Eric Danch

Tokaj Part 2: Quality Over Quantity

Eric Danch — Fri, 23 Dec 2016 10:20:00 GMT

In the first installment, we looked at what first made Tokaj a classic wine region, why it nearly disappeared, and how it’s reemerging today in a relevant way. This article will focus on how a new generation is embracing the appellation’s history and pedigree while also improving farming and winemaking, adjusting to new wines laws, and aiming for high quality across the board.

Tokaj, like the other 21 appellations in Hungary, lacks context in the US market. We might know of the late Zsa Zsa Gabor, goulash, Bull’s Blood, and paprika, but we aren’t exposed to the broader culture of Hungary. One might blame the iron curtain, or how quickly Hungarian immigrants integrated into American culture, but those are no longer excuses for the oversight. Tokaji, so heavily imbued with Hungarian identity, is an iconic and worthy ambassador of its country.

Keeping that in mind, this article will outline the various wine styles of Tokaj and how to contextualize them in the larger world of wine, while also hopefully peaking enough interest to compel a visit to the region.

The World’s First Vineyard Classification

What is the significance of being the world’s first delimited wine region? Winemakers weren’t taking deep soil core samples 500 years ago, or scientifically measuring the effects of zeolite versus loess on grapes and vintage. Classified vineyards were largely based on cultural, political, historical, and familial importance—and, of course, market value. Geographical attributes, natural boundaries, and the like also played an important role, but much of the knowledge of what justified a first- or second-class vineyard was forgotten or lost during Communism.

Here are some important milestones, leading up to the classification in 1737:

Mid 1550s: Polish traders, the imperial court of Vienna, and others start to buy the wines from the Tokaj foothills due to their spreading fame, quality, and uniqueness.
1613: Villages within the region begin formally setting regulations for viticulture and winemaking. These regulations are ratified in more detail in 1641. There were likely precedents leading up to this, but 1641 marks the earliest surviving written documentation.
1720: All of Hungary’s vineyard regions are classified as first, second, and third class. Tokaj is listed as first class.
1737: A royal decree sets finite boundaries for which villages can use the name Tokaj, meaning that all wine made in these villages is equal and held to the same standards in the vineyard and cellar. Essentially, this is the world’s first protected designation of origin for wine.
Over the past few decades, as more and more producers make high-quality wines from the same sites, the original classifications have finally started revealing some distinctions in terms of terroir. The first-class Szent Tamás vineyard in the village of Mád has been such a place for both dry and sweet wines. It’s clearly distinct among multiple producers, even as the wines age. It and many others, including Határi, Szerelmi, Csontos, Lapis, Rány, Úrágya, Betsek, and Király, are all showing defining characteristics. Even so, it remains challenging to connect the present with the past.

There’s also the question of what happens when a second- or third-class vineyard becomes a benchmark or achieves market success over a first-class site. How we both celebrate such an earned history and grapple with the current market is a heavily debated topic, to say the very least.

A map displaying about 100 of Tokaj's 389 single vineyards—zoom in for a closer look! © András Ede Molnár

Better Farming

For hundreds of years, Tokaji had a devoted following within the nobility and aristocracy of Europe, and quality in the vineyard followed suit. Then, after WWII, Communist rule, and a host of other historic maladies, the region turned rather suddenly into a state-owned collectivized model geared toward quantity, as discussed in the first article. Tokaji went from being a sought-after, unique cultural product to a mass-produced recipe. Imagine harvesting everything from all over Burgundy or Piedmont, regardless of terroir and pick dates, and then blending it together on an industrial scale for 50 years. Small growers were incentivized to grow more and more hectoliters. The labor force also became specialized to support these large wineries. Those who knew how to make great wine, from the vineyard all the way to bottle, begin to dwindle.

Further, Tokaj-Hegyalja is the product of 20 million years of volcanic activity. This means that whether in the loess-covered south or the diverse range of rocks and clay locally called nyirok, the subsoil is largely tuff, guaranteeing that vines will struggle. Many of the most famous dűlői (crus) in the appellation are on the slopes of these formally active volcanoes, adding to their struggle with erosion, drainage, and exposure. As the aim was to supply industrial levels of production for consumption in the former USSR and the other former Bloc countries, growers quickly resorted to fertilizing, spraying heavily, and planting on the flats where large Russian-built tractors could easily operate. Vine density decreased, and famed terraces and steep sloped vineyards went fallow or were eventually consumed by the Zemplén Forest. Many forgotten vineyards are visible while driving through the region or walking up into the forest from existing sites. It’s a surreal sight.

