Click here to see a photo gallery of the event

Opening the evening was Brody's own drinks master Dez O'Connell, who welcomed guests in his typical fashion, and everyone immediately felt at home. XpatLoop's publisher Stephen Linfitt took the mic next, to introduce the evening’s tasting journey across Hungary, sampling up to 20 wines along the way, from Villány through Balaton to Tokaj. He warmly thanked Brody Studios for hosting the event, and expressed friendly appreciation to everyone for coming along.

Nóra Szegedi, the Xpat Wine Club Project Manager, then introduced each winemaker in turn, and they said a few words about their aromatic wares. She echoed Stephen in wishing all a pleasant and wine-tastic evening, which it certainly proved to be.

“I had a great time meeting new friends and old pals at this social event, which turned out to be a good networking opportunity too. Everyone I met enjoyed the wide selection of wines, and the overall atmosphere was really positive. I’m already looking forward to the next XpatLoop gathering,” said Andrew Jackson, Regional Director at First Title CEE.

As the evening progressed in the warmed courtyard - beautifully decorated with seasonal flowers - guests mingled under the dimmed lighting, and we all tasted, talked, and enjoyed glasses of sparkling wine, furmint, rosé, merlot, cabernet, and more. Near the end of the event votes were tallied for the best overall wine, plus best red, and best white.

Ruppert's Rizzling Sparkling won overall; no surprise there as at least two people had suggested I get a glass of the bubbly. Most preferred white went to Zsirai's Furmint, and the winner for top red went to Jammertal's Cassiopeia Cabernet Sauvignon.

This last was definitely my favorite with an earthy richness native Californians expect from any proper Cab. Awarded Gold Medals by both the French and the Germans, this is definitely the present pride of Jammertal and one the newly renamed winery will continue selling with success. (Jammertal was previously known as Wunderlich)

Guests were invited to continue sipping into the night as well as dine on some of Brody's famous fare upstairs. Brody co-founder, William Clothier, showed up sporting a bright red sweater, perhaps indicating his passion for a good red. Will did indeed head straight for the Jammertal Cab, though Nóra and I may have had something to do with that; I was on my way out but am sure he enjoyed that outstanding tasting treat.

“Since we started the Xpat Wine Club, Stephen and I have been wishing to organize an event together with Brody Studios. It's perfect for our concept: informal, easy-going, and stylish. It seems our Xpat guests and all the winemakers enjoying the evening. We’re delighted the venue agreed it was a great evening, and we all aim to continue the collaboration,” Nóra said afterwards.

Thanks are due to Melinda Székesvári for her splendid help with organization, as usual, and to Russell Skidmore for capturing the event on his trusty camera. And, a very special thank you goes to Zsófi Énekes for arranging everything at Brody, in what was an ideal environment for an autumn harvest tasting. We're happy Brody concurred:

“We believe Hungarian wine and successful local businesses deserve a platform, hence we were happy to welcome the collaboration between the Xpat Wine Club and Brody House members. It was delightful to see so many fans coming together for a true culinary experience last night. Brody Studios’ inspiring rooms served their purpose by providing a comfortable and stylish environment for bringing like-minded people together,” said Zsófi Énekes, Event Manager at Brody Studios.

Stay tuned to XpatLoop.com for news of the next event coming up at the start of November, remember, remember…

Copyright 2015 Elizabeth Frommer. To republish please contact Liz by clicking here