TOKAJI A CLASSIC - LOST & FOUND
BEN HOWKINS
1999 n TOKAJI A CLASSIC - LOST & FOUND
BEN HOWKINS
The International Wine and Food Society n CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION Page 2
IN THE BEGINNING Page 6
THE GONCI CASKS Page 8
TTHE WINEMAKING PROCESS Page 9
THE VINEYARDS Page 10
FIT ONLY FOR A SOVEREIGN Page 12
A SECOND RENAISSANCE Page 14
THE THIRD RENAISSANCE Page 16
VISITING TOKAJ Page 19
BEHIND THE TOKAJI LABEL TODAY Page 20
WINE AND FOOD PAIRING Page 22
INTERNATIONAL WINE & FOOD SOCIETY Page 23
BEN HOWKINS Page 24
WWW.ROYAL-TOKAJI.COM
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o ni 94 hntefrtvnae fprivate of vintages first the when 1994, until not was It Curtain. Iron the behind reach
out of out uneasily and unhappily stood, or lain, has Aszu Tokaji century, half last the for But
association with romance. with association
and brought up from the cellars for grand occasions. Weddings and feasts gave them an them gave feasts and Weddings occasions. grand for cellars the from up brought and
the botrytised grapes long before anyone else. Tokaji bottles were always expensive always were bottles Tokaji else. anyone before long grapes botrytised the
kingdom speaking a language unknown to their neighbours, had discovered the value of value the discovered had neighbours, their to unknown language a speaking kingdom
first great sweet wine. The Hungarians, whose Magyar ancestors had settled in their in settled had ancestors Magyar whose Hungarians, The wine. sweet great first
Sweetness and richness are, of course, signs of wealth. Tokaji Aszii was simply the world's the simply was Aszii Tokaji wealth. of signs course, of are, richness and Sweetness
transformation. Cocoa, strawberry and vanilla were said to be among the key aromas. key the among be to said were vanilla and strawberry Cocoa, transformation.
to taste them reported that the bouquet and flavour had undergone a marvellous a undergone had flavour and bouquet the that reported them taste to
the great Fukier cellar in Warsaw contained 328 bottles of the 1606 vintage. Those privileged Those vintage. 1606 the of bottles 328 contained Warsaw in cellar Fukier great the
able longevity: just before the Second World War, World Second the before just longevity: able unimagin almost attained they addition,
ae rdcdaantteod uigtergo' rqetivsosadbtls In battles. and invasions frequent region's the during odds the against produced rare,
refreshing, yet sweet, vintages produced in limited quantities were always scarce and often and scarce always were quantities limited in produced vintages sweet, yet refreshing,
h raetrvrnehsawy enrsre o oa' nqeAziwns These wines. Aszii unique Tokaj's for reserved been always has reverence greatest The
for the alleged health-giving properties in the wine. the in properties health-giving alleged the for
patients, possibly in the belief that the gold rumoured to be in the subsoil was responsible was subsoil the in be to rumoured gold the that belief the in possibly patients,
in the early part of the 20th century doctors would prescribe Tokaji Aszii to their favoured their to Aszii Tokaji prescribe would doctors century 20th the of part early the in
oa' aosgae,btlmne hth aldt xrc odfo hm Nonetheless, them. from gold extract to failed he that lamented but grapes, famous Tokaj's
Paracelsus, the famous Swiss alchemist, had even performed prolonged experiments with experiments prolonged performed even had alchemist, Swiss famous the Paracelsus,
golden shoots (aurea virgula) on some vine stocks. vine some on virgula) (aurea shoots golden
authors, asserted that the hills of Tokaj contained strains of gold ore and there were there and ore gold of strains contained Tokaj of hills the that asserted authors,
nurtured to almost magical potency. A legend, propounded by several Italian humanist Italian several by propounded legend, A potency. magical almost to nurtured
of Transylvania (now part of Romania) insisted that these rich, fragrant vintages be vintages fragrant rich, these that insisted Romania) of part (now Transylvania of
Its fame also owed something to the reputed healing powers of the wines, for the Princes the for wines, the of powers healing reputed the to something owed also fame Its
some Transylvanian god." Transylvanian some
miles from the Russian borders - surely conceived by the romantic the by conceived surely - borders Russian the from miles imagination of imagination
district in Hungary which is little more than a perfectly formed vine-clad vine-clad formed perfectly a than more little is which Hungary in district hill about 30 about hill
the most remote and strange of all the great classic wines, Tokaji comes from a small a from comes Tokaji wines, classic great the all of strange and remote most the H
sMcalBodetsi nhsGetVnaeWn ok "Perhaps Book: Wine Vintage Great his in said Broadbent Michael As
sheltered from cold easterly winds by Russia's Carpathian mountains. Carpathian Russia's by winds easterly cold from sheltered
One reason was the exotic location of the tiny picturesque vineyards, picturesque tiny the of location exotic the was reason One
ungary's Tokaji wines have always had a powerful yet mysterious reputation. mysterious yet powerful a had always have wines Tokaji ungary's INTRODUCTION production reached the West, that one famous wine writer ushered in the Tokaji renaissance with the words: "Tokaji as our ancestors knew it, is back."
Today, Tokaji Asziis still come in the familiar sloping-shoulder 50cl-bottles, as they have for the last 400 years - a continuity that adds to Tokaji's nostalgic and mysterious reputation. It is also the only wine that traditionally matures upright in underground cellars, and is recorked every six years.
