Tokaji aszú produced in the Tokaj wine region of Hungary

Tokaj of Hungary is one of the most well-known wine regions in the world. It has been protected since 1737, when a royal decree declared it as a closed wine region. This is the origin of the king of wines, the wine of the kings, the world-famous Tokaji aszú produced in the Tokaj wine region of Hungary. What is the secret of its popularity?

What does aszú mean?

As Hungarikum.hu declares, “The Tokaj aszu is a special wine produced in the Tokaj wine region; it is the nectar of individually hand-picked “aszu”berries botrytised on the vinestock. It is made by bathing the dough in high quality must or wine of the same year from the Tokaj wine region. Following fermentation, it is maturing and refining in oak casks placed in a constant-temperature cellar.

The secret of thespecialty is in the landscape; not only in its beauty, but also in its uniquemicroclimate, which is good for the grey fungus called botrytis, which plays a significant role in noble rot.

How is it made?

Aszú can be made from different grapes: furmint, hárslevelű, the Hungarian version of muscat blanc à petits grains, and sometimes grapes born from the intersection of furmint and bouiver. In fact, the process of noble rot happens while the fruits are still on the vines, and rotten grapes needed to be handpicked from the clusters.

In the old times they used to be collected in wooden casks, called puttony and the must (grape juice) was matured in Gönci barrels of 136.6 liters. The term “puttonyos” shows how many puttony of dough is added to a barrel.

About Tokaj wine region

Although the center of the wine region is clearly the city of Tokaj, the region includes 27 municipalities, which (as we already mentioned in the introduction) have been considered as a closed wine region since 1737. The tradition of growing grapes and winemaking is still the same in the past 1000 years, and the landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition to aszú, there are some other wines that are worth giving a try: the máslás, fordítás, eszencia and szamorodni (sweet and dry) are all tasty drinks.

This special, sweet, golden-yellow drink was called “The king of wines, the wine of kings” by the French King Louis XV. It is perfect for cheeses, desserts, foie gras and all special occasions.

Photo: http://www.hungarikum.hu