Dinner with Frank Dietrich and Zsuzsanna Molnar from Blue Danube Wine Company - A Good Source for Quality Eastern and Central European Wines in the US

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Frank Dietrich in Palo Alto

Eastern and Central Europe is a fascinating region. A large part of it was long hidden for us in the West behind the Iron Curtain, including the outstanding wines these countries potentially produce.

Generally, Eastern European wine producing countries like Hungary and Croatia have a history of winemaking that is as long – if not longer – than that of France, Spain or Italy. Yet, to find fine wines from these countries outside their borders is not easy. This is due to a combination of factors. These countries were behind the Iron Curtain until 20 years ago and are only now emerging on the world market. During the communist period, the wine industry suffered and fell behind, while the rest of the world was moving ahead rapidly. They are now trying to catch up and are doing this with uneven success. Some countries are advancing rapidly, such as Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia, others are moving at a slower path. Anyway, these are all highly interesting wine countries and I am glad to see their wines entering the world market.

In the US, Blue Danube Wine Company, owned by the husband and wife team Frank Dietrich and Zsuzsanna Molnar, is one of the drivers of this process. I have been in contact with Frank Dietrich for a while and was happy to meet him in person and have dinner with him in Washington DC earlier this year. "Central Europe has a story to tell, and can tell it well - the history, varietals, techniques, and the fresh start post Communism and war make these kind of wines a lens to see a wine world still largely unknown in the US" said Frank.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Frank Dietrich in Washington DC

When Frank heard that I was coming over to the US West Coast, for Richard Wagner’s Ring der Nibelungen in San Francisco and wine tasting in Washington State, Oregon and California, he was so kind to invite my wife and me for dinner at his house in Palo Alto. Since we were scheduled to fly to Europe for a wedding in Vienna, followed by trip to Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia, we had even more to talk about.

Blue Danube Wine Company

The Blue Danube Wine Company was founded in 2002 to import fine Eastern and Central European wines to the U.S. market. The company focuses on wines that are fairly rare in the U.S.

Picture: Dinner with Frank and Szuzsanna

Today, Blue Danube Wine Company is an importer, distributer and retailer of Eastern and Central European wines. “We have three different price lists” said Frank. The Blue Danube Wine Company is an importer for the whole of the US of Eastern and Central European wines. In California, the Blue Danube Wine Company is a distributer with a focus on the San Francisco Bay area and the LA area. More generally, it distributes wines as a wholesaler to wine retailers, supermarkets, and better restaurants within California. Simultaneously, it continues to build a nation-wide network of distributors. Frank reported that they are just starting to set up shop in the New York market as a distributor. Finally, Blue Danube Wine Company is nation-wide on-line retailer.

Picture: Dinner with Frank and Zsuzsanna

Frank and Zsuzsanna have 3 partners who also have become owners of the company. “I believe in stock-options” said Frank. "I have seen all my working life how it works in the internet industry and I am continuing with this practice in my own company." The company is based in Los Altos, California 94023, USA.

Frank Dietrich and Zsuzsanna Molnar

Zsuzsanna was born in Budapest in Hungary and came over to Michigan as a young girl in 1956. She grew up in Hungarian speaking household. Frank and Zsuzsanna met at university. She was one of the first 50 students to be hired by the once internet giant Silicon Graphics. Frank and Zsuzsanna lived in Europe for a number of years, working for Silicon Graphics.

Picture: Dinner with Frank and Zsuzsanna

Before founding the company, Frank Dietrich and Zsuzsanna Molnar, worked for many years as executives in American computer and networking companies with responsibilities for developing the Central/Eastern European market. Born in Europe, speaking the languages, and understanding the business customs have provided them with tremendous assets to bring these unique wines and the people who make them to a broader market.

Picture: Google Headquarters in Palo Alto which we visited with Frank

My Recent Visits of (Blue Danube Company) Winemakers

Frank was so kind to help me arrange meetings with 2 winemakers in Hungary and 1winemaker in Slovenia. In addition, he pointed me to the Drop Shop Wine Bar in Budapest.

