Hungary: Tokaj Wine Tasting
“Vinum Regum, Rex Vinorum” (“Wine of Kings, King of Wines”) – this is the world-famous Tokaj wine from the northern Hungary. There are several reasons for the uniqueness of Tokaj wines. First, the grape varieties are endemic to the area and have been cultivated since the 1500s. The prevalent variety is Ferment (60%) of vines, then Harslevelu (30%), with the remainder being Zeta (cross of Furmint & Bouvier), and Yellow Muscatel. Second, the soils here are very specific – it’s a layer of volcanic from an ancient volcano with another layer of limestone. Third, the climate – harsh winter and then hot and very humid summers cause grapes to overripe. And finally the “noble rot” or botritis which infects the ripe grapes. While any wine made in the region following some strict rules can be called Tokaj, the “imperial Tokaj” is quite different and is made from “aszú berries”. Some grapes are collected when regularly ripe (normal Tokaj), other are hanging till September (Late Harvest), some are left till November (Szamorodni Tokaj). The cream of the crop – called “aszú” grapes – are left on the vine until December or even January and get almost completely rotten and shrunk into raisins, with very high sugar concentration. The aszú grapes are handpicked and combined with regular wine to make various degrees of sweetness of Tokaj (gradations known from 3x to 6x puttoneys – ie buckets of aszú grapes per standard barrel of wine). While the aszú berries are standing for a couple days after picking, they release natural juice leaking out under natural weight pressure – this is the eszentsia aka “Imperial Tokay” – with very little alcohol in it but sugar content of 15-20 times the normal wine. The flavour and aroma are insanely concentrated as well. The eszentsia is prized on its own and can age very well for over 200 years (no other wine can). French kings raved about it in Versailles (it was Louis the XIV who coined the famous “king of wines” phrase), Russian Peter the Great and Elizabeth the Great were total addicts to it, Hapsburg royalty passed law decreeing all the wine belonging to them and prohibited for sale (hence “imperial” tokaj), Queen Victoria was getting a case for each birthday, Napoleon III ordered 40 barrels each year. Beethoven, Liszt, Schubert, Goethe, Schiller, Strauss, Voltaire – all drank this stuff to get inspired. To taste the best Tokaj, I headed to the Disznoko winery – one of the biggest and most famous in the Tokaj region. Descending into cellars, you pass rows and rows of bottles and jars filled with the priceless eszentsia. The tasting happens in the cellar as well and you get 5 varieties to try – from dry Furmint to semisweet Harslevelu to Late Harvest to Szamorodni to finally 6x Puttoney near-eszentsia. Wow, that was a long write up and all from memory…
