Drink:Puklus Tokaji Aszú 3 Puttonyos Furmint Tokaji 2008

Ever since getting snowed-in once by a blizzard in the Hungarian region of Tokaji, I've associated winter with the famous sweet Aszú ("dried") wines that share its name. The world's oldest botrytis wines (made from grapes affected by "noble rot") are among the most distinctive on the planet, their lush dried fruit edged by an earthy oxidation from aging in humid caves draped with mossy fungus. No wonder the Czars coveted them. Western appreciation has grown steadily in the post-Cold War thaw to revive the tradition, but relative obscurity keeps them still tremendous values. This "3 Puttonyos" for $18.99 from the Puklus family offers a stellar entry-level taste, the brassy-rose hue of its furmint grapes rich with honeyed apricot, orange peel, and a faintly zingy, smoked paprika finish. Or ratchet up the sweetness scale to five puttonyos ($28.99), six ($34.99) or the coveted pinnacle, Eszencia, relatively fair at $67.99. - Craig LaBan

Puklus Tokaji Aszú 3 Puttonyos Furmint Tokaji 2008, $18.99 500 ml (code 72313).