Tokaj Flashcards
What options does a producer have to gain the most extraction from the aszú berries?
Add to fermenting must
Add when the must is fermenting most actively
Macerating for longer periods of time.
Crushing the azsú berries
Higher temperatures and cap management techniques such as punching down.
What is the climate of Tokaj?
moderate continental
What shelters the region of Tokaj?
Zemplen Mountains
What is the aspect of wines in Tokaj?
southerly, with high sunshine which makes the most of the high latitude
What is the average rainfall in Tokaj?
500-600mm
How is the autumn weather in Tokaj?
warm and dry
The river Tisza and river Bodrog flow through the Tokaj region. Which of these rivers flood frequently, thereby making the ideal conditions for the morning fogs needed for botrytised grapes?
Bodrog
The Tokaj region lies over many extinct volcanoes, and a range of soil types can be found throughout the region. What is the name of the particular type of volcanic soil that’s said to produce the most powerful wines?
Nyirok
Which types of pests are most prevalent in the Tokaj region?
Wild Boar
Birds
How many grapes are permittedin Tokaj?
6
Name the top 3 grapes in Tokaj.
Furmint
Harslevelu
Sarga Muskotaly
This Tokaj grape can be full-bodied with high levels of acidity. Typical flavours include lemon, apple and pear which can be detected in all styles of wine. The wines develop notes of honey and nuts with age. Grapes affected by botrytis give flavours of dried apricot and mango.
Furmint
This Tokaj grape has distinctive aromas of white peach and orange blossom. Often used for a supporting role in blends to add perfumed aromas.
Harslevelu
This Tokaj grape adds floral notes in blends in both sweet and dry wines, but also appears as a varietal wine, mainly dry but occasionally sweet.
Sárga Muskotály
Order the stages of production from first to last for a typical Aszú wine. Assume the aszú berries are being added to the must (not a base wine).
- Botrytised grapes are left to shrivel on the vine.
- Aszú berries are hand-picked via several passes through the vineyard.
- Aszú berries are usually mashed into a paste, often by passing them through a pump.
- Aszú grapes are macerated in the must wine for 12-60 hours.
- Juice is drained off and Aszú berries are pressed.
- Must is fermented to reach desired balance of sugar and alcohol.
- Fermentation either stops naturally or by chilling or racking.
- Wines are stored for a minimum of 18 months in oak.
- Bottled in 500ml glass Tokaji bottle.
How does the production process for making Eszencia differ from Aszú wines?
These are extremely rare, and therefore extremely expensive, wines made from the tiny volume of syrupy free-run juice that trickles from Aszú berries. The juice is so sweet that it can take years to ferment and even then only reaches very low levels of alcohol (usually less than 5% abv). The legal minimum residual sugar level is 450 g/L, and the wines are full-bodied (often with the consistency of syrup) with pronounced,highly concentrated flavours. High in acidity, these wines can retain their freshness and therefore age for a very long time.
How are Szamorodni wines are made?
Whole bunches of healthy and botrytised grapes are pressed. Aged for at least 6 months in oak and dry wines are aged under a thin layer of flor yeast for up to 10 years without topping up the barrel.
Since 2004 when Hungary joined the EU, Tokaj wines have to be labelled via the PDO/PGI system. However, there is a PGI for wines made from other grapes (usually international varieties) and wines made from yields higher than PDO restrictions. What is the name of this PGI?
PGI Zempléni
The percentage of total production that Aszú wines account for.
10%
The percentage of total production that dry Tokaj wines account for.
21%
The percentage of the region’s wines that Grand Tokaj produces.
35%
The percentage of Tokaji wines exported.
40%
