All About Hungary Flashcards
In the northeastern corner of Hungary, at the confluence of the Tisza and Bodrog Rivers, producers in the Tokaj region (formerly Tokaj-Hegyalja, or the Tokaj “foothills”) have long been crafting some of Europe’s most exemplary and longest-lived ____ wines.
dessert
____grapes are a fundamental component of the best Tokaj wines; although the term originally signified desiccated grapes, it has evolved to indicate grapes of high sugar levels afflicted with botrytis cinerea—the noble rot.
Aszú
True or False: The aszú wines of Tokaj predated the botrytised wines of Germany, and probably Sauternes as well. Legend attributes the mid-16th century declaration—“These wines are fit for a pope”—
True
Fact: Estates such as the Royal Tokaji Company, Vega Sicilia’s Tokaj Oremus, Disznókõ, and Királyudvar are leading the way.
Fact
The Tokaj region, sheltered by the _____, enjoys a warm continental climate with long, humid autumns: perfect encouragement for botrytis. Soils are predominantly volcanic loess and clay, and many of the better vineyards occupy south-facing slopes.
Carpathian Mountains
The two principal grapes of the region are Furmint and Hárslevelű; Sárgamuskotály (Muscat Blanc à Petite Grains), Zéta (Oremus), Kabar and Kövérszőlő are authorized but generally used in small quantities.
Fact
The botrytised (‘aszú’) grapes for which the region is famous. These are individually picked as late as mid-November into buckets (‘____’) and crushed to a paste. Varying amounts of this aszú paste are then added to non-aszú must or wine made from a mix of Furmint, Hárslevelű, Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, Kövérszőlő or Zéta grapes, and left to ferment.
(‘puttonyos’)
The resulting wine is then aged in relatively small barrels in a labyrinth of cellars in the soft volcanic tuff, on whose walls thick blankets of fungus regulate the humidity.[
Furmint is key to the production of Tokaji Aszú, as it susceptible to botrytis and high in acidity.
-Aszú grapes are handpicked individually, gathered in containers called ____—which hold aprox 25 kg. yields are miniscule.
puttony—puttonyos
A tiny fraction of syrupy, free-run juice is allowed to settle out of the aszú must—vinified separately as ______. The aszú is then trampled into a paste, or dough, and a number of puttony containing aszú paste is mixed with gönci barrels of must or base wine from non-aszú grapes. The number of puttony added to a gönc (a Hungarian oak cask of approximately 136 L) determines the final sweetness of the Tokaji Aszú wine, and it is labeled accordingly.
Esszencia
The wine rests in cask for a minimum two years and undergoes an additional year of bottle age prior to release. Meanwhile, the sugar-rich Esszencia—the preferred Tokaji of the czars—ferments at a glacial pace, sometimes taking decades to reach 4-6% alcohol. Richer than honey, the wine can retain upwards of 800 grams per liter of residual sugar. Esszencia, or Natúresszencia, is rarely available commercially, and it is everlasting nectar, unique in the entire world of wine.
Fact
Aszú Level Minimum Residual Sugar 3 Puttonyos 60 g/l 4 Puttonyos 90 g/l 5 Puttonyos 120 g/l 6 Puttonyos 150 g/l Aszúesszencia (7-9 Puttonyos) 180 g/l Natúresszencia 450 g/l (formerly 250 g/l)
Nice to Know!!
Several styles of Tokaji beyond Tokaji Aszú exist. Tokaji Szamorodni (“as it comes”) is produced from a mixture of aszú and non-aszú grapes and is often oxidative in style as it is matured in cask for a minimum of two years—sometimes under a film-forming yeast similar to flor.
A. Dry (száras )
B. Sweet (édes)
C. Both
Both: Szamorodni wines may be édes (sweet) or száras (dry).
The talented Hungarian winemaker István Szepsy, a key figure in the establishment of Hugh Johnson’s Royal Tokaji Company and Királyudvar, is a founding member of the Circle of Mád, a small contingent of producers committed to elevating the stature of dry wines in the region.
Good to Know!!
North Hungary includes Tokaj and Eger, a region famous for ____—the “Bull’s Blood of Eger.” Historically dominated by Kadarka—an indigenous, low-tannin, light-bodied and not particularly sanguine grape—modern Egri Bikavér is a blend of at least three varieties, incorporating Kékfrankos (Blaufränkisch), and other Hungarian and international grapes.
Egri Bikavér
Aszú is a Hungarian term for botrytis-affected grapes.
• True
• False
True