A modern benchmark bottle of Tokaji Aszii would be a 5-puttonyos from the 1991 or '93 vintage. The colour is a clear, golden amber; the bouquet is full of honey, fat apricots and orange peel, elegant and complex, and the taste envelops enormous length and a richness seared by the wine's hallmark of lively acidity. One's eyes cannot but light up at the first sip.
To appreciate the glamour and the reasons behind Tokaji's resurgence, we need to look at the history of Hungary, which clearly mirrors that of modern Europe.
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treasured by the College of Sarospatak, the capital of the region. the of capital the Sarospatak, of College the by treasured
the term 'Aszu grape wine' was listed in a textbook glossary – a copy of which is still is which of copy a – glossary textbook a in listed was wine' grape 'Aszu term the
as had powerful Hungarian noblemen such as Ferenc Dobo and the Bathoris. By 1570 By Bathoris. the and Dobo Ferenc as such noblemen Hungarian powerful had as
century, the King of Hungary, Janos Szapolyai, had acquired a vineyard in those hills, those in vineyard a acquired had Szapolyai, Janos Hungary, of King the century,
for gold, figure in the coat of arms of the County of Zemplen. By the end of the 16th the of end the By Zemplen. of County the of arms of coat the in figure gold, for
Middle Ages is evidenced by the fact that from 1550 the grapes, which could be sold be could which grapes, the 1550 from that fact the by evidenced is Ages Middle
Thereafter the reputation of Tokaji steadily grew. The importance of the wine in the in wine the of importance The grew. steadily Tokaji of reputation the Thereafter
fines or corporal punishment. Tokajians refer to this period as their First Renaissance. First their as period this to refer Tokajians punishment. corporal or fines
supervised by the Chief Justice, and viticultural rules devised and enforced by heavy by enforced and devised rules viticultural and Justice, Chief the by supervised
riaewsdvlpd tnswr eoe,trae ul,telyu fvineyards of layout the built, terraces removed, were Stones developed. was Drainage
loess (windblown dust) amassed here over the centuries. the over here amassed dust) (windblown loess
viticulture, consisting of crumbled lava deposits on top of volcanic rocks and fertile and rocks volcanic of top on deposits lava crumbled of consisting viticulture,
Twenty-eight villages were eventually named, all situated on soil eminently suited for suited eminently soil on situated all named, eventually were villages Twenty-eight
exemption from tithes. from exemption
carried with it a number of privileges granted by successive Hungarian rulers, such as such rulers, Hungarian successive by granted privileges of number a it with carried
matter of quality control; before serfdom was abolished, Tokaj-Hegyalja citizenship Tokaj-Hegyalja abolished, was serfdom before control; quality of matter
concerning the rights of villages to use the magic word 'Tokaji'. This was not just a just not was This 'Tokaji'. word magic the use to villages of rights the concerning
beneath the dominant Hill. However, a bitter controversy raged about its boundaries its about raged controversy bitter a However, Hill. dominant the beneath
The vineyards sit on gentle slopes bordered by the picturesque rivers Tisza and Bodrog and Tisza rivers picturesque the by bordered slopes gentle on sit vineyards The
dominated by the Turks, Habsburgs and Transylvanians. and Habsburgs Turks, the by dominated
enjoyed relative freedom between the borders of a country broken into three areas, three into broken country a of borders the between freedom relative enjoyed
refuge in the foothills of the Tokaj-Hegyalja (Tokaj Hill) in the north east. Here they Here east. north the in Hill) (Tokaj Tokaj-Hegyalja the of foothills the in refuge
1526 brought the vineyard in the south under Turkish rule, and many growers took growers many and rule, Turkish under south the in vineyard the brought 1526
region was in the south, around Lake Balaton. However, the great Battle of Mohacs in Mohacs of Battle great the However, Balaton. Lake around south, the in was region
centuries before Hungary produced its own. At first, the predominant wine-producing predominant the first, At own. its produced Hungary before centuries
The taste for rich luscious wines had been established at Court, but it was another two another was it but Court, at established been had wines luscious rich for taste The
through Vienna. through
were increasingly hindered, however, by the ruling Turks and had to be diverted be to had and Turks ruling the by however, hindered, increasingly were
0breso t iea a nent,mc noe yhsnbee.Supplies noblemen. his by enjoyed much indemnity, war a as wine its of barrels 30
of Venice and it is recorded that in 1358 Hungary's King Louis the Great received Great the Louis King Hungary's 1358 in that recorded is it and Venice of
the southern coast of Greece. In the Middle Ages, Malvasia had come under the rule the under come had Malvasia Ages, Middle the In Greece. of coast southern the
origins in the raisin wine produced many centuries ago on the island of Malvasia off Malvasia of island the on ago centuries many produced wine raisin the in origins
The concept of Tokaji 'Aszu', a word which literally means 'dried berries', has its has berries', 'dried means literally which word a 'Aszu', Tokaji of concept The IN THE BEGINNING THE IN In the 16th century Aszu, according to Balazs' Szikszai Fabricius, was made from 12 different grape varieties. None of these, however, included the two main cepages grown today: the sharp furmint that contributes acidity and the indigenous harslevelu that gives a rich spicy flavour. Originally, the main variety seemed to be a grape called porcins, now extinct, of whose style nothing is known.
