🥃 Újfehértó sour cherry pálinka (Újfehértói meggypálinka)

Újfehértó sour cherry pálinka (Újfehértói meggypálinka) is a Hungarian EU geographical indication for pálinka from sour cherries grown in the town of Újfehértó and 16 neighbouring settlements of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in the heart of the Nyírség region. Only five varieties bred locally are permitted, and the pálinka may be made only in distilleries of this area.

The name has been protected since 8 June 2010 and was registered in 2014 (OJ L 33, 4.02.2014); the technical file was amended in 2021 (OJ L 292, 16.08.2021). At that time the more frost-hardy Kántorjánosi 3, Petri and Éva were added to the Újfehértói fürtös and Debreceni bőtermő varieties, together with three ways of ageing. Breeding began in the 1960s at the research station in Újfehértó; Újfehértói fürtös was provisionally recognised in 1970.

The sour cherries must be fully ripe, with dry matter of 14 % or more and a pH of 3.5–4.5. The stones are removed so that no more than 3 % are crushed: hydrocyanic acid forms from them during fermentation. The mash ferments for 7–10 days at 18–20 °C and is stirred several times a day; it is distilled in fractional stills or in continuous columns.

Strength is from 40 % vol., methanol up to 1000 g/hl, hydrocyanic acid up to 7 g/hl of pure alcohol. «Érlelt» means at least 3 months in a barrel of up to 1000 l or 6 months in a larger one; «ópálinka» a year in a barrel of up to 1000 l or two years in a larger one; «ágyas» 3 months on a bed of 10 kg of fresh or 5 kg of dried sour cherries per 100 l. Sour cherries are harvested from late June to early July.

Why this matters to you. The designations «érlelt», «ó» and «ágyas» have clear time limits, and on an «ágyas» bottle the net quantity of pálinka must be stated, because fruit takes up space in it. Újfehértói is made from sour cherry (meggy), Nagykörűi from sweet cherry (cseresznye). The WHO reminds us that no level of alcohol consumption is safe.