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!
We found this wonderful bottle of rosé on our latest trip around Lake Balaton. We bought it at Soma Pince in Alsóörs, a sister company of Bortársaság. The label was the first thing to catch my eye: up there, in the upper right-hand corner dances a spirited little cherub called Alfredo (named after the founding partner of the Montes winery, Alfredo Vidaurre) designed by noted illustrator, Ralph Steadman. Remembering the wonderful labels of Picasso and Dali, my heart pulls toward artist-illustrated labels and so I strapped this wine to the back of my bike and continued pedaling uphill...
Szt. Kristóf Pincészet, Zamárdi - Zöld Veltelini 2006
Szent Kristóf Pincészet was our last wine stop on our trip around Lake Balaton. It is located in Zamárdi nearly at the foot of Kőhegy hill amidst beautiful idyllic surroundings. After looking around the winery we took a seat outside in the shade of tall trees and began to order off their wine list. But after looking at their menu, who could resist tasting their food! Their menu is full of delicious cold cut plates made with fresh, local ingredients and homemade delicacies like goat cheese and delicious pumpkinseed oil. So, waiting for our cold plate to arrive, we tasted their 2007 Irsai Olivér and their award-winning 2007 Zenit, but their 2006 Zöld Veltilni was something quite special…
Thanks Paulo, it was delicious! We have a friend who lives in southern Italy, in Bari. He visits Hungary regularly and, knowing how much we love wine, he often surprises us with wonderful wines from local wineries. He has excellent taste and his selection did not disappoint this time either. I’ll surely remember this wine for years to come. What a wonderful experience! We didn’t open this bottle right away, waiting for just the right occasion to open it, but of course, we didn’t (couldn’t) wait long. …
Wines 
