Tokaji Aszú These are the wines that have made Tokaj famous since the 16th century. The region provides ideal conditions for the development of the fungus called botrytis cinerea (also called noble rot, or pourriture noble), which pertorates the skin of the grapes and thus allows the autumn sunshine to concentrate sugar and aroma in the grapes to extreme levels unknown in any other wine region in the world. The raisin-like, botrytised grapes (aszú berries) are picked one by one, traditionally in 25 kg hods (puttony). The aszú grapes (usually 3 to 6 hods) are added to a base wine usually still in fermentation, the traditional measuring unit of which is the Gönc cask (136 l). The number of hods of aszú grapes added to 136 litres of base wine determines the concentration of the aszú wine (3 to 6 Puttonyos, or Aszú Eszencia if even more concentrated). Aszú wines are aged in oak barrels in the traditional Tokaj cellars keeping constant temperature (10-12 oC) and humidity (over 90%).
Tokaji Szamorodni This word of Polish origin means: as it grew. This wine is made from partly botrytised bunches without selection of the botrytised (aszú) berries. Both its dry and sweet versions are excellent aperitifs
Tokaji Fordítás this noble wine of Tokaj is made by leaving Aszú grapes on the skins to absorb sugar and aromatic substances.
Tokaji Eszencia An absolute rarity. This mythic nectar is gained by racking off the must pressed by the weight of the aszú grapes waiting to be added to the base wine. The concentration of the Eszencia is such that it takes years until it reaches a few per cent of alcohol.
Dry varietal Tokaji Furmint and Tokaji Hárslevelű are full-bodied white wines that are a perfect accompaniment not only to fish and seafood but also to white meat. Tokaj Muscat Lunel unites the typical muscat aromas with elegant acidity.
Late Harvest These wines are made from the over-ripened (sometimes partly botrytised) grapes of the traditional Tokaj varieties.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Tokaj
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Tokaj - updated May 2024
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Tokaj Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
