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WSET Level 4 - D3 > Tokaj > Flashcards

Tokaj Flashcards

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1
Q

What was Tokaj known for historically?

A
  • Aszú first mentioned 1571: sweet wines made from shrivelled and botrytis-affected grapes
  • 18th century: One of the first controlled appellations
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2
Q

Why did the reputation deteriorate?

A
  • Communist state in 1945
  • Focus shift from quality to quantity
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3
Q

What helped to rebuild Tokaj’s reputation in the last 25 years and what it is known for today?

A
  • 1990s: foreign investors (e.g., AXA, Vega Sicilia)
  • Fresher, fruitier style of Aszú and high quality dry wines
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4
Q

Where is the Tokaj located?

A
  • North-eastern corner of Hungary
  • Latitude: 48°-49° N
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5
Q

Describe the climate

A
  • Moderate continental
  • Warm summers, cold winters
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6
Q

How are vineyards situated?

A
  • Mostly on slopes to reduce risk of frost
  • South-facing for max sunlight
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7
Q

What is the rainfall and is irrigation permitted?

A
  • 500-600mm
  • Yes
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8
Q

Why is the climate suitable for sweet wines?

A
  • Two rivers (Tisza, Bodrog)
  • Moist air results in Botrytis
  • Warm autumn sun limits grey rot
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9
Q

What is the bedrock and what are the two most important soil types?

A
  • Bedrock: volcanic
  • Nyirok, a volcanic soil (powerful wines)
  • Loess (lighter, delicate wines)
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10
Q

What are the advantages of volcanic bedrock?

A
  • Vines can root deeply limiting water stress
  • Lots of nutrients
  • Ideal for digging the cellars
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11
Q

What is the trellising system and planting density?

A
  • Replacement-cane pruning or cordon training with VSP
  • On avg. 4,000-5,000 vines/ha
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12
Q

How is harvest conducted?

A
  • By machine
  • By hand (in case of steeper slopes or Aszú)
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13
Q

What are the main diseases and hazards?

A
  • Powdery mildew
  • Grey rot
  • Wild boar and birds
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14
Q

What are the avg. yields for Aszú and dry wines?

A
  • Aszú: 2-3 hL/ha
  • Dry wines: 30-40 hL/ha
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15
Q

How many grape varieties are permitted in Tokaj PDO and what are the three most important?

A
  • 6
  • Furmint
  • Hárslevelű
  • Sárga Muskotály (Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains)
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16
Q

Furmint
What are the plantings? (%)

A

69%

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17
Q

Furmint
What are the grape’s characteristics? (ripening, acidity, sweetness, quality)

A
  • Late-ripening
  • High acidity (even when fully ripe)
  • Dry to sweet
  • High quality
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18
Q

Furmint
What are typical styles of dry wine from Furmint? (ageing, oak, body, alcohol)

A
  • Early drinking and more ageworthy examples
  • The latter often in oak
  • Full body and high alcohol (due to high sugar levels)
  • However, also medium alcohol possible (due to new viticultural practices)
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19
Q

Furmint
Typical flavors (young, aged, botrytis)

A
  • Lemon, apple and pear
  • Honey and nuts
  • Dried apricot and mango
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20
Q

Hárslevelű
What are the plantings? (%)

A

18%

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21
Q

Hárslevelű
What are the aromas?

A
  • Fruitier than Furmint
  • Distinctive white peach and orange blossom
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22
Q

Hárslevelű
What does it add to blends?

A

Distinctive perfume

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23
Q

Sárga Muskotály
What is the general term of this variety?

A

Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains

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24
Q

Sárga Muskotály
What are the plantings? (%)

A

9%

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25
Q

Sárga Muskotály
What does it add to blends?

A

Floral notes

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26
Q

What are the five different styles of wines from Tokaj?

A
  • Aszú
  • Eszencia
  • Late Harvest
  • Szamorodni
  • Dry wines
27
Q

Aszú
What does Aszú stand for?

A

Hungarian for “grapes that have been infected with botrytis and have shrivelled on the vine”

28
Q

Aszú
What is special about the juice in the grapes?

A
  • So concentrated that it cannot be effectively extracted by normal pressing
  • Hence, it is macerated in must, fermenting must or base wine to draw out sugars and flavours
29
Q

Aszú
What is the style of classic Aszú? (color, acidity, alc, aromas, price)

A
  • Deep amber
  • High acidity
  • Low to medium alcohol
  • Intense aromas of orange peel, apricots, and honey
  • Best examples with super-premium prices
30
Q

Aszú
What is special about the harvest?

A

Grapes are picked individually in several passes

31
Q

Aszú
Describe the winemaking process

A
  • Aszú grapes are mashed into a paste or uncrushed grapes are used
  • Paste or grapes are macerated 12-60 hours at 12-15°C (up to 16-20°C with strongly fermenting must)
  • Juice is drained and Aszú paste of berries are pressed
  • Must is then further fermented to gain desired balance of sugar and alcohol
32
Q

Aszú
What are the three potential maceration methods?

A
  • Maceration in must - lightest styles
  • Maceration in young, finished wine - fuller style
  • Maceration in fermenting must - strongest extraction and most complex wines, but berries need to be ripe
33
Q

Aszú
What is regulated by law and where do producers have freedom?

A
  • Law: If base wine is used, min alc of 12.08% abv
  • Free: Grape varieties (Furmint and Hárslevelű most common) and how botrytised the grapes are
34
Q

Aszú
Is ambient or cultured yeast used?

