One thing I love about wine tastings is that it’s the perfect social-cultural event; you get the chance to meet interesting people, get to know more about culture and tradition and last but not least, treat your taste buds to glasses of great vino. Wine Time’s latest venture, their Expat Wine Club, won a gold medal in all three aspects.
If you’re not a local, there’s every chance you’ve yet to learn about Magyarland’s endless wine culture – and that’s where Wine Time aims to come in. November 12th marked the launch of a series of wine tasting events where selected, award-winning wine makers will showcase their produce during an evening of sipping and mingling with expats and locals alike.
Upon entering, I was immediately taken by the ambience. Dolbo Wine Bar was an ideal choice, a combo of a traditional, countryside winery and a slick city center bar. Grabbing my welcome drink, I decided to stroll around and mingle with the merry crowd. Even though I arrived alone, by the time the tasting kicked off, I’d had a chat with some of the fellow wine-lovers. A smile always helps.
This time it was the St. Andrea Winery from Eger presenting their wines. I’m not going to lie, even before I tasted any of their vinos, they’d won me over the moment I flicked through their leaflet. The first thing I noticed was the names of the wines… Forever, Justwithoneword, Blessing, Oh Gosh!, and I instantly got a feel for how much TLC they put in their products; how they actually bond with them.
After a short intro for each wine (all in English, of course), we could decide for ourselves how (much) we liked them with our very own wine tasting score sheet. I must say, the St. Andrea wines were all like interesting people; you feel the urge to know more about them. In-between the six different varieties, we were tempted by heavenly cakes, courtesy of Zazzi Patisserie and toothsome appetizers by the Cuisine&Cousin team. At the end, Wine Time even threw in a huge raffle with great prizes.
Just as I’d heard from St. Andrea Winery that terroir and love equals great wine (their motto, by the way), I also learnt that Wine Time’s wine club equals divine nectars and splendid time spent. Word.
St. Andrea Wines from the tasting:
Rosé Cuvée 2008, SunWine White Cuvée 2008, Boldogságos White Cuvée 2008, Justwithoneword Pinot Noir 2007, Hangács Bull’s Blood 2007, Blessing Bull’s Blood 2006
WineTime
1072 Budapest, Klauzál tér 13.
Tel.: +36.30.546.9252
E-mail: info@winetime.hu
www.winetime.hu