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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 388: Hungary

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Friday, March 23: Arrived in Munich at 10:15 am after a sleepless night. The guy next to me had a blocked nose and was sniffing loudly all night, which was better than the gases he let fly every so often. Had to hurry across Munich airport – why do you have to walk so far in German airports? – in order to get my flight to Budapest.

Arrived in Budapest at 12:30 pm and was met by a driver who spoke a little English. We talked about the weather (20°C and sunny here) and he told me he’s a Pentecostalist in a country of Catholics and he believes the freaky weather we’ve been having prophesies the Apocalypse. I asked him what that meant and he said, “the second coming of Christ.” He dropped me at the Zara Continental Hotel and would not take the US $5 tip I offered. “It’s my job,” he said.

The Fisherman's Bastion in Budapest

Showered and shaved, checked email in my room and walked the 10-minute walk to the Corinthia Hotel, the venue for VinCE. Scheduled at 3 pm there is a tasting 22 wines, blind, matching Hungarian wines against like varietals or styles. Thirty-nine wineries were invited to send a single wine to “show” Hungary. These were reduced to 11. They are to be tasted in pairs against imported wines, marked out of 20 points.

After the tasting walked back to the hotel, checking food prices at the local Spar supermarket on the way home. Dr. Oetker pizzas are half the price here. Dropped into an excellent wine shop in Pohány utca, the same street as my hotel, called In Vino Veritas. Asked for some recommended producers.

Checked emails and then walked back to the Corinthia hotel for the opening VinCE party held in the ballroom. Curiously, there was no wine available, only soft drinks, but a magnificent buffet of hot and cold food plus a sweet table. Too tired to join Stephen Spurrier, Siobhan Turner and Peter Peter Csizmadia-Honigh (who writes a bilingual blog called Wine World) for dinner. In bed by 9:30 pm.

Saturday, March 24: Bad night’s sleep. There were people talking loudly in the street below my window all night until four in the morning. Breakfast of fried egg and bacon then walked to the Cornithia Hotel to taste Hungarian wines at VinCE. Spent the day tasting over 80 wines, interrupted by lunch at the Brasserie in the hotel with Steven Spurrier (goulash soup). Then back to tasting. I was impressed by the Cabernet Francs from Villány (although all the accents in the Hungarian language are driving me nuts) and Takler in Szekszard; and the Bordeaux-style blends from Kiss Gábor, Matatinsky, Kúri, Heimann’s Barbár and Villa Tolnay in Szekszard, Vida, Gróf Buttler’s Bordeaux varietals. Enjoyed the Furmints from IFDTa, Vylyan, Szent Benedek. Loved the Szamorodni from Tokaj Kereskedöház (like a vin jaune).

A great red blend

Heimann Családi Birtok

Sunday, March 25: Josef Kosarka picked me up and we drove for two hours south of Budapest to Szekszárd. Our first stop: Eszterbeauer winery. Eszterbauer’s cellar is hidden behind a door that swings open remotely like some Hollywood horror film film.

Bottles conceal the hidden door at Eszterbauer Winery

János Eszterbauer, a 10th-generation winemaker, uses old family photographs for his labels. We sat in the tasting room while he poured the following wines:

Andros Takler

János Eszterbauer

Next stop: Takler winery. The owner, Ferenc Takler, took us through the cellar to the tasting room – a replica of a fifteenth century chapel. First we tasted a series of 2011 wines from the barrel, Pinot Noir (a Hungarian clone aged in French oak and 777, a French clone, aged in Hungarian oak), Kekfrankos, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. 2011 could be as good as 2007. Takler has 61 hectares and produces some 600,000 bottles.

Upstairs to taste finished wine over a plate of homemade sausage.

Back in Budapest in time for my Master Class on Icewine. About 60 people turned up and the wines they tasted were:

At the end of the tasting (during which there was simultaneous translation for those who did not speak English) I asked for a show of hands for the Icewine they liked best. Overwhelming favourite was Pillitteri Vidal Icewine 2006.

Dinner at Manna Lounge. Started with Tomaz Durszi Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2011, roast duck liver on toast with chorizo and crispy shallnot with Eszterbauer Tuke Bull’s Blood 2009. Rack of veal with purée of asparagus and jus with Somlói Juhfark 2010. Marzipan soufflé with cinnamon almond, with Arvay Late Harvest Furmint 2010. Finished the evening with a glass of Barta Őreg Kiraly Dulo Mad Furmint 2008.