Today, producers are reverting to pre-Communist era practices. One of the biggest jobs is replanting the slopes, terraces, and other sites that weren’t ideal for squeezing out the most hectoliters. Clonal selection for these new plantings is also being addressed, as earlier clones were frequently chosen for mass production rather than affinity to terroir. Growers are increasing vine density to promote competition. Many top sites are once again stake trained and worked by hand, horse, or small modern tractor.

It is important to note that botrytized grapes bring unique challenges: how do growers manage use of copper, sulfur, and pesticides that potentially inhibit the one thing that makes their wines so special? Aside from the heavy use of chemicals in the Communist era, Tokaj has largely working in what we would now call an organic fashion. Picking up where they left off, most top producers aren’t spraying pesticides and instead use orange oil and other more natural deterrents for pests. The proximity to the forest and general biodiversity of the region help as well. Cover crops abound, and there isn’t a massive monoculture of vines.

With quality fetching a better price than quantity in today’s market, growers have plenty of incentive to improve their farming practices.

An example of improved farming practices at the Határi vineyard, which is now stake trained, farmed without pesticides, and worked completely by hand.

Improving Winemaking with New Wine Laws

While many of the new laws align with Tokaj’s current focus on improving winemaking quality, others are major changes to the previous state-owned collective mentality. This attitude still has influence—even today, the largest producer and buyer of grapes, Grand Tokaj, is state owned. Despite some changes in its management and policy, it remains an anchor for the region.

There is a far more detailed and complex set of laws than covered here, but the aim is uniform: raising quality. Here's a quick breakdown of recent changes in the wine law:

As of August 2014, all wines must be bottled in Tokaj to be labeled as such (and yes, that wasn’t always the case!).
As of August 2015, all forms of sweetening Aszú are now prohibited.
As of 2013, the minimum residual sugar is set at 120 grams/liter for all Aszú wines. The pre-amendment minimum residual sugar levels were 60 grams/liter for a 3 Puttonyos Aszú, 90 grams/liter for a 4 Puttonyos Aszú, 120 grams/liter for a 5 Puttonyos Aszú, and 150 grams/liter for a 6 Puttonyos Aszú. This means the use of the name Aszú is now restricted to the former two highest categories, 5P and 6P. The 3 and 4 Puttonyos categories are now effectively gone. Minimum total potential alcohol level is also raised to 19% for Aszú wines.
As of 2013, the barrel aging requirement for Aszú wines was lowered from a minimum of 2 years to 18 months.
As of 2013, a minimum of 1 kilograms of Aszú berries is required per 2.2 liters of Aszú wine.
The Máslás category was phased out in 2013.
As of 2012, Aszúeszencia, originally referring to an Aszú over 180 grams/liter of residual sugar, was phased out. It was conceived as an official category in the 1970s to create an extra market for something in between an Aszú and an Essencia but instead produced market confusion.

Winemaking Styles

Száraz (Dry)

This category is perhaps getting the largest push in terms of marketing, market reach, and attention among producers in the region. It’s also what you’re most likely to see in the US market in terms of by-the-glass offerings. Looking solely at cash flow, these wines make sense. They don’t require the 18 months minimum aging of Aszú, are far less labor intensive, and compete on the larger market of dry wines. The style is not new: dry Tokaji was made for centuries but over time took a back seat to the popularity and value of the sweet. It wasn’t until the early 2000s that any remarkable dry wines were produced, and even then, only a small handful of winemakers made them. This begged the question of how to highlight dry wines in an appellation whose soul is steeped in the sweet. For many, making dry wines is the fastest way to rediscover terroir, identify the best clones, and gain the opportunity to make Aszú.

Volcanic soils, including rhyolite, andesite, dacite, bentonite, zeolite, kaolin, opal, and obsidian, are major influencers on the dry wines. Like volcanic wines around the world, salt, weight, acidity, and minerality must be balanced. Since botrytis can set as early as August, picking early isn’t an option, and picking late and fermenting all the way dry can drive alcohol up. Is it better to push through malolactic fermentation to soften acidity, or to avoid it altogether? Leave some residual sugar or not? Omit or include botrytis? Employ oxidative or reductive fermentation? The answers to these questions are still being uncovered, after only 20 years of trial and error. Some early dry wines tasted like salted mineral water at 15% alcohol. Still other early examples were as magical as the sweet wines.

