We’ve had some learning experiences when it comes to buying wine in Europe. In the old days we were satisfied with each of us stuffing a couple of bottles in our carry on luggage. Recently this has become insufficient because a couple of bottles each is too fleeting and impossible because we can no longer carry on liquids. If we checked luggage, we could bury a few bottle each in with our clothes, shoes and toiletries. However, this is risky too. As we all know, baggage handlers are not known for their attention to detail, particularly when it comes to careful handling of baggage. It is a give and take issue; we all want our baggage to show up on the carousel as quickly as possible and that comes with a price - namely damaged goods. So we tried a few things.

Burgundy

First, when in Beaune, Burgundy, (at the store Athenaeum) we bought a case of Premier and Grand Crus and had them shipped home. This was a big mistake as they arrived in the US quickly (overnight) but sat in US Customs for 5 days. While taste tests have shown the wines were not “cooked”, we are not convinced the wines preserved their unique and subtle characteristics (the main reason you buy Burgundies.)

Alsace

Second, from Alsace, we bought wines (at Hugel), boxed them and checked them as luggage. This went well. The woman who checked us in in Paris understood the value of our wines and plastered the box with “Handle with Care” stickers. The wine arrived, with us, externally undamaged. A taste test proved positive as well. The wine was a delicious as it was in France.

Hungary

So we took this idea with us to Hungary expecting to bring home a case of soft, food friendly Hungarian reds. We boxed the wines up as two separate 6 packs using boxes and packaging from the dealers (Bortársaság and Présház). We plastered the boxes with stickers and crossed our fingers as we checked the boxes. At the baggage carousel, we were horrified to find one box destroyed, smelling like a frat house and placed inside a plastic container. When all was said and done, two bottles were broken and the remainder merely had damaged labels (one label was missing entirely and only through process of elimination were we able to determine which wine it was.)

In Conclusion

The best way to bring wine home is to procure boxes with styrofoam inserts specifically for shipping wine. Pack these boxes and check them with your checked luggage to your destination. I would suggest no more than two 12 bottle cases per passenger. Load these boxes up with your favorite wines and check them again when you are returning. You may have to pay duty once you arrive in the United States, but we have never had to pay anything to this point. I don’t think it is worth their trouble for a few cases of wine.

As an accompanying wine we had a 2004 Gunzer Villanyi Cabernet, a blend of 60% cabernet franc and 40% cabernet sauvingon. It was a light bodied red that reminded us of a cabernet franc from the Loire. The nose was dark and earthy up front with some cooked red fruits. The profile started with big, dark, cooked fruits up front that tailed off slowly into good food acidity and soft, musty tannins. There wasn’t a pronounced structure evident in the tannins but this was a good wine to accompany food. It cost HUF 5000 or about $27 USD.

The restaurant is a cozy little place on Zichy Jeno utca 33 in the sixth district. It is a french inspired bistrot style restaurant. At first, we thought there may be a large tourist clientele because of the Thanksgiving menu options but most of the customers we observed were Hungarian speaking.

We look forward to visiting Café Bouchon again and trying some of the daily specials.

Takler Pince Bikavér Reserve 2004

Well balanced fruit and acidity, soft tannins. Really liked it.

Bock Jósef Pincészete Capella Cuvée 2000

Good acidity, not overpowering. Profile: fruit and then mustiness we attribute to the soft tannins (which we refer to now as Hungarian (Magyar) attic), fruit then comes back, ended with nice tannin and a long acidic finish.

Tiffán ede és Zsolt Pincészete Cuvée Carissimae 2005

Very well balanced, medium body. Good structure. Nose is caramel and creamy. Nina’s favorite!

Vylyan Pincészete Cabernet Sauvingon Selection 1999

Magyar attic, fruit. Tannic structure still strong - could still use time. Tannins are soft on tongue, finish is nice and long.

Gere Attila Pincészete Kopár 2004

Fruitier than the others. Acid almost overwhelms the tannins on the finish. Nose has a little leather and some black pepper.

Grof Degenfeld Tokaji Aszú, 6 Puttonyos 2000

Orange/yellow color. Very good. Like excellent sherry or sauterne. Nose: a little attic. Honey. Good acidity.

Royal Betsek Aszú, 6 Puttonyos 1999

Color: Burnt orange. Very acidic, sweet, yet not syrupy. Better balanced than the Degenfeld because of the acidity. Exceptional!

