Travel: Harvest Time at Tokaj, Hungary

With the approach of fall and the expert guidance of Carolyn Banfalvi about where to visit, I couldn’t have timed my trip to Tokaj, Hungary better.  It was time to harvest the grapes in this historical wine region. We visited a few wineries to sample the area that is as famous in wine production as it is rich in its varied history.

Amidst beautiful rolling hills dotted with grape vines at the center of the Tokaj wine region, we stayed at the beautiful Grof Degenfeld Castle Hotel.  Receiving royal treatment with a late night tour and wine tasting by  General Manager Gabor Banyal.  The property is famous for being the only castle that comes with its own vineyard. There, we tasted an outstanding Tokaj Aszu 1999 and others, followed by an incredible dinner with perfectly seared foi gras and poached apple with aged balsamic as a starter.

Degenfeld Vineyard

1999 Aszueszencia  VS 2007    Harslevelu (Linden)

One organic winery we visited was the Erzsebet Pince (Elizabeth Cellar) in Tokaj.  The history of the vineyard is as fascinating as the family itself.
There, I met Hajnalka Pracser, the daughter of the owner Elizabeth Pracser.  She met her husband,  the winemaker of Erzsebet Pince, while interning in Napa Valley for a year at various vineyards.  The winery itself was once owned by a Russian Tzar who provided the court with Tokaj wine until Elizabeth Prancser purchased the property.

Another 100 hectares winery we visited is the Disznókő, with an immaculate façade and incredible landscape.   Its Southern facing vineyard gives it the warmest growing conditions in the region for astounding amounts of grape varieties.  I was very fortunate to see the wine production in progress.  Our host Katherine Chapman was more than accommodating and further fascinates me with amazing tastings to complement the kind of cuisine saffron 59 has been serving the last decade.

Harvest time at Disznókő

The whole region produces several wonderful varieties of grape.  Here’s a variety sample from the Degenfeld Winery (from Dry to Sweet):

1   Furmint – Dry; hint of cinnamon and acacia blossom, good with everyday dishes.

2Muscat – Semi-dry; contains no Tannis, smells like Lychee.

3 Harslevelu – Semi-sweet; pear and clove characteristics, similar to Linden

4 Fortissimo - Sweet; grape blend similar to the Aszu grape variety (see below)

5Szamorodni – Sweet; hints of pineapple, orange peel and gooseberry.  Harvest is only from October to November during 100% humidity during frost and barrel aged for a year.

6Aszu – Sweet; comprised of 88% Furmint and 20% Harslevelu, by far the most expensive of the group- it is barrel aged for 2 years.

For my first visit here, I was fascinated by the whole process of wine-making particular to the grapes of this region. All the wines had a great balance to enhance Asian cuisine. I can't wait to try out my new favorite wine to accompany a variety of dishes all my old favorite dishes!

Paprika Adds Spice to Your Life: Hungarian Oxtail Stew

Colorful, delicious, flavorful spices that add zests to your life! 

Paprika, is one that has a wonderful flavor to create a marinade for a nice piece of meat, fish or in dressings. 

Recently my Hungarian sweetheart and I had 16 of my loved ones over and cooked up a huge pot of his native oxtail stew with celeric root, turnip, carrots, onion, celery and few chunks of savoy cabbage.

Simple brown the oxtail and add in the vegetable with a few tablespoons of red colorful Hungarian paprika and one spoon of spicy hot paprika.

Let it cook for two hour and half in simmer while you are surfing in Facebook or cleaning those picture files that have been slowing your computer.

This makes a delicious meal accompanied with some egg noodles. With this cold winter weather, open an inexpensive full bodied Burgundy or Rioja.

Enjoy and cozy up with your favorite friends.

Travel: Affordable Eastern Europe

Before our busy season starts in June, with all the weddings we have here at Saffron 59, I took a two week trip to visit close family in Budapest, Hungary with a side trip to Transylvania, Romania. It was a fruitful and relaxing trip, with its wonderful eco-tourism, affordable and clean accommodations with local families, and the fresh, seasonal vegetables we had from the remote farmland and mountainous region of the Eastern Carpathian.

During my trip to Hungary, I tasted many Tokaji wines, proclaimed to be "the king of wines" by Louis XIV of France. Named from the region it hails f

rom, Tokaji-Hegyalja in Hungary, this region is known for producing sweet, flavorful wines because the grapes have been affected by noble rot- which is what occurs when the weather is wet and begins to rot the grapes. When picked at the perfect timing, the grapes produce a fine and concentrated sweet wine. With over 700 vineyards in that region alone producing this wine, I highly recommend tasting it at your local wine shop.

In Budapest, I stayed at the Lanchid 19, known for being a "hip", boutique hotel. With its affordable $139 a night rooms, modern design, and great location over-looking the Danube river, it was the perfect accommodation to top off my trip.

Then, on my trip to Romania, we went to Transylvania and saw the house where Dracula was born. This mountainous area, made famous by the book Dracula by acclaimed author Bram Stoker, has now become the setting for many horror and vampire movies because of the eerie, gothic feel of the area and is now an excellent tourist location.