Here’s what’s important to know. There are three major tiers: Birtok (estate), village (as in Burgundy), and single vineyard. Many producers in villages like Tarcal, Tokaj, Mád, Bodrogkeresztúr, and Bodrogkisfalud are forging ahead with high quality production of all three of these. Producers in other villages like Tállya, Sárospatak, Erdőbénye, and Olaszliszka are still catching up, releasing their inaugural commercial vintages only in the past couple of years.

Regardless, this category is a common first introduction to Tokaj, so it must surprise consumers with its quality, character, and deliciousness. Promisingly, faulty dry wines are increasingly infrequent. Most have embraced that “dry” in Tokaj means keeping some of the region’s famed residual sugar (often 6 to 15 grams/liter), thus keeping alcohol in check, and highlighting how incredibly well these wines pair with food, given their high acidity. The best examples compare to the best white wines of the world. Furmint and Hárslevelű are in the same genetic family as Chardonnay and Riesling, with the cultural weight of Tokaj behind them. Riedel has even developed a dedicated Furmint glass, and a new dry Tokaji bottle has been designed by Géza Ipacs for market recognition.

Pezsgő (Sparkling)

Traditional method Hungarian sparkling wine dates to 1882 in Törley, but it didn’t reach Tokaj until 2006 or 2007. It has had the same challenges as dry wines in appealing to the market: sweet wines were the celebrated wines of the region, not bubbles. Due to lack of equipment and knowledge, commercial production started with larger producers like Dereszla, Patricius, Gróf Degenfeld, and Királyudvar, who could source equipment and bring in experts. But in more recent years, smaller artisan producers like Demeter Zoltán and Kikelet have made stunning traditional method wines in house as well. Other likeminded producers are doing the same, utilizing the facilities of larger producers.

Ideal grapes, clones, and terroirs for these wines are still being identified. Furthermore, the two most grown grapes, Furmint and Hárslevelű, are relatively late ripening, prone to botrytis, can produce a lot of sugar, and have high acidity—not exactly a dream scenario for typically crisp sparkling wine production. However, when balanced, you’ve got something in between a Sekt and a sparkling Vouvray—only coming out of a volcano. Some producers are even experimenting using Aszú as the dosage.

Késői Szüretelésű (Late Harvest)

Tokaj’s late harvest (sometimes called cuvée) wines only came about as a category in the 1990s. Unlike Aszú and Szamorodni, this category is not strictly regulated. Made from over-ripened grapes, it does not require botrytis and can be fermented and aged in stainless steel for whatever amount of time the producer dictates, with no minimum for alcohol or residual sugar. This is not to say these wines are necessarily simple. Rather, they are fresh, can span the whole spectrum of grapes (late harvest Sárga Muskotály or Kövérszőlő, for instance), and have an incredible value-to-price ratio. These wines are comparable to late harvest wines from Canada, Germany, and other parts of the world.

Édes (Sweet) & Száraz (Dry) Szamorodni

Originally called Főbor (main wine), this style was officially named Szamorodni, a Polish term, in the 1800s due to its popularity in that market. To make this style, healthy, shriveled, and botrytized grapes are harvested and fermented together. There is no individual botrytized berry selection as in the Aszú wines.

Szamorodni literally means “as it comes” and can be both sweet and dry. Sweet Szamorodni must spend at least two years in barrel and have at least 12% alcohol. It is more complex than late harvest wine, with more botrytized character and integrated oxidative flavors. Dry Szamorodni is currently a rarer style. It isn’t just fermented to dryness but also introduces Cladosporium cellare (a special cellar mold), and in some cases, a yeast veil (flor) develops over the top of the wine. These yeasts are specific to Tokaj’s volcanic cellars, and the evaporation rate is also the reverse of dry cellars, in that alcohol evaporates without water loss so the wines lose a small percentage of alcohol each year. With an initial potential alcohol of 17 to 18%, the wines can be aged for six or more years and still end up at 13 to 14% alcohol. No fortification is allowed. Like Fino Sherry or Vin Jaune in aroma, the acidity, sweetness of the botrytized fruit (but little-to-no residual sugar), and low alcohol sets it firmly apart.

