Catherine the Great Stole Her Husband’s Throne. Naturally, We’re Tasting the Wine She Drank

Catherine the Great stole her husband’s throne, ruled Russia for 34 years, and somehow became more famous for a horse story.

So what’s the truth?

Much better, obviously.

There’s a disastrous marriage, a secret child, a military coup, 14,000 troops, arson used as a distraction, a fake wedding, one extremely inconvenient husband, and enough jewels to make subtlety file for divorce.

This woman did not need a made-up scandal.

In the newest episode of Wicked & Delicious: Stories to Drink To, I’m getting into how a broke German teenage princess arrived in Russia with almost no power and somehow ended up running the place.

And when I say “running the place,” I mean she took the throne from her husband.

That feels worth clarifying.

I should probably admit that this whole episode started because of a book.

I have this enormous book on the Hermitage that I love flipping through, because apparently my idea of relaxing is staring at chandeliers, gilded ceilings and rooms built by people who had never once heard the phrase “too much.”

And the more I looked at it, the more I kept thinking about Catherine.

This extraordinary museum, one of the greatest art collections in the world, began with a woman who had arrived in Russia as a teenage German princess with almost nothing of her own.

That sent me down the Catherine rabbit hole.

I started with the Hermitage.

I ended up with a coup, a secret child, arson, a fake wedding, 14,000 troops, and, naturally, the horse.

So really, this is the Hermitage’s fault.

Catherine the Great’s Scandalous History

What I found most interesting about Catherine wasn’t even the coup.

It was the waiting.

She spent years watching everyone around her.

She learned the language. She studied the court. She figured out who mattered, who could be trusted, who could be useful, and who was simply very impressed with himself.

Meanwhile, Peter III was doing an almost artistic job of making people hate him.

Catherine paid attention.

And when the moment came, she moved.

That part of her story is fascinating.

The uncomfortable part is what happened after she won.

Because Catherine loved Enlightenment ideas. She collected art obsessively. She corresponded with Voltaire. She helped build the collection that became the Hermitage. She expanded education.

She also ruled an empire built on serfdom, crushed rebellion, and dealt rather efficiently with people who threatened her position.

So the question I kept coming back to was:

Did Catherine beat the system, or did she just become very, very good at it?

Anyway.

Wine.

Catherine Drank Tokaji, So Obviously I Had To

Catherine drank Tokaji.

Grigory Potemkin, her lover, adviser and political partner, even recommended it for her stomach trouble.

Medicinal wine.

At last, healthcare innovation I can support.

Tokaji comes from the Tokaj region of Hungary and is famous for its sweet golden wines.

For the episode, I opened a bottle of Royal Tokaji Late Harvest.

And I loved it.

Like, this bottle could become a problem loved it.

The first thing I got was apricot.

Then honey, citrus, and a little floral note underneath.

It’s sweet, but not sticky.

That matters.

There’s enough acidity to keep it bright, so instead of feeling heavy, it keeps pulling you back for another sip.

Which is precisely how dessert wine gets you.

What I Tasted

• Apricot
• Honey
• Mandarin
• A little white floral note
• Sour orange tartness

The sweetness is rich, but the acidity saves it from becoming dessert in liquid form.

Although, to be fair, I would not object to dessert in liquid form.

What I’d Eat With It

Blue cheese.

Specifically something creamy and salty like Bleu d’Auvergne.

Sweet wine and blue cheese is one of those pairings that sounds like someone lost a bet until you actually taste it.

Then suddenly it makes perfect sense.

The salt and funk of the cheese cut through the sweetness of the Tokaji, and the wine smooths out the sharper edges of the blue.

Also, it requires approximately zero cooking.

A pairing after my own heart.

So About the Horse…

Did it actually happen?

I am not ruining that for you here.

Because Catherine’s real life already had a secret child, a coup, 14,000 troops, arson, political enemies, outrageous jewels, and one deeply inconvenient husband.

The horse can wait.

Watch the full episode to find out what actually happened.

Pour something good first.

Preferably Tokaji.

Good wine. Great stories. And a whole lot of drama.