Tokaj Furmint but not as you know it

Just for a change, I’m not going to be talking about wine, rather something soft. That is, a soft drink made by a family business in one of the villages in the Tokaj region – Bodrogkeresztúr.

Some months ago a friend of mine gave me some Shrubbie to try. She brought around six cans for me to sample. I was a bit dubious as she described it as a soft drink based on Tokaj Furmint wine vinegar among other things. Now, I like sour things, I like bitter things, but I wasn’t too convinced about this idea, so they sat there in the fridge for a while before I tried one.

Well, a previous partner of mine had at one time turned his hand to brewing Kombucha himself, which I have to admit, wasn’t always very pleasant, although I did like the commercial variant – it was sour and vinegary and not something I enjoyed too much. I was rather expecting Shrubbie to be a bit like this. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I had the quince and lavender variation to try – two flavours I really like. It was, of course, slightly sour, but in an enjoyable way, not a gut-wrenching acidic fashion.

So what is Shrubbie anyway? The name implies it’s made from a hedge or something similar. Not too appealing at first contemplation. Well, actually, it’s a gently carbonated soft drink based on wine vinegar made from Tokaj Furmint, along with filtered water, apple cider vinegar aged on a bed of fruit and herbs (hence the name) and apple concentrate. If you like artisanal cider, you may well like this, and of course, for the health conscious, it’s got no alcohol and far less sugar, thus far fewer calories than your average soft drink. I must admit, I rather like it. I’m not really one for soft drinks as I usually find them too sweet and artificial, but this was really quite refreshing and certainly not overly sweet.

It’s totally natural and, of course, makes numerous health claims on the website, which I am always wary of, including helping to regulate blood pressure and fighting against oxidation and stress. Although the fact that it contains cider vinegar, which is always touted as being healthy, is certainly true, and it does of course contain antioxidants.  Supposedly it’s also good for a hangover, which is probably true, given its ingredients. But I haven’t tried out that special beneficial property yet. Although I’ll be turning 50 quite soon, so may need a can or two the day after. However, whatever its alleged benefits, it’s certainly refreshing and pretty quaffable in the summer.

Since then, they’ve also launched some new flavours, which I got my hands on a few weeks ago – sour cherry and mint, the slightly wacky hemp and ginger, and raspberry and rosehip. Although it’s no longer summer and I don’t crave something cold and refreshing like this, I’ve been enjoying trying them after swimming, when in need of rehydrating with some non-alcoholic refreshment. Let’s see how many I need on the day after I make my half century!

 

If you fancy trying it out, you can order it directly from their website www.shrubbie.hu, where they also list stockists in Hungary. You may be in need of some after the holidays! Enjoy!

*photos courtesy of Shrubbie.

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Kadarka, the wine of freedom?

Dániel Kézdy, the powerhouse behind Furmint February and many other initiatives connected to Tokaj’s flagship variety is now turning his attention to another traditional Hungarian grape. This time he has set his sights on the oft-maligned Kadarka.

On 15 March, the Hungarian national holiday celebrating the 1948 revolution, Dániel launched his new project in the Kálvária Pince in Budakalász, dubbing the variety ’the wine of freedom’. However, quips were soon made saying that Kadarka was perhaps just the opposite for winemakers as the variety is notoriously difficult to work with, thin-skinned and susceptible to just about any vineyard hazard, probably only produces decent wine three or four times every decade and requires the continual attention in the vineyard. But, that aside…

Creating new traditions with Kadarka

Dániel believes the wine does not get enough attention, which I certainly agree with. In the right hands, and in the right vintage, Kadarka produces some beautifully elegant, light red wines. But, why the wine of freedom? Dániel thinks that the variety could be connected to this national holiday celebrating the Hungarians bid for freedom from the Austrians: spring is on its way, hopefully, although it was rather chilly this year, and Easter is just around the corner. It’s the perfect time to promote and drink a lighter red wine.

He gets lots of foreign visitors to the cellar, many of whom, especially the Scandinavians, considered Kadarka something really special and interesting. They particularly liked the light, elegant fruity versions. He feels that this is something that we should pursue. He’d like to create some new traditions with Kadarka on 15 March, to organise events around the variety, perhaps with open cellars and workshops.

We started the tradition this year with a press tasting. Two winemakers from Szekszárd and Hájos-Baja, both strongholds of the variety, presented three wines each and then we tasted an additional flight of ten Kadarkas blind.

