In 1983, owner and winemaker, Gabor Palotai, got a student visa to study in the United States. He was a long way from his home in Communist-controlled Hungary. When it was time to return to his home in Budapest, Gabor defected to America. Gabor may now live in America, but he has never forgotten his Hungarian roots. Gabor learned about making wine at a young age from his grandfather. Like his grandfather, Gabor believes in “Old World” craftsmanship, following centuries old European traditions where small lots of wine are made by hand, barrel-aged and are drinkable right after bottling. Gabor uses his skills to make wine the “Hungarian way.” Gabor works his land vine by vine. He knows which clusters to drop, when to pick and how best to bring out the flavor of the terroir. He only uses Hungarian oak as opposed to the high priced French oak. The Hungarian oak offers the well-defined flavor that Gabor seeks.

The Palotai Winery is located in Roseburg, Oregon and opened its doors in 2001. We tasted their fabulous wines in November, while attending a food and wine festival in Portland, Oregon. We spoke with John Olson, the assistant winemaker for Palotai Winery, who informed us that Palotai Vineyards is known for some fabulous wines. Most popular is their Bull’s Blood Red, which was sold out in 2008 after it was briefly mentioned in none other than “The National Geographic.” Their 2007 Estate Syrah received the “Greatest of the Grape” award at the Douglas County’s showcase wine-tasting event.