24 - Tokaj Flashcards
where is the region of Tokaj located?
- in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains
- in the far north east of Hungary
- close to the Slovakian border
Climate in Tokaj
Moderate
the best vineyards in Tokaj are located …
on hillside slopes with southerly aspects
rivers in Tokaj
- Bodrog
- Tisza
- many tributaries
3 principal white grape varieties in Tokaj
- Furmint
- Hárslevelü
- Sárga Muskotály
sv or blend in Tokaj
often blended
most widely planted variety in Tokaj
Furmint
characteristics of Furmint
- concentrated
- high acid
- young: flavours of apples
- age: developing into nuts & honey
- late ripening
- suscept. to botrytis
grapes in Tokaj
(ripening, char.)
Furmint
- late ripening
- cons., high acid, apples, nuts & honey
Hárslevelü
- late ripening
- perfume
Sárga Muskotály
- Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
- aromatic qualities
bottle size of wines in Tokaj
dry wines: 75 cl
sweet wines are by tradition bottled in distinctive 50 cl bottles
depending on …, a producer will often make a number of different styles of wine in each vintage (Tokaj)
the degree of noble rot development
how does the pickers in Tokaj work so different styles can be made
- pickers may separate the grapes into 3 different categories during the harvest
1. where noble rot has been widespread pickers pass through the vy several times selecting individual aszú (rotten) grapes
2. bunches that remain unaffected by noble rot are collected separately
3. a selection known as Szamorodni (‘as it comes’), with bunches that are partially affected by noble rot - these 3 different harvests can then be used to make a variety of different styles of wine
dry wines withouth botrytis in Tokaj
- gaining importance
- allows producers to make wine in years where there is not much noble rot
- vary in style from-to
–> simple, unoaked wines, made to be drunk young
–> more concentrated age-worthy blends, often fermented & matured in new oak - usually made from Furmint
Tokaji Szamorodni
1. made from
2. style
3. char.
4. ageing
5. casks
- made from the grapes harvested as Szamorodni
- may be dry (száraz) or sweet (édes), depending on the amount of noble rot that is present
- also the dry wines will show noble rot characters
- must be aged in cask for min. 1 year, and be 2 years old before release (most wines are aged for longer)
- Casks for dry vs sweet:
- casks for the dry wines are not completely filled, to enable flor-like yeast to form naturally on the wine
–> the wine develops a character similar to that of a Fino Sherry
- this yeast does not have a role to play in the sweet styles, which consequently may have an oxidative character although the modern trend is to produce a less-oxidative wine by filling casks for sweet wines completely
what is száraz
dry Tokaji Szamorodni