Tokaji Condensed

Question 1

What is the climate of Tokaj?

Answer 1

warm continental climate with long, humid autumns

Warm summers and cold winters

Question 2

From driest to sweetest list the 3 types of sweet wine produced in Tokaj:

Answer 2

Late Harvest

Tokaji Aszu

Tokaji Eszencia

Question 3

In 2013 the laws governing Tokaji Aszu / Eszencia were changed.

What are the current aging / residual sugar laws?

Answer 3

“Aszú”: ages for three years prior to release (with a minimum 18 months in barrel) and must contain at least 120 g/l of residual sugar and achieve an actual alcohol content of at least 9%.

Eszencia: min. alc 1.2 - 8%, at least 450 grams per liter of residual sugar.

Question 4

What does the term ‘Szamorodni’ mean?

How are dry and sweet styles labeled?

Answer 4

‘As it comes’ meaning bunches of grapes that are partially affected with Noble Rot

Dry: Száraz

Sweet: édes

Question 5

How is Tokaji Eszencia made?

Answer 5

Only free run juice of Botrytis grapes.

Incredibly sweet, yeast has trouble fermenting so fermentation goes on for a number of years. Final wine about 5% abv, minimum residual sugar is 450g/l, balanced by high acidity.

Able to mature for a century or more.

Question 6

How is Tokaji Aszu made?

Answer 6

A base wine is made from healthy grapes then, before, during or after fermentation Aszu grapes are macerated in the base wine for 12 to 60 hours. Wine is pressed then stored in oak.

Question 7

What’s the name of the unit (formerly) used to express sweetness of Aszu wine?

Answer 7

Puttony (plural puttonyos)

Question 8

What is Tokaji Szamorodni?

Answer 8

A wine made from Szamorodni (as it comes) grapes, normally less than 50% Aszu berries, that can be dry or sweet depending on the amount of Noble Rot present.

Edes (sweet) wines aged for min 6 months, min 45 g/l RS, most bottled around 90-110 g/l RS, botted in 500ml Tokaji clear bottle.

Szaraz (dry) wines aged in barrel under thin flor, in not completely full barrels, can be aged up to 10years, notes of green apple with nutty characters

Question 9

What are the names of the 2 principle and 4 accessory grapes and used to make Tokaji and what do they contribute to the final wine?

Answer 9

Furmint - Concentrated, high acid, wines. Apples when young, nuts & honey with age.

Harsevelu - adds perfume

Sarga Muskotaly (Muscat) - aromatic

Zéta (Oremus), Kabar and Kövérszőlő

Question 10

What size of bottle are the sweet wines of Tokaj bottles in?

Answer 10

500ml

Question 11

What are the characteristics of a classic Tokaji?

Answer 11

Deep amber.

High acidity and intense aromas.

Flavors of orange peel, apricots and honey.

Question 12

What are the 2 rivers that help generate the morning humidity necessary for the development of noble rot?

Answer 12

Bodrog

Tisza

Question 13

What is the primary soil type of Tokaj?

Answer 13

Volcanic soils - called Nyirok, makes the most powerful wines

Question 14

What is the minimum ageing regiment for Tokaji Aszú?

Answer 14

They must be aged in barrel for at least 18 months.

Question 15

What is the term for the expansive flatlands cradled between the Alps and the Carpathian Mountains?

Answer 15

Pannonian Plain

Question 16

Climatic risks for growing in Tokaj?

Answer 16

Major climatic hazards are:

Spring frost risk – therefore vineyards planted on slopes to help drain the cool air away from the vineyards

Lack of sunlight to ripen the fruit, hence vineyards are south, south west and south east facing to capture the maximum sunlight

Question 17

key statistics about Tokaj’s location and climate

Answer 17

The key statistics

48-49°N: Northerly latitude (on par with Burgundy) + climate

1400-1500 hours of growing season

Rain: 500-600 mm; 50% falls during growing season

Question 18

The conditions that cause Tokaj to be capable of producing the shrivelled grapes necessary for Tokaji?

Answer 18

Conditions for shriveling of grapes

Autumns: warm & dry; ideal for shriveling grapes

2 rivers: R Tisza & R Bodrog; meet in town of Tokaj;

Bodrog floods regularly, creating shallow marshes & water meadows

Moist air results in frequent fogs; ideal for development of Botrytis

Autumn sunny afternoons control development of Botrytis & limit Grey rot

Question 19

Key soil types in Tokaj

Answer 19

Nyirok

Most significant,

Volcanic soils producing most powerful wines;

Loess

Sandy silt with high clay content, around Tokaj hill (west of town)

producing lighter, delicate wines

Question 20

Furmint? how many plantings as a percentage, how does it grow, it grape charactertistics and its use in Aszu and dry wines

Answer 20

Furmint:

69% of all plantings

Versatile grape: High quality Dry to Sweet

Late Ripening; needs long growing season to ripen

High Acidity - even when fully ripe

Thick skinned but susceptible to Botrytis, vital component in Aszu

As they ripen, naturally accumulate high levels of Sugar, concentrated further by action of Botrytis, shriveling & late harvesting; high acidity giving balance

Dry Wines:

Increasingly common as singular varietal wines

range of styles; from early drinking to age worthy, often matured in Oak

due to high sugar levels produced can be full bodied with high Alcohol

modern viticultural techniques allow ripeness of flavours & medium alcohol levels

Characteristics

Lemon; Apple, Pear in all styles; Develop Honey & Nutty notes with age;

if Botrytis affected then notes include Apricot & Mango

Question 21

What is the modern trellis system adopted in Tokaj and at what density are the plantings?

