Just Tokaj questions

Question 1

What are the villages of production for Tokaj PDO?

Answer 1

Abaújszántó, Bekecs, Bodrogkeresztúr, Bodrogkisfalud, Bodrogolaszi, Erdőbénye, Erdőhorváti, Golop, Hercegkút, Legyesbénye, Makkoshotyka, Mád, Mezőzombor, Monok, Olaszliszka, Rátka, Sárazsadány, Sárospatak, Sátoraljaújhely, Szegi, Szegilong, Szerencs, Tarcal, Tállya, Tokaj, Tolcsva, Vámosújfalu

Question 2

What are the minimum sugar and alcohol requirements for Eszencia?

Answer 2

Minimum Potential Alcohol: 27.75%
Actual Alcohol: 1.2-8.0%
Residual Sugar: min. 450 g/l

Question 3

What new category for Tokaji was added in 2013?

Answer 3

Aszú

Question 4

Which Tokaji categories were abolished from the 2013 vintage forward?

Answer 4

Aszúeszencia

Aszú 3/4/5/6 puttonyos

Question 5

What is the minimum residual sugar for Aszú 3/4/5/6 puttonyos and Aszúeszencia?

Answer 5

60 g/l, 90 g/l, 120 g/l, 150 g/l, 180 g/l respectively

Question 6

What is the minimum alcohol percentage for Aszúeszencia?

Answer 6

6%

Question 7

What is the minimum alcohol percentage for Aszú 3/4/5/6 puttonyos?

Answer 7

9%

Question 8

What is Pezsgő?

Answer 8

Tokaj sparkling wine

Question 9

What are the authorized varieties in Tokaj?

Answer 9

Furmint, Hárslevelű, Kabar, Kövérszőlő, Sárgamuskotály, Zéta

Question 10

What are the alcohol and sweetness requirements for Pezsgő?

Answer 10

Base Wine Minimum Potential Alcohol: 9%
Minimum Actual Alcohol: 10%
Minimum Pressure: 3.5 bars
Minimum Residual Sugar: 15 g/l

Question 11

What are the aging requirements in Tokaj?

Answer 11

Aging Requirements:
Aszú wines may not be released prior to January 1 of the third year after harvest. They must be aged in barrel for at least 18 months.
All Aszúeszencia and Aszú 3/4/5/6 Puttonyos wines must be aged for a minimum 3 years prior to release, including at least 2 years in barrel.
Szamorodni, Máslás and Fordítás wines must be aged for a minimum 2 years prior to release, including at least 1 year in barrel.

Question 12

What does száraz or édes signify?

Answer 12

dry or sweet, respectiveley

Question 13

What is Szamorodni?

Answer 13

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. Szamorodni wines may be édes (sweet) or száras (dry).

Question 14

What is the difference between Fordítás and Máslás?

Answer 14

Fordítás: (meaning “turning over” in Hungarian), wine made by pouring must on aszú dough which has already been used to make aszú wine.
Máslás: (derived from the word “copy” in Hungarian), wine made by pouring must on the lees of aszú.

Question 15

Name a few Tokaji producers other than Royal Tokaji Wine Company:

Answer 15

Chateau Pajzos, Disznoko, Szepsy, Oremus, Tokaj Hetszolo, etc.

Question 16

What are the minimum sugar and alcohol requirements for Aszú?

Answer 16

Minimum Potential Alcohol: 19%
Minimum Actual Alcohol: 9%
Residual Sugar: min. 120 g/l

Question 17

What is the maximum residual sugar allowed in a száraz wine of Tokaj?

Answer 17

maximum 9 g/l

Question 18

What is the minimum residual sugar allowed in an édes wine of Tokaj?

Answer 18

minimum 45 g/l

Question 19

What is Fehér bor?

Answer 19

white table wine of Tokaj

Question 20

How many Tokaj vineyards are considered first growths and who made the 1700 classification?

Answer 20

74, Transylvanian Prince Rákóczy

Question 21

Tokaj is located at the confluence of which two rivers?

Answer 21

Tisza River and Bodrog River

Question 22

What is the Circle of Mád?

Answer 22

A small contingent of producers in Tokaj committed to elevating the stature of dry wines in the region.

Question 23

What would “New Style” versus “Old Style” be for Tokaji?

Answer 23

One point of view, often referred to as “Old Style”, is that wines should be oxidized as much as possible before thee wine goes into the bottle. In barrel aging, the barrels should not be “topped off” as wine evaporates, leaving a large surface area of the maturing with exposed to air. These wines have a dark, nut-brown appearance and a robust, complex aroma and taste, even though they are relatively young, new wines. This wine style and practice was employed during the Communist era and is employed today, most notably by Royal Tokaji Wine Company and Kereskedőház.

Another point of view, or the so called “New Style”, is that wines should oxidized as little as possible before they go into the bottle. These wines, when newly bottled, look pale yellow to golden yellow. The wines are certainly not brown or topaz and taste distinctly more floral and honeyed than those of the “old, oxydative style”. This method is employed most noticeably by Grof Degenfeld, Hetszőlő, and Dereszla.

There are also several makers who deftly blend the two styles and are somehow able to get the best of both worlds: of these, Szepsy, Arvay, Dobogo and Disznókő, stand out.

Question 24

What does it mean to find a Tokaji labeled Vinarium?

Answer 24

Because of insider know-how and government loopholes, certain distributors and exporters of were able to bottle and/or export wine made by the Borkombinat or by individual family growers under their own label during Communist times. The most notable of these was the Vinarium company whose founder Vencel Garamvári was president of the Borkombinat Torley Champagne division before leaving to found Vinarium. Vinarium bought and exported wine (especially to the US and UK markets) which was often made by the Borkombinat but bottled, possibly blended, stored and shipped by Vinarium. When encountering one of these bottles, it is important to read the fine print as Vinarium always lists who the actual produced the wine on their bottles.

Question 25

What was Hungarovin and Borkombinat?

Answer 25

Wine produced after 1949 but before 1990, when the Communist system was in place in Hungary, was produced by cooperatives and individual families and bottled by the State under the company name “Hungarovin” or “Borkombinat”. Wine was exported en masse to the US and Europe by Monimpex. Monimpex was the State-owned “vice” company, managing production and export of wine, tobacco, liquor, et cetera.

Question 26

What is the current name of the state owned Tokaji company?

Answer 26

Tokaji Kereskedőház