Aszú

Put simply, this is the world’s first and most concentrated (in terms of acidity and sugar) botrytized wine. It’s important to remember that during Tokaj’s heyday in the 17th and 18th century, sugar was rare and alchemy in vogue. Here comes an impossibly sweet golden wine—an easy choice of medicine and muse for queens, kings, tsars, popes, and influential artists and intellectuals across Europe. It was also a diplomatic tool to court foreign powers and was heavily imbued with national identity. The Tokaj brand became attached to all types of things outside the region to connote prestige—Tokay d’Alsace or Tocai Friulano, anyone? These and other unsubstantiated uses of the brand have only been recently outlawed.

How exactly is this wine made? First, single botrytized berries are hand-picked, berry by berry. Originally, these were put into a puttony, a small wooden basket that could carry about 25 kilograms. A skilled worker putting in a full day’s work in a quality vintage would be lucky to pick 10 kilograms a day. Once the puttony is full, berries are mashed into a chutney-like consistency and then macerated with either a fermenting must or an already fermented base wine. Then, they are pressed and barreled down into Gönci, special 136-liter barrels of Hungarian oak sourced from the forests bordering the appellation. Minimum aging is 18 months in barrel and a year in bottle.

Aszú is essentially a skin-contact sweet wine. The number of puttony added to a single Gönci barrel originally defined the 3-to-6 puttonyos scale. More puttonyos meant a sweeter and more complex wine. Nowadays, Aszú is measured by residual sugar (grams/liter), but the puttony paints an important picture of the labor involved in production.

The 1991 banning of chaptalization and fortification is generally considered the first step toward reinstating quality Aszú production. This is not to say that good Aszú was not made during Communism—according to Christie’s Auction House, drinkable bottles have purchased from as far back as the 1648 vintage. Quality Aszú today is refreshingly sweet, low in alcohol, oxidative (not oxidized), and balanced.

Fordítás & Máslás

Fordítás is quite rare, and Máslás was recently phased out as a category. They are similar and still deserve some attention. They are bottled in the same traditional 500-milliliter glass bottle as an Aszú or Szamorodni, so it’s important to understand the differences.

Fordítás means “turning over.” After making an Aszú or Szamorodni wine, the pressed dough (mashed up botrytized fruit) is soaked again in a non-botrytized fermented must or a finished based wine from the same vintage. It’s then aged for a minimum of one year in barrel and one more in bottle to eke out every bit of botrytized flavor. It is not nearly as elegant as an Aszú or Szamorodni but can have a raw and rustic charm. This style dates to the early 1820s.

Máslás means “copying.” It is made by blending the previously used lees from Aszú or Szamorodni into a non-botrytized fermenting or already fermented wine. It’s a copy-and-paste method, with Aszú lees and fresh wine dating back as far as 1759. This style served a purpose, in the same spirit of using every part of an animal, but doesn’t garner much favor today. Historically, there was even a third copy, “Harmadolás.”

Essencia

Essencia is more of a nectar than a wine. In top vintages, single Aszú berries are hand-picked and left to crush under their own weight, with no pressing allowed. It can reach over 800 grams/liter of residual sugar and well above 20 grams/liter total acidity before fermentation. It can only be fermented in glass (usually carboys) and takes years to reach only a few degrees alcohol. There is no other wine like it in the world. It’s concentrated, viscous, and oddly bright and invigorating. Traditionally, it’s served via a spoon, some more ornate than others. Spoons also recall the fact that this was originally seen as medicine. A drop at birth and a drop before death, at the very least, and considered a magical cure-all.

Aszú berries being pressed under their own weight to make Essencia © Mathilde Hulot

Rediscovering a Classic Appellation

At the risk of hyperbole, visiting Tokaj today is like visiting Burgundy or Piedmont 20 or 30 years ago. Visitors can get appointments easily, walk the vineyards, and explore the cellars with just about everyone. Producers’ doors are open, and winemakers are working hard to better one another and the region. Now is the time to get in on the ground floor of a truly classic appellation of the world coming back to life. Check out the travel websites listed in the previous article and get going!

As a final plea, if you’re into salty, weighty, acid-driven wines from regions like Etna, Santorini, and the Canary Islands, dry Tokaji is a logical next step. If you’re into Vin Jaune or Sherry, consider dry Szamorodni. If you enjoy Crémant du Jura or Crémant de Loire, please try some Pezsgő. If you’re into Sauternes and Trockenbeerenauslese, you have a professional obligation to taste quality sweet Szamorodni and Aszú. And if you’re lucky—or a hedonist—seek out some Essencia.

