Tokaj Flashcards
What is the difference between Tokaj and Tokaji?
Tokaj is the place, Tokaji is the wine
What is the most famous wine from Tokaj?
Tokaji Aszu, sweet wines made from shrivelled, botrytis-affected grapes
Why was Tokaji’s sweetness so prized?
It offered sweetness before crystal sugar became available
When did Tokaji’s quality tradition halt?
1945, when Hungary became a Communist state
How were wines produced in Hungary under Communist rule?
Quantity over quality, often deliberately oxidized, sweetened, fortified, and pasteurized
How did Hungarian vineyard ownership differ under Communism compared to other Eastern European countries?
More vineyards remained in private hands, allowing producers in Tokaj to rebuild more quickly than other areas
Who are the major foreign investors helping revive Tokaji? When did this begin?
AXA, Vegas Sicilia, and Hugh Johnson, post-Communism in the early 1990s
Where is Tokaj located, and what factors influence the climate there?
Northeastern Hungary, from the town of Tokaj (in the Zemplen Mountains) toward the Slovakian border. Moderate continental climate, warm summers and cold winters, but region is shielded from worst northerly winds by forested mountain peaks
Describe viticulture in Tokaj
Vineyards planted on slopes to reduce cold and frost damage, facing south, southwest, and southeast for max sun interception. Relatively low rainfall but most comes during the growing season. Irrigation not permitted
What factors allow for Botrytis in Tokaj?
Warm, dry autumns, combined with the Tisza and Bodrog meeting in the town of Tokaj. Bodrog floods regularly, creating shallow marshes and water meadows, resulting in morning fog burnt off by afternoon sun (allowing Botrytis without grey rot)
Describe the soil of Tokaj?
Volcanic bedrock overlaid by nyirok and loess
What is nyirok?
Volanic soil in Tokaj thought fto produce the most powerful wines
What is loess?
Sandy silt with high clay content. Thought fo produce lighter, more delicate Tokaji
What is significant about Tokaj’s volcanic bedrock?
It is soft enough that vines can root very deeply, relieving water stress and nutrient deficiencies. Also ideal for digging cellars for aging wine
What is Zasmidium cellare and what is significant about it?
Grey-black, cushiony cellar fungus though to help regulate humidity
What is the traditional method of Tokaj viticulture?
Vines grown on single posts at densities up to 10,000 per ha
Describe modern Tokaj viticulture
Trellis, using replacement-cane pruning or cordon training with VSP to allow mechanization. Lower densities (avg 4,000-5,000 vines per ha) and low yields for dry wines (30-40 hl/ha)
How does Aszu viticulture differ from the rest of Tokaj?
Steep slopes worked by hand, hand harvesting necessary for Aszu berries. Tiny yields due to shriveling on the vine (2-3 hl/ha).
What are the permitted varieties for Tokaji PDO?
6 allowed, but the most important are Furmint, Harslevelu, and Sarga Mukotaly
What percentage of Tokaj plantings are Furmint?
69%
What makes Furmint well-suited to sweet wine production?
Late-ripening, retains acidity, and susceptible to botrytis despite being thick-skinned
Describe dry Furmint wines
Range of styles, from young consumption to ageworthy. Ageworthy often see oak. High sugar levels can cause full body and high alc, but improved viticulture is now allowing ripe fruit at medium alc levels
What percentage of Tokaj plantings are Harslevelu, and how is it distinct from Furmint?
18% of plantings. Fruitier than Furmint, added to Tokaji for its distinctive white peach and orange blossom perfume
What percentage of Tokaj plantings are Sarga Muskotaly, and what is its use in Tokaji?
9%, used to add floral notes in both sweet and dry wines. Same grape as Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains
How is Aszu extracted?
Shrivelled, grapes are so concentrated that pressing does not extract the juice, so the grapes are macerated in must, fermenting must, or base wine to draw out their sugar s and flavors
How does Aszu both Botrytize and shrivel?
Foggy mornings allow Botrytis to develop, breezy, sunny afternoons then shrivel the grapes (higher yields in humid autumns)
Describe Aszu maceration and its options
Prior to maceration, most producers mash Aszu grapes into a paste by crushing through a pump (some will leave whole berries to avoid bitterness). Maceration for 12-60 hours in must, young finished wine, or fermenting must. Maceration in must gives the lightest style, followed by young finished wine. Maceration in fermenting must gives the strongest extraction but can also extract bitter phenolics
When base wine is used for Aszu maceration, what are the regulations?
