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One reason I love the holidays is that they mark the beginning of the Dungeness crab season. This tasty treat is harvested from mid November to the end of June, along the Pacific coast from Santa Barbara to as far as the Aleutian Islands in the Bering Sea. Being simply cooked in boiling water, its meat is sweet, tender, and slightly nutty. It is, I think, my favorite crustacean and the way I like it best is with just a squeeze of lemon, some bread and butter, and a glass of dry, mineral-driven, white wine.     So the other day, we ate our first crab of the year with some delicious 2010 Geyerhof Grüner Veltliner Rosensteig.     Grüner Veltliner is Austria's national grape, accounting for more than 30 percent of the country's vineyards and it is at its best along the Danube river were it grows in terraced vineyards on slopes so steep they can barely retain the soil, producing mineral-driven wines that can age well.     The Geyerhof winery is situated on the southern slopes of the Danube Valley east of Krems. The owners, Josef and Ilse Maier, have 15 hectares of dry-farmed vineyards on loess, sand and tertiary gravel soils and produce mostly Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. The fruit of the Grüner Veltliner Rosensteig comes from the organically farmed Rosensteig vineyard and has been manually harvested. The wine had a light golden color with aromas of Granny Smith apple and peach on the nose. On the palate, it was crisp, mineral, well structured, with notes of lime and paprika on the finish.     I am looking forward to some more Dungeness crabs this season and some more Grüner Veltliner as well!

Sommelier Jeff Berlin from À Côté (Oakland) in Tokaj.

Tokaji Aszu, certainly the most famous wine from Hungary, may even be the most famous sweet wine of the world. Still, for all its fame, it is often passed over both on restaurant menus and store shelves. But why? Those of us who have experienced the beauty and joys of drinking Tokaji cannot comprehend such behavior among fellow wine lovers.      After a few months of tasting with industry insiders and the general public, I have come to realize that people are afraid. Restaurant owners are afraid to put it on the list because they don’t think anyone will order it. At stores, patrons are afraid to take a bottle home because they don’t know if their guests will like it. This fear afflicts even those purchasers who love the wine and recognize its value.      It’s no shocker that the king of wine and wine of kings has earned a reputation for being a bit pricey, and admittedly, the prices can climb to the upper end of the scale. Even when it’s a great value, expensive price tags are not in fashion. The American stigma against sweet wines, a rapidly changing dogma, does not help the cause either. People just don’t know what to do with this unfamiliar style of wine, and how to best enjoy them. This makes for a double-dilemma: an unfamiliar style at less-than-cheap prices. The risk seems high for both the businessperson and the patron.      As with Sherry and Madeira (two other underappreciated wines) the key lies in food pairings. Offering a 3 oz pour of 3 puttonyos with the cheese plate on your dessert menu is sure to intrigue enough customers to get your full margin, not to mention heighten their gustatory experience (hello, return customers!) Similarly, passing around a bottle of 5 puttonyos at your holiday dessert parties will secure your status as best host(ess) or most creative party guest. Turning people on to new delicacies is fun, and whether they are your neighborhood regulars or your friends and family, its always appreciated.      One of the nice things about a bottle of Tokaji Aszu is its ability to stay fresh for at least 2 weeks…not that it ever lasts that long in my home! This means that you can experiment over the course of multiple meals to find your favorite pairings. With all of the parties, hearty food, and merriment, the holiday season is the perfect time for Tokaji.     Patricius Red Leonis Tokaji Aszu 3 Puttonyos: the acidity here is sky high which keeps the overall impression light, you’ll be surprised how easily this goes down next to savory courses throughout your meal. Try this not-too-sweet wine with blue cheese, breasola, spicy noodles, or lobster bisque.      Patricius Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos: this deeply colored nectar is sweet and rich with a slightly thickened, but balanced, body. Try this alongside creamy deserts like crème brulee and panna cotta, or pastries like cheese and fruit Danish, or crepes with apricot preserves.          To learn more about the different styles of sweet wines and their production methods, check Kristian Kielmayer's latest blog post: Drawing on examples of sweet wine production in different parts of the world.

powerfully flavored wild Belon oysters

Most of my family holidays are spent on Peaks Island, Maine. A 30 minute ferry ride from the city of Portland, it is one of the most populous of the 365 Calendar Islands. In the summer tourists rule the place, gobbling up lobster and overloading the ferry, winter belongs to the wicked Nor Easter storms and the fishermen. Albeit unknowingly; I must thank my parents, for relocating from Southern California, to this, one of America’s great food destinations.     Recently, my mom made friends with a favorite local oysterman. It was rumored that his were the best, so for this most recent visit she order 3½ dozen for just 4 of us. The guy hand delivered his day's catch to the door. Most were these deliciously fresh, even sweet locally farmed 'America' oysters, but the real treat were the dozen strongly flavored wild Belon. Forgoing the typical compliment of Muscadet, or Chablis, I selected something more appropriate for the season. After all, in Maine, winter is the best season for oysters; so why should we drink summer wine?     

