Eat & Drink
Originally published on Wednesday, 29th April 2009
Noble Rot
Everyone needs a weekend escape sometimes. For mine, I decided to heed the call of my ancestors and head to Hungary. Climbing into my grape-sized car at Budapest’s Ferihegy airport and tuning into ‘Radio Sztar’, I rehearsed my limited vocabulary and headed for the hills of the Tokaji-Hegyalia wine region.
With its long hot summers and cold winters combined with a mineral-rich volcanic soil, the region yields long-living grape vines including its namesake Tokaji. The most famous variety of Tokaji wine is 'Tokaji Aszu', a 'noble rot' affected dessert wine which has a beautiful honey colour and an aromatic and complex flavour. The Tokaji Aszu harvest is a long and painstaking process where each grape is picked by hand - grape by grape - from late October up to the first December snowfalls.
Sadly most Tokaji wineries are now dominated by large foreign companies, however there are still a few small-scale producers in the region. My favourite Tokaji is made by a small winery called Szepsy. Its owner Istvan Szepsy is justifiably famous in Hungary for being one of those wonderfully stubborn, proud and anti-corporate winemakers that we all love to root for.
Szepsy wines can be purchased in the UK through Pardoe Pudding Wines. Once you land yourself a few bottles, here are a few traditional recipes to enjoy with your stash:
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Jennifer Klinec from Eat Drink Talk has kindly agreed to provide Urban Junkies readers with mouthwatering recipes and foodtips.
To learn more, classes at Eat Drink Talk are held in Jennifer's beautiful loft in Clerkenwell, packed with information and useful tips, and you'll get to sample all of the delicious dishes prepared during class.