Recommended Producers

This is by no means an exhaustive list and, of course, omits entire villages with outstanding producers (another reason to visit!). Broken down by village, these producers represent a broad range of styles and production levels and can be sought out stateside.

Mezőzombor
- Disznókő
Tokaj
- Demeter Zoltán
- Tokaj Hétszőlő
- Dobogó
- Erzsébet
Tarcal
- Tokaj Kikelet
- Dorogi Testvérek
- Királyudvar
- Fanni Kertje
- Gróf Degenfeld
- Basilicus
Mád
- Szepsy
- Royal Tokaji Company
- Holdvölgy
- Barta
- Szent Tamás
Rátka
- Árvay
Bodrogkisfalud & Bodrogkeresztúr
- Bott
- Tokaj Nobilis
- Füleky
- Bodrog Borműhely
- Patricius
- Dereszla
Olaszliszka
- Samuel Tinon
- Kvaszinger
Erdőbénye
- Béres
- Hommona
Tolcsva
- Oremus
Sárospatak
- Pajzos

Resources

See “Tokaj Part 1: Sweet Relevance” for a list of books and websites for further exploration.

Tokaj Part 1: Sweet Relevance

Eric Danch — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 20:00:00 GMT

Personally, I remember a similar situation in 1992 to 1993 when we were changing five percent of the area during the privatization. Today, we are changing eighty percent. At that time, we asked for twenty-five years of experience. Today, we have the twenty-five years of experience. Twenty-five years ago, we were only five persons working. Now we are hundreds.
- Winemaker Samuel Tinon

Hungarians are chronic storytellers. Perhaps it’s in their DNA, or the result of relying on oral history to preserve their national identity as kingdoms, empires, occupations, and wars have defined their land. Another identity-ridden Hungarian pastime is wine. The appellation of Tokaj-Hegyalja (“foothills of Tokaj”) in northeastern Hungary and southwestern Slovakia represents both; Hungarians even sing about the sweet nectar of Tokaj in their national anthem.

Very few wine regions possess as much unbroken history, so significant a heyday, and such a decided fall into obscurity. As such, the focus of most Tokaj literature is about past greatness and hopes of reclaiming it. Much of what has been written also highlights King Louis XIV’s famous phrase, Vinum Regum, Rex Vinorum (“Wine of Kings, King of Wines”), and ends with a discussion of the collectivized quantity-over-quality industrial production under Communism. While both are true and important in understanding the region, Tokaj is no longer static, looking backwards, or dreaming of an unknown future. Twenty-five years after the first wave of privatization, Tokaj finally has the people and experience needed to reposition itself as one of the world’s classic appellations. Today, the world’s first vineyard classification system and the oldest producer of botrytized wines is once again terroir driven, dry, sparkling, under flor, and as refreshingly sweet as ever.

This, the first of two installments, aims to give some basic background on the appellation, then outline Tokaj’s history: what originally made it a classic wine region, why it nearly disappeared, and how it’s re-emerging today in a relevant way. With this context in mind, the next installment will offer a more detailed look at how a new generation is embracing the appellation’s history and pedigree while also improving farming and winemaking, adjusting to new wines laws, and striving for increased quality across the board.

The steep terraced vineyard of Öreg Király-dűlő (“Old King Vineyard”). First mentioned in 1285, this vineyard was fallow from the 1960s until 2004, when it was replanted and its terraces mended. As one the first things you see upon entering the region, it represents a recurring theme of making the old new again.

An Introduction to the Appellation

Driving into Tokaj from Budapest, it’s immediately obvious where wine country begins. Vast fields of mustard transition into 411 formally active volcanic peaks rising above the winding Bodrog and Tisza Rivers and adjacent marshlands. Vineyards become the dominant crop hugging the river and cutting deep into the Zemplén Forest. As in many classic appellations, the 27 villages of the Tokaj PDO have unique identities and possess a mixture of classified vineyards.

Tokaj refers to the region, while Tokaji is the wine. The "i" in Hungarian is possessive; it is correct to say either Aszú from Tokaj or Tokaji Aszú. To further complicate, Tokaj is both the name of the appellation and one of the 27 villages within it.