Answer 21

Modern:

grown on trellis;

replacement cane pruning or cordon training on VSP

Lower densities :4000-5000 ha

Modern training systems allowing mechanisation

Question 22

Harslevelu is the 2nd most important grape varietal in Tokaj - give some details

Answer 22

Harslevelu: (linden leaf)

18% of plantings

Late Ripening; Prone to Botrytis

Partner to Furmint

Fruitier wines than Furmint

Distinctive - White Peach and Orange blossom aromas

Used as a supporting role in blends, adding perfume

Sometimes a varietal in dry & Sweet versions

Question 23

Yields in the vineyard for Aszu wines?

Answer 23

Aszu Wines:

as they have to be shriveled on the vine;

yields are low-2/3 hl/ha

Question 24

Aszu - what does it mean?

Answer 24

Hungarian word for grapes infected with Botrytis and shrivelled on vine

Question 25

conditions for Aszu to occur?

Answer 25

For Aszu to occur you need:

In the Autumn – foggy mornings with breezy sunny afternoons to shrivel the grapes and to prevent grey rot forming

Warm humid autumns encourage botrytis

Question 26

Maceration of Aszu grapes - describe in detail

Answer 26

Maceration

Aszu grapes macerated for 12-60 hrs:

if uncrushed bunches used, punched down regularly

12-15 °C (may rise to 16-20 °C with strongly fermenting must)

THREE different maceration mediums:

Maceration in own must – i.e. no additions – gives lightest style

Maceration in young finished wine

Medium extraction method and resulting style

Base wine used: min 12.08% ABV; (in practice 14.5 -15.5% ABV)

Choice of grapes used in base wine up to winemakers – normally Furmint or Harslevelu

Some prefer rich botrytised base wine to give addn complexity

Others prefer character of Aszu grapes to come through with minimal botrytis in base wine

Maceration in fermenting must

Gives strongest extraction and most complex wines

Must have clean ripe berries or unpleasant characters can result

Early addition to an active ferment results in the strongest extraction

But some producers prefer later addition to a ferment to get a lighter style

Question 27

Maturation and bottling of Aszu wine?

Answer 27

Maturation

Minimum of 18 mths in Oak

Hungarian Oak from Zemplen mountains

Traditionally matured in 136 litre Barrels (gonci)

Most producers switching to 300-500 litre barrels

Mix of old & new Oak used

Must be bottled in clear glass, 500ml Tokaji bottle

Question 28

Classification of Aszu wines by sugar levels?

Answer 28

Classification of Aszu wines by sugar levels

Traditionally Aszu classified in level of Sweetness; using Puttonyos scale until 2013

Puttonyos

This measures number of pickers buckets or hods (puttony) of Asuzu berries to a traditional gonci barrel of must

1 puttonyos = number of 20-kilo baskets of noble rot grapes added to 137 litres of base wine for production

2013, Tokaj PDO regulations changed

Now measured by minimum residual sugar level

Min level was increased to 120g/l RS: equivalent to 5 puttonyos

Wines with lower levels of sugar now labelled as Late harvest or Tokaji Edes Szamorodni

Aszu can be labelled:

5 Puttonyos or 6 Puttonyos, if above 150g/l RS

Or three puttonyos or four puttonyos above 120 g/l RS

Question 29

Szamorodni? name the two styles produced

Answer 29

Two styles produced:

Sweet (edes)

Sweeter more common; min 45 g/l, most at 90-110 g/l RS

only be aged in oak for min 6 mths

bottled in traditional 500ml Tokaji bottle

best Edes are fresher quality equivalent of Aszu

Producers see this as a more authentic Tokaji than late harvest

Dry (szaraz)

Szamorodni is aged under a thin flor (thinner than sherry) for up to 10 yrs without topping up

Protected from excessive oxidation, develops nutty ,green apple aromas

Question 30

Wine production by style from Tokaji PDO

Answer 30

Wine production by style

Aszu 10%

Dry wines 21%

Rest is mainly inexpensive non-botrytised semi-sweet wines for home market and Eastern Europe

Question 31

Exports of Tokaji PDO wines?

Answer 31

Exports:

Mainly Eastern Europe;

With small amounts to China, France, UK, USA

40% of Production is exported