Early in the next century, Mate Szepsi Laczko, a priest from the village of Erdobenye, started experimenting with the furmint grape, producing the first Aszvi wines as we know them. Laczko realised that the furmint grape could produce berries with more juice than harslevelu, but it took more than a century for the furmint to be widely utilised.
Some time after his initial experiments, this resourceful priest, who had by then become steward of the household of Zsuzsanna Lorantffy, consort of Prince Gyorgy Rakoczi I of Transylvania, was about to start the vintage when news came of another Turkish invasion. The Hungarians flocked to the defence of their country and no one was available to pick the crop.
Legend has it that when the harvesters returned to their vineyard in November, all the grapes had dried on the vine. Nevertheless Szepsi instructed his men to pick them. When they were piled up in the manner of the time, a glorious honeyed syrupy liquid began to ooze out. They called the amazing nectar Essencia. Meanwhile Szepsi, realising that the must of dried berries needed refreshing, blended the pulp with the table wine from the previous harvest. Thus Tokaji Aszu was created, and Mate Szepsi, "the man who invented Tokaji", is now one of the great personalities of wine history, just as another man of God, Benedictine monk Dom Pierre Perignon, is known as "the father of champagne".
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were designated Tokaj-Hegyalja. designated were
The vineyards at that time covered 6,000 hectares and the 28 villages within the area the within villages 28 the and hectares 6,000 covered time that at vineyards The
punishable by caning. by punishable
grapes was considered so high by 1641 that to take home even one handful became handful one even home take to that 1641 by high so considered was grapes
y12,mxmmyed e etr a enlglydfnd h au fAszu of value The defined. legally been had hectare per yields maximum 1620, By
precisely the size of gonci barrels in which the Tokaji wines should be transported. be should wines Tokaji the which in barrels gonci of size the precisely
The first record of the gonci cask appeared in 1577. In 1611 the Polish Diet defined Diet Polish the 1611 In 1577. in appeared cask gonci the of record first The
created in these underground cellars contributed to the characteristics of Aszu wines. Aszu of characteristics the to contributed cellars underground these in created
gonci (or gonczi) casks thus evolved as a local speciality. The humidity and mould and humidity The speciality. local a as evolved thus casks gonczi) (or gonci
the barrels were made in the local village of Gonc (or Gonz), the 30 gallon 30 the Gonz), (or Gonc of village local the in made were barrels the As required.
surprisingly ideal maturing conditions. They were so small that a special sized cask was cask sized special a that small so were They conditions. maturing ideal surprisingly
holes', the locations of which were kept secret. These single vaulted cellars provided cellars vaulted single These secret. kept were which of locations the holes',
from marauding soldiers. So they excavated rock or earth cellars, known locally as 'rock as locally known cellars, earth or rock excavated they So soldiers. marauding from
continued to make it against immense odds. They then had to hide the precious produce precious the hide to had then They odds. immense against it make to continued
not only did the Hungarians invent one of Europe's most valuable wines, but they but wines, valuable most Europe's of one invent Hungarians the did only not
Despite this continuous warfare, which brought untold suffering and immense damage, immense and suffering untold brought which warfare, continuous this Despite
Habsburg emperor and Polish armies straddled the Magyar countryside. Magyar the straddled armies Polish and emperor Habsburg
uk,Hnainsprtsstidt i needneb eyn h roso the of troops the defying by independence win to tried separatists Hungarian Turks,
Hungary was a continuous battlefield for many years. Christian armies fought the fought armies Christian years. many for battlefield continuous a was Hungary THE GONCI CASKS GONCI THE THE WINEMAKING PROCESS
The principles involved in producing Tokaji Aszii wines have varied little over the centuries.
Gradually the start of the harvest was moved from St Michael the Archangel's Day - 29 September - to Simon & Jude's Day on 28 October to allow more grapes to be affected by the botrytis fungus, which concentrates the 'noble rot' sweetness.
Quantities differed enormously from year to year, but each Aszu berry (ie. each grape affected by noble rot) was hand picked and collected in a puttony. A puttony is a hod that contains 20-25 kilos of Aszii berries and it is also a measurement used in determining the sweetness of the final wine.
These delicate berries were until recently processed by treading into Aszu dough or paste. This intense pulp, nowadays produced by crushing, is then blended into the base wine from the previous year's harvest. This gives the wine more body and acidity and a rich refreshing quality. The number of puttonys added to a barrel containing 130 litres creates the level of richness or sweetness in the resultant Aszii must. So the more puttonyos are added, the richer and more intense - and precious - the wine will be.
A second fermentation then starts, and this can continue for months and even years, since the high sugar content slows down the process, as does the fact that the Tokaj cellars are mostly deep and cool. This is the secret of the amazing longevity of Tokaji.
9 n THE VINEYARDS
In 1700, each slope was classified by Prince Rakoczi into 1st, 2nd and 3rd class (or growth). Seventy-six vineyards were classified as 1st class, or Primae Classis in contemporary Latin. Exceptionally, two were raised to the heights of Great 1st Growth, Mezes Maly and Szarvas. Fifty-nine vineyards were classified as 2nd class, and 38 as 3rd class. This was 56 years before the Pombal demarcation of the Douro Valley and 155 years before the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce's classification. Vineyards that were too high or too low (or facing the wrong way) were listed as 'unclassified'.