Hungarian wine appellations © FÖMI VINGIS

The 27 villages of Tokaj © András Ede Molnár

Due to 20 million years of volcanic activity, Tokaj’s deeper subsoil is mostly tuff, with topsoil varying across the region. In grossly simplified terms, windblown loess dominates in the south and on Tokaj Hill, and a mixture of rock and clay locally called nyirok covers the rest. Other key volcanic soils include rhyolite, andesite, dacite, bentonite, zeolite, kaolin, opal, and obsidian. Highlighting these various volcanic soils is paramount in Tokaj. Whether tasting with a large producer or in a garage operation, there will inevitably be a bowl of stones on the table and someone encouraging you to hold, smell, and commune with them.

Stones & bread on the table in Tokaj

The Bodrog and Tisza Rivers are important influences as well. The Bodrog runs alongside most villages and intersects with the Tisza in the village of Tokaj. The area between them is called the Bodrogköz (“land amidst the Bodrog”). Sparsely populated and prone to annual flooding, this region is the source of moisture that is then pushed towards the vineyards and protected from the northerly winds by the Zemplén Forest. Timing is everything: fog and mist are found elsewhere, of course, but they often arrive long before the grapes are ripe, leading to grey rot—which no one calls noble!

Szepsi Laczkó Máté is often credited with the discovery of how to use botrytis cinerea in winemaking. In 1631, he fled his vineyards due to an impending battle with the Turks and returned to widespread botrytis. According to legend, he nonetheless went ahead with making wine, and sweet botrytized wine was born. That said, the first mention of Aszú dates to 1571.

Whether the legend is true or not, Tokaj arguably has the most consistent botrytis with healthy grapes of any wine region in the world. It’s a celebrated affliction perfected over hundreds of years of trial and error.

Progression from fresh to Aszú berry © Disznókő

Tokaj’s underground cellars are another distinction of the region. Over 100 miles of cellars, mostly carved into the volcanic tuff between the mid-15th and the late 17th century, are covered in a mold called Cladosporium cellare that feeds on the alcohol evaporating from cask and bottle. The resulting microclimate, which smells incredibly fresh and alive, covers nearly every square inch of a healthy cellar. The high humidity, often near 95%, is perfect for long-term aging and keeps alcohol levels low due to very little water loss in cask.

The contrast of thick, jet-black mold and golden wine in bottle make these caves look like an alchemist’s workshop.

Tokaj’s Native Grapes

The six most common native grape varieties in the post-phylloxera era have retained their popularity in the region due to their high acidity, sugar concentration, and ability to contract botrytis. The most planted variety is Furmint, followed by Hárslevelű, Sárga Muskotály, and smaller amounts of the rest.

Furmint (Foor-mint): Furmint has tightly packed clusters of medium-sized berries, ripens late, maintains high acidity, and is very prone to botrytis. The late ripening is key in building up sugar concentration, and the tight clusters spread botrytis efficiently. DNA profiling has identified Furmint as an offspring of Gouais Blanc and therefore likely a half sibling of Chardonnay, Riesling, Gamay Noir, and others in that family. Furmint was mentioned as early as 1611 in Tokaj.

Hárslevelű (Harsh-level-loo): A genetic offspring of Furmint, Hárslevelű has looser bunches and relatively thick skins, making it less prone to botrytis in the drier years. Late ripening, aromatic (its name means “linden leaf”), and with elegant acidity, it can easily stand on its own or act as a blending component for both dry and sweet wines.

Sárga Muskotály (Sharga-moose-kah-tie): Known as Muškát Žltý in Slovakia, Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains in France, Moscato Bianco in Italy, and Gelber Muskateller in Austria. The most aromatic grape in Tokaj, it also maintains great acidity and is later ripening. Its uses run the whole range, from dry to Aszú wines.

Kövérszőlő (Koo-ver-sue-loo): Literally “the little fat one,” this is a big-berried grape that nearly went extinct. Revived in the 1990s, it produces quite a bit of sugar but lacks acidity. Although some producers make single varietal wines, most is blended into sweet wines.

Zéta (Zay-tuh): Formally known as “Oremus” prior to 1999, it is a cross between Furmint and Bouvier designed for Aszú production. It has high sugar concentration, is prone to botrytis, and ripens early.

Kabar (Kah-bar): Also known as Tarcal 10, this is a crossing of Hárslevelű and Bouvier, which results in early ripening, thick skins, high acidity, and potentially high sugar levels. Only authorized in 2006, there is very little planted in the region.

