Tokaji: Hungary’s Golden Wine

Tokaj is part of the World Heritage Sites, as well as Hungary’s best-known wine region,
famous for its dessert wine the Tokaji Aszú. There are few wines in the world that can compare to
Tokaji. This luscious sweet wine has been Hungary’s crowning glory for hundreds of years. It is one
of the oldest wines in the world even before Port and the classification of Bordeaux.

Throughout the 17th and 18th century, Tokaji was a cherished commodity enjoyed by the royals
of Europe including Louis XIV of France, Peter the Great, Elizabeth of Russia, and Frederick the Great,
as well as renowned composers and writers like Ludwig van Beethoven, Friedrich von Schiller, Bram
Stoker, Joseph Haydn, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. In addition Louis XIV famously called it the
"Wine of Kings, King of Wines".

However, the production and quality of Tokaj plummeted for most of the 20th century.

Since the collapse of the communist regime in the early 1990′s which resulted in centuries of
difficulties, despair and neglect for the once-great Hungarian wine region. Tokaji is starting to see a
rebirth or what’s being dubbed as the “Tokaj Renaissance”.

The Tokaj-Hegyalja Region

The Tokaj-Hegyalja region is located in Northeastern Hungary and is approximately 200 km (125
miles) of Budapest, the nation’s capital.

The region lies on the edge of the great Hungarian plain, dominated by the extinct Tokaj volcano
and the Zemplen Hills.

It was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 2002 on account for its distinctive viticultural
traditions and landscape. The Tokaj-Hegyalja region covers a total of 28 towns and villages.

The town of Tokaj, which gives the region its name, has been an important centre for trade since the 9th
century, located at the Tisza and Bodrog rivers, near the Kopaszhegy mountain.

History of Tokaji Wine

Vines believed to be indigenous to the region were first cultivated in Tokaj during the Roman times.

However, the region only became world famous in the mid 17th century with the Aszú wine. It became
the first region to produce wine from botrytized grapes.

Furthermore, a royal decree in 1757 established a closed production district in Tokaj, the world’s first
system of wine appellation. Vineyard classification began in 1730 and was completed by the national
censuses of 1765 and 1772.

After World War II, Hungary became a Soviet-influenced state with a Communist central-planning
system, Tokaji production continued with a limited number of producers, but the bottling and distribution
were monopolized by a state-owned organization. This resulted in quality plummeting and the wine
becoming inaccessible to most of the world.
Since the collapse of the communist regime in the early 1990’s, many wineries have regained their status
with the help of foreign investment.

Climate

The Tokaj region is characterized by hot, dry summers followed by a long, warm, misty fall. This
provides an ideal condition for producing botrytized grapes.

Types of Tokaji Wine

Although, the region is most noted for it’s Aszú wine. There are many other styles that produce flavorful
and robust wines.

Dry and Semi-Sweet

Tokaji Furmint: A clear, brass brass-colored quality wine made from a single grape variety. It is matured
in both dry and semisweet styles.
Tokaji Harslevelü: A fiery, dry wine with a soft flavor and aroma. It spends two years maturing in oak
casks before being bottled.
Tokaji Sárgamuskotály: Made from yellow muscat grapes. Softer than Furmint and Hárslevelü with
a muscat flavour.
Tokaji Szamorodni: The name Syamorodni - meaning "as it was born" - is of Polish origin, given to it by
Polish merchants. Szamorodni is a wine in which both the noblerot (Aszú) grape and the clean bunches
are processed together. Szamorodni can be sweet or dry, depending on the quantity of unfermented sugar.
It is a popular aperitif in Hungary.

Late Harvest Cuvees

Tokaji Aszú: This is the wine which made the Tokaj world famous and is proudly cited in the Hungarian
national anthem. The original meaning of the Hungarian word aszú was “dried”, but it came to be
associated with a type of wine made with botrytised grapes.
Tokaji Aszú Eszencia: Sweeter than Aszú which is made with Eszencia syrup.
Tokaji Eszencia: The rarest form of Tokaji wine often only available on the wines estates, and then only
by the glass. It is made from the free-run juice of the noble rotten grapes and matured in oak barrels for a
minimum of 15 years.

Tokaji Wine-Making

Tokaji wines made by botrytised grape. During the centuries, developed technology is made which is
based on late-harvested grapes and botrytised followed by a special wine-making process.
The aszú berries per eye picking the ripe grapes cluster.
After harvesting, crushed and mixed with the same vintage or a wine or must
136.6 a liter tub, and soaked in 1 to 1.5 days (to release the lock on aszu berries sugar and acid content
and taste) and the noble dough pressed and the must is loaded into barrels that expand

The Tokaji aszu as much puttonyos as the number of puttony aszu soaked in a barrel of gönci. So be the
wine of 3,4,5,6 puttonyos. Before the law in force at least until the noble wines had been aging period
there puttonyos, so they are sold for 3-6 year delay..

3 puttonyos = 75 grams per litre

4 puttonyos =100 grams per litre
5 puttonyos = 125 grams per litre
6 puttonyos = 150 grams per litre
Aszú Eszencia = over 180 grams per litre
Eszencia = over 240 grams per litre
Grape Varieties

There are six grape varieties that produce Tokaji wine. Furmint is the most important variety
which accounts for (60%) of the area, followed by Hárslevelü (30%). Grapes that produce red wine
are not allowed to grow in the region.

Furmint: The most widely used grape variety comprising up to 60% of the region.
Hárslevelü: The second most important grape variety grown in Tokaj. Hárslevelü is often blended
with Furmint to produce Tokaji Aszú.
Yellow Muscat or Sárga Muskotály: One of the oldest domesticated grape varieties in the world, it
assists in producing fruity flavors and aroma’s.
Zéta: Previously called Oremus, this variety is a blend of furmint and bouvier and has recently
been authorized to be planted in Tokaj. It is used in some Aszú production.
Kövérszolo: Characterized by its relatively large big berries, Kövérszolo is suitable for making aszú
wines due to its susceptibility to botrytisation and its high sugar content.
Kabar: Also known under its research name as Tarcal 10, Kabar is an early-ripening cross
of Hárslevelü and Bouvier and was authorised for production in the Tokaj-Hegyalja region in 2006.

Cellars

Tokaji wines are aged in oak barrels for several years in underground cellars. The cellars are covered with
a characteristic mold called Cladosporium cellare, which develops off the alcohol evaporated during
aging and keeps the humidity in the range of 85-90%, which is ideal for the aging of Tokaji wines. There
are several wine cellars extending beneath the villages and towns of the region. It is believed these cellars
were dug out of solid rock between the 15th and 19th centuries.