Moric (Hungary)

The ski instructor who ignores boundaries

Before Roland Velich became Austria's most influential Blaufränkisch winegrower, he earned his living as a ski instructor and croupier. In 2001 he founded Moric in Burgenland with a radical vision: Blaufränkisch like Burgundian Pinot Noir with elegance instead of opulence, with restraint instead of over-extraction. In 2023, Falstaff named him Winemaker of the Year.

The Hidden Treasures are his next chapter. For Velich, the Austro-Hungarian border is a line on paper, not a viticultural reality. Historically, Burgenland belonged to Hungary, the grape varieties are the same, the soils are volcanically related. He associates the Hidden Treasures with young Hungarian winemakers with its philosophy of minimal intervention - spontaneous fermentation, no fining, no compromises.

Three volcanoes, three treasures

The series brings together three winemakers from three volcanic regions of Hungary. In Tokaj Gergő Filep works on just six hectares with ancient Furmint-vines. His vineyards lie on soils of volcanic tuff and loess - the same sites that once produced wines that were honoured at European courts. cost two to three times as much as Burgundy or Château Margaux. Tokaj Aszú was the „wine of kings“ before the history of the 20th century cut Hungary off from the world wine market.

On the Somló, Hungary's smallest wine-growing region, Tamás Kis cultivates his plots organically. Somló is a single volcanic cone with deep black basalt soils - Hárslevelű and Furmint grow here with a minerality reminiscent of liquid stone. Kis is considered one of the most talented young winemakers in the country.

On Balaton is where the Swiss Philipp Oser founded the Villa Tolnay winery in 2004. On the northern slopes of the lake, around the extinct volcano Badacsony, he cultivates Rajnai Rizling - as the Hungarians call Riesling - and Furmint on weathered basalt soils.

Forgotten greatness, new generation

Hungary's wine history is one of the oldest and most tragic in Europe. While Tokaj Aszú was considered the most precious drink at the courts of Versailles and St. Petersburg, phylloxera, two world wars and four decades of planned economy erased the collective memory. The state wineries produced mass instead of class, the old vineyards went wild.

Velich's Hidden Treasures are part of a silent revolution. Winemakers like Királyudvar in Tokaj have already revitalised the old greats. The three Hidden Treasures winemakers go one step further: they combine the historical heritage with the natural wine philosophy. No pure cultured yeasts, no fining, no filtration - but authentic wines that taste as if someone had turned the clock back 150 years.

Pannonian minerality in the glass

What all three regions have in common: Volcanic soils. Tuff, basalt, ash - the geological signature characterises every wine in the series. The Hidden Treasures No. 2 from Somló shows this minerality most clearly: salty, smoky, with a texture like polished stone. The Tokaj Furmint brings the classic acidity structure of the region, the Balaton blend the aromatic freshness of Riesling.

Velich himself does not vinify the wines - he advises, selects and curates. The signature remains that of the Hungarian winemakers. His contribution is the connection: Austrian expertise meets Hungarian terroir, Moric philosophy meets Pannonian tradition. A network that is growing.