The Rise of Tokaj

As medieval Europe transitioned into the Renaissance and the early modern era, sugar remained a rare commodity, alchemy was wildly popular, and we can safely assume people enjoyed drinking alcohol. Imagine the appeal of golden sweet booze! Tokaji was medicine for popes and a favorite among the French royal court and Russian tsars. It was also a well-documented muse for Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Catherine the Great, Franz Liszt, Franz Schubert, Bram Stoker, Leo Tolstoy, Pablo Neruda, Honoré de Balzac, Gustave Flaubert, Denis Diderot, and Voltaire—to name just a few. Swiss-born alchemist Paracelsus spent years unsuccessfully trying to extract actual gold from it. In the new world, Thomas Jefferson imported wine from Tokaj for presidential banquets in the early 1800s. As recent as the early 1900s, Tokaji was still available by prescription.

During the height of Tokaj’s popularity in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, people flocked to the region from all over Europe, making it one of the most densely populated and diverse areas in Hungary. In the early 1700s, Greek merchants were a driving force, soon followed by Italians, Walloons from Belgium, Armenians, and German-speaking Swabians.

Still others came because Tokaj was a tolerant religious hub, reflected in the 1568 Edict of Torda. In the first half of the 19th century, Jews were the dominant ethnic group. They made huge contributions to the region and can be credited with keeping high quality wines on the international market for centuries. Before this time, most barrels were smeared with pork lard as a preservative. Jewish winemakers instead preferred well-toasted barrels treated with sulfur. Many of the buildings now home to the Royal Tokaji Company were once owned by a prominent Jewish winemaking family. This fact was lost for centuries, but today, there are plaques installed on the walls commemorating the original owners, the Zimmermans. Cultural and religious diversity helped the region thrive by fostering competition, driving quality, and providing connections to export markets.

Tokaj’s history is grand, but its reputation has changed drastically. It begs the question: what happened?

A Fall into Obscurity: The Abridged Version

Despite popularity throughout Europe, Tokaj’s success began unraveling with the partition of Poland in the late 1700s. Along with other difficult international relationships dictated by the Habsburgs, Tokaj ran into trade problems with key export markets. This was quickly followed with phylloxera in the 1880s. World War I was next, resulting in the Treaty of Trianon in 1920, through which Hungary lost a staggering 71% of its territory, including seven communities and approximately 910 hectares of Tokaji vineyards that are now in modern-day Slovakia. The loss of land also included essential internal markets. Supply soon began to outweigh demand, and producers began to fortify for the first time, a practice that wouldn’t be outlawed until 1991. WWII came soon after this, all but exterminating the immensely important Jewish population and devastating Hungary with the usual horrors of war.

Communist control was the final blow. Collectivized state-controlled mass production took over, and private ownership on a commercial scale came to an end. Steep and terraced vineyards were abandoned for the flatlands. First-class vineyards that had been planted for hundreds of years were quickly consumed by the forest or ripped out altogether. For the next 50 years, until 1989, the loss of key markets, diverse ethnic communities, and knowledge of the land and cellar continued.

Tokaj's Revival

The First Wave of Foreign Investments

In the early days of privatization following the fall of Communism (early 1990s), foreign investments were the dominant engine behind replanting, sourcing updated winemaking equipment, improving farming, and focusing on high quality wines—sweet Aszú in particular. Royal Tokaji Wine Company was one of the first in the region, cofounded by well-known British writer Hugh Johnson. The French soon followed, with estates like Disznókő (owned by AXA Millésimes), Dereszla (CANA), Château Pajzos (Jean-Louis Laborde), and Tokaj Hétszőlő (Grand Millésimes de France). Other key early wineries include the American-owned Királyudvar (Anthony Hwang) and the Spanish-owned Tokaj-Oremus (Vega Sicilia). These investments produced some of the benchmark wines that demonstrated that great wines could be made in Tokaj once again, including the 1993 Royal Tokaji Company Essencia, 1993 Disznókő Aszú 6 Puttonyos, and 2000 Királyudvar Úrágya Dry Furmint. They were also incubators for a new generation of Hungarian winemakers, such as these important figures:

István Szepsy (Királyudvar)
Peter Molnár (Oremus)
János Árvay (Disznókő)
Stéphanie Berecz (Disznókő)
István Balassa (Royal Tokaji)
Károly Áts (Royal Tokaji)
Zoltán Demeter (Királyudvar)

EU & Hungarian Investment

Funds committed to the revitalization of Tokaj through 2020 by the Hungarian government and the EU total 330 million euros. Claessens International has been hired to rebrand Tokaji around the world and modernize the state-owned and largest producer, Grand Tokaj (previously Tokaj Kereskedőház Zrt). Massive vineyard research for the whole appellation is also underway. The rest of the money is largely allocated for infrastructure and tourism, with an overarching goal of higher quality across the board.