Base wine is minimum 12.08% alc (though typically 14.5-15.5%). Freedom to choose varieties used and amount of botrytis; this leaves a range of styles
When Aszu maceration takes place in must or fermenting must, how does production proceed?
Juice is drained and Aszu paste or berries are pressed. Must is then fermented (or continues to ferment) to desired balance of sugar and alcohol. Usually cultured yeast for reliability but some producers use ambient. Stainless and Barrels are both used
Around what level of sugar do fermentations stop naturally?
180 g/L and above)
What are the regulations and customs for Aszu aging?
Minimum 18 months in oak, though some producers go longer. Hungarian oak is widely used, traditionally in small 136 L barrels called gonci (but 300-500 L barrels are now more common)
How must Aszu be bottled?
In traditional, clear-glass, 500ml Tokaji bottle
Before 2013, how were Aszu wines classified?
By sweetness using the puttonyos scale, a measure of the number of pickers’ buckets of Aszu berries added per Gonci barrel of must
Prior to 2013, what were the sweetness ranges for Aszu?
3-6 puttonyos
How did Aszu regulations change in 2013?
Minimum level of RS was increased to 120g/L (equivalent to previous 5 puttonyos level); wines with lower levels of sugar are now Late Harvest or Tokaji Edes Szzamorodni. Aszu can be labelled 5 or 6 puttonyos (6 above 150 g/L RS) but not mandatory (3 and 4 also permitted as long as there is at least 120g/L RS)
What is Aszu Eszencia?
Aszu made from the tiny volume of free-run juice from Aszu berries. Can take years to ferment and only reaches very low alc (usually less than 5%). Legal min RS is 450 g/L, syrupy, highly-concentrated, and high in acid
What is Late Harvest Tokaj?
Reaction to the time and investment needed to produce Aszu. New style of Tokaj produced similarly to other world sweet wines (IE without the maceration process). Typically less Botrytis than for Aszu, lighter bodied and less concentrated, legal min RS is 45 g/L (most are between 90 and 11 g/L). Oak is not required and producers aim to emphasize fruit character, released 12-16 months after harvest
What is Szamorodni?
Polish word meaning “as it comes”, indicating whole bunch production with varying amounts of healthy and botrytized grapes. Produced sweet or dry depending on ripeness and botrytis
What is the style of sweet Szamorodni?
Min RS 45 g/L, most bottled at 90-110 g/L. Oak aging for 6 months (shorter than Aszu). Many producers are emphasizing this category, seeing it as more authentic than the Late Harvest style. Bottled in Tokaji bottles and the best are of similar quality
What is the style of dry Szamorodni?
Aged under a thin film of flor (much thinner than in Sherry) for up to 10 years without topping up, with nutty and green apple aromas
What is the trend in production of dry wine in Tokaj?
It has tripled in the past 5 years (2021)
How is viticulture changing in Tokaj as dry wines become more important?
Vineyards are being planted on higher, windier sites above the fog zone, with more open canopes to prevent Botrytis and other rot
How has the style of dry Tokaj changed as it has become more popular?
Originally made from very ripe grapes, with full malo and lengthy aging in new oak, but many producers are reining in their approach, using less ripe berries, fermenting in stainless, and intervening less to produce lighter-bodied wines with more varietal character
What are Dulo?
Single vineyard dry Tokaji
What are the main grapes for dry Tokaji?
Furmint, Harslevelu, and Muscat, same as in sweet Tokaji
What is Zempleni?
Protected Geographic Indication in Hungary for wines made from other grapes, particularly international varieties
How many ha under vine in Tokaji PDO?
About 5,750, although it is increasing as higher vineyards are planted (but barely half of the potential vineyard area is planted)
What is Grand Tokaj?
State-owned Tokaji producer sourcing from over 2,000 growers and producing around 35% of the region’s wines
What percentage of Tokaji production does Aszu account for? What percentage does dry account for?
10% Aszu, 21% dry
What is the style of a significant, low-quality portion of Tokaji’s production?
Inexpensive, non-botrytised, semi-sweet wines made by arrested fermentation for the home market and other Eastern European countries
What percentage of Tokaji is exported?
40%
