Hungary/Eastern Europe/Middle East Flashcards
What is the climate of Tokaj?
warm continental climate with long, humid autumns
Warm summers and cold winters
Where is the region of Tokaj located?
Where are the best vineyards located in Tokaj?
In the foothills of the Zemplen Mountains in the NE of Hungary, close to the Slovakian border.
Part of the region continues into Slovakia.
Hillside slopes with a southerly aspect - lower frost risk and capture the sunlight to ripen the fruit
From driest to sweetest list the 3 types of sweet wine produced in Tokaj:
Late Harvest
Tokaji Aszu
Tokaji Eszencia
In 2013 the laws governing Tokaji Aszu / Eszencia were changed.
What are the current aging / residual sugar laws?
“Aszú”: ages for three years prior to release (with a minimum 18 months in barrel) and must contain at least 120 g/l of residual sugar and achieve an actual alcohol content of at least 9%.
Eszencia: min. alc 1.2 - 8%, at least 450 grams per liter of residual sugar.
What does the term ‘Szamorodni’ mean?
How are dry and sweet styles labeled?
‘As it comes’ meaning bunches of grapes that are partially affected with Noble Rot
Dry: Száraz
Sweet: édes
How is Tokaji Eszencia made?
Only free run juice of Botrytis grapes.
Incredibly sweet, yeast has trouble fermenting so fermentation goes on for a number of years. Final wine about 5% abv, minimum residual sugar is 450g/l, balanced by high acidity.
Able to mature for a century or more.
How is Tokaji Aszu made?
A base wine is made from healthy grapes then, before, during or after fermentation Aszu grapes are macerated in the base wine for 12 to 60 hours. Wine is pressed then stored in oak.
What’s the name of the unit (formerly) used to express sweetness of Aszu wine?
What does this word also refer to?
Puttony (plural puttonyos)
Also the name of the basket traditionally used to gather individual grapes, worn on the back of the harvester.
What is Tokaji Szamorodni?
A wine made from Szamorodni (as it comes) grapes, normally less than 50% Aszu berries, that can be dry or sweet depending on the amount of Noble Rot present.
Edes (sweet) wines aged for min 6 months, min 45 g/l RS, most bottled around 90-110 g/l RS, botted in 500ml Tokaji clear bottle.
Szaraz (dry) wines aged in barrel under thin flor, in not completely full barrels, can be aged up to 10years, notes of green apple with nutty characters
What are the names of the 2 principle and 4 accessory grapes and used to make Tokaji and what do they contribute to the final wine?
Furmint - Concentrated, high acid, wines. Apples when young, nuts & honey with age.
Harsevelu - adds perfume
Sarga Muskotaly (Muscat) - aromatic
Zéta (Oremus), Kabar and Kövérszőlő
What size of bottle are the sweet wines of Tokaj bottles in?
500ml
What are the characteristics of a classic Tokaji?
Deep amber.
High acidity and intense aromas.
Flavors of orange peel, apricots and honey.
What are the 2 rivers that help generate the morning humidity necessary for the development of noble rot?
Bodrog
Tisza
What is the primary soil type of Tokaj?
Volcanic soils - called Nyirok, makes the most powerful wines
In what century and by whom were Tokaj’s vineyards classified?
18th Century (1703) by the Transylvanian Prince Rákócsy
Order the following wine producing countries from west to east (1 = westernmost, 6 = easternmost)
a) Romania
b) Slovenia
c) Hungary
d) Italy
e) Georgia
f) Turkey
- Italy
- Slovenia
- Hungary
- Romania
- Turkey
- Georgia
Tokaj’s rise to international acclaim came during a time when the region was ruled by which empire?
Austro-Hungarian
What is the minimum ageing regiment for Tokaji Aszú?
They must be aged in barrel for at least 18 months.
What is the term for the expansive flatlands cradled between the Alps and the Carpathian Mountains?
Pannonian Plain
Match the following appellations to their home country:
A. Goriška Brda
B. Dealu Mare
C. Eastern Anatolia
D. Judean Hills
E. Istria
A. Slovenia
B. Romania
C. Turkey
D. Israel
E. Croatia
What is Zasmidium cellare?
A special grey-black cellar mould found in the cellars of Tokaj, which is thought to regulate humidity
What is the minimum residual sugar for Tokaji Aszú wines after 2013?
120g/L
What special designation do the vineyards of Szarvas and Mézes Mály in Tokaj have?
Great First Growth
Tokaj is ? and Tokaji is ?
Tokaj is the place and Tokaji is the wine
Climatic risks for growing in Tokaj?
Major climatic hazards are:
Spring frost risk – therefore vineyards planted on slopes to help drain the cool air away from the vineyards
Lack of sunlight to ripen the fruit, hence vineyards are south, south west and south east facing to capture the maximum sunlight
key statistics about Tokaj’s location and climate
The key statistics
48-49°N: Northerly latitude (on par with Burgundy) + climate
1400-1500 hours of growing season
Rain: 500-600 mm; 50% falls during growing season
The conditions that cause Tokaj to be capable of producing the shrivelled grapes necessary for Tokaji?
Conditions for shriveling of grapes
Autumns: warm & dry; ideal for shriveling grapes
2 rivers: R Tisza & R Bodrog; meet in town of Tokaj;
Bodrog floods regularly, creating shallow marshes & water meadows
Moist air results in frequent fogs; ideal for development of Botrytis
Autumn sunny afternoons control development of Botrytis & limit Grey rot
Key soil types in Tokaj
Nyirok
Most significant,
Volcanic soils producing most powerful wines;
Loess
Sandy silt with high clay content, around Tokaj hill (west of town)
producing lighter, delicate wines
Key varietals grown in Tokaj?
