TOKAJSKÉ VÍNO zo slovenskej oblasti

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The soils of the demarcated area are of volcanic origin and contain andesites, rhyolites, and their tuffs, which form the basis of heavy clay and clay-loam soils rich in mineral elements.
• The vineyards are planted at altitudes of 105–320 m on south-, southeast-, and southwest-facing slopes of the gently to moderately dissected Zemplín Hills.
• The soils are markedly stony and of volcanic origin; on sunny autumn days they absorb solar radiation and re-radiate it at night, thereby moderating the difference between daytime and night-time temperatures — it is a characteristic feature of the area that even after a cold autumn night the soil remains warm by morning.
• The area falls climatically within the continental climatic zone, with a mean annual temperature of around 9.6 °C and a mean temperature during the growing season of around 16 °C.
• Mean sunshine duration during the growing season reaches 1,075 hours, soil temperature at a depth of 50 cm is 13.5 °C, and mean precipitation in the area amounts to 608 mm, with the highest totals occurring in June and July.
• The area is sheltered from the north by the Zemplín Hills and, owing to southerly autumn winds, is dry from the south, creating ideal conditions for the development of noble rot Botrytis cinerea and the formation of shrivelled berries (aszú berries).

• The earliest records of viticulture in this area date from the time of the Roman Empire in the 2nd century; Slavic settlers later established themselves here and gave the name 'Stokaj' to the village and hill at the confluence of the Bodrog and Tisza rivers.
• In the 13th century, King Béla IV. colonised this territory with settlers from the region of Bari in Italy, who brought with them the principal grape variety Furmint, and the first selection wine was produced in 1650.
• František Rákoczi II. brought this wine to the French royal court of Louis XIV., where it received the title 'VINUM REGUM – REX VINORUM' ('Wine of kings – king of wines').
• The wine was also favoured by Tsar Peter the Great and his successor Catherine, who attributed to it medicinal properties as a universal remedy for the treatment of many illnesses — 'Universalis vera medicina'.
• Cellars hewn into the tuff, whose existence from the 15th century onwards was shaped by human activity, maintain a constant temperature of around 8–12 °C regardless of the season, and their walls are densely covered with the cellar mould Cladosporium cellare.

• Shrivelled, Botrytis cinerea-affected berries (aszú berries) impart an inimitable bouquet and flavour to the wines, expressed as botrytic, honeyed, and fruited aromas such as linden blossom, acacia blossom, quince, and apricot.
• The volcanic soils lend the wines greater minerality and greater body expressed through extract; the extract of wines from this area is 1–3 g/l higher across all wine categories compared with other Slovak wine regions.

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

All appellations in Slovakia

Sources

• Specification (EUR-Lex, single document)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-SK-02856
• Official trade body site — Tokaj Wine Road Association