Wondering what wines to drink in 2017? I asked a group of sommeliers and wine writers which varietals, regions and styles they’re excited to drink more of in the new year. Look for some unexpected countries, more focus on indigenous grapes and practices that go beyond the vineyard to include cooperation between wineries. Indigenous Varieties […]
That we live in an age that seeks the solace of the simplistic is hardly breaking news. Still, the close of 2016 brought with it a small science news item in The New York Times that I, anyway, thought was a champion example of the simplistic. Here it is: “A handful of nuts a day […]
The Tokaji wine region conjures an intense, rich, quite sweet—and quite lovely—wine. In reality, there has been more than just one version of Tokaji; while each has its own wonderful characteristics, not every Tokaji wine is sweet . Six official grapes give us Tokaji: Furmint, Hárslevelű, Sárgamuskotály (Yellow Muscat), a Furmint and Bouvier cross once called Oremus but […]
A question I’m often asked by someone not in the industry is, “What’s new in the wine world?” If I ran into you in line at a local market and you asked said question at this point in time, I’d probably have a one-word response: “Furmint.” If not familiar, Furmint is arguably Hungary’s greatest white […]
It always makes me chuckle this time of year when A Christmas Carol is shown for the millionth time on TV and all sorts of black and white movies suddenly appear, depicting the Dickensian tale in various guises. It makes me fall off my perch with laughter when the Ancient Movie Channels show old flicks set […]
Check out this map of 35 great wines from western Europe. Have you’ve tried them all? 35 classic wines of Western Europe. If you’re just getting into European wines, these are the classics. The 35 wines included in these maps represent just a tiny fraction of the diversity in European wine, but they also serve […]
World-famous chef Wolfgang Puck recently paired his Santa Barbara spot prawn dish with our 2011 Beres Locse Furmint to great effect. The occasion was a Visiting Chef Series dinner on October 19 with co-chefs Sean Bruck (Husk Restaurant, Charleston SC) and Dave Beran (Next Restaurant, Chicago IL). FurmintUSA – and Beres Winery – are thrilled […]
Tokaji Barta: The Old King in a New House Few traditional wine regions in the world can avoid something of a sneer when contemplating those with new money and no history who set up shop and begin to make wine. Few things are more desperately difficult than avoiding local scorn when moving into a traditional […]
I know we’re still two months away from Thanksgiving, but if the pumpkin spice public relations machine can already dominate the landscape with their never-ending array of products, I figured I could weigh in early on some Thanksgiving wine options. I’m going to discuss two sets of wines, both, in my opinion, would be killer […]
The Romans brought wines to Hungary in the 5th cerntury AD. Over the centuries, new grape varieties were brought in from France and Italy.