Attila Gere in Villany (Hungary)

Many feel – as I do - that the best Hungarian red wines come from Villany in the southern part of Hungary and that they can compete with fine Napa Valley or Bordeaux wines. Attila Gere is without doubt one of the stars of Villany. His winery is located in Villany, on the way to Siklos. The Gere family also owns a nice bistro, a fine dining restaurant and a luxury hotel.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Attila Gere

Frank brings his wines to the US. Frank was so kind to set up an appointment with Andrea Gere, the daughter of Attila Gere, in Villany. I also met Attila Gere during lunch at the Gere Wine Bar in Villany.

Franci Cvetko at Kogl Estate (Slovenia)

Franci Cvetko is arguably one of the best wine makers in the emerging wine country Slovenia, the most northern former Yugoslav Republic State. He owns and runs Kogl Estate in Velika Nedelja in the Prlekija wine region, in the eastern part of Slovenia.

Slovenia is the most advanced wine producer of the former Yugoslav Republic States, because it always had an open door to neighboring Italy and Austria. It was also the first of the former Yugoslav Republic States to emerge as an independent country and find stability. Slovenia is wedged between Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Croatia with a tiny, 40km of it touching the Adriatic Sea in the southwest corner. People have been growing wine in the region since Roman times.

The Kogl Estate is situated on a hill above the village of Velika Nedelja, with the vineyards surrounding the winery. The homestead on top of the hill was constructed in 1820 and initially served as a week-end residence. When you drive up the hill from Velika Nedelja to the Kogl Estete, you pass through the Kogl vineyards; they are surrounding the winery.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with Franci Cvetko at Kogl Estate

We then had a wonderful lunch with delicious charcuterie, homemade pate and cheese, accompanied by 4 wines. The whole set-up was just stunning: the outstanding food, the very interesting conversation with Franci, Zlatka and son Luka, the breathtaking view of the landscape and the delicious Kogl wines!

Istvan Stephan Spiegelberg in Somlo (Hungary)

After having spent many years in the cities of Berlin and Munich in Germany, the German Hungarian Istvan Stephan Spiegelberg now lives the life of a boutique winemaker on the slopes of the Somlo Mountain in Hungary and produces outstanding wines there. Thanks to Frank, I had the pleasure to visit him, to have lunch with him and taste his superb wines.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with Istvan Stephan Spiegelberg in Somlo

With 800 hectares, Somlo is one of the smaller wine regions of Hungary. Most of the vineyards are on the slopes of an almost symmetrical, cone-shaped, dormant volcano, crowned by the ruins of an 11th century castle, rising from the plains of the Tapolca Basin. It is a fascinating view when you approach the region.

Istvan Stephan Spiegelberg’s wines are not yet imported into the US.

Drop Shop Wine Bar in Budapest (Hungary)

Budapest has a number of interesting wine bars. One of them is the newly opened Drop Shop, located near the Margaret Bridge in District V. This is definitely one of the hot wine places in Budapest currently. Frank had recommended it to us.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with Wink Lorch from WineTravelGuides, Brett Jones, known as The Wine Maestro and Carolyn Bánfalvi from Taste Hungary

When we went there, we run into Wink Lorch from WineTravelGuides and Brett Jones, known as The Wine Maestro, in the wine blogger scene. They had dinner there with Carolyn and Gábor Bánfalvi from Taste Hungary. Carolyn Bánfalvi is the author of the award-winning culinary guidebooks Food Wine Budapest and the Food and Wine Lover’s Guide to Hungary: With Budapest Restaurants and Trips to the Wine Country. We joint them later for drinks.


