Hungary is one of Europe's oldest wine making countries that is just about to become a bona fide part of the European Union (at which time the names of its wines and vineyard regions will become protected). For many, though, the first thing that comes to mind when focusing on Hungary is that wine of the seventies and eighties - Bull's Blood. For others, Hungary is the home of one of the greatest sweet wines of the world, a wine that induced Louis XIV of France to utter the words "Winum regnum rex vinorum" (The wine of kings, the king of wines), a wine that has been gracing royal, papal and aristocratic tables since the 16th century - Tokaji Aszu.
Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos, The Crown Estates, Tolscsva
Tokaji Wine with its unique and much prized characteristics, can only be grown in the Tokaji-Hegyalja region (some 3 hours drive east from Hungary’s capital Budapest) located in the north-east, on the border with Slovakia and the Ukraine. This is the northern limit of viticultural production at 45-50 latitude.
At the end of October, when the raisin-like Aszú (Hungarian for 'dessicated') grapes are at their optimum, they are hand-picked grape by grape and placed in ‘puttony’ (the wooden tubs are traditionally carried on the back of the pickers). It will take an individual picker about two days to harvest the 20-25 kilos required to fill a single puttony.
In November and December, 3, 4 or 5 (occasionally 6) puttony of Aszú-paste is added to one Gönci cask (136 litres) of good quality new dry wine, mixed and soaked for 24-48 hours, in order to extract the natural sugar content and flavours. The wine is then drawn off to ferment for a second time. The fermentation takes time because of the high sugar content and the low temperature of the cellars.
Cellars (many of which date from the 13th Century) are crucial to the maturation of Aszú wine. Long aisles providing a constant temperature, ideal humidity and good draught free ventilation. Ranking among and within cellars is determined by many factors but it is the skill of cellar management, passed from generation to generation, which ensures that the wine is kept in optimum conditions for its maturation.
A lot of people ask for the correct spelling and pronunciation of Tokaj and some people use a y instead of j. Here is the definitive word on how and what to say. Tokaj - Hegyalja [tok-eye hedge-alya] is the wine region. Tokaj is pronounced "tok-eye" and is the main town of the region. When you say Tokaji [pronounced tok-eye-ee] actually means 'of Tokaj'. So you would not use it alone but with the grape variety or type of wine eg. Tokaji Furmint ,Tokaji Harslevelu or the botyrised wine which is known as Tokaji Aszu.
Talking of grapes, there are four permitted in the making of Tokaj - Furmint, Hárslevelü (original Hungarian varieties) Muscat Lunel and Oremus.
Described as 'The King of Wines and Wine of Kings', Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos is a rich, honeyed dessert wine balanced by a terrific and refreshing acidity. Fairly weighty in the mouth with great length and a butterscotch and pear like finish.
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