25. Hungary Flashcards
What is the climate in Hungary?
Moderate continental - short cold winters, long warm summer/autumn season.
What factor is common with the best vineyards in Hungary?
Best vineyards have southerly aspect/slopes.
Describe the vineyard humidity for Hungary?
Sufficient humidity for noble rot.
Can black varieties ripen in Hungary?
Yes.
What are the principal white grape varieties in Hungary?
Furmint (botrytis/principal variety for sweet Tokaji); Harslevelu (botrytis/also used for sweet Tokaji); Sarga Muscotaly (Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains); Olasz Rizling (crisp, light dry whites/bitter almonds); Irsai Oliver (aromatic); Pinot Gris is an example of international variety, vinified in Pinot Grigio style.
What are the principal black grape varieties in Hungary?
Kekfrankos (peppery, high acid, light); Kadarka (prone to grey rot/ low yields); International varieties such as Cabernet Franc
Where is Tokaji located? -
Located in foothills of Carpathians.
What are the attributes of the best Tokaji vineyards?
warm sloping vineyards, southerly exposure, two rivers and tributaries give morning humidity.
Explain the harvesting of grapes in Tokaji.
Harvested by hand, 3 selections - Aszu (individual grapes taken that are completely botrytis-affected), Szamorodni (some botrytis but whole bunch picked), healthy grapes
What is the key winemaking step in Tokaji?
Aszu: Aszu (botrytis affected) berries are macerated in dry wine and resulting wines aged for 2 years in oak, after which developes an oxidative character. The trend now to limit impact of O2 during maturation.
What are the Key Wines in Tokaji?
Dry styles, Szamorodni (dry - cask aged with flor like fino sherry; sweet - oxidative), Aszu, Eszencia, modern-style sweet wines.
What does the Hungarian wine lable term Puttonyos indicate?
a labeling term accompanied by a number from 3 to 6, indicating level of sweetness in Aszu wines, traditionally the number of buckets of Aszu grapes put into the dry wine
What was the first wine in the world to knowingly be made from botrytised grapes?
Tokaji
What is the rough German equivalent of 3 puttonyos Aszo Tokaji?
Auslese
What is the rough German equivalent of 4-5 puttonyos Aszo Tokaji?
Beerenauslese