The Hungarian government finally targeted Tokaj as a “growth area” in 2014. At the core of this is a 100-million-euro community winemaking project called Közösségi Borászati Infrastruktúra Projekt, which will provide local winemakers access to modern winemaking equipment, including a mobile bottling line. Large custom crush facilities are being built in the villages of Tállya, Tarcal, and Sárospatak. For most local growers and winemakers (those working outside of the larger, foreign-owned wineries), making a living has been very difficult. The region needs incentives like this to help retain and incentivize Tokaj’s driven, dedicated, and creative locals.

Grassroots Initiatives & Research

Fortunately, Tokaj has many passionate people. Soon after privatization, organizations like Tokaj Renaissance (1995) sprang up to foster, protect, and promote a community of like-minded producers. Others soon followed, all with similar aims of raising quality and awareness. These are just a few:

Tokaj Alapítvány (Tokaj Foundation)
Tokaj-HetedHétHatár Egyesület (An organization seeking to reconstruct the classification system)
Confrérie de Tokaj (The Grand Tokaj Auction)
Tokaji Borbarátnők Társasága (Tokaj Woman and Wine Society)
Tokaji Bormívelők Társasága (Tokaj Wine Artisans Society)

Local markets and festivals, the most successful celebrating a specific village’s culture, history, and wine, foster enthusiasm and raise funds that are being used to revive village identities, connect producers, and improve local families’ quality of life. Some of the most notable are Tokaji Ősz (“Tokaj Autumn”), Bodrogkeresztúr’s All Saints' Month Merriment, and Tarcal’s Spring Witching Weekend. In Bodrogkisfalud, they have the Dűlőszelektált Farsang - Borok és Betűk, or “Vineyard-Selected Carnival,” where people dress like up like single vineyards!

Research and education are playing an important role as well. The village of Tarcal is home to the Research Institute for Viticulture and Oenology (RIVOT). Originally a training school started in 1872, it became a research institute in 1949 and in 2011 was rebranded, with goals of research, education, breeding, and clonal selections. RIVOT also publishes Szőlőlevél (meaning “grape leaf”), which has become a crucial resource, especially since quality research-driven publications have been rare in the past 25 to 30 years. In the town of Tokaj, newly renovated museums like Világörökségi Bormúzeum Tokaj and Tokaji Múzeum are amazing resources for trade and consumers alike.

What’s Next?

Tokaj has the nuts and bolts needed to build itself back up again: a diverse range of volcanic soils, vigorous native grapes, unique winemaking techniques (Aszú especially), local cooperages, and a surplus of characters driving the industry at all levels. Yet 25 years isn’t long in the wine world. Out of the 11,000 potential hectares in the appellation, less than 6,000 are currently planted. Efforts toward better clonal selection and planting the right grapes in the right places are underway—but only beginning. And while investments from the EU and the Hungarian government are promising, it remains to be seen if they will go as planned.

There is much work to be done, but the region is well positioned and prepared to move forward. After its wild early successes and a very great fall, Tokaj is finally relevant again and deserving of our attention.

The second installment on Tokaj will take a closer look at appellation law, winemaking styles, farming, key producers available in the US market, and how to contextualize this appellation within the larger world of wine.

Recommended Resources

Books

Alkonyi, Lászlo. Tokaj: The Wine of Freedom. Budapest: Spread Bt, 2000.

Copp, David. Tokaj: A Companion for the Bibulous Traveler. Budapest: PrintXBudavár Zrt., 2008.

József, Dr. Szabó and István Török. Tokaj Hegyaljai Album. Budapest: Gustáv Emich, 1867.

Kézdy, Dániel. Tokaj: People and Vineyards. Budapest: Gourmandnet Kft., 2015.

Lambert-Gócs, Miles. Tokaji Wine: Fame, Fate, Tradition. Williamsburg: Ambeli Press, 2010.

Mészáros, Gabriella and Gábor Rohály. Terra Benedicta: Tokaj and Beyond. Budapest: Ako Kiado, 2003.

Ripka, Gergely. Tokaj Kalauz (Tokaj Guide). Budapest: Enfys Kft., 2016

Szabo, John. Volcanic Wines: Salt, Grit and Power. London: Jacqui Small LLP, 2016.

Informational Websites

Travel Websites