Definition: Hungary

The north is the birthplace of Tokaji (Tokay), grown on 7,000 hectares of volcanic soil. Harvested in November to allow noble rot to develop, the grapes, mainly Furmint and Harslevelü, are not vinified immediately. After crushing, they are poured into large barrels containing dry wine made from non-botrytised grapes. The mixture is left to macerate, followed by slow alcoholic fermentation. Part of it is transformed into alcohol, and the mixture gains in aromatic richness. The wine is aged in barrels for several years. Once bottled, Tokaji (Tokay) has exceptional ageing potential (up to two centuries for the best vintages).

Under the yoke of the socialist system, Hungary has exported a great deal over the last few decades via Monimpex, including Tokaji (Tokay), Egri Bikavér, Kékfrankos from Sopron, Balatoni and Badacsonyi. However, the grapes were poorly paid for, so the quality of the harvest was not a priority. The return to a more liberal system should encourage it to once again produce excellent grape juice.

The red grape varieties (vörös) used are:

Kékfrankos (used in Egri Bikavér) is none other than Austrian Blaufränkisch, or Limberger from Württemberg, i.e. a variety of Gamay;

Kisburgundi, similar to Pinot Noir, and Nagyburgundi, a Hungarian variety of Pinot Noir;

and above all the excellent Kádárka, from which the southern plain produces only ordinary wines, but which is also the basis for most of the premier cru reds.

The main white grape varieties are:

Muskotály (Muscat Ottonel), Veltelini, Szürkebarát ("Grey Monk", a native variant of Pinot Gris), Kéknyelü ("blue stem"), aromatic, Wälschriesling, known here as Olaszrizling, Léanyka ("little girl"), which produces a dry, aromatic but neutral wine, Ezerjó, used to make a dry, racy, fragrant wine; Hárslevelü, "lime leaf grape", used mainly to make sweet wines; and Furmint, from which some areas produce sweet wines lacking in character, even though it is capable of producing the best Tokaji (Tokay).

In general, wines take the name of their place of origin, region or commune, to which the suffix "i" is added. The wine-growing heritage covers around 100,000 hectares. The Hungarians distinguish between 22 wine-growing areas, but for our purposes it is sufficient to consider Hungary as divided into seven main regions.

Mecsek Mountains

The vineyards stretching from the foot of the Mecsek Mountains, from Pécs in the south-west to Szekszárd in the north-east, are renowned for:

their Fleuré de Pécs, a rather sweet Wälschriesling, the Riesling from Szekszárd, Cabernets and Merlots, among the best in the country, and a good red from Kádárka: the Nemes Kadar. A little unusual, as it is botrytised. This wine needs to mature for 3 to 4 years.

Added to this, in the far south, on the Croatian border, is the small vineyard of Villany-Siklos. Here, Kékoporto, Kékfrankos, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon produce full-bodied, flavourful wines.

Central Plain

The plain (Alföld) between the Danube and the Tisza produces 200 to 300 thousand hectolitres of white wine: Kecskemeti Léányka, named after its wine-growing centre, Kecskemét. This region is more famous for its brandies than for its wine. However, the districts of Csongrád (on the Tisza) and Hajós-Vaskuti produce Kádárka.

Lake Balaton region

The western and northern shores of Lake Balaton, near the Austrian border, produce ordinary wines, the Balatoni, and others that are remarkable, the Badacsonyi. These generous and aromatic white wines made from Kéknyelü are produced on the basalt soil of the northern shore of the lake and are among the best Hungarian wines. Badacsonyi Szürkebarát is also renowned. The lake region also produces the rather mediocre Csopaki Olasz Rizling, Balatonfüredi Ezerjó, and the dry Boglári Muskotály and Nagyburgundi. Furmint produces only ordinary wines here.

Sopron

South of Lake Neusiedl (mostly Austrian), Sopron produces decent wines from Kékfrankos and also Zöldszilváni.

Mátraalja

In northern Hungary, 80 kilometres north-east of Budapest, at the foot of the Mátra Mountains, the wine-growing centre of Gyöngyös produces a honey-sweet white wine from Chasselas and dry whites from Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Muskotály and Szürkebarát.

Eger

Thirty kilometres further north-east of Mátraalja, at the foot of the Bükk Mountains, the baroque town of Eger is the centre of an area producing Egri Léanyka and a Muscat that is not worth mentioning. It owes its fame to its Egri Bikavér ("bull's blood"), a rather ordinary blend of Kékfrankos, Cabernet and Kékoporto, and its Egri Kádárka, both of which are dark red, full-bodied, long-aging wines that are a little too powerful for French tastes.

Tokaji (Tokay)

Near the border with Ukraine, on the banks of the Bodrog, Tokaji-Hegyalja mainly produces a light Muscat, but one with good ageing potential. However, it is famous precisely for its Tokaji (Tokay). The terroir of Tokaji (Tokay) consists of loess and volcanic debris. The dry, sunny autumn is conducive to passerillage, and the Bodrog River plays the same role here as the Ciron in Sauternes.

