Hungary Wine Flashcards
Which rivers meet to inform the Tokaj region?
Tisza and Bodrog
What year did Transylvanian Prince Rákóczy classify 28 villages in Tokaj?
1700
What does Aszú mean?
The term originally signified desiccated grapes, it has evolved to indicate grapes of high sugar levels afflicted with botrytis cinerea.
“Tokaji”
- An adjectival form used to indicate the wine
Describe the Tokaj region:
- Sheltered by the Carpathian mountains, it enjoys a warm continental climate with long, humid autumns: perfect for botrytis. Soils are predominantly volcanic loess and clay.
How much does a puttony container hold?
25 kg
What is the Tokaj Renaissance?
A producer’s organization devoted to the preservations of Rákóczy’s original division of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd growths. 74 vineyards are recognized as first growths.
Which Tokaj vineyards are designated as Great First Growths?
Szarvas and Mézes Mály
Esszencia
- A tiny fraction of syrupy free-run juice is allowed to settle out of the Aszú must. This is vinified as Esszencia.
- Retains at least 450 g/l of residual sugar
- Can take decades to ferment to 4-6% abv
Tokaji Aszú Production:
- Aszú grapes are hand-picked and gathered in puttony
- Aszú grapes are foot-pressed into a paste
- The Aszú paste is mixed with non-aszú must in gönci barrels
- The number of puttony added to a gönc determines the final level of sweetness
- It must contain at least 120 g/l of rs and age for just over two years
Gönc:
A Hungarian oak cask of approximately 136 L
Tokaj Szamorodni:
- “As it comes”
- Produced from a mixture of aszú and non-aszú grapes and is often oxidative
- Matured in cask for a min. 6 months, sometimes under a film-forming yeast similar to flor.
- May be sweet (edes) or dry (száras)
Fordítás:
The product of re-fermenting wine with the pressed paste of Tokaji Aszú
Máslás:
The product of re-fermenting wine with the spent lees of Tokaji Aszú
Circle of Mád
- Founded by István Szepsy (Royal Tokaji Company)
- A small group of producers committed to elevating the stature of dry wines
Hungarian Appellations:
- 22 Regions
- 33 PDO’s
- 6 additional PGI’s
- These are divided among three major geographical zones: The Northern Massif, Transdanubia, the Great Plain
Lake Balaton PDO’s:
- Balaton-felvidék (Balaton Uplands)
- Badacsony
- Balatonfüred-Csopak
- All are dominated by Olaszrizling (welshriesling)
Mátra:
- Hungary’s second largest region
- An hour east of Budapest
- Landscape is composed of hills and volcanic soils
- Most important grape is Szürkebarát (Pinot Gris)
Eger:
- Located in the Northern Massif
- Famous for Egri Bikavér (“Bull’s blood of Eger”)
- Egri Bikavér was historically made from Kadarka
- Szekszárd in Transdanubia is the only other region allowed to use Bikavér on the label
Sopron:
- Contiguous with Austria’s Burgenland
- Both grow Blaufrankisch (Kekfrankos)
- Located in Transdanubia
Kunság:
- Hungary’s largest regions
- Located in the Great Plain
- Mass production of white wine, and some red, from indigenous grapes
Somló:
- Located in the northwest of Hungary
- Lies on the slopes of an ancient volcano
- Olaszriesling and Juhfark are the main varieties
