Drink Up, Chow Down

  The Tokaj wine region is best known for its world-class dessert wines - but that's only half the story. Led by Furmint, Tokaj's dry wines are quickly gaining recognition and respect beyond Hungary's borders. I had the pleasure of tasting a dry Furmint recently: the classy Oremus Tokaji Dry Mandolas 2016. The historic Oremus vineyard has been under Vega Sicilia (swoon!) ownership since 1993 and has been producing a high-quality oak-aged dry wine from the Furmint grape. I thought this wine was a spectacularly elegant and easy sipper. On the nose, you'll find notes of vanilla, apple, white flowers and even a bit of brioche and wet pebbles. On the palate, it's a clean, zesty wine with a rich, round and surprisingly long finish. It has oodles of bright acidity and mouthwatering hints of citrus and stone fruit. Dream pairing: peel-and-eat lemon butter shrimp. Or a scallop risotto. Or a rich piece of goat cheese. Or all of the above. What's yours? Grab ...

Livermore Valley is one of California oldest wine regions, although still rather under the radar. Its first commercial vines were planted in 1840 and nowadays it is home to over 50 wineries. One of those, the lovely Murrieta’s Well , is a true California original. I recently had the pleasure of tasting through some of their catalog along with their winemaker Robbie Meyer and my friends at Snooth . Murrieta’s Well specializes in terroir-driven, limited production wine blends that showcase and complement the Livermore Valley terroir and its many microclimates. Its first vines were planted in 1884 with cuttings from Chateau d’Yquem (see my blog about visiting them!) and Chateau Margaux (no invite yet…) The 2017 Sauvignon Blanc was a great way to start the tasting, especially in summer. Its mouthwatering minerality coupled with its floral and even tropical fruit notes make for an elegant wine, with a lovely zing of crisp acidity. A balanced beauty for sure. It was...