Autumn is coming…really!

It’s hard to believe when temps are still roasting us like wieners on a stick, but autumn is nearly here. It says so on the calendar, so it must be true. Read more

High marks for Argentine winemaker

It’s tough being an “A” student.

At least that’s what we always told our parents who pushed us for high marks. And for a winemaker, it’s even tougher to score high marks on her wines when she is, after all, trying to temper Mother Nature and harness the sun, rain and soil to produce breathtaking “nectar of the Gods.”

But that is exactly what Susana Balbo has done, producing wines that reviewers consistently score in the 90’s. Whether it is her signature Malbec, Brioso and Cabernet Sauvignon or her “offspring” Crios wines, like the Torrontes and Rosé, they rate 90+ points, and critics seem to gush about one of the most well-known and well-respected Argentine winemakers to date.

“Susana Balbo is to Argentine wine what Martha Stewart is to homemaking and Oprah Winfrey is to media in the United States,” wrote Vivianne Rodrigues on Reuters Life earlier this year.

In fact, Susana has come a long way from her enology degree that she earned in 1981. Much of her career was spent traveling around the world to help others create great wines in places like Chile, Australia, Spain, France, South Africa and California before she and her husband, Pedro Marchevsky decided in 1999 to create their own winery, Dominio del Plata, in Argentina. Today, Susana is president of the trade group Wines of Argentina, which represents more than 170 wineries.

Listening to nature

As a biodynamic winemaker, one of Susana’s guiding principles is sustainable agriculture. That means not only organic farming of a current harvest, but also taking a long-range approach to the land and local community to protect natural resources such that viticulture continues to thrive in this region. Additionally, Susana is known for her detail-oriented approach to winemaking. From planting to water management to blending decisions, she refuses to overlook any detail that can make a wine transcend from just good to really great. And it is likely her obvious passion for this profession that has taken her there.

Balbo-ific wine

It is no accident that Balbo and her husband chose Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, as their winery home. An area noted for its warm summer days and cool nights, Mendoza provides well-draining, sandy soil that is as close to perfect as it gets for making wine, despite some pretty fierce hail storms. Through a high-trellising system for grape vine stability and biodynamic farming, the grapes here benefit from a long growing season that leads to wines with Balbo’s characteristic great color, flavor and nose.

In addition to Balbo’s super premium or signature labels of Susana Balbo, Ben Marco, and Nosotros, she has become popularly known for her more moderately priced “Crios” line. Crios means offspring in Spanish, and she has said that she chose this name because these wines weren’t quite as grown up as her others – more brashly fruit forward and to be enjoyed younger than her signature wines. Regardless of the label, one thing is clear when experiencing Susana Balbo’s wines: hard work, knowledge, passion and an instinct for producing fabulous wine are undoubtedly a winning combination.

Interested in tasting some of Susana’s fine wines, then you are in luck; Susana Balbo is in Hinsdale! A reservation-only tasting is scheduled for Friday, August 27^th, 6-8:30 p.m. at the Hinsdale Wine Shop. The $20 entrance fee will be applied toward your purchases. To make reservations, call 630-654-9862.

One Man’s Rotting Grapes Is Another’s…

Ridiculously moldy, rotting grapes make for unbelievably great wine.

At least that’s the way they think in Hungary, and many other places where people seem to adore Tokay wine. After spending a few days in Budapest this week, I finally got a chance to see what all the fuss is about.

Legend has it that in the mid-1600s, a Hungarian priest named Laczko began dabbling with Furmint grapes to make a new, great wine in Hungary. Just as his grapes were nearing harvest, Turks invaded and all good Hungarians had to go to war, leaving his experimental fruit to rot on the vine. He and his harvesters returned in late Fall to dried up, withering grapes that were not only rotting but laden with Butrytis cinerea fungus. He decided to cut his losses, pick them anyway, mixi them with a previous year’s wine and hope for the best. The result was Tokay Aszu, which is revered as much if not more than French Sauterne…and just as sweet too. Many wine experts love to refer to Louis XIV’s description of Tokay as the “wine of kings” and the King of wines.”

Despite being a dry wine love, I was utterly intrigued by the the way wine critics literally rave about this ultra sweet varietal. Measured in “Puttonyos,” ranging usually from three to six, one gets a general idea of the level of sweetness in a Tokay. Three is merely considered “sweet,” whereas six is “dramatically sweet,” and Tokay Eszencia is described as “off the charts,” according to Karen MacNeil in her Wine Bible. If you believe our wine guy at the Budapest City Market, those Puttonyos directly relate to the quality of wine and certainly the price.

For those who have not traveled to Budapest, its city market is quite a treat. Spacious, clean and full of paprikas and paprika-related items alongside stalls and stalls of colorful produce and aromatic salamis, meats and cheeses, this indoor market is open every day of the week. On its top floor are stalls after stalls of local crafts but also yet more stalls, cafes and restaurants to taste Langos (deep-fried savory Elephant Ears smothered with sour cream and paprika) as well as goulash soup and other Hungarian goodies. It’s also the perfect place to try Hungarian wines, especially Tokay.

Fear not if your Hungarian is limited to “goulash, please,” because most Hungarians speak English. For me, asking for a range of Tokay samplings proved easy enough. Many stands have several bottles lined up of Tokay with deciliters to taste for the equivalent of $2-6. Our wine guy was likely not the most helpful in the market, but it didn’t really matter as it was satisfying just getting to see a range of the wine all in one place. Ultimately I felt a little like Goldilocks with three diverse Tokay. My Szaraz or dry Tokay sample was the cheapest of the bunch, but lacked the more complex layering and flavors of the sweeter wines. This one is a little too dry. A 6-Puttonyo had the characteristic honey nose and honey flavor but felt almost as if I was literally drinking honey. This one is a little too sweet. And a mid-range 4-Puttonyo wine turned out to be still quite sweet but easy to imagine with a tender foie gras (the Hungarians love their foie gras) or as a dessert wine. This one was just right.

Today’s Tokay has had a storied past such that only since the ’90s has it returned to the glory that it enjoyed when it was first discovered. Phylloxera, politics and poor economics prevented a strong wine industry from flourishing during tumultuous times. Literally, it took Hugh Johnson and several deep-pocketed non-Hungarian investors to restore Hungary’s Tokay grapes vines (now four varieties, not just Furmint).

And of course, other wine varietals only found in this region are also resurging. According to MacNeil, Hungary ranks 11th in wine-producing countries worldwide, but you’d never know it to look at most wine selections in stores since much of it never leaves the country. Even in Germany, where I live, there are few Hungarian wines for sale. But, that is likely changing. As more people travel and wine sellers learn of Kekfrankos (the grape used to make Bull’s Blood), Kekoporto, Zweigelt, Olasrizling, Oremus, and Harslevelu, they have an opportunity to expand horizons and encounter Hungary at a a good time when the wine is only getting better.

– Ivy F. Kupec

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