Sziegl Családi Pince

Balázs Sziegl, presented three of his wines and told us something of his background and philosophy.

His is a classic family winery based in the Hájos-Pincefalu – a village full of traditional old cellars – although he also has plots in three other villages. Kadarka is very close to his heart, he says, as their first place was in Kadarka utca and he also wrote his university thesis on Kadarka. This area was traditionally a Kadarka production area in the past, before the post-war planned economy put paid to it. In the sixties, pretty much everything ended up in state hands, which nearly led to the death of Kadarka. Previously around two-thirds of Hungary’s black wine grapes were actually Kadarka; it’s now less than 1%. Fussy thin-skinned Kadarka naturally didn’t react well to efforts to train it high and try to make it produce high yields.

Kadarka from Hájos

The area’s soils are loess and clay, with lots of limestone and sand on the surface. Kadarka was generally planted on thin sandy soils with around 80% quartz content, which reflects the sunlight, helping the grapes to ripen fully.

They have Kadarka on two plots – the Herreberg dűlő, which was planted in 2010, and the Kolostor-domb. This an intriguing hillock with cellars built around it, dug into the loess. On the top, the Sziegls found some old vines that were presumably so difficult to get to and work that they were left alone and not grubbed up during the years of communism. They were in pretty bad shape, but they managed to save two vines that are around 70-80 years old. They’re not really entirely sure of their age, but a neighbour of theirs who’s around 80 said they were already there when he arrived in the village.

Balázs and his wife Petra, who he met in Villány, have been involved in wine since 2012. Their hearts took them back to Hájos in 2015 and they are now both working full time in their winery. They work with minimal intervention, open vat fermentation, seven to eight months in oak and just a touch of sulphur before bottling. They are also in the process of converting to organic cultivation.

People who put too much emphasis on Kadarka must be mad!

Balázs had always wanted to work with Kadarka, but his wife was against it as the variety demands so much work – you always have to be there to tend to it. However, he seems to have won her over, or perhaps worn her down, as they are planting some more Kadarka next week – Pécsi clones as well as one of their own – and are slowly increasing the number of Kadarka vines. He had attended a Kadarka round table a few years ago, where Péter Vida Snr from Szekszárd had stated that if more than 10% of your vines were Kadarka, then you must be mad! The Sziegls now have more than that and their six to seven years’ experience so far has proved the ratio of when you can produce good Kadarka – they have managed it only three or four times so far.

Producers from Szekszárd and two from Hájos (himself and Csaba Koch) had participated in the round table as well as Géza Balla from across the border in Romania, Frigyes Bott from Slovakia and Ernst Sagmeister from Serbia. It seems that they all had totally different philosophies and couldn’t really say what the common picture should be for Kadarka, i.e. what they were striving for with the variety. The only thing they could agree on is that it should be light, spicy and elegant.

Péter Vida

Péter Vida Jnr now takes over the reins from Balázs, telling us that Kadarka is an important vine for them too, like for many in Szekszárd. They truly believe in it, which is why it is one of the wine region’s main wines, along with Kékfrankos and Bikavér. They even have some old vines from 1920, which only yield about two to three bunches per vine, which they use for their Bonsai Kadarka.  The roots go down about ten metres and of course, they find a different range of minerals at that level. The Pécs University Research Institute selected vine material from this vineyard for their gene pool. There will be three or four new clones from these vines.

While most people have Kadarka P9 clones as that was probably what was available, they have none. Their clones are different, generally with looser bunches. Balázs had told us earlier that one problem with P9 clones was that they have both big berries and bunches, so the grapes are tightly pressed together and may easily burst.

Although Kadarka is important to them, they still feel it’s really risky to have more than 10% Kadarka, so of their 23 hectares, only two are Kadaraka. Some also say a touch of botrytis is good for the wine, but they disagree and think purity is the most important. They also always pick early so there is no chance of the grapes drying out. This was helpful in 2015 too when the weather was extremely changeable and there was a big storm on 18 September and only those who had harvested beforehand had any Kadarka that year. They had picked the day before – it was as if his dad had felt something!

Ageing and vineyard selection

Péter feels that Kadarka has more to offer than many people believe. They are sending cases to the UK, where it is also listed in Michelin-starred restaurants. Also, as concerns Kadarka’s ageing ability, he has more faith than most. Although most think that you should drink it within two or three years, he recently tried one from 2003 that was still in good shape and he particularly likes their 2008 at the moment too.

