TN: Beyond Egri Bikaver and Tokaji

M

MLipton

Mark Lipton
This evening, after enduring a historic win by the Purdue Men’s Basketball team, I took myself out to Solano Cellars to sample whatever they had open. Tonight, it was a trio of Hungarian wines, all brought in by a local importer (Danch & Granger) who specializes in E European wines.

2021 Vaskapu Kert, Pécs is a blend of four different white grapes: Királyleányka, Rajnai Rizling, Chardonnay and Olaszrizling, farmed biodynamically and seeing some skin contact. A hazy white, it had a fascinating nose of herbs and citrus. More than anything else, it reminded me of Scheurebe. Light of the palate with brisk acidity, it made for easy drinking (11.5% ABV)

2022 Abeles Pinot Gris (skin contact), Lake Balaton was the darkest-looking Pinot Gris/Grigio of my life, looking more like a rosé of Pinot Noir. It smelled and tasted of watermelon, had vivid acidity and more body than one normally finds in a rosé. 13.6% ABV and 1.3 g/L RS.

2018 Kékhegy Zweigelt was the star of the show tonight. Rich, peppery, mineral with a smooth texture and silky tannins, this puts to shame most of the Austrian Zweigelts I’ve had. Medium bodied, it comes in at 13% ABV and carries it well.

Your intrepid reporter,
Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by Yule Kim:
Nice notes! I need to stop by Solano Cellars sometimes -- they always have an interesting selection of wines.
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They and Vintage Berkeley share a common owner but have different buyers. IME, Vintage Berkeley has the more interesting selection (LDM imports, for one), but both are worth a visit. There’s also a small store in Rockridge (next to Mariposa Bakery) that has a surprisingly interesting selection if you ever find yourself stranded in the East Bay without libation.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by Steve Edmunds:
Mark; that's actually the Elmwood, not Rockridge
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You sure about that, Steve? Loath as I am to disagree with a long-time resident and ex-postman such as yourself on matters of East Bay geography, 55th and Telegraph seems to me too far south for Elmwood. I admit to employing a mental shorthand of anything lying on the other side of 24 being Rockridge, but looking at a map I think it might be Temescal more than Rockridge.

Mark Lipton
 
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