Receipt for the oysters

         My wife Kristyn and I were on the Peljesac Peninsula in Southern Croatia a few summers ago. While there, we visited with farmer and winemaker Frano Milos. He mentioned the locally popular combination of raw oysters and the rugged Plavac Mali based red wines, like his own. Strange as the match sounded, the coves of this rocky peninsula are bivalve paradise, our curiosity was spiked. Unfortunately, all the restaurants we visited serving them had discovered, only white wine should be served with oysters.     

Milos family vineyards and their view of the sea

         Our Maine oyster feast was the perfect opportunity to test this “scary” pairing. Some were baked with butter and herbs, most of them were eaten raw with, champagne mignonette, lemon juice and Tapatilo, or just raw. We opened the 2006 Milos Plavac, along with a few whites for backup. All who experienced the harmony of this unlikely duo were shocked and delighted. The tea and spice scented Plavac was the first bottle drained. My favorite match was with the raw, unseasoned, wild oysters. There is a simple answer for the success of the combination; ‘brininess’. Any proper Plavac Mali should have a touch. Some of the most delicious, the Milos wines included, are actually salty.     

Surprise, surprise!!

         Peljesac wine are some of the most transparent expressions of place and people being bottled today. Paradoxically, it is this individuality that enables them to relate so brilliantly to the culinary traditions of other places. For me, winter oysters in Maine will never be complete with out some hearty Plavac. This makes the world feel smaller, but in a good way.     

The test

The tasting line-up

The other weekend, we had the visit of John Szabo, Canada's first Master Sommelier and also co-owner of the Hungarian winery J and J Eger Wine Company. During his stay in San Francisco, he co-hosted a Hungarian wine tasting seminar with Matthew Stamp of the Guild of Sommeliers at Morton's Steakhouse.     The tasting featured 13 wines covering 6 major wine producing areas including Mátra, Szekszárd, Sopron, Eger, Villány, and last but not least, Tokaj.          Our first flight featured 2 whites from Mátra and 2 reds from Szekszárd. Mátra is a wine producing region located in the northeast part of the country, in the foothills of the Matra Mountains. Characterized by cold winters and volcanic soils, the area is noted for its white wines.     • Szõke Mátyás Királyleányka 2010: produced by Szõke Mátyás, one of Matra's most important family-owned wineries. Királyleányka means "little princess" and is a traditional variety of Transylvanian origin. Light golden color, attractive floral nose of acacia blossom. On the palate, crisp, slightly waxy with grapefruit flavors and mineral notes on the finish.     • Szõke Mátyás Irsai Oliver 2010: Irsai Oliver is a hybrid grape variety from the Muscat family. Intensely aromatic with rose petal aromas, dry and crisp palate with additional flowery notes on the finish.     Szekszárd is a wine district located in the southern part of Hungary and one of the oldest red wine-growing areas in the country. Although Kékfrankos is the region's most important red variety, its best-known grape is the thin-skinned and hard-to-grow Kadarka.     • Eszterbauer Kadarka Nagyapám 2009: produced by Eszterbauer, a winery that has been making wine in the region for 10 generations. Medium red color, fresh cherry nose, dry, spicy, with lively acidity on the palate. A good accompaniment to paprika-based Hungarian fish stew.     • Eszterbauer Tüke Bikavér 2008: Szekszárdi Bikavér or "Bull's Blood of Szekszárd" is the southern version of the famous Bull's Blood of Eger. Bikavér, like Châteauneuf-du-Pape, is a blend of potentially 13 grape varieties. This wine has some Kékfrankos for the backbone blended with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc. Dark color, sweet berry aromas on the nose, full-bodied, good overall complexity.     

John Szabo getting ready for the tasting.