The principal vineyards were to be found close to a string of neighbouring market towns and villages. Tokaj is the main market town because it lies at the junction of the rivers Tisza and Bodrog, which gives the region the necessary surface water to produce the early morning mists that encourage noble rot to affect the grapes. The dominant Tokaj Hill or mountain rises to 1,372 feet, but although it gives its name to the whole district, "it is not considered as the place where the best wine of the whole district grows." That distinction properly belonged to the two neighbouring market towns – Mad and Tarcal. It was in Mad that all the great vineyard proprietors gathered and "magnificent entertainments" were given. It was important for foreign wine merchants to come to Mad, as it was here that the prices of Aszii wines were fixed for the whole region. It also boasted seven Ist-class vineyards, including Nyulaszo, Szent Tamas and Betsek, which exist today.
However, of all the Hungarian market towns and villages that are beginning to be recognised on the international wine map, Tarcal historically is the most famous because its Ist-class vineyards are continually exposed to the sun or have a situation open both to east and west. The two great 1st-Growth vineyards, Mezes Maly and Szarvas, are here, together with 18 Ist-class vineyards. The chapel built in the reign of Maria Theresa is still standing at a height above sea level of 586 feet. Zombor has six Ist-class vineyards, including Disznoko.
The market town of Tallya is renowned for the fact that in 1562 Pope Pius IV proclaimed that its wines surpassed all others. In his astonishment he exclaimed: "Sumtnum Pontificetn talia vina decent." ("The Supreme Pontiff prefers these special wines.") Monok was the home of Count George Andrassy, famed for his cellars as well as his wines.
From 1733 to 1800 a company of Russian soldiers was regularly stationed at Bodrogkeresztiir to buy wines for the Czar's Court. Count Falkenheim maintained his beautifully situated vineyard at Kisfalud. At Erdobenye, a place of some 2,300 inhabitants, the "shady foliage of a wild romantic valley" concealed a mineral spa
10 n whose source was in an abandoned gold and silver mine. Tolcsva was another market town overlooked by an old castle built on its hill.
Sarospatak, on the right bank of the River Bodrog, was then - and is now - one of the north's largest towns and features the only important castle still standing.
11 n FIT ONLY FOR A SOVEREIGN
The rulers of Hungary and the producers of Tokaji Aszii soon realised the wine's potential as a bargaining tool. As a result, it became an unlikely instrument of war when Prince Ferenc Rakoczi II of Transylvania sent a small cask to Czar Peter the Great, hoping for his support in the Hungarian War of Independence.
By the end of the 18th century, the fame of Tokaj's Aszii had spread throughout Europe. Over the following 150 years great bottles in great years became available only to privileged customers. Pope Benedict XIV wrote to Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria and Queen of Hungary, in grateful acknowledgement of a gift of Tokaji wines: "Happy is the country which grows them. Happy is the Queen who sends them. And happier still am I who drink them."
Louis XIV kept supplies for his mistress Madame de Pompadour, and successive Popes slept with bottles by their bedsides. Voltaire, who had perhaps tasted the wine on his visit in 1751 to the Court of Frederick the Great, waxed lyrical on the subject, and English poet John Betjeman's Summoned by Bells begins:
Balkan Sobranies in a wooden box The college arms upon the lid Tokaji and sherry in the cupboard ...
Most of the finest vineyards were owned by the Hungarian Royal Household, and the Emperor Franz Joseph made the princely gesture of sending Queen Victoria a gift of Tokaji every year on her birthday - a dozen bottles for each year of her age. Year by year the present augmented in size until in 1900, her penultimate - 81st - birthday, she received 972 bottles of the rarest of all wines (history, alas, does not tell us how many she drank).
As chronicled in Romance of Tokaji, published by London's famous wine merchants Berry Bros & Rudd ca. 1933, the incomparable 'Haley's Comet' vintage of 1811 still tasted superb after 114 years, thanks to its high sugar content and penetrating acidity: "Its bouquet was overwhelming in its intensity and silky richness and the first sip bewildered the palate with a harmonious multiplicity of exquisite sensations."
Even the great 'Waterloo' port vintage of 1815 was judged by Christie's Wine Review of 1973 to have lasted only to the mid-1930s. Berry Bros, by then the authorised custodians of Tokaji under successive Hungarian governments, proclaimed: "We do not advocate the indiscriminate use of fine Tokaji Wines, for the good reason the
12 n supply is limited." They did, however, print some fascinating unsolicited testimonials, including one from a customer who wrote: "Send immediately one case of the wine that removes the screws from the coffin lid."
13 n A SECOND RENAISSANCE
Demand diminished in the war-ridden mid-19th century. In 1864 the Tokaj-Hegyalja Vinicultural Association, in an effort to reverse the trend, circulated a scholarly and beautiful album (written by Stephen Tovok) in Hungarian, with its text translated into three other languages - German, French and (rather quaint) English. Its declared objective was: "To make known to the civilised countries the birth place of the far famed Tokaji wine, to show with what prodigality of beauty and grandeur Nature has endowed the place where the King of Wines has fixed his throne ... and to show this mountain district is of no small importance both in a financial and a commercial point of view."
These aims led to what can really be described as the second renaissance of Tokaji. There is also something uncannily perceptive in the cry, almost 135 years ago, for help and recognition. As Stephen Tovok concluded in his preface: "Hungary will perceive that she is destined to be a link in the chain of civilisation between East and West and that she will appropriate to herself the superior advantages of the West, while transferring them to the East." (We are mindful that Hungary is due soon to be admitted to the European Union.)