The grape varieties used in the region are: small-grained Muscat, Muscat Ottonel (large-grained), Oremus, an old early-ripening variety, Chardonnay, which the French plant, particularly in Megyer, Hárslevelü, and above all Furmint (from the French "froment"), which is yellow like wheat.

Part of the harvest, varying in size depending on the vintage, is vinified into dry or semi-sweet wines bearing the name of the grape variety. Their appeal is relative. However, the combination of these three elements – terroir, climate and the Furmint grape variety – combined with the winemaker's expertise, once produced an exceptional wine, which has been produced again since the fall of the communist regime. The most common is Szamorodni. In years without noble rot, it is a passerillé wine, somewhat like Jurançon. In good years, when noble rot appears, several selections are made for the aszú. After the selections, what remains on the vine is used to make Szamorodni. This wine is sold ready to drink. Quite alcoholic, it can be dry or sweet and is reminiscent of fino or dolce sherry, depending on the case.

Aszú (short for "aszúszolabor", meaning "wine from raisined grapes") is a sweet wine with a minimum alcohol content of 14% vol., a marvel of sweetness whose price reflects its rarity. The production of this wine is very special, unmatched anywhere else, and deserves to be known. The grapes affected by noble rot, dried and concentrated under the effect of botrytis, are not vinified immediately; they are crushed to form a paste, the "soul of the wine", kneaded, then placed in a puttony, a bucket that can hold about 25 kilos. The part of the harvest that has not been affected by botrytis is vinified in the traditional way. The aszú is then added in a proportion specified in "puttonyos": this can range from 3 to 6 puttonyos per 136-litre barrel. The 6 puttonyos aszú is obviously the most precious and expensive.

In reality, there are three possible methods of production:

1. by blending the year's wine with a paste made from the year's noble grapes,

2. by blending the paste from the current year with wines from previous years,

3. or by blending the year's must with a paste of noble grapes

from the current year.

Some "modern" winemakers subject this mixture to anaerobic maceration, much to the chagrin of traditionalists, who practise maceration in open vats. Maceration causes fermentation to develop under the protection of the flor, increasing the alcohol content and aromatic concentration. A few days later, the wine is racked and poured into other barrels stored in cool, damp cellars (8 to 12°C). There it undergoes a long maceration: the law requires three years, but some traditionalists insist on two years plus one year for each puttony.

Aszú wines can be kept for 20 to 30 years, or even longer for those with 5 puttonyos or more: up to two centuries, it is thought, in the best vintages. And patience is essential because, like the best sweet wines, these wines improve with long ageing in the bottle.

Aszú eszencia, when available, is one of the very best Tokaji (Tokay) wines: over 6 puttonyos. Not to be confused with pure eszencia, the free-run juice of the aszú, which has a very low alcohol content, sometimes barely more than 3% ABV, but which can contain 400, 500 or even 600 grams of residual sugar per litre, and whose fermentation can last from 5 to 10 years. A true elixir of youth, according to local legend. But what is certain is that it is far too syrupy and concentrated to be drunk on its own: it is used to make blends.

The different types of Tokaji (Tokay):

Type of Tokaji Sugar content (g/l) Dry extract (g/l) Years in barrel

Szamorodni

- dry 0-10 25+ 2

- sweet 10-50 25+ 2

Aszú minimum 3

3 puttonyos 60-90 30+ 5

4 puttonyos 90-120 35+ 6

5 puttonyos 120-150 40+ 7

6 puttonyos 150-180 45+ 8

Aszú Eszencia 180-240 50+ 10-20

How should Tokaji (Tokay) be drunk?

Sweet Szamorodni is a good accompaniment to foie gras.

Aszú with 5 or 6 puttonyos is a wine with a very long finish, so it is best saved for dessert, with sorbet or a tart made with apricots, greengages or figs, and, of course, with chocolate cake. It is one of the very few wines that can be served with chocolate mousse.

The rarest, such as Szepsy's 6 puttonyos and aszú eszencia, deserve to be drunk on their own, for their own sake!

In any case, it should be served at a temperature of 12 to 14°C, no more, no less.

Producers

Currently, the main sources are estates owned by Western investors, who have affirmed their desire to restore Tokaji (Tokay) to its former glory:

Château Disznókö, owned by AXA;

Oremus, owned by Alvarez (Vega Sicilia - Spain), imported by Europvin;

Châteaux Megyer and Pajzos, owned by GAN;

Tokaj Hetszölö, an offshoot of "Grands Millésimes de France", owns the Imperial Estate of Hetszölö, the Rákóczi cellars, and Château Rákóczi-Dessewfly;

The Royal Tokaji (Tokay) Wine Company, founded in 1989, is an Anglo-Danish-Hungarian company. For the record, Hugh Johnson is a shareholder.

These estates own only 8% of the planted area, but purchase half of the available noble grapes. In the coming years, we will see what each has been able to achieve from the splendid 1993 vintage.

See also the entry Hungary - Tokaj.
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