Tokaj

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The topography of the wine region is characterised by a climatically sheltered position along the southern and south-eastern edge of the Zemplén Mountains, with vineyard sites lying between 100 and 300 metres above sea level.
• The growing areas and vineyard sites are substantially composed of rock and soil of volcanic origin, derived from the volcanic bedrock of the Zemplén Mountains and the diverse overlying tuffs.
• In places, as many as three different types of tuff detritus can be found within a hundred metres, and the depth of the soil layer also influences the growing conditions of the vine.
• Approximately 5% of the region, notably in the areas around Tarcal and Tokaj, is covered by loess, which warms up more quickly, causing the growing season to start earlier in these parts.
• The wine region has a continental climate; in the more loess-rich areas, such as on Kopasz-hegy, wines of a softer character are produced owing to lower acidity. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• The regulation of Tokaj took place in 1737, when the boundaries of the wine region were drawn and the basis for designation of origin was defined for the first time in the world.
• In 1631, Szepsi Laczkó Máté, a Reformed minister, produced the first Aszú wine from the grapes of the Oremus vineyard site in Sátoraljaújhely for Princess Lórántffy Zsuzsanna.

• The colour of Tokaji wines ranges from greenish-yellow to deep amber-yellow, deepening according to the degree of maturity and the extent of botrytis infection.
• In the bouquet of the specialty wines, alongside the primary aromas of the traditional grape varieties, pronounced botrytis-derived notes of dried fruit and honey are clearly present.
• The wines are marked by a high acidity, which, in the form of a firm acid backbone, is a defining element of the flavour structure, so that even alongside high residual sugar the sweet wines display an excellent balance of acidity, sugar, and alcohol.

• The noble-rotted berry loses a significant portion of its water content under the influence of Botrytis cinerea and reaches a high sugar concentration of 55–65%, while the noble mould brings about a natural reduction of acidity and imparts honeyed and dried-fruit aromatic notes to the wine.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Hungary

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