I WENT TO BALATONFURED FOR TWO DAYS TO TASTE WINE- BUT IT WAS CLOSED

Well, almost.

I got off the train in Balantonfured, a town of a little more than 13,000 souls and took a taxi to my new home for three days – the Lara Gasthous.  It gets a 9.3 out of 10.0 rating.  And, as it turned out my accommodations were very very nice.  I was greeted by a lovely elderly couple (which means they were about my age).  The lady of the house brought me a tasty glass of Riesling while the husband acquainted me with my new digs.

Just one problem.  They only spoke Dutch.

It seemed to make no difference to them.  They prattled on and on like I was a visitor from their native land.  We then exhausted attempts at communication in sign language and other arcane forms of gesticulation.  Finally, the husband jotted down some cryptic notes on a piece of paper and handed it to me.   I was off (hopefully) to town on the local bus to draw money from an ATM and do a little grocery shopping.  The mini apartment that I am ensconced in has a very nice and well equipped mini kitchen.

To my surprise, I actually successfully accomplished my mission and returned to prepare a couple of sandwiches for dinner and soon it was off to lala land.

I got up the next morning, dawdled around and left the apartment shortly before noon.  I decided to spend my time that day wine tasting in Balantonfured and reserve the next day to go to the neighboring town of Csopak about 3 or 4 kilometers away which had several interesting wineries that would be open for tasting.

I took the bus downtown and made my way to the Tour In Form office.  These offices pepper the whole of Hungary.  Even a small town such as this one will have one or more of these offices staffed with people to help the touristas.   This office had a bonus - a large space reserved for wine tasting.  A bar filled with glasses sat off to one side next to a table with about a dozen bottles of wine on it.  To the side of that were tables and chairs to seat about 20 people. 

Only one problem.  It was closed Tuesday (today) and Wednesday (tomorrow, ie. my two days here to taste wine).  Why don't they (whoever they are) impart such vital bits of information to the tourist?

‘Hello tourists.  Don’t come to taste wine these two days.  We close a lot of our businesses on Tuesday and Wednesday that do wine tastings.  You're only here for those two days, you say?  Hmm, do you by any chance like beer?'

In the end the Tour In Form lady came through.  She directed me to the one and only wine bar open in town that day where I could taste local wines – the Borhaz Weinhaus.

 

 The outdoor picnic tables behind the Winehouse could seat at least 60 or 70 people.  They are situated about 100 yards from the shore of Lake Balaton providing a nice view while drinking wine or beer.  That combined with a lovely temperate sunny day, and possibly it being the only game in town and it was not surprising they were doing a brisk business.

There were 25 wines from six wineries on offer.  Several of the wineries were located in neighboring Csopak.  I would wait and taste those wines the next day at the local wineries.  So, I confined my tasting to the six Balatonfured wines plus two others from a winery by the name of Fordowin.  It was some 10 kilometers distant and I would not get to it the next day.

 

 By the way, the usual size of glass poured for tasting is a deciliter.  In the glass it looks like this.

 

However, when you have downed four of these you have consumed the equivalent of more than a half bottle of wine.

Lake Balaton White Wines Tasting Notes

Olasrizling 2015 white

Nose mineral light floral

Very pale almost clear

Taste very little flavor exceedingly dry

Szurkebarat 2013 white

Nose medicine eucalyptus

Taste eucalyptus medicinal

Muskotaly 2014 white

Nose faint diesel

Taste semi sweet. Very dry

Slightly oily

Tolnai Kekfrankos 2014 red

Nose barnyard 

 Taste chalky slightly acid

Zweigelt 2014

Nose faint

Taste cough syrup and lollipop

Very interesting wine

Drink by itself after dinner

Kekfrankos rose 2014

Faint nose 

Taste tart finish

Fodorwin - a winery 10 kilometers west of Balantonfured

Irsai Oliver 2015

Floral slight earthy faint chadonnay

Taste slightly tart fruit Clean crisp slightly tart green apple fresh green wine,

Very little acid slightly dry. 

A good one to drink with chicken or beginning cheese plate.

I usually don’t drink all the wine in the glass.  However, this one was too good not to finish.

Cserszegi fusEres 2015

Nose none

Taste astringent green grape tart finish lingering on the palate.  

Green wine very young.  Very very green wine hardly out of the barrel.

I can’t remember tasting a wine this young!

Tomorrow it is off to several wineries in Cospak to taste wines.