Tokaji Aszú
Tokaj-Hegyalja district of Northeastern Hungary.
Overview
Tokaji Aszú is a sweet, topaz-colored wine from Hungary.
The wine derives its name from the Tokaj-Hegyalja district of Northeastern Hungary. The region lies on the edge of the great Hungarian plain, dominated by the extinct Tokaj volcano and the Zemplen Hills.
Tokaji Aszú is made from late-ripened grapes affected by Botrytis cinerea, a mold that concentrates grape sugars and flavors into honey-like sweetness.
The Tokaj-Hegyalja district was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 2002 on account for its viticultural traditions and landscape. It covers a total of 28 towns and villages.
Tokaji Aszú is also proudly cited in the Hungarian national anthem.
Tokaji Aszú from Crown Estates 1988.
History
Crowned as the “king of wines and wine of kings” by Louis XIV, Tokaji Aszú has a long and distinguished history.
It is believed the first aszú was made by Laczkó Máté Szepsi in 1630. It then quickly became a favorite among the royal households of Europe.
Tokaji wine became the subject of the world’s first appellation control, established several decades before Port wine, and over 120 years before the classification of Bordeaux. Vineyard classification began in 1730 with vineyards being classified into 3 categories depending on the soil, sun exposure and potential to develop noble rot, botritys cinerea, first class, second class and third class wines. A royal decree in 1757 established a closed production district in Tokaj. The classification system was completed by the national censuses of 1765 and 1772.
After World War II, Hungary became a Soviet-influenced state with a Communist central-planning system. Tokaji production continued with a limited number of producers, but the bottling and distribution were monopolized by a state-owned organization. As a result, the quality of the wine plummeted and most of the bottles became inaccessible to the world.
Since the collapse of the communist regime in the early 1990’s, Hungary’s vineyards have regained their status with foreign investment.
Tokaji Aszú is now recognized as a highly esteemed wine and has won numerous international awards over the years.
Grape Varieties
There are six grapes varieties that produce Tokaji wine.
• Furmint
• Hárslevelü
• Sárga Muskotály or Yellow Muscat
• Kövérszolo
• Kabar
• Zéta
Taste Profile
In Hungary, “Aszú” wines are traditionally drunk at the end of the evening or as an aperitif. However, they also make a fine accompaniment to white meat in sauce, game, blue cheeses, and desserts. It should be noted that a bottle, once opened, can be kept for several weeks in the refrigerator. The wine should ideally be served between 10 and 12°C.
Wine producers
Below are a few listings of wine producers for Tokaji Aszú.
Crown Estates of Hungary
http://www.crownestates-tokaji.com
Disznóko Vineyards and Winery Inc.
http://www.disznoko.hu
Patricius Tokaj
http://www.patricius.hu
Royal Tokaji Wine Company
http://www.royal-tokaji.com
Tokaj Hetzsolo
http://www.tokaj.com
Tokaj Kereskedoház
http://tkrt.hu/eng
Related posts:
- Tokaji Wine Festival 2009
- Celebrating 20 years of The Royal Tokaji Wine Company
- Tokaji: Hungary’s Golden Wine
- Hungary and Slovakia battle over Tokaji Wine
- Wine Spotlight: 2009 Hétszölö Tokaji Furmint
Category: Wine
Nagyon szeretem a Tokaj! ^___^
I just tried this one, personally it has to be cold, but it’s a wonderful dessert polish wine.
Nalewka Babuni Cherry
http://www.wineandleisure.com/poland/babuni.html
It’s also available in Peach, and both decently priced at around $13
“The wine derives its name from the Tokaj-Hegyalja district” – in fact, the wine derives its name from the town of Tokaj. The wine region of Tokaj-Hegyalja was only created in the 20th century.
“It is believed the first aszú was made by Laczkó Máté Szepsi in 1630.” Some people still believe this, but it is incorrect. The first written reference to an aszú wine from Tokaj dates to the 1550s. However, aszú wines were already being made in Syrmia (in present-day Croatia) before 1532.
Thanks for your feedback. I was referring to the region in present day. As mentioned it is believed the first aszú was made by Laczkó Máté Szepsi in 1630. There are many debates about its origin and history. Perhaps with more extensive research done on this subject, we will have more information in the future.
I think the only people who believe that Szepsi made the first aszú are those who have heard just the legend and know little or nothing about its history. As I already mentioned, there is authentic documentary evidence for the earlier creation of aszú wines in Tokaj. For example, a property deed dated 1571 mentions Aszú grape wine. In the words of László Alkonyi, “the document proves that, as early as in 1571, Aszú wine was an established notion-and product-which needed no definition or explanation even in a written agreement.”
I am giving a bottle Tokaji aszu vine to my neigbour and I was looking for web page with a sommery to print and attach. No such of luck with this website.
Cheers; Miki
Hi Miki,
You can view more information about Tokaji wine from the following links below. You can also click on the share button to print any of these articles(PrintFriendly). Hope this helps.
http://thehungariangirl.com/2010/02/03/tokaji-%e2%80%93-hungary%e2%80%99s-golden-wine/
http://thehungariangirl.com/2010/07/13/celebrating-20-years-of-the-royal-tokaji-wine-company/
http://thehungariangirl.com/2010/11/02/wine-spotlight-2009-hetszolo-tokaji-furmint/