"João Elvas wrapped his cloak tightly around him, tucked up his legs as if he were still in his mother's womb, and snoozed in the warmth of the hay, which gave off a pleasant odor generated by the heat of his body. There are refined men and women, and sometimes not all that refined, who cannot bear such odors and who take great pains to cover any traces of their natural smell, and the day will come when artificial roses will be sprayed with the artificial scent of roses, and these refined souls will exclaim, How lovely they smell.” — José Saramago, Baltasar and Blimunda

Innio is a Scandinavian-inspired restaurant with a short but interesting wine list (mostly non-Hungarian) located on a rather unfortunate touristy stretch of Budapest, district V's Október 6. u. I ate here a couple of times, and both of my meals were wonderful. On one of the walls you'll see the words innio.ennio.elnio, which is a play on words in Hungarian that means "to live, to eat, to drink".

For dinner one night, the highlight of the meal was beautifully cooked lamb rump, accompanied by creamed edamame that were draped in fennel and chamomile. The dish was paired with a biodynamic Austrian orange wine, Maria & Sepp Muster’s “The Gräfin”. Spontaneously fermented, Gräfin is made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes from vines on average 30 years old, fermented on the mash for 2-4 weeks and then matured in wooden barrels for 20-22 months.

Very aromatic, a little floral, and a hint of funk on the nose, the unfiltered wine pours a hazy orange. On the palate it is dry, and near the end of the sip the funk reveals itself, very subtle at first and almost violently toward the end. Sometimes it almost felt like a very light rice wine at the back of the throat, near the end of the sip. It has a lingering aftertaste that may not be to everyone’s liking. It's a polarizing wine to be sure: even if you don't like it, you'll likely remember it. I'm not sure this is a wine I'd sip on its own: to me, it’s more suitable to food (and paired so well with my lamb) and I suspect might pair well with gamey meats.

Innio is at Budapest, Október 6. u. 9, 1051 Hungary