Szigeti

Brand Description

Szigeti (pronounced ZIG-it-ee) was part of the new wave of Austrian sparkling wine producers in the 1990s who focused on high-quality, traditional method Sekt. The company began in 1991 when brothers Peter and Norbert Szigeti took over the family business in the village of Gols. Norbert trained in enology and worked in a large sparkling wine firm in Vienna, while Peter completed hotel management school and worked both in Austria and abroad. Peter bought out his brother's shares in 2018 and is now the sole proprietor of the winery. Szigeti operates as a négociant, buying fruit from contracted growers and owning no vineyards. A broad range of wines are produced, all by the traditional method, and all made in fresh style with clear varietal expression.

Location of Vineyard

Szigeti produces wine from contracted growers in Burgenland and Niederösterreich and works closely with their partners to obtain grapes explicitly grown to produce quality sparkling wine. Varietal wines, such as the Grüner Veltliner Brut, are sourced from multiple vineyards in the Burgenland region, while specialty bottlings, like the “Adele” Blanc de Blancs, come from more defined areas. At the top of their production is a series of Sekt sourced from specific terroirs called “Terroir Exclusiv.” These include wines like the Riesling Spitzer Graben Brut, a sparkling wine that reflects its Wachau origin. The designation "Österreichischer Sekt g.U." (Austrian Sekt with Protected Designation of Origin) applies to the entire production.

Winemaking Philosophy

All Szigeti sparkling wines are produced by the traditional method with the second fermentation in the bottle. For Szigeti, the traditional method must not trump the integrity of the fruit. In other words, the dominant perfumes and flavors of the wines should be of the variety, and should not be masked at all by the yeasty, fermentative flavors of secondary fermentation in the bottle. Fermentation occurs using only Champagne yeasts and dosages are prepared using local sweet wines. Szigeti crafts sparkling wine from a dozen different varieties and the hallmark of each is clear varietal expression.

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“For the wine-curious crowd, pour the 2016 Szigeti Pinot Noir Brut Rose’. Made in the traditional method by the Szigeti (ZIG-it-ee) brothers in Burgenland Austria, this tasty red-fruit-scented and-flavored sparkler will ignite the wine conversation. It’s aged for 20 months, bringing more complexity than usually found in good-value wines. Serve this alongside your tuna, salmon, mushroom, or eggplant dishes.”
— acclaim for 2016 Szigeti Pinot Noir Rosé Brut from John Foy, Dec 2019

“An aromatic version, with exotic floral notes and tropical fruit at the core. It shows crunchy texture and moderate length on the finish.”
— acclaim for N/V Szigeti Grüner Veltliner Brut from Wine Enthusiast, Nov 2022

“This is round and ripe, with a silky texture behind the fine bubbles. It has a vegetal sweetness, like roasted red peppers, that suggests a match with cheese biscuits or pimiento cheese and crackers.”
— acclaim for N/V Szigeti Grüner Veltliner Brut from Wine & Spirits, Aug 2022

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