24. Tokaj

Question 1

Hungarian wine region - where? wine? region?

Answer 1

• NE Hungary, close to Slovakian border
• wine: Tokaji
• region: Tokaj

Question 2

climate? geography - slopes? rivers? effect?

Answer 2

• moderate climate
• south aspect slopes
• rivers Bodrog and Tisza –> early morning humidity allows noble rot

Question 3

3 grapes - characteristics?

Answer 3

• Furmint: high acid, susceptible to noble rot, apples (young), nuts, honey (age), late riping, dry wines possible but principle grape for Aszú wines
• Hárslevelü: late ripening, perfume
• Sárga Muskotály: Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains, aroma

Question 4

bottles?

Answer 4

• dry wine: 75 cL

- sweet: 50 cL

Question 5

3 different harvests

Answer 5

• pass through several times if noble rot is widespread to collect individual rotten (aszú) grapes
• unaffected bunches are collected separately
• Szamorodni (as it comes): bunches partially involved in noble rot

Question 6

dry wines without botrytis

Answer 6

• usually made from Furmint
• when there’s not much noble rot
• vary in style: simple, unoaked (young) to more concentrated age-worthy blends (new oak)

Question 7

dry wines with botrytis - name? harvest? style? cask? market? flor?

Answer 7

• Tokaji Szamorodni
• harvested as Szamorodni
• either dry (száraz) or sweet (édes), depending on how much noble rot there is
• in cask for min. 1 year
• min. 2 years before release to market
• asks are usually not completely filled to enable flor-like yeasts to form naturally
• conclusion: Fino Sherry similarity through oxidative character
• for sweet casks are filled full, no yeast and no oxidation

Question 8

3 sweet wines

Answer 8

• Aszú wines
• Tokaji Eszencia
• modern style sweet

Question 9

how to make Aszú wine? measure sweetness?

Answer 9

• start with dry base wine made from healthy grapes
• before, during or after fermentation add aszú berries to macerate in the wine
• maceration 12-60 hours
• traditionally aszú berries were made into past but this added too much bitter note
• measure: puttony
• deep amber, high acid, orange peel, apricots, honey

Question 10

Tokaji Eszencia - how to make? challenge? legal minim residual sugar? mature?

Answer 10

• very rare
• use free-run juice of aszú berries
• so sweet it takes years to ferment, remains low in alcohol (<5%)
• 450 g/L
• very high acidity and concentrated flavours
• mature and retain freshness for a century or more

Question 11

Modern style sweet wines - how? botrytis? maturation?

Answer 11

• grapes spent long time on vine
• often labelled as Late Harvest
• some may use botrytis infected fruit
• fermentation of botryticed berries (like Sauternes) and not maceration (like Aszú wines)
• mature less than Aszú wines

Question 12

Tokaji sweet wine laws - when? sweetest?

Answer 12

• vintages up to 2012: 3-6 puttonyos, min. residual sugar: 60g/L, minimum 24 months in oak, release after 4 years. Sweetest: Aszú Eszencia: 180g/L
• vintages from 2013 on: 5-6 puttonyos, min. 120g/L (others are Late Harvest or Tokaji Szamarodni), min 18 months in oak, release after 3 years (no more Aszú Eszencia)