R.L. Buller & Son Fine Old Tokay (Victoria, Australia)
Price: 14.99
Grade: A
When most people think of dessert wine, Porto or Sauternes come to mind. Porto is a chameleon that can act as either an aperitif or an after-dinner treat, and Sauternes' thick sugary composition is a perfect complement for dessert. While both dessert wines are excellent (see my column on Porto), it is well worth the adventure to Hungary or Australia to sample a delicacy known as Tokay (or Tokaji in Hungary). The best Tokay is found in Hungary where the wine originated several centuries ago.
Quality Tokay is made from one of two techniques, both of which involve a process known as botrytis cinera, also called "noble rot." Similar to German practices for Riesling and those of French Sauternes, traditional Tokay vintners let a significant portion of their grapes rot on the vine. Allowing grapes to shrivel and rot concentrates sugar into a sweet paste. The vintner will then mix the paste with normal grapes before fermentation or subsequently mix the fermented botrytised grape juice with regular fermented juice.
The result of both methods is a deeply sweet desert wine. Although most good Tokay is the product of Hungarian vineyards, the R.L. Buller & Son variety hails from Victoria, Australia. As I said in one of my first columns, Australia produces the best value-oriented wines on the market. I was surprised to see a producer in Victoria made Tokay. The region is located in the southeastern corner of the continent and has a drier climate well-suited to Chardonnay or Semillon.
That said, I am very impressed with the quality of this Tokay. The nose has luscious aromas of raisins, prunes, apricots, bananas, toffee and coffee. The palate is even more delicious with strong notes of honey, prunes, toffee, bananas, and hints of even strawberry and raspberry. This is one of the best dessert wines I have ever had. I am proud to give it my column's first "A."
Jeff's column runs biweekly Wednesdays. He can be reached at jkatra@cavalierdaily.com.
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