A great Hungarian red wine? You bet your sweet Tokaji | Phil Your Glass

Hungary is known all over the world for its sweet Tokaji wines. They're named after Tokaj, a historical wine region located in the northeastern part of the country.

But with the fall of communism in 1990 and the subsequent privatization of wineries, some lesser known Hungarian wines have been steadily garnering attention across the globe.

By lesser known, I certainly do not mean lesser quality.

I was extremely impressed after a private tasting of Günzer Estate Wines from Villány, located in the southwestern part of Hungary. They were well made and delicious. Their Lezser Red Cuvée was one of my favorites.

Sipping on this cuvée allowed me to try another new grape called the portugieser, which makes up 68% of this tasty blend. Cabernet franc, a much more familiar grape, makes up the remaining 30% of the blend, along with 1% cabernet and a splash of blaufränkisch and merlot. This is a medium-bodied wine with hints of cherry and raspberry flavors.

I drove with Chef Beau Schmidt, who owns several restaurants in the area, to Barberton to purchase an $18.99 bottle of the cuvée at Al’s Quality Market. We were able to open the bottle at the adjacent Al’s Corner Restaurant and enjoy a glass with their $12.99 Hungarian sampler platter. It came with smoked Hungarian sausage, spaetzle and cabbage, stuffed cabbage, as well as chicken paprikash and dumplings.

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We didn’t mind drinking the screw-top bottle of wine from a plastic cup while we enjoyed our homemade ethnic lunch. The wine paired with everything but especially well with the chicken paprikash.

The popular downtown Barberton restaurant lunch spot is open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.

This cuvée also gets major versatility points, as it paired perfectly with a chicken burrito from Wholly Frijoles Mexican Street Foods on another occasion.

Buy this wine at Al’s Quality Market, Leach’s Meats and Sweets in Barberton, Beau’s Market in Copley, Krieger’s Market in Cuyahoga Falls, Mustard Seed Market in Montrose, In Forno Pizza in Avon, Olde Wine Cellar in Olmsted Falls, and Hungarian Butcher in Columbus.

Chef Beau and I will be hosting a Hungarian wine event at Beau’s Market in Copley from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 27. Six wines will be paired with Chef Beau’s paprikash soup, Al’s smoked Hungarian sausage, Leach's Hungarian sausage and peppers, pierogis from the Pierogi Lady, and something sweet from the New Era Restaurant. Tickets are $45. Call 234-466-7720 for reservations.

Reach Phil Masturzo at philyourglass@gmail.com and follow him on Instagram @pmasturzo_philyourglass

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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: This Hungarian red wine is as versatile as it is tasty | Phil Your Glass