The word Grey Friar as a name for wines was born in the 1930’s at the Badacony Eszterházy vine estate with the help of Vilmos Krassay, an acknowledged farm manager.
The Badacsony Eszterházy vine estate was the largest at Upper Lake Balaton and it was an estate which was able to provide a name, value and fame for this excellent quality purebred wine. They were rightly proud of their relationship with the Order of St. Paul, both in family and local relations on Badacsony Hill and when the Order returned to Hungary in the 1930’s, they gave the appropriate Grey Frair name to their wine.
The original colour of the Pauline monks’ frocks was the same grey as the colour of Pinot gris, a fact that contributed to the name-giving and the presence of the Paulines, who had settled down on Badacsony Hill and the excellence of former Pauline frair, Imre Eszterházy, then an archbishop and primate, also played a significant role in the name-giving.Time has verified this idea of naming: both the name and the wine have become very popular.
In the photo one can see the grapes of Grey Friar, planted on Csobánc Hill in 2004.It is a great favourite in every vintage and we hope that this year’s wine will be very beautiful..
