First Grill. First Furmint. First Vermont. First Emptied.
by Todd Trzaskos, Vermont Wine Media
Everyone usually thinks of red wine with grilling, which I can understand, but white wines offer huge value to the summer setting. Most folks who tried the Furmints from Hungary were very intrigued by what they tasted; one participant approached the table and immediately proclaimed, “I think I’m in love with Furmint,” and was very eager to try what was on offer. What the tasters got was a taste of three vintages, from dry to off-dry with all the complex fruit and stony flavors that Furmint serves up.
Erszébet Pince Estate 2011 – Slippery texture, soft kiss of green melon flesh and rind. Lingering tang with wet stone still remaining. So elegant, so easy to appreciate the sensitivity and craft in the making.
Tokaj Hetszolo 7 2012 – More melon rind, soft stone fruit, green apple and herbaciousness presenting like a refreshing love child of Gruner Veltliner and Seyval Blanc.
Paulay Borhaz 2013 – Sweet herbs and stone fruit. Salty and savory. Long and nuanced transit across the palate. Folks said it was like a four act play in the mouth and were very glad it came in a liter, offering up a second ticket to the show. One taster said, “This wine is somewhere between Chardonnay and Riesling.” How right she was, given the fact that Furmint is a half-sibling of those grapes (they share the common parent Gouais Blanc).
The Furmints may have stolen most of the white limelight but the other participants showed nicely as well. The Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc was predictably snappy. Upon sipping it, one attendee who had spent time down under immediately blurted out that the wine tasted like New Zealand. Grassy and aromatically pungent, tropical fruit, guava, and citrus pith were big in the glass and a good companion for the veggie grill. The Lincoln Peak La Crescent’s lemon-fresh nose had eyes popping. It’s crispness cleansed palates and it went especially well with baked beans. Go figure…I guess finding unlikely combinations is another reason why FirstGrill matters. The le Petite Perrire Sauv Blanc was fresh and creamy and very easy to enjoy. One attendee who’d been dropping a lot on Sancerre recently said she would be making this one part of her daily table lineup.
Many fresh tastes and bites of information were shared at FirstGrill 2015 and we are sure it won’t be our last. Cheers!
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