schiller-wine: Related Postings

Tokaji: Depressing and Encouraging News from Hungary

A Rich Selection of Hungarian Wines at the Hungarian Embassy in the US

Wine Bar: The Wine Bar by Bazilika, Budapest, Hungary

Blue Danube Wine Company - A Good Source for Quality Eastern and Central European Wines in the US

Dining and Wining at the Josef Bock Winery Restaurant in Villany, Hungary

The Wines of Istvan Stephan Spiegelberg in Somlo, Hungary

Drop Shop Wine Bar in Budapest, Hungary

Visiting Attila and Andrea Gere, and the Attila Gere Winery in Villany, Hungary

Meeting Hungarian Food and Wine Experts Carolyn and Gabor Banfalvi in Budapest, Hungary

Lunch with Franci Cvetko at his Kogl Winery in Slovenia

Welcome to the US – Erhard Heumann and his Heumann Wines from Villany-Siklos in Hungary

Lunch with Franci Cvetko at his Kogl Winery in Slovenia

Pictures: Christian G.E. Schiller and Franci Cvetko at Kogl Estate in Slovenia

Franci Cvetko is arguably one of the best wine makers in the emerging wine country Slovenia, the most northern former Yugoslav Republic State. He owns and runs Kogl Estate in Velika Nedelja in the Prlekija wine region, in the eastern part of Slovenia.

Recently, on our way from Zagreb in Croatia to Kitzeck in the Suedsteiermark in Austria, we stopped at the Kogl Estate and spent a very entertaining half day with Franci and his family, including a wonderful summer lunch in his garden, overlooking the vineyards.

Frank Dietrich, founder/owner of Blue Danube Wine Company, told me about Franci Cvetko and his Kogl wines, when I visited him in Palo Alto, south of San Francisco in California and he arranged a visit for me. Frank imports Kogl wines into the US.

The Wines of Slovenia

Slovenia is the most advanced wine producer of the former Yugoslav Republic States, because it always had an open door to neighboring Italy and Austria. It was also the first of the former Yugoslav Republic States to emerge as an independent country and find stability. Slovenia is wedged between Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Croatia with a tiny, 40km of it touching the Adriatic Sea in the southwest corner. People have been growing wine in the region since Roman times.

When I lived in Zagreb, traveling from Zagreb to Graz in Austria or Trieste in Italy – through Slovenia – was always like climbing up the quality latter. At that time, Slovenian wines – but not only wines - were clearly ahead of the Croatian wines, but still far away from the qualities you would encounter in Graz or Trieste.

Slovenia has 3 main wine producing regions with a total of 25.000 hectares of vineyard area: (1) The coastal area (Primorska, or Primorje, 7.000 ha), the Sava area (Posavje, 8.000 ha) and the Drava area (Podravje, 10.000 ha). Primorje in the west is the main red producing region. Posavje in the southern center of the country and Podravje in the eastern region produces mainly white wines.

Picture: The Wine Regions of Slovenia

The Kogl winery is located in the Stajerska Slovenija, a sub-area of the Podravje. A tributary of the Danube, the Drava river cuts through the Podravje area in the eastern part of Slovenia.

Stajerska Slovenija

Winemaking in the Stajerska Slovenija – and elsewhere in Slovenia - goes back to the days when Slovenia was part of the Roman Empire. Later, the church played a major role in the wine industry. Until 1918, the Stajerska Slovenija was part of the Austrian Hungarian Empire and the Austrian and the Slovenian Steiermark a unified wine area. "At that time the better wines were made in the Slovenian part of the Steiermark" said Franci. This of course has changed due to 50 years of Yugoslav-style socialism in Slovenia, but "the gap is narrowing" Franci added.

The Kogl Estate has a Long History

The Kogl Estate has a long history, going back several centuries. Franci has the history of the Kogl Estate well documented on a wall of his large dining/tasting room.

