Királyudvar, Pezsgő (Sparkling), 'Henye'

We all love Champagne—the richness of the texture, the contrast of refreshing bubbles and bracing tension, the way great bottles seem to lift the senses and sharpen the mind. But outside of Champagne, it’s rare to find sparkling wines that hit this emotional register. Királyudvar (pronounced kir-all-yood-var) is one of the few estates globally that can—an iconic Tokaj producer whose wines have earned international praise from sommeliers, collectors, and critics for their precision, purity, and remarkable sense of place. Historically, the estate’s vineyards supplied wines to the Habsburg imperial courts, and its holdings include some of Tokaj’s most coveted parcels. After decades of decline during the Communist era, Királyudvar was revived beginning in 1997 by visionary owner Anthony Hwang—who also stewards the legendary Domaine Huet in Vouvray. At a recent tasting of top Champagnes and a few other gems, I spotted this bottle from across the room (I genuinely love this producer’s wines), poured myself a taste, and within milliseconds knew we’d be offering it ASAP for the holidays. In a U.S. market where truly good Champagne under $50–$60 is getting scarce—and anything drinkable under $40 nearly impossible—there are still elite producers crafting serious sparkling wines like this that impress even the most particular Champagne aficionados. I dare you to serve this blind to your most serious Champagne-loving friend and ask them to guess the price—what they’ll say and what it actually costs are two very different numbers. The deep history, the raw material, the volcanic soils, the cooling influence of the Bodrog River, and the extended lees aging all converge here at an astonishing price for what’s in the bottle. With the holidays approaching, this is exactly the kind of sparkling wine you want arriving at your door: festive, serious, beautifully made, and shockingly affordable.

Hungary’s winemaking legacy stretches back more than a thousand years, shaped by kingdoms, empires, monks, merchants, and periodic rebirth. Among its 22 regions, Tokaj (Tokaji-Hegyalja) stands alone as the most historically significant—a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of terraced volcanic hills where viticulture is documented as early as the 12th century. The region’s two noble grapes, Furmint and Hárslevelű, became legendary in the production of Tokaji Aszú, the world’s original sweet wine, once prized by monarchs and poets and famously described as “the wine of kings and the king of wines.” Yet Tokaj is far more than its sweet wines. Over the last several decades, the region has undergone a profound renaissance, rediscovering its ability to produce structured, mineral-driven dry wines and, more recently, traditional-method sparkling wines. With Furmint’s naturally high acidity and Tokaj’s fractured volcanic soils—rich in tuff, rhyolite, obsidian, and ash—the ingredients for world-class sparkling wine were always there. It simply took vision, investment, and time for the region’s greatest producers to unlock it.

Királyudvar has been at the forefront of that evolution. When Anthony Hwang acquired the estate in the late 1990s, he brought with him not only his deep appreciation for Tokaj but also the experience and philosophical influence of Domaine Huet’s Noël Pinguet, who helped steer the estate toward a biodynamic, terroir-first mindset. Királyudvar now farms six of Tokaj’s most historically important vineyards—including Henye, Percze, Becsek, Lapis, Danczka, and Nyulászó—each planted primarily to Furmint and Hárslevelű on steep, sunlit volcanic slopes. The Henye vineyard, perched above the village of Erdőbénye, is a south-facing hillside of decomposed volcanic tuff whose soils yield wines of precision, mineral backbone, and tension. The 2021 “Pezsgő Henye” is crafted from ~70% Furmint and ~30% Hárslevelű, harvested by hand, fermented in stainless steel, and matured for roughly three years on its lees using the traditional method. Királyudvar began experimenting with sparkling wines as early as 2007—initially inspired by Huet’s pétillant tradition—and has since become one of Tokaj’s reference-point producers for méthode traditionnelle wines.

The 2021 Pezsgő Henye is a brilliant demonstration of what Tokaj can achieve at the highest level. The nose opens with green apple, lemon zest, quince, pear skin, honeysuckle, and crushed stone, framed by subtle notes of brioche, toasted almond, and a faint white-smoke edge that speaks to its volcanic origins. The palate is delicious, textured, and tense: fine and persistent bubbles, a sleek mineral core, and a long, mineral-inflected finish. It is Champagne-like in structure yet unmistakably Tokaj in soul. While wonderful on its own, it becomes hauntingly good with food. For the most authentic experience, pair it with Hortobágyi Palacsinta—Hungarian savory crêpes filled with paprika-braised meat and finished with a spoonful of sour cream. The wine’s acidity slices through the richness, the bubbles refresh the palate after each bite, and together they form a perfect bridge between Hungary’s culinary and vinous traditions. This is the bottle you pour when you want to show something different, something thrilling, something world-class that still wildly over-delivers for the price.