Bock Villanyi Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 - Hungary

We brought a couple of bottles of Hungary's finest wine back with us ... and we opened this one just a couple of days ago. It was worth the wait ... very good!

I found this info online ... The Bock winery is one of Hungary’s leading producers, with a long and remarkable history of making wine. József Bock was awarded the prestigious title Hungarian Winemaker of the year by the Hungarian Wine Academy in 1992.

The Bock family’s winemaking tradition can be traced back to the eighteenth century and spans over nine generations. Along the way, history has tested each generation of the family. Most notably, World War II, and the ensuing Communist-led government meant nationalisation of wine production. However, in 1958 the family was able to buy back a small area of the estate it had lost to state ownership. Since the fall of communism, the Bock winery has gone from strength to strength, establishing itself as one of the pioneering producers in the new wave of private wineries in Hungary.

The current owner of the family estate, József Bock, is a qualified mechanical engineer and
took over running the winery after his father passed away. From this relatively modest
inheritance in 1981, József Bock has gradually built up a 55 hectare estate with plots of land
in most of the very best vineyard sites in Villány. At the same time he has extended and
modernised the winery, which is equipped with all the latest technology, and built a
seventeen room guest house with its own restaurant.

Pick Salami from Hungary - Home in Abu Dhabi!

Such a treat, bbG brought back some Pick "Hungarian hams" all the way from Matrafured ;-)


Into our little toastie oven they go!


Mmmmh ....


There were 2 varieties in the pack, here is the spicy one!


Hmmm... wonder what we should do with the Camembert!?

Kotanyi Hungarian-esque baguette - Breakfast time in Abu Dhabi!

Good quality baguette, topped with lightly pan-fried bacon and topped with Hungarian cheese and Kotanyi peppers and paprika. Perfecto!


Kotanyi ... bbG hand-carried this all the way back from Hungary! It was worth the journey :-)

ps - Here's a shot of another day's breakies ... before the Kotanyi milled peppers stole the show ;-)

Christmas at Budapest Airport and Frankfurt Main

One very foggy morning in Budapest Ferihegy ... thank goodness my flight managed to take off!

An hour later ... I was in Christmassy Franfurt Main :-)

Some wide angle shots with my little Canon G9 ...

Sunny outside!

Frankfurt Main is seriously confusing, so I ended up walking OUT of the airport by mistake though I was actually in transit :-) And look what I bumped into ...

Heh heh, is this the only Proton Satria in Germany!?

Last Hungary post - Only Italian food, and brilliant customer service at Chinese takeaway!

Last Hungary post ... I promise!!

Chinese food :-) from a Buffet-style Takeaway in Gyongyos... There's only one in town, you can't miss it if you drive around :-) Near the large church. Its called Hualong Kinai Gyorsbufe.

Or pseudo-oriental type food in Hotel Anna at Matrafured?

Ah... much better, Cammabert Cheese (deep-fried, slurp!) with Jam on the side. We liked this, a lot!

Some nights, we chose to eat out ...

Its Italian in Gyongyos village of course :-)

Its soup ... Mussels :-)

Penne arabiatta :-) And ... a simple and delicious Aglio Olio ...

Or ... more oriental on other nights?
When we stepped into this humble eatery at Gyongyos, it was like stepping into some cina person's living room :-)

Sure ... the food was only mediocre, but the lovely service with a smile and very keen prices more then made up for it!! Szechuan-style, Sweet and sour, Black bean sauce was the story of the day :-)

More batter and deep fried prawns!

Most "oriental" dish at Hotel Anna - Mexican turkey strips :-) Delicious! The kiev-like porky cutlets were good too.

Water or beer? You decide ... hic ;-)