Pictures: Christian G.E. Schiller and Franci Cvetko in the Tasting/Dining Room

The first written account of winemaking at Kogl dates from 1542. At that time the owner of the Kogl Estate was the Deutsche Ritterorden and Velika Nedelja was part of the Austrian Hungarian Empire. Except for the last 100 years, the Kogl Estate was Austrian-Hungarian. The Kogl Estate changed hands several times over the years and – closer to more recent times – ownership transferred over the Atlantic to Canada, when the daughter of the owner moved there and then inherited the Estate.

In 1983, Franci Cvetko’s father bought the Kogl Estate from the Canadian owner. Franci had just graduated from a wine making college in Maribor. “The Estate was pretty much run down, when we acquired it” Franci told us. They renovated the building and replanted the vineyards. The first vintage bottled under the Cvetko label was 1987.

Franci Cvetko’s Kogl Estate

The Kogl Estate is situated on a hill above the village of Velika Nedelja, with the vineyards surrounding the winery. The homestead on top of the hill was constructed in 1820 and initially served as a week-end residence.

Pictures: At Franci Cvetko’s Kogl Estate with Franci, Zlatka and Dog Leika

When the Cvetkos took over the Kogle Estate, the vineyard area was much smaller than today, but has continued to grow since then and now totals 10.5 hectares.

Kogl Estate sells about 60% of its production in Slovenia and exports 40% to other European countries and the USA. Slovenia is member of the European Union and uses the Euro as its currency.

In the Vineyard

When you drive up the hill from Velika Nedelja to the Kogl Estete, you pass through the Kogl vineyards; they are surrounding the winery. The soil is sandy clay. The area is beautiful and about 300 meters above sea level.

Pictures: Vineyards Surrounding the Kogl Estate

In the Tasting Room

After taking a look at the vineyards, we proceeded to the very nicely arranged tasting/dining room, where we talked a bit about the history of the Kogl Estate and tasted our first wine, a sparkler. We would converse with Franci in German and with his wife Zlatka and the children Spela and Luka, who joined us for lunch, in English.

Pictures: Franci and Zlatka Cvetko in the Tasting/Dining Room

PENINA CLASIQUE – RUBELLUS: A sparkling rosé produced in the method champenoise, i. e. with the second fermentation in the bottle. It is made with Pinot Noir, aged on the lees for two to three years. The color is slightly intense salmon-orange. The nose is delicate with spicy cedar and peppery notes. “The wine was aged in new oak” explained Franci. In the mouth, fine bubbles and moderate acidity. Medium to full body. “This can be served as an aperitif or with lighter and spicier foods and salads” recommended Franci.

Picture: PENINA CLASIQUE – RUBELLUS

Franci Cvetko’s Passion for Art

We then proceeded to Franci’s collection of Special Edition Wines. Franci likes to invite artists to the winery for a couple of weeks and then uses their output for the labels of his Special Edition Wines. Among the Special Edition Wines is also a series to honor Leon Štukelj (12 November 1898 – 8 November 1999). Štukelj is a noted figure in Slovenian sporting history. Interestingly, reflecting the fascinating history in this part of the world, he was born in the Austrian Hungarian Empire, spent most of his life in Yugoslavia and died in Slovenia.

Pictures: Franci Cvetko with Special Edition Wines

On the way to the wonderful Kogl garden, where we had lunch, Franci showed us an interesting series of paintings, which he has put on the wall at the entrance of his cellar.

Pictures: At the Entrance to the Wine Cellar

Lunch with Franci, Spela, Zlatka and Luka

We then had a wonderful lunch with delicious charcutterie, homemade pate and cheese, accompanied by 4 wines. The whole set-up was just stunning: the outstanding food, the very interesting conversation with Franci, Zlatka and son Luka, the breathtaking view of the landscape and the delicious Kogl wines! I will always remember this when I drink Franci’s wines at home.

Pictures: Lunch with Franci, Spela, Zlatka and Luka

MEA CULPA, SOLO - Pinot Noir – Rubellus: A rose wine. The nose is distinctively fruity and youthful reminiscent of red fruits, raspberries, strawberries. Red fruit nuances are joined by sweeter caramel-vanilla touch. “A part of the wines was aged in new oak” explained Franci.

