I started out the day with a quick trip to a winery that is just
about 6 minutes up the road from my guesthaus.
The first wine (and last) I began tasting was their chardonnay – pinot
blanc. After two sips I put down the
glass paid my bill and left. Harsh with
a very off putting after taste. Go
figure, their wines have won three gold medals.
But I didn’t want to stay and pan for gold.
Then it was on to my primary mission of the day – tasting wine
from at least three wineries in the neighboring town of Csopak.
Simple huh? Instead
of walking two or three kilometers on the edge of narrow two lane road without
shoulders with cars whizzing by within a couple feet of you to get to the several
wineries by the most direct route, you play it safe and go by
bus.
Seems simple enough. Take the local bus to the bus
station which you have done several times since you have been in Balatonfüred. Buy
a ticket to Csopak the neighboring town just a few kilometers away and in a
short while you alight from the bus and go in search of several wineries for tasting.
What could go wrong?
1.
The bus to Csopak was supposed to leave from bus station bay
number 2. After two separate conversations with the bus driver, none
of which I understood, I finally got the point by gesticulation. For
you non English majors that means generally waggling your fingers around to
help make a point. Here it meant to take the bus in bay number
3. Which brings me to point number 2.
2.
I board the bus in bay 3 show a piece of paper on which I have
written Csopak to the driver. He takes
my money, gives me a ticket and the bus takes off.
3.
I figured the bus would stop somewhere in downtown Csopak and I
could make my way to the wineries on foot.
I had previously Googled them and knew them to be not too distant from
‘downtown Csopak’.
4.
Instead after a few kilometers down the road the bus stops in
the middle of nowhere. I mean REALLY in the middle of nowhere. The driver opens the door and says to me
Csopak and I so get off the bus. The
only thing around was a little open fronted hut with the name Csopak on the
front of it. I could see the town some
couple of kilometers in the distance. I
looked over to the other side of the road and there was a corresponding white
hut with the name Csopak on the front. I
walked across the road to commune with the other white hut, hoping for a sign
from the wine gods. The only sign I got
was the one on the front of the hut.
5.
Shortly a bus pulled up going in the direction of
Balantonfured. He opened the door. I asked the driver ‘Balantornfured?’ He nodded affirmatively, I boarded it, paid
the fare, and arrived back where I had started not more than 30 minutes before.
6.
When life gives you lemons .........
7.
I hoofed it from the bus station to ‘downtown Balatonfüred’ and the Winehaus and commenced
my wine tasting of wineries listed on their board from Csopak. So there! Wine
tasting notes follow:
Figula
Pince Winery
Zenit
7ha 2014 WHITE WINE
Nose
can't figure it out. Light bouquet
Taste
starts out grapey then light charcoal, flinty
Interesting
wine
Drink
with cheese plate
Palate
cleansing
Fordowin
Winery
Jjuhfark
2014 WHITE WINE
A
bit of a risling nose. Light floral bouquet
Similar
to a risling with a tart finish
Grapey
green raw taste
Both
of these wines go to my head and I decide to go down the street just a little
ways to have lunch at Taverna. I’ll
continue my wine tasting after I’ve gotten some food.
I
ate there yesterday – roasted pig knuckle with potatoes and cabbage salad. It was very tasty. Today I opted for a plate of two crispy fried
duck legs topped with bacon wrapped duck liver.
It was accompanied by red cabbage and potatoes.
After lunch I returned to the Winehaus to taste three red
wines.
Figula 3
2014
Cabernet Sauvignon, merlot and Cabernet franc
Light red color
The wine is poured from a refrigerated bottle about 2/3
full. It has no discernible nose. I decide to order a rose and drink it while I
let this wine come to room temperature. As the wine
starts to warm an incredible bouquet begins to emerge. Rich fully ripe raspberries . As it begins to warm to cellar temperature a slight hint
of resin.
Taste starts fresh berries and
morphs to very dry with ripe dried fruit at the finish. This is the best red wine I have tasted to
date!
Fordowin Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
Also refrigerated needed to let
wine warm
Dark dense color slightly
purple
No traditional Cabernet flavor
instead tobacco and alcohol and exceedingly dry finish. Chewy and astringent dry. This was one of the priciest wines I tasted
at the Weinhous. It was so dry it
parches the mouth
Fordiwin Cabernet Sauvignon rose
2014
Light floral bouquet fruity
Light cab taste with a semi dry finish
also ends on a tart note.
And on that note I have to go
home and pack. Tomorrow I take the bus
to Gyor. It is a large city in the north
of Hungary. My ultimate destination is a
series of day trips about 10 kilometers from Gyor to Pannonhalma. It is the
smallest wine region in the country.
Let’s hope the bus works better that my attempted trip to Csopak.
By the way, I really enjoyed
my lunch.
No comments:
Post a Comment