There are also vineyard-selected Kadarkas in the pipeline from Szekszárd’s various meso and microclimates. They have also planted Kadarka in Barnya-völgy and Virághegy.

They have regular varietal tastings in Szekszárd and recently, he says, there was one were there were over 40! He gave up and went home to his family halfway. Those who remained said they were a rather mixed big and that only around 20 were any good. Some say that deeper, richer ones always score better in competitions, so we see plenty of unnaturally dark, tannic Kadarakas, but they are not interested in this. They prefer to produce fresh, light Kadarka, that is like Kadarka. They also prefer it unoaked, as did a British MW, Liz Gabay who had visited and tasted both oaked and unoaked versions. Kadarka should be light in colour, so if it’s dark, it’s most likely got something added to it (you are legally allowed to add 15% of something else without declaring it on the label).

Although the older generation are prejudiced about Kadarka due to the past, similarly to the Brits with German wine thanks to horrors like Blue Nun and Black Tower, the younger generation are not so negatively influenced and Kadarka is fast becoming quite trendy with them. Let’s hope more people pick up on its lovely quaffable, light character.

Blind tasting of ten Kadarkas

Our blind tasting of wines from various regions very much bore out what we had previously been discussing. That there is no clear style – some are more (too) oaky, some clearly have had something added to them to add colour and structure, some older Kadarkas still had nice freshness, although some were also rather past their peak, and the lighter, fruitier versions generally went down better.

So, is Kadarka worth bothering with despite its fickleness? Most definitely! I’m looking forward to Dániel’s further initiatives and our next ’Wine of Freedom’ masterclass next year.

Aszú, a drop of golden nectar for the festive season

Advent, and Christmas, will soon be upon us and the question is what sweet tipple you should imbibe along with your mince pies or festive biscuits. Although not usually one to drink much sweet wine, I have learned to appreciate the delights that aged port, tawny or ruby, have to offer. Of course, in the UK, you would be tempted to go with a port, or maybe madeira, a drop of Sauternes or an unctuous sweet sherry; however, I currently reside in Hungary and there is something just as delicious and precious on offer, indeed many would claim far more precious. Tokaji Aszú, dubbed the Wine of Kings and the King of Wines.

What makes Aszú so special? Correct me if I’m wrong, but it is perhaps one of the most labour-intensive wines in the world and it’s made from rotten grapes to boot. I can see the uninitiated beginning to pull a face right now. However, this isn’t just any kind of rot, it’s ‘noble rot’, a special type of rot called ‘botrytis cinerea’, which attacks the grapes, thinning the skins, sucking out the moisture and concentrating the sugars and flavours in the grape whilst not breaking the skins. The grapes, hence their must and the ensuing wine, also gain additional flavours from this botrytisation process. Aszú is also generally made principally with the Furmint variety, which is known for its high acidity, thus allowing a wonderful balance between all that unctuous sweetness and some fresh, zippy acidity.

The Tokaj region, where Aszú is produced, lies in the northeastern part of Hungary, sandwiched between and around the rivers Bodrog and Tisza, which give rise to morning mists in the autumn. Why is this important? Well, in order to develop, botrytis needs warm, damp conditions, and the microclimate in this area is just perfect for this. The morning mists are burned off by warm sunshine – just right for botrytis to develop and spread their fine fungal threads over the bunches of grapes.

Tokaji Aszú has been made for centuries in the region. The story goes that the region was under attack by the Turks and the grapes were therefore left out on the vines long past the normal time as nobody set foot in the vineyards to do any work at this time. After the danger had passed, the large quantity of ‘rotten’ grapes were then used to make a late harvest sweet wine, the descendent of which we now know as Aszú. Legend has it that this wine was produced by the Calvinist preacher László Maté Szepsi, forebear of the prominent Szepsy family still residing and making wines in the region.

Firstly, the botrytised grapes, outwardly reminiscent of raisins, are picked individually from each bunch at harvest time. Women work through the vineyard in several tries, selecting and picking only these ‘rotten’ grapes; this is an extremely labour-intensive and costly process. Then, the grapes are placed in vats, where they are stored before perhaps being trodden into the consistency of a paste known as ‘aszú dough’ or simply processed. During this time, any extremely concentrated and sticky must that drips out of these perforated vats under the weight of the berries themselves will be bottled as ‘escenzia’, an even sweeter, and somewhat expensive treat, generally enjoyed by the spoon rather than by the glass!

