Tokaj

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• Volcanic bedrock (andezit, riolit, and tufas) and nyirok soils define the majority of the vineyard sites; within a hundred metres, as many as three distinct tufa types may occur side by side.
• The microclimate shaped by the Bodrog and Tisza rivers regularly delivers a misty autumn period followed by a dry phase – conditions indispensable for the nemes rothadás of Botrytis cinerea.
• Kontinentális klíma, with a mean annual temperature of 10.8 °C, 2,009 sunshine hours per year, 525 mm of rainfall, and an active heat summation of 1,600–1,800 °C. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
• The dűlők situated along the southern and south-eastern fringe of the Zemplén hills, at 100–300 m above sea level, occupy climatically sheltered positions.
• The roughly 5% of the area covered by lösz (notably around Tarcal and Tokaj) warms up more rapidly; the tufa-based dűlők are richer in potassium, magnesium, and trace elements. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• 1737: the world's first appellation regulation was established in Tokaj, delineating the borvidék and laying the foundation for protected designation of origin.
• 1631: Szepsi Laczkó Máté produces the first Aszú wine from the fruit of the Oremus dűlő for Lórántffy Zsuzsanna.

• Colour: ranges from greenish yellow to deep amber, deepening with maturity and Botrytis cinerea content.
• Sweet specialities: an unctuous texture with complex botrytisz-derived character; a firm acid backbone maintains balance even at 100–250 g/l of residual sugar.

• Vulkáni talaj slows ripening and preserves acidity: the varieties retain their delicate acid structure alongside full, ripe fruit character.

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.

Sources

• National product specification (PDF) — tokaji-borvidek-hegykozsegi-tanacs
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-HU-A1254
• Official trade body site — Tokaji Borvidék Hegyközségi Tanácsa