King George V was the last British monarch known to have enjoyed Tokaji. During his illness in 1931, Joseph Vecchi, patron of London's Hungaria restaurant, was asked to provide two bottles for His Majesty. The 1889 vintage was proposed. Vecchi was proud to be the only person in London able to provide it.
But the second renaissance was short lived. The Russian Revolution stripped Tokaji of a second most important export market. The First World War had destroyed the power of the Austro-Hungarian nobility. The Second, followed by the Communist regime, signalled the end of quality. The prognosis was not good.
The State Wine Farm - the Borkombinat -began to control all commercial production, and its cooperative Monimpex controlled all the exports. In exchange for natural gas, 90 per cent of all wine produced was sent to the USSR.
The Aszii grapes - which had produced unique wines - became used for mass production in factories. Istvan Szepsy, a respected producer in Mad and a kinsman of the 17th-century priest, remembers how he was encouraged and motivated to produce as many hectolitres per hectare as he possibly could. Vineyards were overcropped. Pruning was ignored, individuality was ignored, quality was ignored. The Russians preferred their imported Hungarian wines to be mellowed with oxidation, making
14 n them strong and darkish to give warmth. It was as though the French government were to issue a decree that all wines from Burgundy must be blended together (goodbye Montrachet; farewell Romanee-Conti; adieu Beaune) and sold as light burgundy, light-medium burgundy, medium burgundy, medium-heavy burgundy and heavy burgundy. So it was with Tokaji Aszii, which was then sold as 3 puttonyos, 4 puttonyos, 5 puttonyos, and 6 puttonyos, all of which designated the level of sweetness. The distinctions of terroir had been replaced by a giant tank. For two or three generations, no investment went into quality. And so it continued until 1989, when with the change of regime, bartering for gas stopped overnight.
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discreetly lobbied and eventually they accepted the integrity of the new investors. new the of integrity the accepted they eventually and lobbied discreetly
Peter took his new evidence to the Ministry of Agriculture. Senior civil servants were servants civil Senior Agriculture. of Ministry the to evidence new his took Peter
of Tokaji wine, Antal Szirmay, which detailed the classification. the detailed which Szirmay, Antal wine, Tokaji of
bookshop in Buda, discovered a volume in Latin published in 1803 by the noted chronicler noted the by 1803 in published Latin in volume a discovered Buda, in bookshop
Incredibly, the fact came to light only in 1990 when Vinding-Diers, browsing in a in browsing Vinding-Diers, when 1990 in only light to came fact the Incredibly,
his detailed vineyard classification of 1700. But no one today remembered this. remembered today one no But 1700. of classification vineyard detailed his
systems: As we saw, Prince Rakoczi had consolidated all the rules and regulations into regulations and rules the all consolidated had Rakoczi Prince saw, we As systems:
The Tokaj-Hegyalja wine region had one of Europe's earliest vineyard classification vineyard earliest Europe's of one had region wine Tokaj-Hegyalja The
kilometres long, on three levels and hold a million litres of wine in their gonci casks. gonci their in wine of litres million a hold and levels three on long, kilometres
cellars which traverse the volcanic soil some 20 metres beneath Mad. The cellars are 2 are cellars The Mad. beneath metres 20 some soil volcanic the traverse which cellars
80 hectares of vineyards and makes its wines by flickering light in the 13th century 13th the in light flickering by wines its makes and vineyards of hectares 80
and export Tokaji in living memory. The company now owns the freehold to more than more to freehold the owns now company The memory. living in Tokaji export and
Royal Tokaji Wine Company was created, the first foreign private company to produce to company private foreign first the created, was Company Wine Tokaji Royal
West wanted to invest in their vineyard oasis; thus a joint venture was born and the and born was venture joint a thus oasis; vineyard their in invest to wanted West
Istvan Szepsy and his friends and family were delighted that at last someone from the from someone last at that delighted were family and friends his and Szepsy Istvan
had excited the czars and all those kings and popes. and kings those all and czars the excited had
sought eagerly for the next sip, the next glass, the next bottle. This was the wine that wine the was This bottle. next the glass, next the sip, next the for eagerly sought
opeeesrle rudtemuhfruedn iue.I i o ly One cloy. not did It minutes. unending for mouth the around rolled completeness
of honey and dried fruits. Its richness seared with penetrating acidity. Its sensual Its acidity. penetrating with seared richness Its fruits. dried and honey of
il.Isfutwsntmse yoe-xdto.I a la,gle n lv,tasting alive, and golden clear, was It over-oxidation. by masked not was fruit Its yield.