This aszú dough or berries are then macerated in must, frementing must or wine from the same vintage before being pressed and the resulting extremely sweet must transferred to oak barrels or vats where it will ferment slowly in a cool environment, perhaps for as long as several years; it will spend at least 18 months in Gönczi barrels before it is released for us to delight in.  You can find a visual representation of this process on WineSofa – Aszú-making infoposter.

So, what does this delicious, unctuous wine taste like?

I was lucky enough to get my hands on a bottle of the Grand Tokaji Aszú 2013, which I believe may be the one awarded gold and an incredible 97 points in the Decanter Asia Wine Awards, so I’d like to share my experience of that here with you.

Grand Tokaji Aszú 2013

(Alcohol content 9.5%, Sugar content 170.8 g/l)

The wine was made with 100% procured aszú berries. It was an excellent vintage so the berries were high quality and completely infested with botrytis. The aszú berries were mainly Furmint and Hárlevelű as well as smaller amounts of Zéta, Kabar, Kövérszőlő and Muscat grapes. The base wine was 100% Furmint and the aszú berries were added to the fermenting base wine after steeping for 24 hours. After pressing, fermentation took place in vats. The wine was then aged in new 500-litre barrels for a minimum of 18 months in the Szegi Cellar.

Tasting note

Attractive golden colour. Aromas of exotic lemon, acacia blossom, spice, ripe apricot, white peach and a herbal note. A balanced elegant wine with lively acidity, flavours of citrus, grapefruit, candied lemon, dried pineapple, honey, sunlight, almond, stone fruits and hay with a long, slightly salty finish. A concentrated, tangy wine with a long future ahead of it.

This was only one wine, and a relatively young one at that. If you are interesting in finding out more about the characteristics of Aszú, then check out this Aszú flavour wheel or get your daily dose of Aszú throughout Advent by following #KoccintsAszuval on Facebook, although you will probably need some Hungarian to do the latter!

 

 

 

Repositioning Tokaji aszú as a premium brand

Would you pay upwards of €1000 for the luscious amber nectar that is Tokaji aszú? Maybe in the future you’ll have to.

Until now you would have paid €80 for a bottle of István Szepsy’s aszú, but maybe in the future, you’ll have to fork out €1000-€2000 for a bottle, a ten to fifteen-fold increase. István, in an interview with Borbrand, says that people will need to decide what is the best sweet wine in the world.

All Szepsy’s wines will maintain the same quality, the difference will be in the quantity. The ‘normal’ Szepsy wines are made from three grape varieties, whereas the ‘luxury brand’ will be made from single varieties, using the best grapes from the very best vineyard plots. It’s obvious, he says, that wine from such a premium parcel should make its way onto the world market. The first year released will be the 2013, followed by the 2015.

Wines from the volcano

Somló wines are quite distinct in character. Sticking your nose into the glass, you can often tell at first sniff that they have been produced in Somló. A whiff of smoky volcano tends to dominate the nose. They are rather high in acidity and can be lacking in fruit. Although the best examples combine ripe fruit and smoky stoniness.

Last week I attended a tasting of twenty Somló wines presented at the Gellért hotel. I am usually quite a fan of well-made Somló wines, enjoying the combination of minerality and juicy fruit. However, on this occasion, I was a little disappointed by some of the wines, finding them rather tart, overly acidic and somewhat ‘fruit backward‘. I particularly enjoyed the following wines:

Györgykovács Imre’s 2012 Hárslevelű – A potent, mouth-filling concoction of ripe peach and mandarin, with aromas of honeysuckle and hazelnut, tempered with a little saltiness and lingering in the mouth with a long elegant finish. Delicious.

Kreinbacher’s 2012 Öreg Tőkék (Hárslevelű, Olaszrizling and Furmint) – Produced from old vines, this wine showed flavours of honey, baked spiced apple, apple, lemon and mandarin. A touch of salt and a lingering finish.

Zsirai’s Somlai 2011 (Olaszrizling, Juhfark and Hárslevelű) – Having visited the Zsirai winery in Mád a few weeks ago, it was great to have the chance to try one of their Somló wines. One of fruitiest of the wines tasted today – baked apple, spicy vanilla, with a touch of salted almonds. The rich fruit balanced the acidity nicely.

