Tokaj

Question 1

What is the climate of Tokaj?

Answer 1

Moderate Continental

Question 2

Tokaj is located in the ___ of the ___ in the far ___ of Hungary.
The best vineyards are located on ___ with ___.

Answer 2

Northeast Hungary
foothills
Carpathian Mountains
north east

hillside slopes
southerly aspects

Question 3

Tokaj is situated at the confluence of which 2 rivers?

What influence do they have on grapes?

Answer 3

Tisza and Bodrog Rivers

They help generate the early morning humidity necessary for the development of noble rot.

Question 4

What is the main grape used in Tokaji?
4,7,8

Answer 4

Furmint

4 High acidity
7 Apple when they are young,
8 Develops honey and nuts as they age

Question 5

What is the secondary grape used in Tokaji?

Answer 5

Hárslevelű

Hárslevelű is late ripning and contributes perfume to a blend.

Question 6

What is the third grape used in Tokaji?

Answer 6

Sárga Muskotály, aka Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains

Sárga Muskotály is also aromatic.

Question 7

What does Aszú mean?

Answer 7

Aszú indicates the grapes were affected by Botrytis/Noble Rot.

Question 8

What is a trend, or style of wine, coming out of Tokaj these days that doesn’t involve sweet wines?

Answer 8

Dry white wines made primarily from Furmint.

Question 9

What is the bottle size for sweet wines in Hungary?

Answer 9

50cl, or 500ml

Question 10

What is the bottle size for dry wines in Hungary?

Answer 10

75cl

Question 11

What is Tokaji Szamorodni?

Answer 11

Szamorodni translates to “as it comes,” so Tokaji Szamorodni means “Tokaji as it comes.”

This means that there was no selection between normal ripe, non-Botrytis grapes and aszú grapes - all grapes were harvested together, pressed together, and vinified together. Even a smidge of Botrytis will display the notes of noble rot in even a dry wine.

Because there was no selection the wine may come out dry or semi-sweet, depending on how much Botrytis was present at time of harvest.

Question 12

What does száraz mean on a bottle of Tokaji Szamorodni?

Answer 12

Dry

Question 13

What does édes mean on a bottle of Tokaji Szamorodni?

Answer 13

Sweet

Question 14

Tokaji Szamorodni must be aged in cask for ___ and only be released from the winery from ___.

Answer 14

a minimum of six months
the January in the second year after harvest.

Question 15

Sometimes a Hungarian winemaker will not fill up their Szamorodni barrels all the way.

What happens to the wine if it isn’t topped up?

Answer 15

The wine may develop flor-like yeast which will lead to flavor characteristics in the wine similar to a Fino Sherry.
This yeast done not have a role to play in the sweet styles.

Question 16

How is Tokaji Aszú made?

Answer 16

Botrytis-affected (aszú) berries macerate with non-botrytis affected must (a standard base wine) for 12 to up to 60 hours. The aszú infuses the must or wine with botrytis characteristics.

The must or wine is pressed and afterward it is matured in oak.

How many aszú berries were used will determine the final sweetness of the wine.

Question 17

Traditionally the botrytised berries were made into a paste, but using uncrushed aszu berries avoids ___.

Answer 17

extraction of bitter flavours

Question 18

Classic Tokaji Aszu
1,4,7

The wine become more ___ as they rise up the ___ scale.

Answer 18

1 Deep amber
4 High acidity
7 Intense orange peel, apricots and honey.

concentrated and intense
sweetness

Question 19

What is Eszencia?​

Answer 19

Made only in the best vintages, Eszencia is made with the free-run juice (nectar, really) that seeps out from botrytis-affected grapes (aszú) after they’ve been hand harvested, berry by berry, and placed in a vessel.

The free-run nectar is fermented on its own and it takes years, sometimes up to a decade, and even after the time, the wines can remain low alcohol (usually less than 5% abv).

Question 20

What is the minimum level of residual sugar for Eszencia?

This is balanced by ___.

Answer 20

450g/L
very high acidity

Question 21

What’s the difference between a Late Harvest wine and Tokaji Aszú?

Answer 21

Tokaji Aszú uses a maceration process of aszú grapes with base wine.

Late Harvest wines are made with grapes that were harvested late and which may or may not be affected by botrytis. If any grapes are aszú, they go right into the fermentation vessel along with the late harvest grapes.

Late Harvest wines are usually matuared a shorter time than Tokaji Aszú.