each good vintage they had kept back a few casks produced from a much lower crop lower much a from produced casks few a back kept had they vintage good each
lotaltergae n iet h okmia omk omrillvn,in living, commercial a make to Borkombinat the to wine and grapes their all almost
found to be the custodians of the true Aszii. Although they had been obliged to sell to obliged been had they Although Aszii. true the of custodians the be to found
It was the same Istvan Szepsy, now in his late 40s, and some of his colleagues who were who colleagues his of some and 40s, late his in now Szepsy, Istvan same the was It
to rediscover the aristocratic wine that had once been so revered. so been once had that wine aristocratic the rediscover to
and discover if any of the noble traditions had been preserved. They were determined were They preserved. been had traditions noble the of any if discover and
him to Hungary and take a look. Their objective was to probe behind the Iron Curtain Iron the behind probe to was objective Their look. a take and Hungary to him
Hugh Johnson, who had written about Tokaji in The World Atlas of Wine, to go with go to Wine, of Atlas World The in Tokaji about written had who Johnson, Hugh
n18,Dns-onyatgr n itra aqe ee idn-ir,persuaded Vinding-Diers, Peter manque, historian and guru yeast Danish-born 1989, In
treasure be relocated? be treasure
were known to only a handful of vignerons. The map was available, but could the could but available, was map The vignerons. of handful a only to known were
going almost unheeded. The knowledge and secrets of the making of this great wine great this of making the of secrets and knowledge The unheeded. almost going
Tokaji Aszu - that wonderful nectar - had been ill-treated for generations, its last gasp last its generations, for ill-treated been had - nectar wonderful that - Aszu Tokaji THE THIRD RENAISSANCE THIRD THE The authorities began to realise what the true potential shift from Communism to Western values might mean to them.
And so, in the last decade of the millennium, the Hungarian government privatised the best wine estates which had been administered by the Borkombinat. The first to invest were three French insurance companies: GAN (led by Jean-Michel Arcaute who acquired the Megyer and Pajos estates), AXA (led by Jean-Michel Cazes, who acquired the Disznoko estate), and GMF (led by Aymer de Baillenx who acquired the Hetszolo estate). By 1992 the Spanish wine company Vega Sicilia had acquired the Oremus estate and installed Andras Bacso, the previous Borkombinat director who desperately wanted to produce better wines, as its manager.
Almost overnight, this remote kingdom was back in the wine atlases. The locals were bemused, the government thrilled at the foreign investment. Their bureaucratic legacy was the all-powerful OBI, the department within the Ministry of Agriculture which monitored wine and quality control. Relationships were strained at first, but now harmony prevails. Both the foreign investors and the government were determined to recreate the great wine that was Tokaji, not just to produce a modern imitation.
There were few rules of engagement in Tokaji in the early 1990s. Now there are various research projects under way in cooperation with the University of Budapest. There is also a continuous need to undo the malpractices which the region's cellar masters and vineyard managers had been encouraged to pursue. Investors have been obliged to prune better, reduce yields, replant where necessary, renew barrels more often and generally increase and evolve a new style of husbandry.
Probably the most important development in the past few years has been the creation of an association of owners of Ist-Growth vineyards, happily named The Tokaji Renaissance, launched at the great French wine fair Vinexpo in 1995. It is pledged to respect the 18th century classification. Andras Bacso, a Hungarian moving spirit towards quality during privatisation, was the first President, succeeded by Istvan Szepsy, the most respected independent grower. Andras Egyedi is Director.
In September 1998, Dr George Rasko who, as Secretary of State for Agriculture during the privatisation programme, enabled all this to happen, became Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Hungary, responsible for food and agriculture. The "Tokaji Renaissance" is now a clear priority for the Hungarian leadership.
Through sheer determination, there is beginning to be a more confident and positive culture in these almost forgotten market towns and villages. Buildings are being restored, the workers have a new pride in what they produce. It is still said that the
17 n Hungarian who enters the revolving door behind you emerges in front of you, but there is firm loyalty to the proprietors.
18 n VISITING TOKAJ A PERSONAL NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
The undernourished villages in the region - Tokaj itself, Mad and Tarcal - await foreign visitors with a mixture of trepidation and eagerness. They desperately want to share their unique wines with the outside world. Over many visits during the past five years, several images clearly stand out of the unforgettable excitement of one's first tasting. Creaky wooden doors in the side of the hillside are pushed open to reveal stone steps descending into humid semi-darkness. The temperature outside was 82°; inside it is always 50°. Lowering the head, one is led through blackened tunnels with single tiered gonci casks left and right. That afternoon more than 40 wines were tasted, all straight from the cask. The glorious fatness and searing acidity of these world-class wines left one with a whistle-clean finish and a clear non-cloying taste in the mouth, an unusual experience in any great cellar.
The author's second image is of accompanying a well-known international wine editor into our 13th-century cellars. He had been a bit sceptical. He descended into the mould-lined cellars, set up his laptop PC (the first PC ever to be laid on a gonci cask?) and sipped 6-puttonyos 1993 single estate wines. "Wow," he proclaimed in high excitement. "Now I can really see why you crazy guys have come here - these really are first-class wines."
Thirdly, a word of caution. All underground cellars in Tokaj are cold and very humid. Short trousers may be appropriate in the vineyards but once the producers lure one into the cellars, they are so generous with sampling that an hour or so can easily slip by as one sits on a bench around a table, marvelling at all the different tastes. Goose pimples are neither pretty nor pleasant, so warm jackets are now provided.
The region is gradually edging itself into the European wine trail. The best route is to fly to Budapest, board the Intercity express to Miskolc, a journey of exactly 1 hour and 47 minutes, and then arrange to be driven 45 minutes to Tokaj. The director of Tokaji Renaissance, Andras Egyedi, speaks excellent English and will arrange visits to wine cellars where one may purchase the wines.
