The pride of Hungary, wine "Tokay": taste features and reviews

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

With every trip to Hungary, you can discover new shades of original culture, traditions and cuisine of this amazing country. When traveling around the country, one should not only taste thick goulash and amazingly delicious marzipan products, but also taste Tokay wine. Hungary has long been famous for its winemaking traditions, and Tokaj is rightfully considered one of the best dessert wines in Europe.

History of wine

Residents of the country are sure that the history of their favorite drink, Tokay wine from Hungary, has more than 2500 years. This is difficult to verify, because in those days there were no branded bottles yet.

The first official mention of wine made in the city of Tokaj dates back to 1550. It quickly became popular in neighboring countries and was often served at the feasts of noble people.

For the first time in MoscowPrincipality of the wine "Tokay" learned in 1606. I really liked the drink, 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 plant is very pleasant, but its taste is different from the original Tokaj white semi-sweet wine from Hungary.

Vineyards on volcanic soil

Wine "Tokay" is produced in the region of the same name, in a small area. The volcanic soil, rich in iron and lime, gives a unique taste to the wine berry drink. The peculiar mountain climate also contributes: the vineyards are located at an altitude of 457 meters above sea level. Here, a wet spring, rich in rain, gives way to a dry summer. And autumn, when grapes ripen, is very warm and rainy, with constant fogs.

These climate conditions encourage the development of Botrytis cinerea, the famous "gray mold" that has made local wines famous, in the vineyards. It acts on berries, turning them into raisins early and increasing their sugar content.

According to reviews of Tokay wine from Hungary, its unique bouquet, notes of honey and apples present cannot be confused with other dessert wines.

Local grape varieties

In many ways, the splendor of Hungarian wines is due to local grape varieties. Total6 varieties of grapes grow here, from which a unique wine is produced. It depends on the taste characteristics of each variety 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 white semi-sweet 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 are classified as ordinary, they are also produced under the geographically fixed name "Tokay".

When choosing a wine in a store, you should pay attention to the inscription Tokaji in the name of the wine. This guarantees that the drink was produced exactly in one of the Tokay wineries.

The taste of "golden" wine

Excursions to small wineries in the region are very popular among people traveling in Hungary. Surprisingly, there are only 28 factories that make the world-famous wine, some of them remain small family businesses.

After tasting, reviews of Tokay Furmint wine from Hungary are always positive. Tokay wines amaze with amazing taste and aroma, very delicate and velvety, with hints of almonds. Due to the low alcohol content in the drink, only 12.5%, nothing prevents you from enjoying its fresh bouquet with hints of citrus and ripe apples.

Usually white wines are quite transparent, but the color of Tokay Furmint wine has an unusual golden color. For this feature, this type of drink received the unspoken name "golden wine".

Due to their amazing taste, dry Tokay wines are combined with light vegetable snacks and young cheeses. According to reviews, Tokaj Furmint wine from Hungary is perfect for fresh fish or seafood dishes.

Amazing wine Aszu

In European countries, when talking about Tokay wine from Hungary, they mean not quite the usual dry wine. We are talking about the amazing amber drink Tokaji Aszu, an expensive sweet wine with a long aging period.

The technology of its preparation has hardly changed for several centuries. In November, dried berries are harvested by hand and ground to a paste. For this wine, only the sweetest, ripest 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 mature for several years. The higher the sugar content, the longer the wine will age. Sometimes the exposure period reaches ten years.

Choosing wine in Hungary

Try amazing local wine and not bring a few bottles with you? This is hard to imagine, especially since buying wine in Tokay is not just easy, but very easy.

Choosing wine inHungarian stores, you need to follow a few simple rules that will help you choose a really real drink:

1. The name of 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 appellation label their product Tokajský/-á/-é (Tokay). And this is the wine of another country, although the same grape varieties are used.
2. Also, the label must indicate the grape variety from which the drink is made (Muskotaly, Furmint, Szamorodni or Aszu). This applies not only to elite, but also to ordinary wines.
3. The label of Tokaji Aszu dessert wine must indicate the number of puttones. This term literally translates as "a basket of berries" and it is in them that the sweetness of wine is measured.
4. The cost 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 shops, but in small private wine cellars. Sometimes there are several houses on the same street where the owners make their own wine. The taste of such a drink is unexpectedly pleasant.