Royal Tokaji 5 Puttonyos 2003

[JacobH]

I picked some of this up at Budapest Airport on the way back into the UK, although apparently it is about the most readily available Tokaji in the UK. Lightly chilled it is a gorgeous wine: the intense sweetness is balanced its acidity and there is a lovely combination of apricots and grapes with more acidic citrus fruits. Although, to my tastes, it could do with a little more heat (at 10% it barely counts as an alcoholic drink!), I can see myself drinking a lot more of this in the Summer when it gets really hot and (LB)VP is entirely out of the question.

[DRT]

I can see myself drinking a lot more of this in the Summer when it gets really hot and (LB)VP is entirely out of the question.

Is that when you move to a country that actually has a summer?

[JacobH]

I can see myself drinking a lot more of this in the Summer when it gets really hot and (LB)VP is entirely out of the question.

Is that when you move to a country that actually has a summer?

Not true; we had a Summer this year...on the 23rd July, I believe...

[benread]

I can see myself drinking a lot more of this in the Summer when it gets really hot and (LB)VP is entirely out of the question.

Is that when you move to a country that actually has a summer?

Not true; we had a Summer this year...on the 23rd July, I believe...

We had summer from 19th July to 3rd August - it was my 2 weeks paternity leave and I felt very smug about the good weather! I wore shorts for 2 weeks solid!

[JacobH]

We had summer from 19th July to 3rd August - it was my 2 weeks paternity leave and I felt very smug about the good weather! I wore shorts for 2 weeks solid!

Ah, I was in Jordan for most of that, where, as RonnieRoots would no doubt tell you, there is real Summer!

[RonnieRoots]

It was unusually cool here during the first weeks of August, only about 35 degrees, with nice evenings. Now, we're back to 45 during the day and warm (35C), damp evenings (80-90%).

Jacob, how was Jordan? We are looking into visiting somewhere this fall. Any good tips (besides Petra, which of course is already on the list)?

[Alex Bridgeman]

Going way off topic, but I recommend Jerash (ancient roman city) and Aquaba (fantastic chinese restaurant and superb diving with the Royal Jordanian Diving Club). Wadi Rum is mildly interesting.

But spend a couple of days at least in and around Petra. There are some superb hikes to be had if you go a little off the beaten tourist track.

Amman is also a very interesting city. I'm not sure if the tower is still open to visitors, but worth dinner there if you can.

And the Dead Sea, which I think you can still access from the Jordanian side of the border.

Alex

[JacobH]

I very much agree with all that Alex has said. What interested me the most about Jordan is that it has a mix of the historic charm of its northern neighbours with the modernity of Saudi and the gulf states. Although there are a lot of tourists, both from Europe and the gulf-states, thankfully they tend to be bused around very specific sites very quickly!

In addition to what Alex suggested; it’s worth spending a full day at Madaba, just South of Amman, where there are dozens of first-century mosaics (including the famous map of the Middle East which is the only one the tour groups are shown). A trip out in the desert East of Amman is also worth-while to take in a variety of castles and forts (some of which are impressively preserved).

I found Wadi Rum to be a bit too much of a tourist-trap. The scenery is stunning but is no more than it is elsewhere in desert region (and I gather it is nothing compared to Saudi Arabia, if you’re thinking of driving) so I don’t think it’s worth a detour unless you are planning on going hiking or climbing there. The other place that isn’t terribly impressive is the Baptismal Site. Although there are lots of archaeological remains, you have to take a guided tour which doesn’t stop at many places and the whole thing is rather over priced. That said, the final stop is a platform they have built next to the Jordan which is directly opposite an equivalent one on the Israel side; about 8' away across the river. The fact that you can
get that close shows how far things have come.

The Jordanian side of the Dead Sea has been massively developed. There are about half-a-dozen 5-star resort hotels at the Northern end, with private beaches (with brought-in sand), spas and the like. Certainly worth staying in one for a night to get a sun-rise and sun-set over the sea.

I’m not sure what sort of holidaying you go in for, but the RSCN (a wild-life charity) owns a series of environmentally-friendly lodges in interesting parts of the country, any of which would be good to use as a base for hiking and the like. We stayed in one in Azrak, which was quite interesting and a bit different.

If you do decide to go, I’d be more than happy to ramble on for a while longer if I could help with any questions!

[RonnieRoots]

Thanks a lot Jacob and Alex! Very useful information. We will be looking into things that we cannot find here in Oman. So we'll probably skip mildly interesting Wadis, since we have spectacular ones here. Those lodges really sound good!

[mosesbotbol]

Lightly chilled it is a gorgeous wine: the intense sweetness is balanced its acidity and there is a lovely combination of apricots and grapes with more acidic citrus fruits.

Picked up a bottle about a month ago and it was a big hit! Just like you described. Was in the bin ends section. I think it was a 500 ml bottle?

[JacobH]

Lightly chilled it is a gorgeous wine: the intense sweetness is balanced its acidity and there is a lovely combination of apricots and grapes with more acidic citrus fruits.

Picked up a bottle about a month ago and it was a big hit! Just like you described. Was in the bin ends section. I think it was a 500 ml bottle?

Yes; apart from the cheap non-aszu tokaji that seems to be the standard for these wines. In Budapest it was generally pretty cheap stuff. I think the recent vintage 6 Puttonyous were only about £25 or £30 but the prices are quite a bit higher here.

[mosesbotbol]

I think the recent vintage 6 Puttonyous were only about £25 or £30 but the prices are quite a bit higher here.

I paid about $25.00 for my bottle. Do not know how much it reguarly is.

[JacobH]

I think the recent vintage 6 Puttonyous were only about £25 or £30 but the prices are quite a bit higher here.

I paid about $25.00 for my bottle. Do not know how much it reguarly is.

No, that does sound about right; I think there’s quite a big jump in prices from 5 to 6 Puttonyos (not having tasted the latter, I can’t say whether it is worth it or not!).