Hungary for Something New

In the most recent installment of his column The Pour, Eric Asimov explains and explores the possibilities of Hungarian wine, expounding on the benefits of continued exploration for all wine drinkers, be you an intrepid novice or a ratable connoisseur:

"Yet no matter how alluring the desire to fixate on a particular set of wines, experimentation has great virtues. Practically speaking, wines from lesser-known regions are often cheaper. But more to the point, drinking wine with blinders on can deprive you of unexpected, deeply satisfying, even thrilling bottles."

While I thoroughly enjoyed this entree to Hungarian wines outside of the standard tokaji aszu, and noted to add these to my "must try" list, what I most enjoyed about this column was Asimov's appeal to his readers, to be more open-minded and try something new.

I first learned about and to love wine from my father, who is responsible for the foundation of my wine knowledge. He approached the assemblage of his wine cellar with the academic diligence that he applies to all problems, learning about each grape's character and acquiring not only a significant amount of wine to taste, but the corresponding literature to supplement his experiential learnings. Before I could drink wine, he gave me strict instruction in wine etiquette, broke down the elements of particular importance when tasting a wine, and drilled into my memory the particularly exceptional vintage years for his favored wine regions. And of course, when I began to drink more wine, I started out with what I knew, falling into the tendency we all have of choosing the familiar. In this case, it was shaped by my father's favorites - subtle, complex Bordeaux and high-impact California Cabernets.

Given my curious nature, however, I wanted to show off what new things I had learned on my own, and what I could teach my father in return. And so my favorite question when consulting on a wine selection is, "What is your most interesting or surprising wine?" In this manner, I have learned about new varietals and tasted from regions I never would have chosen. Yes, it's easier to describe what I know, but so much more rewarding to come away with a more enlightened or broadened view of the wine landscape. Whether it is a novel and unexpected food-wine pairing, or a taste of something from an entirely unfamiliar region, the sense of fun and adventure in trying the unexpected is what makes tasting so interesting. It is easy to choose the "best" Napa Valley Cab or Grand Chateau Bordeaux when you have enough of a baseline knowledge of that region - but it is so much more exciting to open yourself to something new. Do me a favor, and next time you order a glass of wine, don't stick to what you know - put yourself out there, ask a couple of questions, and see where you end up.