Történelmi Borvidék (Romania) Balla Géza Ménesi Kadarka 2002

Red grapes typical to mid-europe in Tokaji style (Aszú process). Some Magyar attic, expo marker, tannin smooths out the sweetnesss. Also well balanced.

We are beginning to see some distinct qualities common to the Hungarian reds we have been drinking (in addition to others we’ve had in Budapest and at home.) The first is the soft mustiness that seems to be a well aged or softened tannin. While, at first, this quality caused the Hungarian wines to stand out from our usual wines, we have now begun to develop quite a fondness for this attribute. The second quality is marked but well integrated acidity. Most Hungarian reds we have tasted have a prominent - but not overpowering - acidity throughout the tasting profile making them excellent food wines.

Website: Andante Borpatika

We both ordered the tasting menu so that we could get the full treatment. Here is what it included:

1. Orange/carrot/yogurt shake. I remember this was a very delicate blend of flavors, delicious.

2. Chicken Paté in toothpaste tube with toasted calamari ink bread. The presentation, as it probably sounds, was creative and amusing. The small tube had a Lou Lou sticker on it and it was expertly filled with the paté. How do they do that? Oh, and did we mention, it was very smooth, rich and tasty. There was ample paté for the toast so we had to really pile it on high.

3. Goose Liver Paté (marinated in Tokaji) with crushed black pepper, orange cake in spinach/onion marmalade. Served with house-made Orangecello served in a test tube. The flavors in this course were well balanced when taken together. Once again, we were amazed at the power of black pepper to bring a meal to greater heights. The small shot of orangecello worked very well to contrast the fatty paté while extending the flavor of the orange cake.

4. Poached, then grilled salmon with a light vindaloo soup and onion sauce. Served with dry Tokaji furmint. This was an excellent, light course and the wine served was a perfect compliment. It was crisp and dry with a hint of fruit - making it a perfect refreshment for the rich, oily salmon and the slightly spicy soup.

5. Celery gel with basmati rice foam and halibut and cabernet sauce. Served with Cabernet Sauvignon 2003. This was the most delicate course served with the most robust wine. While a rich sweet, cabernet based sauce is not what I would expect with a delicately flavored fish like halibut, it worked well due to the moist texture and the ability of the halibut to pick up the flavors of the sauce. The celery gel was flavorful and worked with the halibut and the wine. As for the foam, it did taste like basmati rice and it was nice however fleeting it may have been.

6. Lamb (first cooked 15 hours in water at 65 degrees Celsius) grilled and served with a dijon mushroom and truffle sauce. This meat was tender and flavorful and served with a fresh tomato brioche. The accompanying wine was a Pinot Noir from Eger that had very soft tannins and a typical acidity for holding up well to the myriad flavors on the plate.

7. Baby pork rib with chocolate sauce, whipped artichokes and artichoke foam. Served with Eger Bikaver. This course was very good. However, we were getting full at this point. We also stopped taking good notes at this point perhaps from the amount of wine we had ingested.

8. Cheeses with another glass of Eger Bikaver.

9. Chestnut ravioli (with foil), cranberry jello jiggler, 1/2 strawberry, chestnut tiramisu. Served with late harvest Riesling.

10. Pálinkas - sour cherry and strawberry. Very strong, not our favorite drink in the world but we felt like we had to drink it - being in Budapest and all.

11. Mini cotton candy on a stick. Served with the check.

We had an excellent experience at Lou Lou. The food was every bit as good as we had hoped from a world class restaurant. The atmosphere was comfortable, cozy and fun, decorated in a modern style with 15 or so tables. The front room where we were seated held about 10 tables and there were maybe 5 more in the back. The white-gloved waitstaff were incredibly attentive and fun to banter with. They seemed to enjoy their job. This restaurant is definitely worth a splurge.

First my impressions of the baths. Any season is a great time to visit. In the summer, the baths are incredibly refreshing even though the waters are warm (some are hot). In addition, since the sun stays out for quite awhile, you can spend a long time revitalizing yourself in the evening after a day of exhausting sight seeing or traveling. In the winter, it is positively marvelous to scamper to or between pools in your bathing suit, climb in the warmth and slink down until the water all but covers the tips of you. It is wonderful to be in the baths in the winter watching the sun go down. The red edges of the sky reflect off the yellow Hapsburg buildings surrounding the pools. These marvelous colors are in sharp contrast to the deep blue overhead. The combination exudes warmth and excitement, and the steam rising from the pools combine to create a memorable romantic moment you will never forget.

