D3 Tokaj & Greece Flashcards
Tokaj Climate & Features?
Moderate Continental Climate
Forested mountain peaks protect from wind
Generally on slopes, reducing risk of frosts
South-facing aspects to maximise sunlight at this low latitude
Relatively low rainfall, but half falls in growing season
Tisza and Bodrog rivers frequently flood the area, providing humidity for botrytis, and the warm sunny afternoons prevents it developing into grey rot
Tokaj Vineyard Risks?
Powdery Mildew
Grey Rot
Wild Boar & Birds
Tokaj Grapes?
Furmint - most widely planted, late ripening, high acid, susceptible to botrytis, lemon, apple, pear
Harslevelu - fruitier than furmint, white peach and orange blossom
Sarga Muskotaly (MBaPG) - floral notes
Aszu Processing?
So concentrated it cannot be extracted through usual pressing
Must be macerated in other must or wines, typically 12-60 hours, may be crushed into a paste first
Harvested in wetter years and held until needed
Fermented at 12-20 celsius
Maceration in must provides lightest wine, in fermenting must provides strongest (be wary of defective grapes)
Base wines themselves can also be botrytised
Must be stored minimum 18 months in oak, often smaller 136L barrels (gonci), mix of old and new oak used
Minimum Tokaji Sugar Level?
120 g/L - formerly 5 puttonyos
150 g/L - 6 puttonyos
Minimum Eszencia Sugar Level?
450 g/L - usually ferments over years up to maximum 5%
Minimum Late Harvest Sugar Level & Maturation?
45 g/L though usually 90-110
No oaking required
Typically 12-16 months in steel
Minimum Szamorodni Sugar Level & Maturation?
Sweet Version (Edes):
45 g/L though usually 90-110
Minimum 6 months in oak
Dry Version (Szaraz) - up to 10 years under flor
Tokay PDO and PGI?
Zempleni PGI
Tokaji PDO
Greece Climate & Environment
Generally Warm to Hot Mediterranean, moving to Hot Continental inland
Minimal rainfall during growing season, and irrigation is essential
Greek Grapes?
Savatiano Roditis Assyrtiko Moschofilero Malagousia
Agiorgitiko Xinomavro Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Syrah
Savatiano?
Drought resistant, for bulk wine (incl. Retsina) though occasional quality producers now
Roditis?
Pink-skinned
High yields
As with Savatiano, historically made bulk wines such as Retsina, but better examples are emerging
At best: medium body; high acid; ripe melon
Assyrtiko?
Extremely high acidity
High alcohol
Flinty/mineral aromas as well as citrus, stone and tropical fruit
Can take oaking
Moschofilero?
Pink-skinned
Aromatic, with notes of citrus, flowers (rose petals), spices; similar to muscat
High in acid
Light body
Lower end of medium alcohol (~12%)
Malagousia?
Medium acid
Medium body
Complex aromas of stone fruit and flowers, sometimes herbaceous
Agiorgitiko?
Deep colour
Medium acidity
Medium to high levels of soft tannin
Medium alcohol
Ripe red fruit and sweet spice
Often aged in oak, including new
Mainly grown in Peloponnese e.g. PDO Nemea
Xinomavro?
Best known in growths from Naoussa
Compared to Nebbiolo - aggressive high tannins and acidity, with vegetal notes instead of fruity
Pale coloured and turn to garnet quickly
Suitable for very long ageing
Can be blended with Merlot to soften
Greek PDO and IGP?
POP and PGE
Macedonia?
Naoussa and Amynteo
Parts are Mountainous, cooler and more continental
Others parts are on plains, and are warmer and more Mediterranean
Heavier, but still moderate, rainfall
Famous for Xinomavro, though Bordeaux Blends, CH, SB and Assyrtiko becoming more common
Peloponnese?
Nemea & Mantinia (SW of Greece)
Mountainous with poor soils in PDO areas
Flatter areas too producing non-PDO bulk wines
Southerly latitude, moderated by altitude (450-650m in best sites)
Nemea - 100% Agiorgitiko, often oaked
Mantinia - Elevated plateau ~600m, white wines only
Santorini?
Assyrtiko dominant
Very strong winds, lots of bush vines as a result
Minimal rainfall - moisture comes from fog in the caldera
Very old vines, very infertile soil - can have yields as low as 15 hL/ha
Vinsanto sweet wines, oxidative, late harvest, sun-dried, long aged, 200-300 g/L
