Off to Hungary to Judge, Taste, and Learn

„So when I got the invitation to judge the Pannon Wine Challenge, a Hungarian national wine competition two years ago, I was heartbroken at not being able to attend. I swore on my life that if they invited me the next year, I would go. And here we are. I'm hanging out at the airport waiting to catch my flight to Budapest to finally begin my odyssey to Hungary. I'll be judging several hundred wines over the course of a couple of days next week for the competition, and then, courtesy of the organizers, heading out to Tokaj, Eger, Szekszard, and places in between to meet some winemakers and taste what they're up to.

I'll have an afternoon and a morning to wander around Budapest, and plan on hitting a few wine bars and interesting restaurants while I'm in town. Judging is pretty grueling work, so I'm not sure what I'll be up for, but I'm hoping to blog a bit along the way to share my experiences in one of the more extraordinary wine regions that gets far too little attention in the U.S.”