Climb in the warm pool, sit on some jets, stand under a fountain or float effortlessly in a large circle being pushed by some jolly currents. After 30 minutes or so, climb out and head over to the hot pool where your body immediately relaxes and activity is considerably slower than in the warm pool. If you’ve seen pictures of Hungarian men playing chess in a pool and wearing shower caps, this is the place those photos were taken. Sit back here, become a voyeur and notice the lovers, listen to the gaggle of languages being spoken. Relax, you are not the only visitor amongst a thousand locals. The mix is comfortable. One February Friday night we visted the baths and they were packed with people from everywhere. There were a ton of Italian high schoolers having a blast in the center circle and a large French tour group were spreading themselves out over the three pools obviously enjoying the waters and the wonderful night air. We heard English in various accents and many other languages as well. It was a melting pot and everyone was sharing in the same joy.

So, when you come to Budapest, come to the baths. It will be an experience you will never forget.

Venice was all that I expected and none of what I expected. Life goes on here, people live here and maintain a culture so it is real and not a theme park. But yet this city seems to be the most grandiose and exotic theme park in the world. The original purpose of Venice has long since vanished and the city now exists only for tourism. Venice is a museum that has a vitality that cannot be found in an institution.

How corny is it to ride a gondola? Probably, very. Is it a major rip off? It was expensive. Even so, how can you resist? It was just as advertised: romantic and fun. We gave into it, paid without regret and sat down in the gondola without a trace of self consciousness and it was worth it. New Years Eve riding a gondola through the canals of Venice. How often do you get to do that?

In a small church near the apartment we rented for the week, we saw the best nativity scene ever. It was an elaborate and large nativity scene extending beyond the manger to the town and countryside beyond. The skyscape with moon and stars was included. Spectacular. In fact, we saw quite a few wonderful nativity scenes in Venice.

Venice was a great place and we saw a ton of things. We also missed a ton of things. But it doesn’t matter what we didn’t do. What we will remember is what we did do and the feeling we had when we were there. It was a great place to go walking and get lost. The tiny alleys and bridges would open into the most marvelous little squares. It is a small island, you cannot get too lost. While it is no longer a mercantile city or a medieval city of industry, it does exist today for fun and beauty. It is a perfect holiday destination.

For example, we stopped into a bar for a drink one night after being discouraged by quite a long line at the Eiffel Tower. We gladly informed our hostess that, no, we wouldn’t be eating and would like to have a drink. So she kindly gestured to a table near the bar at which we made ourselves comfortable. Then she handed us menus including a fine selection of French Kir aperitifs (wine plus liquor) and also including some light items of food — snacks and hors d’œuvres. When the hostess came to take our order, we happily informed her that we were also interested in the goat cheese on toast, a snack. She appeared distraught, visibly at a loss as to what to do next. We obviously had placed her in a predicament of some sort. She finally concluded that she would bring over placemats, silverware, and the other accroutments that a civilized plate of goat cheese on toast requires. She also poured us two white wines in addition to the two kirs that we had ordered.

But this was not our last culinary adventure in Paris. The next day, we decided that instead of a filling lunch, we would stop in for a quick bite Saturday afternoon saving room for a grand and glorious meal that evening. We picked a rather plain looking establishment, clearly marked ‘Bar’ at which we thought we could potentially order a Croque Madame and a Croque Monsieur. Upon entering, we were asked where we would like to sit. We had our choice of tables. The front area was smoke-filled and crowded. The back was quieter and seemed a little nicer. We chose the back, not worrying too much about the tablecloths and wine glasses. We were given menus and perused them. After not finding our sandwiches on the menu, I found them on the blackboard behind the bar. When the waiter came to take our order, he politely told us that we had ordered a snack not lunch and we should be sitting at the bar or the front. Next thing we know, the tablecloth and wine glasses were removed from our table, the cloth napkins were replaced with paper. And we were on our way to a delicious lunch at the wrong table.

After the initial shock of realizing that we had just committed major faux pas, both times, we went on to fully enjoy our meals and the polite service of our hosts.