Over the past few months, I’ve visited the Heimann Family Estate in Szekszárd several times; we’ve talked with Zoli (Zoltán Heimann Jr.), tasted the wines, and walked through the vineyards. It’s no secret that the Szekszárd wine region is also torn by internal conflicts; some would place the emphasis on international varieties, while others on Kékfrankos and Kadarka. The Heimanns support the latter camp, but as Zoltán Heimann Jr. says:

“Perhaps I’m making a mistake by not taking into account those who rely solely on the Hungarian market. Yet here at home, their position is entirely justified.”

As for the size of the estate, it is shrinking cautiously, within reasonable limits, keeping an eye on market changes. “We cut 2 hectares of vines out of the 22; we’re in a phase of cautious downsizing. I don’t want to dramatize it, I don’t want to be afraid. Now is the time to let go of what wasn’t working in the first place.” - said Zoltán Heimann Jr. Meanwhile, the Heimann&Sons label is being phased out; everything will run under the Heimann name from now on, but for the time being, Barbarossa and Barbár will retain their old labels, while the rest will feature a new, modern, clean design—this was partly the reason for our most recent visit.

Viognier 2024 I 88 points

A lemon color deeper than medium. On the nose: apple, peach, a hint of apricot, butteriness, roundness, fullness. On the palate: a body larger than medium, round acids, a full and silky structure. On the palate, the aromas plus mandarin, a hint of apricot sautéed in butter, and a finish of apple, mint, quince, and butter. An elegant, full-bodied white wine.

No rosé was produced at the estate in 2025.

“We’re phasing out rosé because I see that the opportunity to create something truly unique has disappeared. Instead, we have the schiller (which is a wine like the ancient claret in Bordeaux), which we called the Piros (or the Red).”

Piros 2025 I 89 points

Pale ruby color, siller-like, with cherry notes, but truly pale. The nose features strikingly intense cherry and green herbs, lemon and lemongrass, lovage, and even a hint of green apple. On the palate, it is light yet well-structured; the backbone is primarily provided by the tannins and acids, with vibrant fruitiness—sour cherry and sweet cherry—along with spices, white pepper, and again, lovage. Fresh, refreshing, slightly tart, with a medium finish.

Kadarka 2025 I 88 points

Pale ruby color. Exciting spiciness on the nose: cloves, cinnamon, pepper, sour cherries, and cherries. On the palate, it is light, with good acidity, featuring ripe red berries—cherries, sour cherries, and raspberries (!), alongside pink peppercorns, with a hint of licorice appearing in the finish. Superb, softer, more drinkable, and more approachable than the Piros, but less structured.

Their goal is clearly to take Bikavér (aka Bull’s Blood which is a unique red cuvée in two regions in Hungary, Eger and Szekszárd) away from the Bordeaux cuvée style and transform it into something unique to Szekszárd, moving away from what they consider an overly international style.

“I came from working with whole clusters and carbonic maceration, not from the schiller method, though we could call it schiller. Whole-cluster pressing, nice acids, and clean aromas—that’s what I want to achieve. Besides, it’s important that we’re trendy too; in 2026, we’ll really need hit products. We need uniqueness that sticks in the consumer’s mind. Low tannins and a touch of herbal notes are the key, at least in my opinion. The cellar is full of full-bodied, velvety-tannined, otherwise elegant, age-worthy red wines. The big challenge is that, for our survival, we need to break out of the 6 EUR entry-level price category; this price should start around 10–15 EUR.”

Bátor Bikavér (Bull’s Blood) 2023 I 90 points

Medium ruby color. Sweetish aroma, vanilla, sweet spices, cloves, mint, nutmeg. Medium body, firm structure, nice tannins, lots of spice and sweet fruit. Lively acids, very drinkable. A mature, warm character, at least compared to Kadarka. The finish is long, bidding farewell with a lovely fruit-spice combination.

Kadarka Porkoláb Valley 2024 I 89 points

A ruby color lighter than medium, with brick-red reflections. An explosion of spices on the nose, with plenty of sour cherries and cherry pits. Lighter than medium body, round but with good acidity, savory, fresh, and spicy. A hint of oak in the medium-length finish.

Kékfrankos 2021 I 88 points

Medium ruby color with slight garnet reflections. Intense aroma, featuring plenty of sweet spices, a hint of dried plum, and abundant sour cherries and cherries. A body slightly fuller than medium, with rounded acidity, a warm character, and velvety tannins. A touch of punch and pepper also emerges. A very likable expression of Kékfrankos, with a long, spicy finish.

Baranya Valley Kékfrankos 2021 I 92 points

Medium ruby color with slight garnet reflections. Fresh, sour cherry aroma with a hint of punch and sweet spices; as it opens, increasingly intense black and red berry fruits emerge. On the palate, medium-bodied with lively acidity, juicy fruitiness, slightly sticky tannins, and a combination of sour cherry bitterness and punch; the finish is marked by liveliness, juiciness, and spice. Long aftertaste!

"In the €10–25 price range (up to $30), people are happy to experiment. Above that, you really need an image, a strong producer brand, credibility, or a well-known wine region profile. We’d like to extract much less tannin so that our red wines primarily represent the lighter, fruitier style, so the tannins don’t dry out the palate—both Szekszárd and the Kékfrankos variety provide an ideal setting for this. The point is the experience and that we immediately ask for a second glass. The red wine I envision is layered, with a long finish and has good gastronomic qualities; in other words, on the one hand we crave another glass, and on the other, we immediately want to eat something to go with it. After all, that’s one of the essences of life, isn’t it?"

Barbarossa 2023 I 90 points

A ruby color deeper than medium. On the nose, sweet spices, plum and sour cherry, blackberry and cherry. On the palate, a body larger than medium, lively acids, ripe flavors, and a firm structure. Plenty of sweet black berries, a hint of punch, cloves, and nutmeg. The finish is long.

Barbár 2021 I 93 points

Deep ruby color. On the nose, sweet spices, sandalwood and allspice, dried fruits, a hint of blackberry, a touch of coffee and chocolate, cocoa beans, and leather. On the palate, full-bodied, round acidity, ripe and soft tannins, beautiful structure, big and deep, spicy, sweetish, with an almost endless finish.

Barbár Magnum 2019 I 95 points

Deep ruby color. A very exciting, refined and elegant nose, with sweet spices, a hint of leather, satin ribbons and silk, cinnamon and sour cherry, blackberry and star anise. On the palate, full-bodied, with lovely acidity, velvety tannins, good balance, and a beautiful structure; the wine has backbone, with plenty of ripe fruit, a hint of leather, and a touch of powder—it has a Tuscan vibe. The finish is very long.

"We try to view wine as a kind of cultural carrier, a cultural mediator; that is our message. Here we are on the mountain, here are the vineyards, here the wine, the sausage, the stifolder, the black pudding, and the fisherman’s soup are made; here is an art exhibition on the wall; here dessert and lunch are prepared; there are literary evenings—all of these together make up the Heimann experience."

After the fisherman’s soup enjoyed on the terrace, the black pudding offered upon arrival, the exhibition in the tasting room, and the breathtaking view, I can only confirm what has been said. At the Heimanns’, the world truly opens up, and one feels—even if just for a moment—that they’ve been granted entry into the fairy-tale world of Szekszárd.