Tokaj: Rivers and Hills, Dry and Sweet

FIELD NOTE 01

Northeastern rivers and hills

Tokaj is located in northeastern Hungary. On the map, place the humidity brought by the Bodrog and Tisza rivers, the Zemplén hills, and the warm air from the Great Plain. When considering botrytis, not only humidity but also conditions for subsequent dehydration of the berries must be met.

It is not as simple as saying that more rain is always better. Harvest decisions change when considering grape health and ripeness, as well as sunlight and wind.

FIELD NOTE 02

Also select the raw material for dry styles.

Dry whites are made in Tokaj from grapes such as Furmint. Disznókő publishes details on their process for separating ripe grapes—used for dry styles before botrytis develops—from later harvests, which go into Aszú base wine or sweet styles.

This is a real example illustrating a producer's choices. Not all winemakers follow the same timetable, so you can see that the harvest and winemaking approach aren't determined by the region name alone.

FIELD NOTE 03

From wine name to details

Distinguish Aszú, Szamorodni, and Eszencia separately. The key process in Aszú is macerating selected berries. Szamorodni includes both dry and sweet versions, while Eszencia is characterized by juice collected under the berries’ own weight.

Do not line them up by sweetness alone; compare in the order of harvest lot, extraction, fermentation, and aging. Even when referring to historical names, distinguish between current labeling and past vintages.

Courses related to this question

Furmint: comparing dry harvest and Aszú berry selection →

Hárslevelű: Reading Tokaj aromas and late harvest →

Disznókő: Interpreting Sweetness from Fruit Selection →