|
Wine route around Lake Balaton - Day 1 (57 km) |
|
|
|
|
Take the path less trodden!
|
 |
The Balaton wine route is one of our most colorful and beautiful wine regions. There are lots of programs, opportunities for relaxation, and many wineries that await us close to its shores with numerous lodging options. There is a bike path that goes all around: around 60% is an actual bike path and the remaining 40% is low-traffic roads or sidewalks. The route around the lake is 200km if we don't take any detours. We made it in 220 kilometers and traveled this distance in three days. (Last year we made it around the lake in two days, but it was a bit strenuous and there wasn't much time for wine tasting.) We departed from Balatonlelle (by the way, most of the wineries are in south Balaton, thanks to the co-operative BB breaking-up and selling off its bits and pieces). It'd be worth spending a few days here. ...
|
|
|
|
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2008 |
|
|
|
|
Wine club Wednesday, Sauvignon Blanc under a magnifying glass...
|
 |
Sauvignon Blancs were the next up this week at the bi-weekly wine club meeting. All in all we tasted ten wines, all of which were Hungarian with the exception of two. Hands down the winner was the 2008 “Cloudy Bay” from New Zealand in aroma and flavor easily outdoing the Hungarian wines that night. It was a typical Sauvignon Blanc with undeniable varietal character. Very clean floral aromas, elderberry, mint, peach, citrus, especially grapefruit notes. Nicely defined acid spine, tingles in your mouth, with a full mouthfeel and long finish. A perfectly composed wine. No wonder this is one of the most popular New Zealand varietals! The only negative thing about it is the price at first. I bought this bottle in Frankfurt for around 20 euros. In Hungary you can find this bottle at the Bortársaság for 6450 forints. But its worth it!
|
|
|
|
And we’re surprised? |
|
|
|
|
Detestable Hungarian wines on the store shelves in Los Angeles
|
 |
In Los Angeles, we checked out the local wine shelves to see what kinds of Hungarian wines were being sold. Almost needless to say, most stores didn’t carry any Hungarian wine. About 60% of the wines on the shelves of big grocery stores and wine stores come California, but of course there are international wines available as well. Almost everywhere you can find wines from Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Israel. In addition, there are a couple of stores in California that focus on the eastern European customer (ex. Jons), where you can find a few Hungarian specialties too. Here you’ll find paprika, paprika paste, farmer’s cheese, kolozsvári bacon, and a few bottles of Hungarian wine. Here we found two bottles of Tokaji Aszú, a three puttony bottle for $16 and a five puttony bottle for $23. Also there was an Egri Bull’s Blood wine for $5. ...
|
|
|
|
Napa Valley, California |
|
|
|
|
Cabernet Sauvignon heaven...
|
 |
Napa is a unique unparalleled part of the world where great wines are made. Their biggest strength is their Cabernet Sauvignon, but many other superb wines are made here as well. Located near the west coast, about an hour’s drive north of San Francisco is Napa Valley, North America’s biggest and most famous wine region. We drove up from Los Angeles, about a six-hour drive, 600 kilometers. Napa Valley lies between two mountains—most of the vineyards are found here, but there are a couple on the mountainside as well. The valley floor, an old riverbed, is full of sediments, while higher up the mountain, the earth has volcanic qualities. The differing soil is the reason why many of the wines from this area differ so greatly from one another though the vineyards perhaps lie only a few hundred meters apart. The wineries are found mostly in the northern part of Napa and can be approached from one of two roads, the 29 and the Silverado Trail. There are about 400 wineries in Napa; it would take quite a few months to visit every one of them. We succeeded in visiting twenty wineries in four days. At five wineries a day, that was an impressive feat. We tasted 118 wines in total...
|
|
|
|
From geraniums to pink bubble gum |
|
|
|
|
Making sense of aromas
|
 |
My favorite part of wine tasting is swirling the glass and picking out the aromas one by one. With an exceptional wine this could take minutes, dissecting and analyzing the aromas without taking the first sip. Its like when you receive a present, slowly undoing the ribbon and carefully unwrapping the gift so the experience lasts longer. It’s the same with wine; it takes time and the more time it gets, the more memorable the experience. Of course, I know some people find it silly when they hear someone say they can smell coffee, cigars, leather, or even their grandmother’s homemade jam in the glass of wine. ...
