving old grapes.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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Well...

by TomHill » Sun Mar 19, 2023 4:16 pm

Jenise wrote:Wente was the original, or at least the popular one, decades ago. But I know you've mentioned a few lately among those brave California vintners who are reviving old grapes.


Well, Jenise....good question. The Wente was probably the best of a sorry lot way back then. Gus Sebastiani also made it, in his
typical unthrilling style. Probably the most famous of the GH producers was Fred Weibel up in Mendocino Cnty. To my knowledge, none of those folks still have it planted.
MattRorick/ForlornHope was very interested in the variety & making an old-timey GH. He tracked down a few remaining vines in the Library Vnyd, behind the Library in St.Helena. He took cuttings and convinced Roger King/King-Andrews Estate, to plant a few rows for him. He harvested it & made some GH but was never happy w/ the resulting wine. So he always blended it away. The pure GH had a pretty screechy acidity to it, even when harvested late.
Whether Roger still has his GH in the ground or not, I really don't know. I would guess, after Matt left the area, he grafted it over.
But, to my knowledge, no GH is being made in Calif.
Tom
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Re: Tom Hill: who's growing Green Hungarian these days?

by David M. Bueker » Sun Mar 19, 2023 6:36 pm

I thought Tegan had been toying with it for Sandlands.
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Don't Know

by TomHill » Sun Mar 19, 2023 6:51 pm

David M. Bueker wrote:I thought Tegan had been toying with it for Sandlands.

Don't know, David, but wouldn't be surprised.
Tom
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Re: Tom Hill: who's growing Green Hungarian these days?

by Steve Edmunds » Sun Mar 19, 2023 8:32 pm

Jenise, what prompted your question?
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Re: Tom Hill: who's growing Green Hungarian these days?

by Jenise » Mon Mar 20, 2023 11:54 am

Steve, I popped into a local wine store on Friday. Was there to pick up something else but they were preparing for a 'green in-store tasting'--I joked that if they weren't pouring Green Hungarian, I wasn't sticking around.

Which got me and the proprietor wondering whatever happened to Green Hungarian. It was the first wine ever recommended to me--I was maybe 19 or 20, and a man I worked for said that if I ever got into wine, I needed to try winery-with-a-W-name Green Hungarian, probably Weibel not Wente now that I think back on it. Said proprietor that he'd been wondering about that himself earlier that day and hadn't had time yet to investigate--I knew Tom would know, so I asked here.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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Well....

by TomHill » Mon Mar 20, 2023 1:02 pm

Steve Edmunds wrote:Jenise, what prompted your question?


Well, Steve....sounds like Jenise is wandering down the same rat hole that swallowed me
up yrs ago.
Now that you mention it, I'm not sure Wente ever made a GH that I can recall. If they did, it
would be the best one around. Fred Weibel's GH was kinda boring.
Tom
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Re: Tom Hill: who's growing Green Hungarian these days?

by Steve Edmunds » Mon Mar 20, 2023 2:09 pm

Sebastiani made one that was easy to drink, though not compelling. Best really cold
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And....

by TomHill » Mon Mar 20, 2023 2:13 pm

TomHill wrote:
Steve Edmunds wrote:Jenise, what prompted your question?


Well, Steve....sounds like Jenise is wandering down the same rat hole that swallowed me
up yrs ago.
Now that you mention it, I'm not sure Wente ever made a GH that I can recall. If they did, it
would be the best one around. Fred Weibel's GH was kinda boring.
Tom



And I believe that it came in a Beaujolais pot btl.
And I recall it was advertised by a dippy little song that stuck in your mind. Extra credit to Jenise if she can sing it for us.
Tom
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Re: Tom Hill: who's growing Green Hungarian these days?

by Jenise » Mon Mar 20, 2023 7:20 pm

Guess what? There's still a Weibel Family Winery!

From the retailer friend mentioned above (who used to be a wine rep):

"I remember going to this winery with the wholesale company I worked for represented the brand. The entire time we were at the winery, I kept wondering why the hell are we here? The remaining appointments we had were all at highly acclaimed wineries in Napa and Sonoma. It was very odd."

Yes they still make Green Hungarian. Also peach and almond wine. :roll:

https://weibel.com/wine-sparkling
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov

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