Supplier Spotlight: EC Hungary Oak & French Loire Producer in Tokay: Kikelet

9 hours ago
3 min read

Here is the story of two Hungarian wine companies with French and Italian roots and how extra tight grain Hungarian Tokay oak in barrel or puncheon format could be of interest for your 2026 white programs this harvest!

European Coopers - Hungary

The cooperage, Hungary's 3rd largest was founded in 1977 by Master Cooper Kristóf Flódung and 3x important Italian wine families: The Antinori and Mazzei wine producing families from Tuscany and the Gamba cooperage family from Piemonte with the goal of having access to the highest quality 100% Hungarian oak. Currently, the cooperage produces 2,500 barrels per year and is managed by Dr. Katalin Pintacsi while its founder, Kristôf looks after all technical areas of the cooperage including oak sourcing and barrel making.

Kikelet: A Loire lady in Tokay - Hungary

Stéphanie Berecz, a French oenologist from the Loire Valley founded "Kikelet" (translates to "springtime" in Hungarian) in 2002 in the Tokay region city of Tarcal. After oenology studies in Bordeaux, she left France to work at AXA Millésimes Disznókó Tokay estate and fell in love with Tokay native Zsolt Berecz, never left and decided to start her own project.

A French Vigneronne style for Furmint

The couple farms a total of 5 hectares planted to Furmint and Hárslevelú. Traditionally, furmint is used for making the sweet Hungarian Tokay Aszu wines, however the couple have a vision of making furmint in a dry style to showcase the mineral and volcanic soils of Tokay's terroir. They focus on low yields, sustainable farming, hand harvesting, spontaneous fermentation, site specific cuvées and barrel fermentation and élevage.

Winemaking & European Coopers Hungary @ Kikelet

Stéphanie only produces 20,000 bottles per year and treats each parcel separately in terms of fermentation and aging. Only furmint sees wood and after 1 night of cold stabilization post press cycle, the juice with some lees are left to ferment spontaneously in 500L puncheons. Battonage is kept to a minimum (and on some lots not used at all), and the wines are left on their lees for over six months in order to build texture and depth on the palate.

Tokay Extra Tight Grain Oak & LL / M Toast

As a small producer who only uses oak on half of her wines, Kikelet limits her purchases to several European Coopers Hungary, Tokay oak selection, LL / M toasted 500L puncheons per vintage. She finds that puncheons integrate gracefully with the wine and impart flavors and textures very gently over time. Being a producer from the Tokay region of Hungary, Stéphanie feels more attached using oak sourced from her region even if slightly more expensive than standard Hungarian oak.

The oak from Tokay (sessile oak / quercus patraea so the same species of oak found in France) has extremely tight grain because of the less fertile volcanic soils of the region (foothills of the Carpathian Mountains). Paired with a Light Long or Medium toast, the Tokay oak has more of a textural and structural impact instead of an aromatic one which is exactly what Stéphanie is looking for in her winemaking to showcase Furmint in a pure and varietal correct form.

These same European Coopers Hungary barrels and puncheons are available in stock in Bouchard Cooperages California, Oregon, Washington, Virginia and Ontario warehouses amongst barrels from the Billon (Richelieu), Damy, Maury, Schneckenleitner and Master Coopers USA cooperages, premium French oak adjuncts from Canadell and Wineglobes and amphora from Tava.