Fekete Pince’s 2009 Juhfark – Juhfark is a variety typical to Somló, probably an acquired taste in many cases, but definitely worth seeking out if you want to try something unusual. A pale golden wine with a pronounced intensity. In some ways rather austere, with a good dose of smoke and flint, but a lot of ripe stone fruits – apricot and peach –  and some honeysuckle helps to balance this. Some lovely tertiary flavours of marmalade and honey coming through and, leaving the best to last, a bit of cat’s pee (probably what makes Juhfark a bit of an acquired taste! Can be a bit pungent sometimes.). A slightly bitter, but not unpleasant finish.

Somlói Apátsági Pince’s 2013 Juhfark – An off dry full-bodied wine bursting with ripe mandarins, pears, apricots and peaches. A slightly waxy nose with some hints of vanilla.

Tornai Pincészet’s 2013 Premium Juhfark – A complex, oily wine with orange, peach, pear and grapefruit, some floral and vegetal characteristics and a long slightly bitter, stony finish.

Somló Kincse Kézművés Kispince’s 2013 Bolyongó (késői Olaszrizling) – A dry late harvest wine with bags of fruit – apricot, pear, marmalade, spiced baked apple, nuttiness, honey and a pinch of salt. A waxy complex wine with a touch of botrytis; it has the waxy bitterness of an orange wine.

The tasting was presented by the Somlói borok boltja, where you can buy these wines, indeed they stock over 160 types of Somló wine if you develop a taste for it.

Great Tokaj Wine Auction

Last November I was fortunate enough to be in Beaune during the weekend of the auction of the Hospices de Beaune. I had the chance to attend various events connected with this, including various cellar visits, tasting of the auction lots from the barrel at 8am with the locals, an impromptu informal tasting with Gina Gallo and Jean-Claude Boisset, and the Sunday evening ‘Diner de Gala aux Chandelles’. Quite an experience!

For the past couple of years, a similar event has been organised in Tokaj as part of the ‘Tokaj Spring’, taking the ‘Vente de Vins’ as its inspiration. This year will be the third occasion that the auction has been held. It will take place on the weekend of 24-26 April and offers a unique opportunity to sample some wines that are not on the open market, from dry white wines right up to 6 puttonyos aszú.

So if you have some surplus cash and fancy investing in a barrel of Tokaj of your own, here is your chance!

Of course, if you don’t have that much cash to splash around, you could always just take the opportunity to enjoy what should be a unique weekend in Tokaj.

Start off on by travelling style and taking the ‘Tokaj Express’ to travel to Tokaj. A heritage train with the opportunity to try some wines even before you arrive in Tokaj. Take part in one of three guided tours led by winemakers, one of which will be led by Mr Szepsy himself.

On Saturday you’ll have the opportunity (if you have registered, that is!) to taste the auction lots in Sárospatak castle, followed by a picnic lunch. It will initially be a blind tasting, so you won’t know whose wine you are trying. You’ll only find that out later, when there will be the oppportunity to retaste the wines.

You can find a list of the auction lots on the Tokaji Bor Lovagrend website. I unexpectedly had the chance to try the Zsirai Betsek Furmint from the barrel when visiting their cellar in Mád on Saturday.

A gala dinner dance will end the day and on Sunday you can visit participating producers.

A portion of the income will go towards supporting the Tokaj wine regon – a UNESCO world heritage site; so definitely a worthy cause.

At Tokaj Grand last weekend, we were able to taste some of the wines auctioned in 2013 and 2014. If these are anything to go by, if you do head off to Tokaj, you are in for a treat.

Tokaj Grand 2015

A unique opportunity to try all the Tokaj wine region has to offer is coming up in Budapest shortly.

’Tokaj Grand’ will take place on 28 March at the five-star Corinthia Hotel. It is being organised for the first time by Winelovers and promises to be a remarkable event.

Most people are familiar with Tokaj because of the sweet, botrytised aszú wines. However, Tokaj also produces some fabulous dry whites and some late harvest wines too. Tokaj Grand will give you the chance try some of these as well as the more famous aszú.

In addition to the opportunity to walk around and try the wines (over 200!) of more than seventy producers, if your Hungarian is up to it, you could also choose to attend one of the eight thematic masterclasses on offer during the day. Of course, you could just go along to the classes in order to try some great wines in a more relaxed environment! You’ll need to buy tickets for these in advance though.

