Wine & Culture at Home: Tanú (‘Witness’) Movie & Figula Olaszrizling

A legendary satirical Hungarian movie paired with our favorite honest everyday wine.

Tanú (‘Witness’) is a legendary satirical dark comedy that makes fun of the darkest years of Hungarian communism. The movie revolved around a regular guy (‘Comrade Pelikan’) who, due to a series of circumstances, ends up navigating the surreal world of the communist state system, constantly getting into trouble or being promoted due to seemingly completely random events. The movie was filmed in 1969 and immediately banned due to its caricature of the system. It was only released over a decade later, but quickly became a phenomenon. Even today, most Hungarians know many of its lines by heart. Many of its dialogues and expressions have become cultural references and it is still a relevant portrayal of Hungarian society in many ways.

And the wine to match? A down-to-earth, honest everyday white wine that the characters of the movie could have been drinking back then, and would still enjoy today: a crisp and refreshing Olaszrizling from the Balaton’s northern shore. While the Figula winery’s version is a much more modern, vibrant and fresher style than what people would have been drinking back then, the clean-cut, crisp and toned-down wines from this grape variety have been a staple in the Hungarian wine scene for generations.

Watch the movie here with English subtitles:

and check out the wine here: