Please Join Us
Tuesday April 24, 2018
8:00 p.m
at the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel, Dutchess Room, Lobby Level 
as we survey
The Wines of Hungary
Presented by
Neil Palladino

Hungary is an important Eastern European wine producing country with a long, complex wine history that dates back to at least the Roman times; by the 5th century A.D. vines were widely planted throughout the country. 

In the 16th century, during the Turkish occupation, the Tokaj region became renowned for its sweet wines; they were famously named ‘Vinum Regum, Rex Vinorum’ (Wine of Kings, King of Wines) by Louis the XIV of France in the 17th century.  In 1730, following the Austrian occupation, and Germanic influence on a formalized viticultural approach, the world’s first vineyard classification system was established in the Tokaj region.  It was based on soil, terroir and the predisposition to noble rot.

While our perception of Hungary leads us to think, almost exclusively, of the world-class dessert wine Tokaj Azú – or the notorious red known as Bull's Blood – the reality is that the region produces many interesting indigenous grape varietals which are emerging as the “new face” of Hungarian wines. 

Furmint, Hárslevelű, Kéknyelü, Kékfrankos, and Kabar are among the components of the wines we’ll taste. From a lively Frizzante to the decadent Azú, we’ll cover the range of the New Hungary as our presenter, Neil Palladino takes us through a tasting of 8 wines: sparkling, white and red table, and 2 dessert wines, including:

Evolúció Frizzante NV  (sparkling)
Bakó Ambrus “A Villa Millett” Kéknyleű 2014  (white)
Affinitás Kékfrankos 2015  (red)
Öröm “Metamorfózis” Aszú 5 Puttonyos 2009  (dessert)

About the speaker:
With close to 40 years’ experience in the fine wine business, Neil Palladino has been involved in all phases of the industry.  Since 1979, he has managed some of the top retail stores in the metropolitan region, and opened Rye Brook Wine & Spirit Shop in 1990. Sold in 2002, it remains one of the top wine stores in the region.  Neil then moved to the distribution side, and most recently was the Northeast Regional Manager for Boutique Wine Collection, a national importer with an emphasis on family-owned wineries that have a history and portray the unique characteristics of their appellations’ terroir.

Download the reservation form here: iwagy_newsletter_04-24-18_reservation.doc