ITALIAN RIZLING KNOWS EVERYTHING! - CONVERSATION WITH MIHÁLY FIGULA

Conversation with Misi in bor.hu magazine

February 26, 2024 / Edit Szabó / Photos: Nándor Lang

Italian Riesling knows everything! - Conversation with Mihály Figula

 

HE WAS ALREADY THE WINEPRODUCER OF THE YEAR, WINEMAKER OF THE YEAR, HIS WINES HAVE BEEN PRIZED AT MANY DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS, AND THE CIRCLE OF HUNGARIAN WINE WRITERS DONATED ONE OF THEIR ITALIAN RIZLINGS WITH THE HUNGARIAN WINE GRAND PRIZE FOR THE BEST WHITE WINE. FIGULA TALKS TO EDIT SZABÓ MIHÁLLY...

 

The Circle of Hungarian Borszakírók chose Figula Winery's 2022 Sóskút Italian Riesling as the best white wine of 2023. What does it mean for a winemaker that the batch he produced received the Hungarian Wine Grand Prix?

We are very happy, especially because we swore by Italian Riesling, and thanks to the award, not only the specific wine, but also the variety gets more attention.

 

Why do you think breed is so important?

Because Italian Riesling knows everything, this is the most beautiful thing about it. The range extends from the light, fruity, even sparkling wine category to the serious, full-bodied, dense white wine, and even beyond, as this variety is excellent in botrytising in the right environment, so it can also be made into an excellent sweet wine - although this is not our goal. This extremely wide spectrum is an incredibly big advantage, but it is not everything. It is important to say that, according to our experience, Italian Riesling adapts well to changing climatic conditions, and this characteristic will be very important in the future.

You have said many times that the most important thing for you is to show the character of the place of production in the wine. How does Italian Riesling accomplish this?

This is how we think from the first moment, our entire concept is based on this. If we simplify the question, we can say that three types of Italian Riesling are born in our cellar. We don't have Balaton wine, our estate wine is made from the harvest of several vineyards, and on top of that there are vineyard and parcel-selected Italian Riesling, where the variety is almost pushed into the background, allowing the characteristics of the place of production to prevail. In these wines, there are no direct aromas typical of other grape varieties, only the natural character of the wine appears, which can be beautifully woven through the growing room.
 

Which areas show the character of the place of production the most?

According to the family legend, the area around Balatonszőlős is clearly designed for Italian Riesling, and up to 7-8 Italian Riesling wines of different character can be made here, as the soil differs not only from vineyard to vineyard, but also from plot to plot. It's incredible that we can work here!

 

Do you have a favorite Italian Riesling?

It depends on what season and what time of day it is, whether I read Márai or Hamvas, whether I had an easier day or a harder one, and so on. But the good thing about Italian Riesling is that it offers an alternative for every mood: there is summer, winter, light, heavy, simple, complex, and as I said, it can be sweet, but it doesn't make me hot. The relaxed, easy-drinking variation can be in the glass from morning to night in the summer, the parcel-selected requires time and food. From the very first moment, we believe that this variety is suitable for everything, which is why some of our Rieslings have become sought-after references abroad. In addition to all this, the economy of the breed should not be overlooked either. The Italian Riesling grape sustains the farmer even in the most difficult vintage, as it is able to produce fruit from which at least one light, easy-drinking, clean, lovable Balaton wine can be made.

 We've been talking a lot lately about the drastic decline in wine consumption. In your opinion, can the process be reversed, and if so, how?

We are well aware of the problem, and it is not just a Hungarian phenomenon. In my opinion, this fact also raises generational questions, and our most important task now is to find the marketing tools that will help our message reach today's young adults. For them, wine is "my grandfather's story", because we try to draw their attention to it in a dusty, outdated way. I don't know the tools, but we always want to say that the wine is 100% grape juice, which has a different character depending on the wine region. There is no more natural and exciting drink in the world. The basic message is timeless, but if it is not possible to find a way to convey it, even an entire generation may fall out of wine consumption, which will lead to very serious problems in the long term.

What was it like when you were a young adult?

I remember that we were excited by Italian Riesling from the first moment, we listened to older people, my grandmother for example, and tried to decipher how we could dig even deeper. Today, however, the situation is quite different. My mother is currently reading Krisztián Steigervald's book Battle of Generations, and she sometimes quotes from it to us. It's like he's talking about my own son. Fílöp is born in Generation Z, so I have direct experience of the current situation. It is not easy for them to make anything attractive, they turn to the Internet for every question, where they get the answer immediately, so they often think they know everything. Obviously, this is also the case in today's world, not to mention that they are fast and we are slow. You should not talk to them knowingly and treat them in a condescending way, because it will alienate them even more. Today's children don't take their role models from the family, it's not enough if you set a good example, because they won't follow you. If we translate all of this into the language of wine, we can see that with them, we don't get anywhere with the classic wine tasters, because they don't have a radar for it, they don't understand, they won't sit there for three hours over a wine. You shouldn't treat them, because they spin much faster than us, and they won't go deep on command over a glass of wine. But of course everything has its time, you just have to wait. So I have no idea what the solution is, but it should be figured out quickly, because the statistical data are worrying.

Among the members of the older generation of winemakers, who do you consider a role model, whose words do you always listen to?

For me, István Szepsy and Imre Györgykovács are the two defining figures of the Hungarian wine industry. Their dedication is exemplary. Imre is nearby, I meet and talk to him several times. Your opinion means a lot to me, as everything you say is based on decades of experience. It's worth paying attention to.
 

And if a young person just starting their career turned to you for advice, what would you say to them?

Although I live by tradition in all respects, my advice to those who are just starting out is to be modern and innovative. Try to find a voice with young consumers, since they speak the same language. It would be good if an endlessly professional, young team of professionals formed, because then we could also ask them. In the art world, there is blood renewal, in music, in the visual arts, fresh ideas come, and we are stuck at one level, even though we really need momentum.

Could it be that today's young people see no perspective in this field at all?

I wouldn't dare to state this clearly, because it would mean that they don't see a perspective in rural life either, and that would take you too far. I think the problem is more that winemaking means being tied down and working 24 hours a day, and today's young people want to remain flexible. They live their lives on a project level, they work a little at one end of the world, then at the other end, nothing ties them to a place where their laptop is, where their workplace is. But if you plant 2 hectares of grapes, this situation changes immediately. We welcome young people with open arms, we constantly interview them, we love when we have new colleagues, and we sincerely hope that we can win some of them over to the cause of Hungarian wine.

You told me that you always taste together with your mother, because she is very talented in this, and you give her opinion. Is this still the case?

Yes, and I'm very happy about that. As a classic family business, everyone does their part in the work. If the mountains of paper and new legislation annoy us, we go out to the vineyard or go down to the cellar and calm down, because it is much easier to find common ground with wines and grapes. The wines are really good and that's what really matters. 2023 was a good vintage, we are spoiled, we are working, we are hopeful, and then we will see what the future brings.