MEA CULPA, SOLO – Auxerrois: Pale lemon-yellow color in the glass. Plenty of bubbles suggesting freshness. Fruity and even spicy. In the mouth more restrained. Dry with moderate acidity level. Franci said: “The acidity is low for the Prlekija region”. Lots of spices in the finish.

MEA CULPA, SOLO – Sämling: Sämling is from Germany where it is called Scheurebe; it is a crossing between Riesling and Sylvaner. Pale lemon-yellow in the glass. Rather restrained, but very fruity and juicy on the nose. The acidity level is again moderate. Its spicy and fruity character is long. “A nice summer wine” said Franci.

MEA CULPA, SOLO – Sauvignon Blanc: Sauvignon Blanc has become the signature grape of neighboring Suedsteiermark in Austria. Pale lemon-yellow color with plenty of bubbles. Notes of ripe yellow fruits. It is also a very spicy wine. In the mouth it is somewhat restrained. It stays on the palate for a long time. “It should go well with aromatic foods, like tomato and green pepper” said Franci.

Picture: The Wines we had for Lunch

In the Cellar

We finished the visit in the cellar, with more wine. This time, we had 2 delicious sweet-style wines. Franci explained that his wines are temperature-controlled fermented in both stainless steel tanks and large traditional oak barrels, as I know them from Germany.

Pictures: Christian G.E. Schiller with Franci Cvetko in the Cellar

MEA CULPA, SOLO – Kerner: Kerner is a crossing between Riesling and Trollinger. A sweet-style wine, with a wonderful balance between acidity and sweetness. Over-ripe pears on the palate. Long finish. “The wine will do well with moderately sweet desserts, such as apple pie. But it could also be enjoyed by its own” said Franci.

MEA CULPA, SOLO – Chardonnay: A sweet-style wine. Golden in the glass. Notes of honey and tropical fruits on the nose. Good structure. Fruity, fresh and jammy on the palate. Long finish with some spices.

Picture: The Wines we had in the Cellar

We had to leave although we did not want to. Time went by very fast. Franci led us down to the village and showed us where the best spots were to take the final pictures of the Kogl Estate.

Picture: Kogl Estate

schiller-wine: Related Postings

Vinograf Winebar - Arguably the Best Place to Taste Czech Wines in Prague

The Exciting Wines of the Czech Republic

A Rich Selection of Hungarian Wines at the Hungarian Embassy in the US

Wine Bar: Podrum Wine Art and Question Mark, Belgrade/Serbia

In the Glass: 2006 Do Kraja Sveta from Serbia

Blue Danube Wine Company - A Good Source for Quality Eastern and Central European Wines in the US

Dining and Wining at the Josef Bock Winery Restaurant in Villany, Hungary

The Wines of Istvan Stephan Spiegelberg in Somlo, Hungary

Visit: Gerhard Wohlmuth sen. and his Weingut Wohlmuth in Austria

Wine Producer Austria - Not Only Gruener Veltliner

Lunch with Silvia Prieler, Weingut Prieler, Schuetzen am Gebirge, Austria

Chef Martin Weiler Suggests Amazing Food to Go With Gruener Veltliner

Producing Wines in Austria and Hungary - Franz and Franz Reinhard Weninger

Austria’s Best Red Wines - Falstaff RotweinGuide 2010/2011

Wine and Food from Burgenland at Wachter-Wieslers Ratschen, Deutsch-Schuetzen, Austria - with Tom and Christoph Wachter and Julia Sevenich

Internet Guru and Medical Doctor go Wine: Weingut StephanO in Suedburgenland

Meeting Gerhard Wohlmuth jun. from Weingut Wohlmuth, Austria, and Tasting his Wines in Washington DC

Schiller’s Favorite Spots to Drink Wine in Vienna, Austria