About Tokay

When the Iron Curtain came down, never mind anything else, the wine possibilities were very exciting. We'd been going to Bulgaria for many years (rather nervously). Though, pathetically, I never did get honey-trapped. But when the barbed wire and gun towers were removed, buying in the east became much more relaxed.

We arranged the first big tasting in Budapest and invited all Hungarian producers who fancied a crack at the British market. We flew half Laithwaites and STWC staff over plus and some customers/members. The event's importance was highlighted by Hugh when he spoke to the assembled winemakers about how Hungary could now work to reclaim her old place in the pre-war ‘Top Three Seriously Fine Wine Countries’: France, Germany, Hungary.

We all gawped at that but HJ knows his history – as his BBC TV series proved. He was talking about before the southern European countries had got into doing 'Fine' … ie posh estates, posh bottles, posh labels – vintages, laying-down, all that mularky. Commonplace, but all relatively recent concepts in Italy, Spain and Portugal … just don't tell them I said that … they don't like it mentioned.

After that first tasting we went off to visit various places and I remember HJ gawping and suggesting we pick up the odd castle or mansion + vines for derisory sums.

I thought he was joking. But no, he only went and bought some prime Tokay vineyards with his mate Peter Vinding-Diers. I thought they were mad. But "Ho! Ho!" said H, "Truly Mad; Mad is the name of the place we've bought into."

I left them to their Mad struggles. And struggles they had a-plenty. I just got the odd nice bottle for my Christmas pud. I'm not a great dessert wine man. I know it’s a very great wine, and H's lot are making it better all the time. I know it should be drunk kneeling but … I only do grand pudding occasions once or twice a year.

What I really did love was the dry wine they can now make with their just-slightly Botrytis-affected Furmint grapes. Now, that for me, is a wine to drink a lot of. And I do.

All this reflection has come about because I saw this great article about HJ's Hungarian Adventures in the Wall Street Journal. (We run their Wine Club). Anyway great article by Will Lyons.