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I love to discover new things! Life is just too short to limit yourself to a routine of the same old things, over and over.

While I do have a few “old favorites”, when I’m in a restaurant and I see a dish I’ve never tried, I’ll order it. I’ll go to a gallery or museum to see the works of an artist I may have read about or heard of, but whose work I haven’t seen before. To me, discovery is one of the true thrills of life, one of the things that really makes me feel alive.

I’m like that with wine, too. There are some wines that I return to or buy year after year, true, but I love to find wines that I’m not familiar with. Maybe it’s a wine made from a grape I don’t know, or from an area whose wines I haven’t tried before, or made by a winemaker who is doing something different.

It might be a wine that has been made from the same vineyard since the time of the Romans, or from a vineyard in an area that was never known for wine before.

The best (and often the most interesting) of these I bring to you every month as my Discovery Wines. Here, from the dozens I’ve tasted, are the two I’ve chosen for this month. I think you’ll like them, and, like me, will want to share your discoveries with your friends!


Darrin’s March Discovery Wines!

Nyakas, Budai Sauvignon Blanc
This is one delicious, refreshing white wine! If your ideas about Hungarian wine were formed, like mine, back in college, drinking “Bull’s Blood” red, have I found a Discovery Wine for you! Since democracy came to Hungary, wine makers have been free to make wines the way they see fit, and this is an outstanding example of what’s going on. Made in a crisp, clean, almost New World style, the bouquet has aromas of ripe gooseberries. The flavors are bright, lively and crisp with a hint of citrus.

Parent, Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Since the film “Sideways” came out, more people have been drinking Pinot Noir. So, isn’t it time to discover “real” Pinot Noir from the source: Burgundy? Here’s a winner from one of my favorite family-owned Domaines. The Parent family, based in Pommard, have been important grape growers and wine makers since the 1700’s. Thomas Jefferson enjoyed their wines and brought them home with him to Monticello! Lovely red cherry notes with a trace of vanilla on the nose, while the palate shows remarkable balance of flavors and soft tannins. This wine, from the outstanding 2002 vintage, tastes like most Burgundy makers First Growth wines! Delicious wine, remarkable price!

©2006 The Brooklyn Paper