Choose from themes such as:

• Dry Tokaj wines and their international rivals
• Mádi Kör selection
• Disznókö 5 Puttonyos aszú vertical tasting
• Szepsy masterclass
• Tokaj Kereskedőház masterclass (in English)
• Wine, intoxication…Bénye
• Tokaji autumn
• Mindszent Havi Mulatság

See you there!

Furmint Február

Going to a major wine-tasting event with still relatively blocked sinuses is not really conducive to sniffing and tasting ability. However, it is Furmint Február and this also means the annual Nagy Furmint Február Kóstoló held at the scenic Vajdahunyadvár in Városliget, so I gave it my best shot.

Seventy-nine producers from around Hungary and across the border were offering up their wines for our delectation. With five hours to taste, not much chance of trying them all, but I managed to taste a fair few – from around thirty producers, mostly from Tokaj or Somló, but also one or two from elsewhere, such as Eger. Dulled senses prevented me from being overly analytical, but still got a good impression of the quality and range of wines on offer.

I didn’t really taste any of the sweet and aszús, concentrating mainly on the dry and off-dry offerings.

Some highlights:

A 2013 blend from Bott Frigyes, Super Granum, which included not only Furmint but also Hárslevelű and Juhfark. The Juhfark had been macerated on its skins for four days giving it notes reminiscent of szamorodni or orange wine. Delicious.

A fruity, crisp mineral Kikelet 2013 Váti Furmint.

A rich, fruity, honeyed off-dry 2009 Csontos Furmint from Bott Pince bursting with ripe stone fruit.

The interestingly named 2013 Furmintage from Portius – a mouthful of minerally peach, quince and tinned pear.

The concentrated and complex Demetervin Király Furmint 2013, produced exclusively from grapes harvested from the Király dülő’s upper slopes.

If you missed out on the ‘Grand Tasting’ and want to get stuck into some Furmint, there are still plenty of other Furmint-related events happening in February – http://www.furmintfebruar.hu/hu/programok/ (only in Hungarian – the English does not appear to work).

Furmint

As it is currently ’Furmint Februar’ here in Hungary, this is as good a time as any to introduce you to one of Hungary’s key white grape varieties. Although Olaszrizling is more widely planted, Furmint is perhaps more emblematic of the country’s wines. It is one of the main varieties to be found in Tokaj, which could be considered its homeland, and is usually one of the principle elements in the aszú and szamorodni wines produced in the region, along with Hárslevelű and Sárga Muskotály (Muscat blanc à petits grains). As well as Tokaj, it is typically cultivated in Somló and can be found in some areas around the Balaton and elsewhere in the country.

Outside Hungary, Furmint is also grown across the border in Slovakia (previously part of the Hungarian Tokaj wine region) and in Slovenia, where it is known as Sipon. In the past, it was prevalent in the Austrian Burgenland, where it was used to make Ausbruch wines until it was pretty much abandoned in preference for Welschriesling, as Olaszrizling is known in the German-speaking world. Although it is enjoying a bit of a revival now. Here it is known as Zapfner.

A late ripening grape variety, Furmint is capable of producing a wide range of complex sweet and dry wines. Serious acidity means that even the sweetest of late harvest and aszú wines are not cloying. It is also susceptible to the development of botrytis cinerea, noble rot, producing the wonderful orange marmalade, apricot and marzipan flavours to be found in aszú wines.

As the taste for sweet wines is waning, larger volumes of dry and off-dry Furmint are being produced. Typical flavours found in dry wines are pear, quince, lime peel and a steely smokiness.

Hungarian wine word play

A little fun had by some DWCC participants after the conference

bor2bwine

I recently attended the Digital Wine Communication Conference (DWCC2014) in Montreux.

It was a fabulous event, attended by over three hundred wine professionals and enthusiasts. It was a great opportunity to meet some fantastic people, drink some delicious wine, look at some wonderful scenery and learn more about how to abandon my rather luddite tendancies regarding certain social media.

Following the event, I learnt that Hungary was among the top ten countries represented; the others being Switzerland, France, UK, USA, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Germany and Austria. I was pleased and surprised by this and commented. This sparked a great little thread with some Hungarian wine word play.

– Great. Hungary was in top ten. Who would have thought!

– We had a very strong presence from Tokaj which was brilliant … or maybe it was just people trying to get “free” wifi?

– What a noble-rotten thing to say

– It…

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