Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Louis XIV famously called Tokaj 'the wine of kings and the king of wines', while Voltaire
wrote that 'this wine could be only given by the boundlessly good God'!
Tokaj
The volcanic soil, sunny climate and protective mountain barrier of the Tokaj-Hegyalja
(Tokaj Uplands) region in northern Hungary make it ideal for growing grapes and making
wine. Tokaj wines were exported to Poland and Russia in the Middle Ages and reached the
peak of their popularity in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Tokaj dessert wines are rated according to the number - from three to six - of
puttony
(butts, or baskets for picking) of sweet Aszú grapes added to the base wines. These are
grapes infected with 'noble rot', the
Botrytis cinera
mould that almost turns them into raisins
on the vine.
For Tokaji Aszú, one name to look out for is István Szepsy; he concentrates on both the
upscale six-
puttony
type and the Esszencia - so sweet and low in alcohol it's hardly even
wine. His Szepsy Cuvée, aged in stainless-steel barrels for a year or two (against the usual
five for Tokaji Aszú), is a complex, elegant blend comparable to Sauternes. Other names to
watch out for are Zoltán Demeter, István Hétszőlő, Gróf Degenfeld and Pendits.
Tokaj also produces less sweet wines, including dry Szamorodni (an excellent aperitif)
and sweet Szamorodni, which is not unlike an Italian
vin santo;
for the latter try Disznókő's
version. Of the four grape varieties grown here, Furmint (try the Oremus and Béres variet-
ies) and Hárslevelű (Linden Leaf) are the driest.