6 Permitted varieties in Tokaji PDO
Furmint, Hárslevelü, Kabar, Kövérszölö, Zéta, Sárga Muskotály
Most imp:Furmint; Harslevelu; Sarga Muskotaly ( Muscat Blanc a petit Grains)
Furmint? how many plantings as a percentage, how does it grow, it grape charactertistics and its use in Aszu and dry wines
Furmint:
69% of all plantings
Versatile grape: High quality Dry to Sweet
Late Ripening; needs long growing season to ripen
High Acidity - even when fully ripe
Thick skinned but susceptible to Botrytis, vital component in Aszu
As they ripen, naturally accumulate high levels of Sugar, concentrated further by action of Botrytis, shriveling & late harvesting; high acidity giving balance
Dry Wines:
Increasingly common as singular varietal wines
range of styles; from early drinking to age worthy, often matured in Oak
due to high sugar levels produced can be full bodied with high Alcohol
modern viticultural techniques allow ripeness of flavours & medium alcohol levels
Characteristics
Lemon; Apple, Pear in all styles; Develop Honey & Nutty notes with age;
if Botrytis affected then notes include Apricot & Mango
What is the modern trellis system adopted in Tokaj and at what density are the plantings?
Modern:
grown on trellis;
replacement cane pruning or cordon training on VSP
Lower densities :4000-5000 ha
Modern training systems allowing mechanisation
Harslevelu is the 2nd most important grape varietal in Tokaj - give some details
Harslevelu: (linden leaf)
18% of plantings
Late Ripening; Prone to Botrytis
Partner to Furmint
Fruitier wines than Furmint
Distinctive - White Peach and Orange blossom aromas
Used as a supporting role in blends, adding perfume
Sometimes a varietal in dry & Sweet versions
Yields in the vineyard for Aszu wines?
Aszu Wines:
as they have to be shriveled on the vine;
yields are low-2/3 hl/ha
Tokaji PDO - what is the hierarchy of designation for the wines?
Tokaji PDO broken down further; Village : Estate; Designated vineyards can be named on label
Aszu - what does it mean?
Hungarian word for grapes infected with Botrytis and shrivelled on vine
conditions for Aszu to occur?
For Aszu to occur you need:
In the Autumn – foggy mornings with breezy sunny afternoons to shrivel the grapes and to prevent grey rot forming
Warm humid autumns encourage botrytis
Maceration of Aszu grapes - describe in detail
Maceration
Aszu grapes macerated for 12-60 hrs:
if uncrushed bunches used, punched down regularly
12-15 °C (may rise to 16-20 °C with strongly fermenting must)
THREE different maceration mediums:
Maceration in own must – i.e. no additions – gives lightest style
Maceration in young finished wine
Medium extraction method and resulting style
Base wine used: min 12.08% ABV; (in practice 14.5 -15.5% ABV)
Choice of grapes used in base wine up to winemakers – normally Furmint or Harslevelu
Some prefer rich botrytised base wine to give addn complexity
Others prefer character of Aszu grapes to come through with minimal botrytis in base wine
Maceration in fermenting must
Gives strongest extraction and most complex wines
Must have clean ripe berries or unpleasant characters can result
Early addition to an active ferment results in the strongest extraction
But some producers prefer later addition to a ferment to get a lighter style
Maturation and bottling of Aszu wine?
Maturation
Minimum of 18 mths in Oak
Hungarian Oak from Zemplen mountains
Traditionally matured in 136 litre Barrels (gonci)
Most producers switching to 300-500 litre barrels
Mix of old & new Oak used
Must be bottled in clear glass, 500ml Tokaji bottle
Classification of Aszu wines by sugar levels?
Classification of Aszu wines by sugar levels
Traditionally Aszu classified in level of Sweetness; using Puttonyos scale until 2013
Puttonyos
This measures number of pickers buckets or hods (puttony) of Asuzu berries to a traditional gonci barrel of must
1 puttonyos = number of 20-kilo baskets of noble rot grapes added to 137 litres of base wine for production
2013, Tokaj PDO regulations changed
Now measured by minimum residual sugar level
Min level was increased to 120g/l RS: equivalent to 5 puttonyos
Wines with lower levels of sugar now labelled as Late harvest or Tokaji Edes Szamorodni
Aszu can be labelled:
5 Puttonyos or 6 Puttonyos, if above 150g/l RS
Or three puttonyos or four puttonyos above 120 g/l RS
Szamorodni? name the two styles produced
Two styles produced:
Sweet (edes)
Sweeter more common; min 45 g/l, most at 90-110 g/l RS
only be aged in oak for min 6 mths
bottled in traditional 500ml Tokaji bottle
best Edes are fresher quality equivalent of Aszu
Producers see this as a more authentic Tokaji than late harvest
Dry (szaraz)
Szamorodni is aged under a thin flor (thinner than sherry) for up to 10 yrs without topping up
Protected from excessive oxidation, develops nutty ,green apple aromas
Wine production by style from Tokaji PDO
Wine production by style
Aszu 10%
Dry wines 21%
Rest is mainly inexpensive non-botrytised semi-sweet wines for home market and Eastern Europe
Name some international investors into the region?
Hugh Johnson, Vega Sicilia, AXA
Exports of Tokaji PDO wines?
Exports:
Mainly Eastern Europe;
With small amounts to China, France, UK, USA
40% of Production is exported