6/18/26 - 

Just about 20 years ago, I attended a wine tasting in a beautiful public garden in Budapest. The wines were relatively uniform. Most of the reds were full-bodied and most of the whites were crisp and simple, with a heavy leaning towards international varieties. I asked a winemaker if their wines were organic and they replied "Yes, it comes from the earth, everything is organic." Back in New York, there wasn't much to choose from for Hungarian wine in the late 2000s. One could always find a bottle of Tokaji and maybe a "bull's blood" red from the Eger region, but that was about it. Since then, many things have changed and the range of Hungarian wines available in New York is more impressive and varied than ever. Though this is a result of many different importers turning their attention to Hungary over the years, we can specifically thank Athena Bochanis for starting a small company called Palinkerie Fine Hungarian Imports in 2013. Palinkerie is an all-Hungarian portfolio that is the realization of Athena's passion for Hungarian wines and the people who make them. Feel free to read more and explore her site here.

Today, we're offering a collection of wines from the Palinkerie portfolio, with special discounts through the weekend. There are many wines here to explore, from light-bodied reds to more classic full-bodied expressions, zippy Pet-Nats, salty whites and of course some Tokaji too. We're big admirers of everything that Athena has done to champion Hungarian wines, so this is our little way of spreading the word and thanking her for all of the hard work running an importing company on her own. Egészségetekre!

-Eben Lillie