Sauska Wines of Hungary

Hungarian wines occupy a special place in my heart. So few make their way to this little river city in Tennessee, yet the traditions go back thousands of years and bear the weight of emperors and popes, cloaked in a language isolate that is only related to Finnish and Mongolian. However, it is equally fascinating to try the wines of Sauska, founded in 2006 by Christian Sauska. These wines are imported via Opici Wines in the United States. While I didn't have to be sold too much further on any of these bottles the fact that the various cuvées are named after prime numbers (to signify the uniqueness of each blend) warmed my mathematician heart. 7, 11, 107, & 113 are represented here, though there are others in the portfolio. Yes, I often look at dates or license plates or other strings of digits and try to determine if the number is prime, or a factor of primes, or a square or other significant number. Force of habit.

The red wines are aged in French oak (combination stainless steel and oak for the whites). The reds that I review here are pure French grapes (genetically, not by soil), while the whites are mostly Hungarian natives with French grape additions. At first, I was a little disappointed that I wasn't getting some pure Kadarka and other Magyar reds, but was happily surprised by the quality and aging of the blends.

2010 Sauska Birsalmás Furmint
Tokaj, Hungary
100% Furmint
$45, 13.5% abv.
1,400 bottles made

Birsalmás is a vineyard in Mád, a region that produces some Tokaji-style wines without the actual designation. Furmint is, of course, a major ingredient in the botrytis-infected sweet wine, and is the most widely planted grape in Hungary. Rich aroma with notes of apricot, honey, and vanilla. Dry but tart and the flavor has a slight dried fruit edge to it. Highly recommended with a spicy chicken dish, as I did with some Vietnamese food.

2010 Sauska Cuvée 113
Hungary
60% Furmint, 17% Hárslevelű, 11% Chardonnay, 9% Sauvignon Blanc, 2% Muscat
$27, 13% abv.
20,000 bottles made

Floral apricots and peach with firm acidity and a bright yellow apple flavor. Nicely tart and the primary grapes make me start thinking about Tokaji. Golden straw color and the only wine of the group to come with a screwcap.

2009 Sauska Cuvée 107
Hungary
51% Hárslevelű, 49% Chardonnay
$58, 14.5% abv.
1,800 bottles made

Peach and a touch of butterscotch on the nose with some floral undertones. Dry but full-bodied with a deep white fruit flavor: overripe peach, a little pineapple. Firm acidity and a very long finish.

2008 Sauska Cuvée 7 Villány
Villány, Hungary
47% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc, 10% Syrah
$58, 15% abv.
16,000 bottles made

Coffee and spice on top, with deep, dark plum flavors. Firm acidity for a red and a firm tannic finish. Very Bordeaux-like, though also unlike similar California Meritage blends. I found it to be a perfect companion to my recent lunch of lamb chops and colcannon.

2008 Sauska Cuvée 11
Villány, Hungary
40% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon
$40, 15% abv.
40,000 bottles made

Light and mild with aromas of red cherry and violets. Mellow and relaxing with a delicate, soft finish. More left bank Bordeaux in presentation. I found this one to be perfectly aged and ready now for consumption with mild fare like braised pork or veal.

Note: These wines were received as samples.

Southern Chicken Dinner, Reinterpreted

The latest dinner party ended up being a bit smaller than expected due to some cancellations and conflicts. While some part of me wonders if I've scared people off with obscure critters and organ meats, a five-person dinner is a better platform for trying some new recipes and techniques. In the worst case scenario, you can just ditch it all and order a pizza, and everyone goes home happy.

I decided that I wanted to do a Southern dinner with white wines, but with a twist: the recipes would come from everywhere but the South, and the wines would be lesser-appreciated grapes.

I've made homemade macaroni and cheese lots of times--stovetop, baked, different cheeses, etc. But a few years ago in Boston I had it with lobster, and fell in love. (The various seafood casseroles up there are seriously incredible comfort food in the winter, and for a poor lost Southerner experiencing his first Massachusetts December, it was a way to stay sane.) I grabbed a pair of big rock lobster tails from Costco. I boiled them for about two minutes just to be able to remove them from the shells, and then threw the shells back in the water to make a very thin lobster stock. I roughly chopped the tail meat and put it on ice while getting everything else ready.

I made a Béchamel sauce with half & half, and whisked in 8 oz. each of Fontina and aged sharp cheddar. I fished the shells out of the water and used that to boil the macaroni, drained the pasta, threw everything together in a buttered dish and evenly distributed the mostly-uncooked lobster. I topped it with a little grated Dubliner cheese, and baked for about half an hour. Delicious, and certainly a crowd pleaser.

I served it with the 2006 Royal Tokaji Furmint from Hungary by way of dear friend Thomas R. $18, 14% abv. Smoky, musky, just a touch of honey, peach, and lemon but with restrained acidity. Long finish for a white wine, one that keeps you thinking for a while. I've only had this grape in the super-sweet forms before, and it was amazing to taste the grape in a dry presentation. If you ever get the opportunity to try a dry Furmint, don't pass it up.

Pollo al mattone or "chicken under a brick" is a traditional preparation in which chicken is cooked with a brick on top of it. Unlike the allegorical names of some Chinese dishes, Italian ones are pretty straightforward. I'd never eaten it or made it, but figured why not give it a shot? These "Cornish game hens" were gigantic like the two kids on the Little League team that are a foot taller than all the other players. Faked birth certificates, growth spurt, or steroids? Regardless, they were pretty tasty. My heat wasn't high enough, so the skin didn't get crispy, but the leg quarters ended up with a flavor and texture similar to duck confit.

We've got an Italian chicken in place of regular fried chicken... how about an Asian-inspired cole slaw and a Greek watermelon salad? The former is #20 on a recent list of 101 salads written by Mark Bittman. (He doesn't give proportions, so have fun figuring out the assembly.) Napa cabbage, radishes, and a peanut-cilantro dressing. Pretty interesting. I've made the Greek thing before, but it's a lot of fun--feta and mint with fresh watermelon and red onion. You can play around with this and present it in many different ways.

For the wine, I picked the 2008 La Linda Torrontés from the Mendoza region of Argentina. $11, 14.1% abv. Lime zest, lemon curd, and the most wonderful floral aroma you can imagine. Full of lilies and daisies and other white flowers. Low acidity, smooth body, and a refreshing finish. One of the guests referred to the grape as South America's Viognier, and I agree--with a good example of either it's like walking into a garden and taking a deep breath.

By the time Grace brought out her cheesecake, we had consumed wine from two countries and dishes from four unrelated culinary traditions, but the overall meal was still recognizable to any attendee of a church potluck dinner. And nobody went home hungry, always the sign of a successful dinner.

P.S. Bonus photo of me with two of the guests after dinner.