A
  • Mostly cultured to ferment reliably
  • Some use ambient yeast
35
Q

Aszú
What vessels are used for fermentation?

A
  • Stainless steel
  • Barrels
36
Q

Aszú
Why do many producers stop fermentation at a certain point?

A
  • Avoid the risk of refermentation
  • Control house styles
37
Q

Aszú
Where and for how long is Aszú stored?

A

Min 18 months in oak

38
Q

Aszú
In what type of oak is the wine matured?

A
  • Hungarian oak is widely used (fermentation and ageing)
  • Traditionally: small 136-litre barrels (known as gönci)
  • Today: Mostly larger barrels (300 to 500L)
  • A mixture of new and older oak
39
Q

Aszú
What are the requirements regarding bottling?

A

Must be bottled in a traditional, clear-glass, 500 mL Tokaji bottle

40
Q

Aszú
What scale was used until 2013 to classify the sweetness of the wine?

A

Puttonyos

41
Q

Aszú
How did the puttonyos scale work?

A
  • Traditionally: Counted the number of pickers’ buckets or hods (puttony) of Aszú berries added to a traditional gönci barrel of must
  • More recently: Measured by min residual sugar levels from three to six puttonyos
42
Q

Aszú
What is todays regulation for labelling the wines according to their sweetness?

A
  • Min 120g/L (the previous minimum for five puttonyos): can be labelled ‘five puttonyos’, but not mandatory (e.g., ‘three puttonyos’ also possible as label)
  • Min 150g/L: can be labelled ‘six puttonyos’
  • Wines with lower levels: Late Harvest or Tokaji Édes Szamorodni (depending on how they are made)
43
Q

Eszencia
What is it?

A
  • Made from syrupy free-run juice that trickles from Aszú berries
  • Extremely rare and extremely expensive
44
Q

Eszencia
What is special about the fermentation?

A
  • Can take years to ferment
  • Reaches only very low levels of alcohol (usually less than 5% abv)
45
Q

Eszencia
What is the typical style of this wine? (sweetness, body, intensity, acidity, ageing)

A
  • Min 450 g/L
  • Full body
  • Pronounced, highly concentrated flavours
  • High acidity
  • Very long ageing potential
46
Q

Late Harvest
What types of grapes are used?

A

Some proportion of botrytized grapes

47
Q

Late Harvest
What is the min residual sugar level? What is the usual level?

A
  • Min 45 g/L
  • Usually 90-110 g/L
48
Q

Late Harvest
What is the advantage of these wines compared to Aszú?

A

Late Harvest is ready for release much earlier (after 12-16 months) than Aszú

49
Q

Szamorodni
What is it?

A

It is a traditional style made from whole bunches with varying amounts of healthy and botrytized grapes

50
Q

Szamorodni
What are the two types of this wine?

A
  • Sweet (édes)
  • Dry (száraz)
51
Q

Szamorodni
What are the requirements regarding residual sugar of the sweet style?

A
  • Min 45 g/L
  • Usually 90-110 g/L
52
Q

Szamorodni
What are the advantages compared to Aszú and Late Harvest?

A
  • Requires only 6 months in oak (considerably shorter than for Aszú)
  • More authentic Tokaji wine than the more recent Late Harvest style
  • Bottled in the same traditional, clear, 500 mL Tokaji bottle as Aszú
  • Best édes wines can be of equivalent quality to Aszú, though in a fresher style
53
Q

Szamorodni
How is the dry style made?

A
  • Aged under a thin film of flor yeast for up to 10 years without topping up
  • Develops nutty and green apple aromas
54
Q

Dry wines
Comment on the history and current trend for dry wines from Tokaj

A
  • History: dry wines as by-product in case botrytis did not develop
  • Current trend: high-quality examples and production tripled in last 5 years
55
Q

Dry wines
What are producers doing in the vineyard to produce high-quality dry wines?

A
  • Plant new vineyards on higher and windier sites above the fog zone
  • Use more open canopies and appropriate vine treatments to prevent rot
56
Q

Dry wines
What varieties are used and which dominates?

A
  • Furmint (dominates)
  • Hárslevelű
  • Muscat
57
Q

Dry wines
What winemaking techniques are used to produce lighter-bodied wines that show varietal character?

A
  • Less ripe berries
  • Stainless steel
  • Less interventionist approach
58
Q

What appellation system does Tokaj follow?

A
  • PDO/PGI system
  • PDO further broken down in village and estate wines
59
Q

What is PGI in Tokaj used for?

A
  • Wines made from other grapes (in particular international varieties)
  • Inexpensive wines produced at higher yields
60
Q

How many hectars under vine are in the Tokaj PDO?

A

Roughly 5,700ha

61
Q

What businesses are engaged in production?

A
  • Mainly small growers (1-2 ha) that sell grapes to larger producers
  • State-owned Grand Tokaj sources from 2,000 growers and produces 35% of the region’s wine
62
Q

How much is exported and what are the main export markets?

A
  • 40%
  • China, France, UK, USA
63
Q

How much wine (in hL) is produced on avg. and what percent of that is Aszú and dry wines?

A
  • 170,000 hL
  • 10% Aszú
  • 21% Dry wines
64
Q

What type of wine is most production?

A
  • Inexpensive, non-botrytised wine (often semi-sweet)
  • Home market and Eastern Europe

WSET Level 4 - D3 (56 decks)

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