Tokay
In 2017 we visited beautiful Hungary and its wine regions.
Where a cold mountain river meets the warm river from the south, Tokay's vineyards rise on a former volcanic hill.
The special feature of the region lies in its climate and its soils - in short, in its terroir.
Cool winds from the Bück Mountains meet the warm winds from the Puszta here.
Together with the different temperatures of the rivers, they create a unique climate that promotes the rise of mists in autumn and thus the development of the noble rot required for the production of sweet wines.
The production of noble sweet wines began in Tokaj 100 years before the Rheingau in Germany and 200 years before Sauternes in France.
There are many stories about the famous area in which the first dessert wine was methodically created by the chaplain Szepsy in the Oremus vineyard in 1650. Around 1700 it was the first in the world to receive its classifications as first, second, third and reclassified vineyards.
Tsar Peter and Catherine the Great maintained a Cossack detachment specifically to escort the precious supplies.
The great patriot Prince Rákóczi from Transylvania enlisted the support of Tokay from Louis XIV against the Habsburgs.
The potentates valued the wine for its miraculous strengthening powers.
The secret of the golden drop lies not only in the climatic conditions and soil conditions, but also in its production and storage.
Three grape varieties determine the balance of the wine. The acidic Furmint, which is particularly susceptible to noble rot. The Harslevelü, which is rich in sweetness and aroma but not so delicate, and the Muscat a Petits Grain or Muscat, which is added as a seasoning.
The speciality of the wine lies in the harvest and fermentation. The shrunken, noble-rotten berries are gradually picked and stored in small batches. The juice that comes out is collected drop by drop and kept as a special treasure.
The last berries are often not picked until November and are used to ferment a strong base wine.
The small barrels with the azuberries now go into this base wine. Depending on how sweet the wine should be, three, four, five or six barrels are added. They will be noted later on the label. Fermentation is slow and long.
They are stored in deep cellars whose walls are covered with a thick layer of mold.
The barrels are stored for two to five years, and the special room climate in these cellars gives them a special flavour.
This wine can be stored and aged for many years. Unfortunately, only the tsars could now report what 200-year-old Tokay tastes like.
However, the area not only produces dessert wines, but also excellent white wines. Istvan Szepsy is probably one of the best winemakers, but Oremus and many smaller winemakers don't have to hide either.
My tasting notes for the 1993 Azu Essencia from Royal Tokay:
To me, this wine tastes like a winter evening in front of the fireplace. The colour is dark amber orange and the aromas are incredibly dense and intense. This old Azu Essencia is opulent but its density and ripe acidity enlivens the wine and gives it a surprising freshness and balance. Almost Armagnac-like, notes of baked apricots, tangerine and crème brûlée unfold in the mouth. After a while, roasted spices and notes of tobacco appear that linger on the palate for a long time.
Even at thirty, it is still young and dynamic and, despite concentration, has density and depth, elegance and finesse.
This is a wine that is a lot of fun to drink even without accompanying food. However, it would also go perfectly with an orange and almond cake, a pigeon terrine with apricots or a foie gras crème brûlée with tangerine compote.
Definitely one of my highlights that I was able to try.
