A Taste of Hungary in Grafton

    Bring a prepared palate and an empty stomach!  Last night my family, two guests, and I hosted a wine tasting and dinner at my parent's house.  There's nothing like returning home from Hungary and finding it reinvented in small Grafton, Ohio. 

    The smells of the house were strong all day.  I began by returning from Solon and picking-up some quality bread from Miles Farmer's Market.  If you ever need quality food or hard-to-find beverages, Miles is the place to go.  (After a few more visits, I'll attempt to give a more adequate description).  Upon return to my household, the smells of smoked pork and beans were everywhere.  Be forewarned!  This isn't the normal canned concoction found in your local grocery store, or in our case, Grafton Sparkle.  Smoked ham hocks mixed with turnip, carrots, kidney beans and smoked sausage sat well as the appetizer.

    In-between spoonfuls we sampled three different white wines.  We began with Biovitis Szent György-Hegyi Olasz Riesling 2004.  This is heavily bodied for a riesling that has the scent of pickling products.  The taste gives a hint of botrytis which accounts for the fact that is an all organic wine.  Slight mold was found on the cork which was previously encased in wax.  A mediocre wine for few bucks. 

    Next we tasted Huba Szeremley Szürkebarát 2001.  The grape is native to Hungary and is comparable to a riesling grape.  It provides a silky texture and sits well for a aged white.  Crisp flavor and pale-yellow color makes for an overall nice wine. 
    Finally is a personal favorite, Gál Tibor Chardonnay 2003.  A hint of mint combined with the moderate oaky taste known in Gál's product create a tasty wine for any or no meal.  You must try it to know it.

The next course of the meal contained pörkölt and gulyaska dumplings along with the traditional cucumber salad (see photo above for the pörkölt and dumplings). Tender beef sautéed with peeled tomatoes, green pepper, and sweet paprika served as a hearty companion for the red wine selection.  My father provided a selection of five reds wines from two known wine regions in Hungary: Eger and Székszárd. 

From light to heavy, we sampled: Sebestyen Kadarka 2004, Szent Andrea Merlot 2003, Galbor-Gia Labirintos Kékfrankos-Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Gál Tibor Bikavér 2003, and Takler Bikavér Reserve 2003.  All five were poured at the same time, providing the option of trying each wine at our own convenience.  I love each one of these wines for different reasons.  The kadarka, when left sitting with no swirling, contains a subtle nose of black pepper and spice which goes well with spicy food.  The merlot is subtle oak and fresh berry scent that will sit well on the average American palate.  The Egri bikavér is perfect for today.  It can be opened up and enjoyed with a meal with no preparation or storage impromptu style.  The Székszárdi bikavér is a fine wine with wonderful color that will age well for ten more years.  Better watch out for this one and buy it while you can! A perfect additon to the cellar.

As we pushed aside the meal we squeezed in some extra room for Gundel pálácsinta and Tokaji Aszú liquid-gold. 

Pálácsinta is a crepe filled with dios (walnut) filling, raisins, candied orange, and rum.  Covering the pancake is a homemade chocolate sauce and fresh whipped cream.  The desert wine is a famous grape native of the Tokaji region in north-east Hungary.  The grapes have different degrees of sweetness labeled as puttonyos. The higher the puttonyos, the sweeter the wine (on a scale of 1 to 5). We tasted: Oremus Tokaji Szamorodni 2000, Göncöl Tokaji Aszú 3 Puttonyos 2000, and Chateau de Geday Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos.  I don't understand the subtleties of desert wine so all I can say is that it was sweet and good. Each wine is delicate and luscious leaving a honey-like taste lingering in the mouth.  The difference between the 3 and 5 puttonyos is subtle but noticeable. 

The only thing left for all of us over-fed people to do was engage in "digestive drinks."  Traditional Unicum herbal liqueur and Kecskeméti barack pálinka capped off our cultural evening and left us in the right state of mind to sleep-off our Hungarian feast.

technorati tags:wine, Hungarian, food, tasting, dinner, Grafton, Ohio

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Nils Lofgrin: Live at The Winchester (6_15_06 9:30 PM)

Last night I had the opportunity to see witness a live performance of Nils Lofgrin at The Winchester in Lakewood, Ohio. I was expecting a mellow night; the normal acoustic guitar and coffee shop music meant to make you feel like you are not the only person in North East Ohio that feels like you do. Instead, I heard a talented singer/song writer who possesses a bit of extra character.

Throughout the evening, Mr. Lofgrin went between using two different types of guitars playing mostly original music. He mixed new and old, promoting the new album whenever possible. His voice matches that of a high baritone with not much age shown. This is remarkable considering his career traveling and performing with Neil Young (After The Goldrush & Transformer) and the ever popular Bruce Springsting. Nil's piano control was solid, pulling out moving arpeggios at the right moment and creating a desirable atmosphere that changed as much as his demeanor and sunglass apparel did. The pieces on electric with a backed taping of a band seemed inappropriate for the evening and could have been left out. I would suggest this to many people but would more than likely be told off since these pieces carried much of the excitement for the majority of the audience.

The Winchester was a lovely venue for the show. The atmosphere was intimate and classy. No goofy paintings, no expensive chairs, just a isle of card tables and folding chairs; a place that cares about music, not racking in the dough.

Being the second of two shows (7:00 PM & 9:30 PM), Nils kept the energy and showed his respect of the Cleveland audience. This makes him a winner in my book.

technorati tags:music, review, rock'n'roll, nilslofgrin, guitar, tour, live, cleveland, winchester, solo, piano

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