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and sought after. The wine writer Hugh Johnson and the author recently enjoyed an enjoyed recently author the and Johnson Hugh writer wine The after. sought and
the greatest years. The wine lasts for centuries, looks like honey and is extremely rare extremely is and honey like looks centuries, for lasts wine The years. greatest the
The ultimate nectar is, of course, Essencia, of which tiny amounts are bottled even in even bottled are amounts tiny which of Essencia, course, of is, nectar ultimate The
only in great Aszu years, such as 1993. as such years, Aszu great in only
go up to 350 grams of sugar per litre. These gloriously intense wines are produced are wines intense gloriously These litre. per sugar of grams 350 to up go
Further up the scale, Aszu Essencia describes wines of 7 to 9 puttonyos, which can which puttonyos, 9 to 7 of wines describes Essencia Aszu scale, the up Further
and concentrated in their tastes. their in concentrated and
wines are balanced between richness and refreshing acidity, and 6-puttonyos are intense are 6-puttonyos and acidity, refreshing and richness between balanced are wines
slgtmdu;4ptoyswnsbgnt civ h is opeiis 5-puttonyos complexities; first the achieve to begin wines 4-puttonyos light-medium; is
These will show the quantity of puttonyos ranging from 3 to 6. A 3-puttonyos wine 3-puttonyos A 6. to 3 from ranging puttonyos of quantity the show will These
Without question, the wines attracting attention now are the great Tokaji Aszu wines. Aszu Tokaji great the are now attention attracting wines the question, Without
Thus all Aszu is Tokaji, but not all Tokaji wines are Aszu. are wines Tokaji all not but Tokaji, is Aszu all Thus
Szamorodni is always sold in 50cl bottles. 50cl in sold always is Szamorodni
are all picked together and where the incidence of noble rot is not very prevalent. very not is rot noble of incidence the where and together picked all are
sweet as they are generally made from vineyards where the Aszu and non Aszu grapes Aszu non and Aszu the where vineyards from made generally are they as sweet
Aszii', called Szamorodni. This literally means 'as it comes': the wines can be dry or dry be can wines the comes': it 'as means literally This Szamorodni. called Aszii',
harslevelu or muskotaly grapes and sold in 75cl bottles, or it will be the 'poor man's 'poor the be will it or bottles, 75cl in sold and grapes muskotaly or harslevelu
not appear, then the wine will either be a dry white table wine made from the furmint, the from made wine table white dry a be either will wine the then appear, not
The first area on the label to check is the category. If the words Aszu or Essencia do Essencia or Aszu words the If category. the is check to label the on area first The
the others are concentrating on the old intense fruit flavours. fruit intense old the on concentrating are others the
rnhondwnre r ern oadamr lwr atre tl,whereas style, Sauternes flowery more a toward veering are wineries French-owned
at which the house aims. At this stage, it is probably true to say that certain of the new the of certain that say to true probably is it stage, this At aims. house the which at
main factors are terroir, vineyards and yeasts, together with the tasting style and direction and style tasting the with together yeasts, and vineyards terroir, are factors main
aiywnmkr.TenwTkj ossaejs einn hspoesaan The again. process this beginning just are houses Tokaji new The winemakers. family
Each port and champagne marque has evolved its style over many generations of generations many over style its evolved has marque champagne and port Each
as the greatest of the new renaissance. new the of greatest the as
ground-breaking wines in 1990, 1991 and 1992, with the 1993 vintage being acclaimed being vintage 1993 the with 1992, and 1991 1990, in wines ground-breaking
1988 which tend to have their fruit masked by over-oxidation, the latter produced latter the over-oxidation, by masked fruit their have to tend which 1988
1989 yielded little Aszii wine. The former include great vintages such as 1972,1983 and 1972,1983 as such vintages great include former The wine. Aszii little yielded 1989
1950 to 1988) and low yield wines made by private companies from 1990 onwards. 1990 from companies private by made wines yield low and 1988) to 1950
high yield wines made by the Borkombinat under the Communist regime (around regime Communist the under Borkombinat the by made wines yield high
When buying Tokaji, one should be aware that there is a clear dividing line between line dividing clear a is there that aware be should one Tokaji, buying When BEHIND THE TOKAJI LABEL TODAY LABEL TOKAJI THE BEHIND Essencia 1864 at Berry Bros, rich but magically youthful.
The next thing to look for is the name of the producer. Each new company making wines from the 1990 vintage onwards has highlighted its name and origin on the label. For example, the French companies have tended to call their companies after the main vineyard they purchased from the State, so we have Chateau Disznoko, Chateau Megyer, Chateau Pajzos and Domaine Hetszolo. The Spanish wine company Vega Sicilia calls its wines Oremus. The independent British-Hungarian company named The Royal Tokaji Wine Company, which started in 1989, uses Royal Tokaji as its company and brand name. It owns parcels of several 1st and 2nd Growth vineyards, which have always belonged to private families, and identifies vineyards such as Nyulaszo and Szt. Tamas on the labels. These sumptuous single vineyard wines are currently the most sought after by collectors because of their rarity value. Royal Tokaji is the only company to make Aszii exclusively; all the others produce a range.
Each bottle will carry a seal of quality in Hungarian colours around its neck. There is no need to decant Tokaji Aszu. A wine of this richness is best served cool. Hugh Johnson has even designed a special Aszu wine glass similar to a port glass, showing off the sensational gold and orange colours as well as concentrating the intense fruit aromas.