|
|
|
|
Everything wine... |
|
|
|
|
Unified Wine & Grape Symposium January 25 th- 28th 2009
|
 |
Every year in January the city of Sacramento hosts the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium where everyone who is anyone in the wine-making industry attends. Aimed at grape growers and wine makers, at the conference you will find the newest technology being used out in vineyards and down at the winery, also present are industry suppliers including coopers and bottle, cork, and label producers, to mention just a few. At the tradeshow there were a handful of barrel washing systems, wine-making utensils and lab equipment, and all kinds of oak chips, planks, and oak pieces used to enhance the aroma experience…
|
|
|
|
Footloose wine tourists |
|
|
|
|
Long Island – USA
|
 |
About 100 kilometers east of New York City, in Long Island, at its furthest tip, is the third most well-known wine region in the United States. The island is 160 kilometers long and branches out at the east end. The northern half is called North Fork and the lower half South Fork. They have been growing grapes in this area since 1973. This region doesn't have very big wineries, moreso are small family wineries farming on about 20-30 hectares. Why I was especially eager to get to know this wine region, was because I believe it has many similarities to certain Hungarian wine regions. ...
|
|
|
|
Europe Sideways |
|
|
|
|
Borturista Pinot Noir Test - December 10th, 2008
|
 |
After Sideways, which premiered in 2004, the number of Pinot fans have shot through the roof. An interesting statistic--when the movie started playing in the US, Pinot sales increased by 33% in the first twelve weeks! A favored variety around the world, it is typically a type of wine that you are either crazy about or not. But we love it! Originating in Burgundy, this is one of France's pride and joy. Despite the difficulties in making a good Pinot, more and more wineries are taking on the challange. ...
|
|
|
|
It’s worth taking a look around at grandma’s! |
|
|
|
|
Chateau Teleki Villány - Welschriesling, 1945
|
 |
Aromas of a freshly cut grass and flavors of cotton candy...—just kidding! Of course I didn’t open the bottle. But we finally found it! This summer, at our summer home at Lake Balaton, we spoke with my grandmother about grapes and wine. My grandfather was a viticulturalist and vintner. In the 1970s, a couple of times a week, he would pack his car (a Wartburg) with 5 liter cans of wine and go to campsites favored by the German tourists around lake Balaton and sell the wine he made on the slopes of Mohács. Apart from making wine, he also grafted vines. Over 40 edible grape varieties and who knows how many wine grape varieties he had grafted by the ten thousands. Perhaps he operated the first courier service in Hungary; I remember as a child that the postman would bring 50-100 letters all placing orders with my grandfather. My grandmother’s job was to always wrap the vines and take them to the post office. When she joined the business in the ’40s, she frequently spoke with Sándor Teleki, son of Zsigmond Teleki, who, after the Filoxera plague, proceeded to breed the world’s most well-known variety, the Berlendieri x Riparia Teleki Kober 5BB. In 1945, the Teleki’s were invited to lunch and, as my grandmother recalls, “they had vegetable soup and Teleki ate his with bread. He brought a few bottles of wine with him too. It should be around here somewhere!”...
|
|
|
|
The Great Villány Visit (part 5): |
|
|
|
|
"It can't hurt if it's not in there!"- Zoltán Polgár
|
 |
This could be the winery's motto. Zoltán Polgár believes that good wine shouldn't be based on chemistry, that you shouldn't need to orchestrate good wine. Everything that needs to be in the wine and the capabilities of the vintner are there naturally. It has been my opinion for quite some time now that Polgár's hospitality is unparalleled in Villány. Even years ago, when we first started going to Polgár's, I was always in awe of the enthusiasm, sincerity, and kindness that they projected onto their guests. Thankfully, this has not changed one bit over the years. We began our visit in the tasting room and tasted the new 2008 wines with none other than Zoltán Polgár himself. We bombarded him with questions, but as it would turn out, there wasn't much need, as he would readily offer all the interesting details throughout the evening. ...
|
|
|
|
