Hungarian gin products in the making!

Danubiana Kft., a wine production and export company based in Bonyhád, is starting to develop new grape-based, aroma-free gin products in cooperation with the University of Pécs (PTE), the Baranya county-based higher education institution told MTI.

The consortium of the institution and the company won 430 million HUF from the Economic Development and Innovation Operational Programme (Ginop) plus, 168.hu reports. The experts will be the first in Hungary to develop three grape-based gin products with a unique character using innovative technologies for grape processing, which will reach marketable quality by the end of the project.

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Green, pink and red gin by 2025

According to the information available, the development would promote the use of the existing high-value Hungarian grape resource and respond to the declining wine consumption in Hungary. The development is investigating the combined effect of two technologies that use physical, rather than enzymatic or chemical, methods to destroy the skins and extract the aromatic compounds from the grapes immediately and completely, 168.hu writes.

In parallel with the identification of the optimal wine and distillation technology, potential gin spices are also being investigated, but of particular importance to the project are the other parts of the grape: flowers, leaves, berries and seeds. Extensive research is also planned to explore the aromas and potential of different innovative and traditional grape varieties.

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Professional background

The research and professional background of the project is provided by the large-scale winemaking experience of Danubiana Ltd., the multiple award-winning Brill Pálinkaház distillery as a service provider, the accredited laboratory of the PTE Research Institute of Viticulture and Enology (SZBKI) and the 70-year old viticultural and oenological knowledge base of the institute.

The project, which will be completed by spring 2025, will result in three gins with unique characters – ‘green’, ‘pink’ and ‘red’ – being commercialised. To achieve this goal, experts will carry out a series of comprehensive laboratory tests and in-plant trials to compare traditional grape varieties with new, innovative grape varieties from the PTE SZBKI resistance breeding programme to produce a base gin spirit.

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Source: 168.hu, MTI