5 Puttonyos, 6 Puttonyos, 7 Puttonyos more…

This, of course, relates to the sweetness levels of the wines made in Tokaji. It could also something about the weight or number of baskets at harvest. This, I’m afraid, sums up my fleeting knowledge of Hungarian wines for the most part. All of which is a bid of crime against Hungarian cuisine as I’m a mere stones throw from an Hungarian food and wine shop. Perhaps if they sent me some sample I’d have more of a reason to learn about them. Otherwise, it’s back to charming bright red white zinfandels and some €5 wine from Aldi. Ah, well.

Irony aside, I have actually tried more than just the sweet wine of Tokaji and you probably should too. The dry whites and the red “Bull’s Blood” are worth seeking out. The wine for this week is a dry Tokaji.

Dry Tokaji

O’Brien’s do one, Enowine another. And then there’s this one, the Chateau Dereszla Dry Tokaji 2007 brought in and sold by Mitchell & Son and “wine of the week” for this week.

The grapes are picked quite a bit earlier than those which go into the sweet wine, so there’s less sugar to be furminted, sorry fermented, and you end up with a dry wine. The grapes in this one are the punderful Furmint, the unpronounceable Harslevelu and the too oft maligned and misunderstood Muscat.

How does it taste?

Nose of apricots, intense acidity, flavours of bitter orange and apricots with a vein of minerality coursing through it. Long finish. Wonderful.
Available from Mitchell & Son and select independents for €13.50