Takler, Cabernet Franc Szekszárd, 2006

Another venture into Eastern Europe, and into a grape that I like more and more: Cabernet Franc.

Very dark red, a little cloudy (unfiltered, probably), with a purplish edge. Smells of stewed vegetables, beetroot, ripe red peppers, but meaty at the same time. In the mouth, it brings rather hard-edged cassis and tar at first, Cabernet Sauvignon-style, but with more exposure to air, the sweeter and more savoury vegetable flavours take over. While the ripe fruit and oak flavours lean toward the international style, the vegetables give it character and spice.

My expertise on wine-and-food-matching is, so far, limited, but with Cabernet Francs, I always think of grilled vegetables or stews. I couldn't agree more with Gary Vaynerchuk who once said about a Cabernet Franc: "This is like a healthy dinner".