    Our second flight featured Kékfrankos wines from the Sopron and Eger regions. Kékfrankos, also called Blaufränkisch in German, is a dark skinned grape variety grown mostly in central and eastern Europe that can produce rich and spicy wines.     Sopron is situated on the Austrian border, at the foot of the Alps. With a climate characterized by cool summers and mild winters, it produces elegant reds mostly made of Kékfrankos.     • Pfneiszl Kékfrankos 2009: produced by the Pfneiszl estate, owned and managed by sisters Birgit and Katrin and currently transitioning to a completely organic winery. Medium red color, vibrant aromatic nose, aromas of dark berries, well-balanced, very tasty.     Eger is located in northern Hungary, on the southern slopes of the Bükk Mountains. The climate is characterized by late springs and hot summers. It is home to the popular Egri Bikavér (bulls blood of Eger), a red blend based on Kékfrankos.     • J&J Eger Winery Eged Hegy Kékfrankos 2006: produced by J and J Eger Wine Company, a partnership between John Szabo and Eger native, physician, and winemaker Dr. János Stumpf. Sourced from the dry farmed Eged-Hegy (Eged Hill) vineyard. Dark color, cassis aromas on the nose, full-bodied, good acidity, woody with some tannins. Serious wine but still young.     • J&J Eger Winery Eged Hegy Kékfrankos 2007: tighter than the 2006, concentrated, needs more time.          Our third flight took us to Villány, in Southern Hungary, not far from the Croatian border, where the climate is warmer with Mediterranean influences.     • Attila Gere Portugieser 2010: produced by winemaker and winery owner Attila Gere, whose family has been in the wine business for seven generations. Portugieser is an old grape variety that probably originated in the Danube Valley. It is usually vinified as a light, fruity wine. Medium red color, fruity, Beaujolais-like nose, light bodied, fresh, easy to drink.     • Attila Gere KOPAR 2007: Bordeaux-style blend of 52% Cabernet Franc, 46% Merlot, and only 2% Cabernet Sauvignon (Cabernet Franc ripens more reliably than Cabernet Sauvignon in the region). Aged in large Hungarian oak casks. Spicy nose, sweet berry fruit on the palate, well balanced, good with grilled meat.          Our last flight was dedicated to the Tokaj wine region in northeastern Hungary, famous worldwide for its botrytized wines, although the production of dry Tokaj is growing. The climate is continental with dry, cold winters, late springs, and hot summers. The soil is of volcanic origin, with high concentrations of iron and lime. Furmint is the main grape variety. It covers about 60% of Tokaji's vineyards with Hárslevelü covering an additional 30%.     We first tasted two semi-dry Tokaj from Bott Pince, a small winery founded by Judit and József Bodó in March 2006. The Bodó family owns 1.5 ha of vines on a west facing terraced slope in the classed vineyard of Határi.     • Bott Határi Hárslevelü 2009: pale golden color, spicy nose with notes of honey, citrus and herbs, well balanced on the palate, mineral finish.     • Bott Csontos Furmint 2009: light golden color, fresh floral nose, flavors of honey, dried apricot, licorice, softer than the Határi on the palate.     We concluded the tasting with 2 sweet Tokaj from Patricius, a winery established by the Kékessy family in a rebuilt and modernized wine-press house previously owned by the Jesuits and various aristocratic families.     • Patricius Late Harvest Tokaj 2008: made from over-ripped and partly botrytised berries. Bright golden color, apricot, peach, kumquat aromas on the nose. On the palate, bright acidity, notes of honey and dried herbs, long finish.     • Patricius Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 2000: deep amber color, intense nose, flavors of bitter orange marmalade and rock candy, very sweet finish.     

The Blue Danube team Rachel, Eric, and Frank with John Szabo and David Fenyvesi, from Eger.

This afternoon I got a call from our friend and wine brother, Luis Moya of Vinos Unico. Luis had another one of his many - often very good - marketing ideas. He was just about to post their Top 5 Wines for 2011 on the Vinos Unico web site. Luis wanted to convince me to do the same and later we would together with our colleagues from Return to Terroir selected and market the Top 5 wines of the famous in-famous #Port4lio group.     I told Luis that this is a great idea but that we are already overworked and overcommitted. If you know Luis you know that he does not give up and never sleeps, so two hours later I see a tweet in which Luis asks us to put some effort into this project and to publish our Top 5 on our web site. So here they are:     No 1: Donkey Peljesac, Plavac Mali, Vinarija Dingac, Peljesac Peninsula 2010     No 2: Geyerhof: Gruner Veltliner Rosensteig, Kremstal 2009     No 3: Bibich, B6 Riserva, Northern Dalmatia 2008     No 4: Eszterbauer Kadarka, Szekszard 2009     No 5: Kabaj Rebula, Goriska Brda 2008     Cheers, and Thank You for your support.

