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
what is édes
sweet Tokaji Szamorodni
dry Tokaji Szamorodni (name)
száraz
sweet Tokaji Szamorodni (name)
édes
ageing requirements for Tokaji Szamorodni
minimum 1 year in cask and 2 years before release
Name of dry wine in Tokaji with flor-like yeast
Tokaji Szamorodni száraz
characteristics of Tokaji Szamorodni száraz
- dry
- noble rot characters
- char. similar to a Fino Sherry (flor)
characteristics of Tokaji Szamorodni édes
- sweet
- noble rot characters
- may have an oxidative character
- modern trend: less-oxidative
how is less-oxidative Tokaji Szamorodni édes achieved
by filling casks for sweet wines completely
Tokaji Aszú
production method
Production method
- starts with a base wine that is made from healthy grapes
- before, during or after fermentation, the aszú berries are macerated in the base wine
- the maceration usually lasts for 12-60 hours
- traditionally the botrytised berries were made into a paste, but using uncrushed aszú berries avoids the extraction of bitter flavours
- this mixture is pressed
- the wine is matured for a period of time in oak
what determines the sweetness of the Tokaji Aszú
the amount of aszú berries used
unit used to express the level of sweetness in Tokaj
puttony
what is puttony
unit used to express the level of sweetness in Tokaj
characteristics of classic Tokaji
- deep amber
- high acidity
- intense aromas
- flavours of orange peel, apricots & honey
- become more concentrated & intense as they rise up the sweetness scale
Tokaji Eszencia (Essence, or Nectar)
1. what
2. production method
3. fermentation & alc.
4. min. sugar
5. charact.
6. mature
- extremely rare wines that are seldom available outside the region of production
- made using just the free-run juice of the aszú berries
- the must is so sweet it can take years to ferment, & even after that time the wines remain very low in alcohol (usually less than 5% abv)
- legal minimum level of residual sugar: 450 g/L
- sweet, balanced by very high acidity, enormously concentrated flavour
- abel to mature & retain their freshness for a century or more
what is the legal minimum level of residual sugar in a Tokaji Eszencia
450 g/l
sweet wine from Hungary made by only free-run juice
Tokaji Eszencia
Modern style sweet wines in Tokaj
- usually made from grapes that have spent extended time on the vine & are often labelled as Late Harvest
- some may use botrytis-infected fruit
- where noble rot is present: produced by fermenting the botrytised grapes rather than by the macerating process used for Tokaji Aszú
- may also be matured for less time than Aszú wines
Tokaji sweet wine laws
“As of the …. vintage, the producers of Tokaj have been working in line with new regulations regarding the winemaking and labelling of their sweet wines”
2013
traditional laws of Tokaji sweet wine
Tokaji Aszú
- 60 g/L residual sugar
- 3-6 puttonyos
- 24 months in oak
- released from Jan. in the fourth year after harvest
Aszú Eszencia
- 180 g/L residual sugar
2013 laws of Tokaji sweet wine
Tokaji Aszú
- 120 g/L residual sugar
(lower level must be labelled Late Harvest or Tokaji Szamorodni)
- 5-6 puttonyos
- 18 months in oak
- released from Jan. in the third year after harvest
Aszú Eszencia
- abolished
(Tokaji Eszencia still exists for wines made from the free-run juice of aszú berries)
traditional laws vs 2013 laws of Tokaji sweet wine
Tokaji Aszú
- [60 –> 120] g/L residual sugar
- [3-6 –> 5-6] puttonyos
- [24 –> 18] months in oak
- released from Jan. in the [fourth –> third] year after harvest
Aszú Eszencia
- 180 g/L residual sugar
–> abolished
(Tokaji Eszencia still exists for wines made from the free-run juice of aszú berries)
