Tokay, the sweet and the dry of it!
Patricius Tokaj Leonis Selection, Tokaji Furmint 2011 (Hungary), 13.5%, €14.15 Karwig Wine.
When the sommelier at the Cliff House produced a Tokay to go with the starter recently, I briefly looked a little puzzled but he quickly assured me this was a dry white! Tokay is of course better known to you and me as a beautiful sweet dessert wine which is made from the Furmint grape. Whites, made mainly from the same Furmint, are of increasing importance in the Tokaji region (close to the Ukrainian border) of Hungary. Tokaj is the name of the town while Tokay is the English version.
Aside from the curiosity value, this is quite a good wine and Highly Recommended. Colour is a light gold and the aromas are inviting. Excellent fruit flavours and rather intense, it has an oily mouthfeel and a good strong finish.
The Furmint is, of course, not the only famous dessert wine grape to have a dry version. Two years back, I was looking for a Pedro Ximenez (PX) in town when I came across a very nice dry style from Chile, a Decanter award winner. You may check it out here.