Monday, March 26: Awoken at 3 am by the hotel taken out its garbage and an hour later by the garbage truck coming to collect it. At 9:30 joined David Bird, who works with Royal Tokaji Company, to drive to Mad to begin a tour of Tokaji.

Entrance to Royal Tokaji Wine Company

Royal Tokaji Company's Eszencia 2007

István Turóczi, and Josef Kosarka enterting Royal Tokaji cellars

We stopped in at Royal Tokaji Company, where the General Manager, István Turóczi, insisted we make a quick tour of the cellars including the ancient caves that date back to the 13th century and stretch for 1000 metres on three levels. In the garden is a bust of Hugh Johnson, one of the owners of the company. István insisted we taste some wines.

A special spoon for serving Tokaji Eszencia

The next stop: István Szepsy, who owns 50 hectares in 15 different terroirs. He told me that for his dry wine he can get 2000 bottles per hectare; for his sweet wine 800 bottles per hectare. For his Aszu wines he picks them berry by berry. His cellar under the house was built in 1790.

In 2000 István made the first dry Furmint of quality in Hungary, using fruit from old vineyards, low yield, barrel-fermented with battonage.

István Szepsy

Then we drove on to Barta winery where Károly Barta toured his wines over lunch (pâtés, homemade sausage, prosciutto and bread).

Our next stop is Gábor Orosz. His labels show an 1882 map of Mad’s vineyards of which he owns seven portions in the best sites totaling 7 hectares. His single vineyard wine labels are designated with a gold strip on the map showing where the grapes were grown. He owns a further 10 hectares jointly with his sister. The lesser wines go into a second label, Bodvin.

These wines, says Orosz, can take two years for ferment. He told me that Ludovico Antinori bought the entire 2003 vintage of this wine.

On the drive back to Budapest Josef and I stopped at a rustic restaurant in Bodrogkeresztúr called Lebuz for a bowl of catfish soup with paprika and a glass of Bene Hárslevelü 2011.

Tuesday, March 27: Heard on the 8 am news that there is a baggage handlers’ strike at German airports. I have to fly to Frankfurt and change planes for my Toronto flight. As it turned out, the strike was over at 2 pm and my flight was only delayed by an hour and a half. Deborah picked me up at the airport and Pinot the Wonderdog gave me a Wheaten greeting when we got home.

Wednesday, March 28: Spent the day on emails and writing my Commentary for Tidings and preparing for tomorrow’s Grapes For Humanity event.

Thursday, March 29: Final preparations this morning for “RAW! The Great Toronto Tartare-Off” at The Imperial Room, Fairmont Royal York. The competing chefs are:

PROFESSIONAL CHEFS:

AMATEUR CHEFS:

Harald Thiel of Hidden Bench preparing salmon tartare

THE JUDGES:

Geddy Lee and John Higgins judging tartares

One hundred and seventy people tasted the Asian hors d’oeuvres prepared by students of Humber College under the leadership of Chef Leo Chan, French fries prepared fresh in the kitchen, as well as all the 10 chefs’ tartares and a sweet table. Plus lashings of wines provided by the four Ontario wineries, Winery Direct and importing agents, Profile Wine Group. The judges voted Lorenzo Loseto of George Restaurant as the best tartare. The amateur prize went to Paul Pender, winemaker at Tawse Winery.

Sommeliers Zoltan Szabo and Jamie Drummond tasted all the donated wines with the tartares and proclaimed the best match to be Rosewood Estate Pinot Noir 2010 with La Palette Chef Brook Kavanagh’s venison tartare.

A great evening, beautifully organized by Chair Doris Miculan Bradley and her committee of Jimson Bienenstock, Malcolm Jolley, Zoltan Szabo, Jamie Drummond, Sheila Swerling Puritt, Megan and Lindsay Groves. A special thanks to Steve Alexander of Cumbrae’s, who supplied all the meat. The proceeds from the event will go to building a high school in Basico, Guatemala. It was so successful we’re thinking of a reprise next year.

Friday, March 30: A tasting this morning at the LCBO of 40 wines from BC. The highlights were Meyer Family McLean Creek Road Vineyard Chardonnay 2010 (91), Meyer Family Reimer Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010 (90), Blackwood Lane Viana Roja 2008 (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec – 90), Cassini Cellars Syrah Collection Series 2009 (90), Moon Curser Border Vines 2009 (Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Carmenère, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot! – 90), Desert Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (90) and Cassini Maximus 2009 (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec).

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