Finding the perfect wine that can go with all the rich flavors found on the Thanksgiving menu, the turkey, the stuffing, the gravy, the cranberries, and the various side dishes, can be challenging. Nonetheless, I think that a wine that is bright and fruity, and not too tannic nor alcoholic, is always a great choice. So when I recently tasted the 2009 Juris St. Laurent Selection, I thought that this year, it was time to invite Austria to our Thanksgiving table.     Owned by the Stiegelmar family, Juris farms 17 hectares of vineyards in the Neusiedlersee wine region, half way between Vienna and Budapest. This is the warmest part of Austria with climatic conditions well suited to red varieties, which explains the winery's special focus on St Laurent and Pinot Noir wines.     The Stiegelmar family has been cultivating grapes in this area since the 16th century. One of the winery's underground cellars was built in 1756, Mozart's birth year. It was dug 52 meters long, 12 meters below the surface, and maintains a stable temperature of 10°C (50°F).     
The underground cellars.     But over the past 10 years, Axel Stiegelmar and his father Georg have developed a modern winery. The transport of grapes, mash, must, and wine is done predominantly through gravity to avoid damage by careless transport. The storage building is Austria's first passive energy wine storage facility. The building, neither heated nor cooled by fossil or electric energy, has various temperature and humidity zones to provide optimal storage conditions for different wines at different stages of their production.     St. Laurent is a red grape of mysterious origins. It is said to belong to the Pinot family, although its exact ancestry remains unclear. It is an early ripening grape variety, sensitive to frost, sunburn, and botrytis. The name comes from Saint Laurent's name day on August 10, which is when the veraison of the grape occurs.     If the wine had the bright acidity of a Pinot Noir, it was spicy like a Syrah. It showed a very dark color with aromas of black cherries, moka, and gamey notes. On the palate, it was quite smooth and tasty with maybe a hint of sweet chestnut on the finish.     

As we leave our outdoor grill to gather dust and cobwebs and start dressing our house for Halloween, it is time to cozy up with harvest reds, says Patrick Comiskey, a senior contributor for Wine & Spirits Magazine, in his latest article for the Los Angeles Times.     Harvest reds are wines that taste like early fall, warm without being too bold, fruity with savory flavors that evoke wood smoke, fallen leaves, and wild mushrooms. But where to find them?     “Lately there is no better place to start than the lap of Europe, which on my map is Austria and Hungary”, says Comiskey. “Both countries are enjoying a resurgence among their red wines; each has an interesting collection of oddly named indigenous (or nearly so) varieties that are being revived.”     In Hungary, he adds, “your options are more limited but potentially more exciting. Importers such as Blue Danube are bringing small-production wines into the market, like the Soproni Kekfrankos made by Pfneiszl (about $15). Kekfrankos is Blaufränkisch, a bit more gripping and rustic than Austrian versions. Hungary is also the continent's last great repository of Kadarka, a thin-skinned red variety thought to have originated in Romania, with a clean and peppery red-berry flavor, worth chilling for a stew. Look for the Kadarka from Eszterbauer, a 10th-generation producer who also makes a very drinkable Bikaver (Bull's Blood) blend (both around $20).”     So for Halloween, try the Eszterbauer Tüke Bikavér 2008 from Szekszard wine region in Hungary's Transdanubian hills. It is spicy and deep, yet easy to drink, but beware, this bull's blood may attract some vampires!     Read Comiskey's article here.

2009 Bott Határi Hárslevelű

It was close to dinner time and I had just opened a bottle of 2009 Bott Határi Hárslevelű. As I swirled the wine in the glass, catching the wine's fragrant aromas, I realized that it was screaming for South Asian spices, rich spices like turmeric, clove, ginger, coriander, nutmeg, cumin.     The Bott Határi Hárslevelű is a dry white wine from Tokaj, home to Tokaji Aszú, the world's oldest botrytized wine, although Tokaj is increasingly well-known for its distinctive dry wines.     It is produced by Bott Pince, a small winery founded by Judit and József Bodó in March 2006. Bott is Judit's maiden name and she is the one crafting the wines while her husband focuses on the vineyard. The majority of the region's vineyards are planted with Furmint but Hárslevelű is Judit Bodó's favorite varietal as she explained in a recent New York Times interview: “Sometimes the furmint is too harsh,” she said, “too 'gerade' in German, too 'straight' and harslevelu has more play. It's more layered, it has more nose, it has more nuance.”     The Bodó family has 1.5 ha of vines on a west facing terraced slope in the classed vineyard of Határi. The soil is volcanic rocks mixed with clay. limestone, and chalk. Challenging growing conditions and an average vine age of 40 years result in low yields in the vineyard. The wine fermented in 220 liter barrels for 6 weeks using native yeast and remained in barrel for 9 more months.     That night, my dinner plan was to sauté some shrimps with garlic but after sniffing the wine, I decided to cook them with a Southeast Asian twist. Fortunately, between the pantry and the refrigerator, I had all the ingredients that I needed to accommodate the shrimps Thai style: fresh ginger and garlic, one onion, curry paste, a can of coconut milk, frozen bell pepper strips, and of course the shrimps.     As I retasted the wine during dinner, I was quite pleased with my shrimp curry dish. Far from being overwhelming, the medium-hot curry spices combined with the creamy coconut flavors were adding more dimensions to the wine.     Showing a light golden color, it had a flowery nose, slightly waxy, with notes of dried apricots and honey. On the palate, it was extremely creamy, mouth-filling, with a good amount of acidity. There was also some sweetness that interestingly disappeared on the finish, leaving an after-taste of dried herbs and mineral notes.     

