It goes without saying that the reputation of French, Italian, and Spanish wines are self-evident. Yet equally reputable are those from Hungary.
Hungarian wines, which date back to Roman times, count themselves among the oldest and most famous ones in Europe. Like the country itself, wine making has gone through many challenges, whether it was the phylloxera, an epidemic that almost wiped out some of Europe’s greatest wine regions in the 1800s, or the Soviet occupation from 1956–1989, which altogether suppressed the private sector.
There is, however, a Hungarian family vineyard in Szekszárd, southern Hungary, that both encapsulates the Magyar anthropology and makes one reflect upon Hungary’s Christian heritage in its wines.
I recently visited this wine production complex—the Takler Kúria (mansion)—which is operated by two brothers of the Takler family, András and Ferenc. According to local sources, the Takler family has been working on grapes and wine in Szekszárd since the 1760s. On their labels, the year 1767 refers to the marriage of the ascendant, Josephus Taker, which was his first commitment to Szekszárd. Currently, the family cultivates 82 hectares of the vineyard in the best sites of the Szekszárd wine region, focusing on the local grape and wine varieties.
I was fortunate enough to get a private tour by András of the wine factory and the cellar that stores the barrels. And, while at first it seemed like just any other wine production installation, everything changed when I was shown what the family calls the ‘wine sanctuary’.
Adjacent to their rows of barrels, there is a hall where wine tasters can sip the various wines amidst an apse of an allegory of agricultural harmony, flanked by a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes and a fresco of St. Michael the Archangel slaying the devil in the form of a dragon.
András told me that, especially during the era of communism, how important their Catholic faith was not just for their individual faith but for keeping their family heritage alive. Thus, the family wants to share their personal lives with all visitors. For indeed, the drinking of wine for social reasons is undeniably a trait of Jesus Christ Himself, as evident when at the Wedding at Cana, He performed His first sign by turning water into wine (cf. John 2, 1–12).
My experience at the Takler Kúria was more than just wine tasting. It was an actual experience of getting to better know such an important aspect of Hungary’s rich and vast culture.
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