With each trip to Hungary, you can discover new shades of the original culture, traditions and cuisine of this amazing country. When traveling around the country, you need to not only try thick goulash and amazingly delicious marzipan products, but also definitely taste the Tokaj wine. Hungary has long been famous for its winemaking traditions, and Tokaj is rightfully considered one of the best dessert wines in Europe.
Wine history
Residents of the country are sure that the history of their favorite drink, Tokai wine from Hungary, has more than 2500 years. This is difficult to verify, because in those days, there were no bottles with company markings.
The first official mention of wine made in the city of Tokai dates back to 1550. It quickly became popular in neighboring countries and was often served at feasts of distinguished persons.
For the first time in the Principality of Moscow, Tokai wine was learned in 1606. I liked the drink very much, and starting from the 17th century, when Crimea became part of the Russian Empire, attempts began to establish the production of this wine based on local grape varieties. But for the unique taste of the drink, the climate and soil characteristics are very important, so Tokaj from the Massandra factory is very pleasant, but its taste differs from the original white semi-sweet Tokaj wine from Hungary.
Volcanic Vineyards
The Tokay wine is produced in the region of the same name, in a small area. The unique taste of the wine berry drink is given by volcanic soil rich in iron and lime. A peculiar mountain climate also contributes: vineyards are located at an altitude of 457 meters above sea level. Here, wet spring, rich in rains, is replaced by dry summers. And autumn, when the grapes ripen, is very warm and rainy, with constant fogs.
These climate features contribute to the development of Botrytis cinerea, the famous "gray mold" in the vineyards, thanks to which local wines have become famous. It works on berries, turning them into raisins early and increasing sugar content.
According to reviews of Tokaj wine from Hungary, its unique bouquet, present notes of honey and apples cannot be confused with other dessert wines.
Local grape varieties
In many ways, the magnificence of Hungarian wines is due to the local grape varieties. In total, 6 grape varieties grow here, from which unique wine is produced. It depends on the taste characteristics of each grade which wine will be made: inexpensive dry wine from Hárslevelű grapes or elite sweet Aszú.
More than 60% of the vineyards are planted with Furmint. It is from it that the most popular semi-sweet white wine Tokaj Furmint is made in Hungary.
Relatively recently, a line of dry and semi-sweet wines from this grape variety has appeared on sale. They are distinguished by the complexity of the bouquet and unusual mineral notes in the aftertaste. Although these wines belong to the category of ordinary, they are also produced under the geographically fixed name "Tokai".
When choosing wine in the store, you should pay attention to the Tokaji inscription in the name of the wine. This ensures that the drink was produced in one of Tokaj wineries.
Taste of Golden Wine
For people traveling in Hungary, excursions to small wineries in the region are very popular. Surprisingly, there are only 28 productions making the world-famous wine, some of which remain small family enterprises.
After the tasting, the Tokaj Furmint wine reviews from Hungary are always positive. Tokai wines are amazing in their amazing taste and aroma, very delicate and velvety, with hints of almond. Due to the low alcohol content in the drink, only 12.5%, nothing prevents to enjoy its fresh bouquet with notes of citrus and ripe apples.
Usually white wines are quite transparent, but the color of Tokaj Furmint wine has an unusual golden color. For this feature, this type of drink received the unspoken name of "golden wine."
Thanks to its amazing taste, dry Tokai wines are combined with light vegetable snacks and young cheeses. According to reviews, the wine "Tokai Furmint" from Hungary is great for dishes of fresh fish or seafood.
Amazing Aszu Wine
In European countries, talking about Tokaj wine from Hungary, they mean not quite familiar dry wine. We are talking about the amazing amber drink Tokaji Aszu, an expensive sweet wine with a long aging time.
The technology of its preparation is almost unchanged for several centuries. In November, dried berries are picked manually and ground to a pasty state. For this wine, only the sweetest, ripe berries are selected. Then the mixture is diluted with base wine, and the less it is added, the higher will be the sweetness of the drink and its cost.
The resulting mixture is placed in wooden barrels and left to ripen for several years. The higher the sugar content, the longer the wine will be infused. Sometimes the exposure period reaches ten years.
Choosing wine in Hungary
To try amazing local wine and not bring a few bottles with you? It is hard to imagine, especially since buying wine in Tokai is not just easy, but very easy.
When choosing wine in Hungarian stores, you need to follow a few simple rules that will help you choose a truly real drink:
- The name of the Tokaji must be on the wine label. This means that the wine is made and bottled in Hungary. Slovak winemakers who dispute the monopoly on this name label their product Tokajský / -á / -é (Tokai). And this is the wine of another country, although the same grape varieties are used.
- The label must also indicate the grape variety from which the drink was made (Muskotaly, Furmint, Szamorodni or Aszu). This applies not only to elite, but also to ordinary wines.
- The Tokaji Aszu dessert wine label should indicate the number of puttones. This term literally translates as "basket with berries" and it is in them that the sweetness of wine is measured.
- The price of Tokaji Aszu wine depends on its sugar content. Sometimes the difference reaches several tens of euros.
In Hungary it is more interesting to choose wine not in stores, but in small private wine cellars. Sometimes on one street there are several houses in which the owners make their wine. The taste of such a drink is unexpectedly pleasant.