First off, for this video you’re going to need to pour yourself a glass of perky Furmint and queue up CCR’s “Green River” (BRAAAWHHHHWWWWW…. brahw-wahw-wahw-wahw-whaw-WHAW!). That’s because from a rainy day, with nice people, fine wine,  and a backdrop that’s a fisherman’s wet dream (get it?… ok, whatever…) comes the next installment of my Tokaj Furmint Adventures, a trip to Kvaszinger Winery (for the whole round-up of FurmintUSA jaunt vids and articles, see 1winedude.com/tag/furmintusa).

A fisherman’s wet dream: Kvaszinger Winery

In this episode, we meet the young but impressive László Kvaszinger, whose passion for taking the family wine business to the next level with dry Furmint saw him give up a finance biz career in Budapest in favor of life of the vine. Also, I attempt to row a boat in the rain, which is almost as comical as watching me try to play basketball. Enjoy!

Furmint Adventures – Episode 8: Kvaszinger Winery

Oh, and finally – a quick shout out to my friend Elin McCoy, who gave props to dry Furmint and Tokaj in her recent Bloomberg column.

Cheers!

Maybe this is a bit early, but the judging lineup for the 12th annual Critics Challenge International Wine Competition, held in Stay Classy San Diego, has been finalized, and once again I’ll have the honor and pleasure of being one of said critics putting the submitted wines through a GLASS CASE OF EMOTION!!!

Critics Challenge 2015

Previously, the CC has been the origin of many an entertaining and surprising wine find for me, several of which have been reported on these virtual pages. Back in 2013, I was luckily paired up with the irrepressible Leslie Sbrocco, which is kind of like pouring combustible liquid onto a raging fire (let’s not forget that Leslie and I managed to work words such as “Godzilla” and “nipples” into our tasting notes during that incarnation of the CC). Last year, my partner in crime was the elegant and talented Deb Parker Wong, who went ga-ga with me over a wine that eventually made onto the 2014 MIW list here.

So, the expectations I’ve got for CC 2015 are waaaaay high, and I am pretty stoked about being a part of the action.

For more details (or to submit wines), check out criticschallenge.com. For a run-down of how some of the various entrants have fared in previous versions of the Critics Challenge, you can check out the details on their dedicated Wine-Searcher.com page.

Cheers!

Look, ma, I’m in Tokaj!

We kick off the second half of my Tokaj Furmint adventures this week with a visit to Basilicus Winery, an interesting endeavor that I think qualifies as an “urban” winery in Tokaj terms.

They compliment their tiny production of high-quality Furmint with services that include gastronomy tours and oenophile-centric events, encompassing local vinegar and food as well as wine.

I had a particularly fun time touring their source vineyards (and pretending to make wine barrels), as you’ll see in a few moments.

Cheers!

Furmint Adventures Episode 7: Basilicus Winery

Peeps! Here’s episode 6 of my Furmint adventures in Tokaj, in which I visit Sauska Winery, and give them grief over their green harvest practices. Ok, so I am sometimes not such a gracious guest. Oh, yeah – I also do a fan dance.

Fan dance, Sauska style

Anyway…

The wines are excellent, and the scenery typically gorgeous, so it’s just another day “at the office.”

Enjoy!

Furmint Adventures Episode 6: Sauska Winery

Cheers!