Ben's Bubbly: TÖRLEY Fortuna

A day after getting back from our Midwest road trip, Ben started rolling from his back to his stomach. Unfortunately, he seems to have forgotten how to return to his back. He frequently flips over and then gets frustrated he is on his belly. He has yet to put a few rolls together to actually move across the floor, but by the look in his eyes when the cats walk just beyond his outstretched arms he will do so quite soon. This means that we will soon need to baby proof our very baby unfriendly house.

An unfortunate side effect (and I hope it wears off soon) is that his sleeping pattern is not what it was. He seems to enjoy waking up at 3:30 in the morning ready to go. It is impossible to get mad when he is babbling and smiling at you with the sweetest little face, but we both can't wait until he returns to his well-behaved pre-Wisconsin sleeping routine.

NV TÖRLEY Fortuna, Hungary

This Hungarian sparkler has a golden hue reminiscent of a low-end Tokaji or a gold bracelet adorning an aging Floridian golfer's wrist. The nose is distinctly muscat (not a surprise since it is made from muscat lunel, muscat ottonel and irsai oliver), with flowers, dark honey and a bit of salt, but mostly reminiscent of a light apple brandy. The carbonation is minimal and I would probably call this frizzante and not full-on sparkling. Mostly grapey flavors are met with a bit of bitter grass, honey and melon yogurt. I'm not especially impressed with this wine because though it has decent fruit it fades quickly and lacks acidity and focus. 8.5% abv Purchased $8. Average (tasted 8/5/11)