Vinohradnícka oblasť Tokaj

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The relief of the Zemplínske vrchy hills is gently to moderately dissected and has a hilly character, with vineyards planted at elevations of 105–320 m above sea level.
• The character of the region is defined by the volcanic composition of the soils, which include andesites, rhyolites and their tuffs, forming the basis of heavy clay and clay-loam soils rich in mineral elements.
• Only south-, south-east- and south-west-facing slopes are included in the Vinohradnícka oblasť Tokaj appellation, ensuring that the vine stocks are exposed to warm autumn sunshine throughout the day.
• The Tokaj region belongs climatically to 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.
• The region is sheltered from the north by the Zemplínske vrchy hills and, thanks to southerly autumn winds, remains dry from the south, creating conditions favourable to the development of the noble mould Botrytis cinerea and the formation of botrytised berries (cibéby).
• The Vinohradnícka oblasť Tokaj lies within the catchment of the Bodrog river and is bounded to the north by the Zemplínske vrchy hills and the Rozhľadňa peak at 469 m. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• In favourable vintages, bunches of the Tokaj varieties Furmint, Lipovina and Muškát žltý affected by the noble mould Botrytis cinerea shrivel into botrytised berries (cibéby), which are used in winemaking.
• The production of the highest-quality wines is linked to a specialised technique of adding a precise proportion of botrytised berries (cibéby) to a defined volume of wine and ageing that wine in oak casks in tuff cellars for several years.
• During the Turkish wars and 170 years of Ottoman rule, underground shelters were hewn into the tuff, maintaining a constant temperature year-round; these later came to serve as storage cellars for Tokaj wine.
• The first tokajský výber was produced in 1650, and Tokaj reached its greatest prominence in the 17th and 18th centuries when Francis II Rákóczi brought it to the French royal court of Louis XIV, where it earned the title 'Wine of kings — king of wines'.
• The exceptional status of Tokajské víno was enshrined in law by Act No. 4 of the Slovak National Council of 6 March 1959 and by entry in the national register and the WIPO register in Geneva in 1967.

• The volcanic soil imparts greater minerality and greater body expressed as extract to the wines, with extract levels higher by 1–3 g/l across all wine categories compared with other Slovak wine regions.
• The mean acid content of the grapes at harvest is around 12–14 g/l, while in the finished wines it reaches 6–10 g/l.

• Autumn days almost regularly begin with morning mists, which promote the formation and development of the noble mould Botrytis cinerea on the grape berries, from which botrytised berries (cibéby) develop.
• The soil absorbs solar radiation during the long sunny autumn days and radiates it at night, thereby moderating the difference between day and night temperatures and favourably influencing the ripening of the vines.

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-A0120
• Official trade body site — Tokaj Wine Road Association