The start of an email correspondence.

I remember Miha Batič, one of our Slovenian producers, telling me that his Great-Grandfather was Austrian, his Grandfather was Italian, his Father Yugoslavian, and now he is Slovenian. They’ve been working the same land and living in the same house since 1592. While borders and nationalities change, the vineyards have remained the same.      To this end, Italian and Slovenian producers are in the process of creating the first ever Trans-Border DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) that celebrates the Carso (Italian) or Karst (Slovenian) region. For instance, there are already joint community initiatives such as Scenarios and Flavours from the Karst Plateau without Frontiers based in Trieste that functions much like a “Doctors Without Borders” for food and wine. Concerning wine, they focus on the grape called “Terrano” (Italian) or “Teran” (Croatian and Slovenian) coupled with the iron rich “Terra Rossa” (red earth) unique to the region. These are red wines with off the charts acidity, enough minerality to meet a healthy diets monthly quota, and often a slightly tangy wild berry flavor that make it an incredible wine of place. It’s a killer with Prosciutto.      With this in mind, I’ve had many buyers admit they love the wines I’ve shared with them but immediately follow it up with, “They don’t fit anywhere on my list” or "They won't sell here." At the same time, they carry wines that share virtually the same soil, grape, climate, and history but happen to have DOC, DOCG, or IGT instead of Product of Croatia or Slovenia on their labels. If Terroir driven wines are really at the heart of their philosophy, why are politically drawn borders getting in the way?      The following is an actual email exchange that argued why a focus on Northeastern Italian wines should also consider the wines of Istria, Croatia. For privacy, the names have been blocked out.                    

Hosts Hasim, Seni, and Gino at Bistro SF Grill.

San Francisco has recently added a very vivid food destination and we are happy to be part of it with our wines: Bistro SF Grill. This is a gourmet burger restaurant owned and managed by three multi-talented friends hailing from Bosnia-Herzegovina: Hasim, Seni, and Gino. We sometimes jokingly call them the 'Balkan Trio'.     In a short couple of months the trio has managed to put their 'almost famous' burgers on top of the heap. This is not your ordinary burger joint where the choices are between American or Swiss cheese.     At Bistro SF Grill they serve only the finest beef some of it as exotic as Alligator, Buffalo, and Ostrich. Then there is a Lamb Burger and another made from organically fed Kobe beef. I tried most of them and my favorite is the Balkan Burger, made from a mix of lamb and beef with savory spices.     Our wines from Balkan countries like Slovenia and Croatia pair beautifully with these burgers. For instance, try the Donkey Dingac or the Bibich Riserva R6 with a Balkan burger and you will agree that the wine will make the flavors jump. The Croatian Plavac Mali - relative to the Californian Zinfandel - shows a certain rustic spiciness which pairs well with the Balkan burger. My guess is that it's the Paprika which corresponds so nicely.      Besides offering great food and wine, the Bistro also frequently hosts wine tastings. We were invited to pour our wines at the first tasting which was dedicated to Balkan wines. We are now looking forward to the next event: The Party - Rock me Amadeus! As you can tell, this one will feature wines from the former Austrian-Hungarian empire, home of Mozart and an old, sophisticated wine culture. Join us when we pop a couple of corks and pour some really nice Gruner Veltliner, Blaufrankisch, Kadarka, and Kiralyleanyka. Come explore with us the lands along the Blue Danube River:          Tuesday, August 16 from 6pm - 2819 California St. 415-409 6410     Photography courtesy of Eric Danch ©2011

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