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in London for its enthusiastic encouragement. enthusiastic its for London in
and the Director General and Staff of the Hungarian Cultural Centre Cultural Hungarian the of Staff and General Director the and
Mr Puszki Istvan and Ms Alison Pilpel for their meticulous hel meticulous their for Pilpel Alison Ms and Istvan Puszki Mr
The author and editor wish particularly to thank to particularly wish editor and author The
does for you at the beginning. the at you for does
up by Hugh Johnson: "Tokaji does for you at the end of the meal what champagne what meal the of end the at you for does "Tokaji Johnson: Hugh by up
excited by the latest Renaissance. The significance of this noble wine is best summed best is wine noble this of significance The Renaissance. latest the by excited
Tokaji in order that it would be with him at his moment of death, would have been have would death, of moment his at him with be would it that order in Tokaji
Raymond Postgate, pioneering restaurant critic, who always travelled with a bottle of bottle a with travelled always who critic, restaurant pioneering Postgate, Raymond
La Tache or Grand Echezeaux. Grand or Tache La
Mezes Maly, Szt. Tamas and Nyulaszo are becoming as sought after as Romanee-Conti, as after sought as becoming are Nyulaszo and Tamas Szt. Maly, Mezes
great news story. Hitherto unknown single vineyard 1st class or Growth wines such as such wines Growth or class 1st vineyard single unknown Hitherto story. news great
wine trade welcome back the prodigal with such open arms and confidence. It is a is It confidence. and arms open such with prodigal the back welcome trade wine
Tokaji has a great history and future, and it is rewarding and encouraging to see the see to encouraging and rewarding is it and future, and history great a has Tokaji
Tokaji has so far been denied this. denied been far so has Tokaji
had well known and respected companies to help the consumer identify with quality. with identify consumer the help to companies respected and known well had
not. Sauternes has Chateau d'Yquem as its flagship. Port and champagne have long have champagne and Port flagship. its as d'Yquem Chateau has Sauternes not.
and champagnes have for generations been riding the affluent tidal waves. Tokaji has Tokaji waves. tidal affluent the riding been generations for have champagnes and
h e eeaino ooayTkjashv ra akaed atre,port Sauternes, ahead. task great a have Tokajians honorary of generation new The
on wine lists. Like all great wines it is magnificent just by itself. by just magnificent is it wines great all Like lists. wine on
to offer Tokaji Aszu wines by the glass, when as little as three years ago it was a rarity a was it ago years three as little as when glass, the by wines Aszu Tokaji offer to
the wines' refreshing rich fruitiness. The great restaurants of the world are beginning are world the of restaurants great The fruitiness. rich refreshing wines' the
being exported and makes a fine culinary match with Tokaji. Cigar aficionados love aficionados Cigar Tokaji. with match culinary fine a makes and exported being
Foie gras, that great Hungarian product and conventional partner to Sauternes, is now is Sauternes, to partner conventional and product Hungarian great that gras, Foie
Louis XIV and Peter the Great would surely have approved. have surely would Great the Peter and XIV Louis
cetcmns oTkj sbigakdt ac n vnfita h o al ftaste. of table top the at flirt even and dance to asked being is Tokaji so menus, eclectic
As restaurants all over the world are now happily experimenting with more and more and more with experimenting happily now are world the over all restaurants As
enjoyed after food in the same way that the British have enjoyed port. enjoyed have British the that way same the in food after enjoyed
the Mayor's with floods of wine all through, and then Tokaji." Tokaji was always was Tokaji Tokaji." then and through, all wine of floods with Mayor's the
walking through Hungary in the mid-1950s, "The evening ended in a dinner party at party dinner a in ended evening "The mid-1950s, the in Hungary through walking
Traditionally, and as Patrick Leigh Fermor underlined in his delightful account of account delightful his in underlined Fermor Leigh Patrick as and Traditionally, WINE AND FOOD PAIRING FOOD AND WINE
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United Kinkdom. United
London W1X 6JD, W1X London
Berkeley Square, Berkeley
9 Fitzmaurice Place, Fitzmaurice 9
The International Wine & Food Society Society Food & Wine International The
Its address is: is: address Its
currently drawn from eight countries. eight from drawn currently
in the City of London's historic Guildhall. The Society is administered by a Council, a by administered is Society The Guildhall. historic London's of City the in
The Andre Simon Collection, an important library of gastronomic books, is housed is books, gastronomic of library important an Collection, Simon Andre The
accommodation for members. for accommodation
In London it maintains an international Secretariat with club facilities and residential and facilities club with Secretariat international an maintains it London In
monographs and the annual digest Food and Wine, as well as a yearly vintage guide. vintage yearly a as well as Wine, and Food digest annual the and monographs
wine and gastronomic tours, and distributes and publishes quarterly newsletters, quarterly publishes and distributes and tours, gastronomic and wine
rmlclatvte,i od nitrainlgteiga es neaya,organises year, a once least at gathering international an holds it activities, local from
h oit a ebr noe 0cutis n rnhsi oto hm Apart them. of most in branches and countries, 40 over in members has Society The
fgo odadwn sa seta ato iiie a flife. of way civilised a of part essential an is wine and food good of
the world who are united in their belief that a sensible appreciation of the pleasures the of appreciation sensible a that belief their in united are who world the
The International Wine & Food Society is an association of men and women all over all women and men of association an is Society Food & Wine International The THE INTERNATIONAL WINE & FOOD SOCIETY FOOD & WINE INTERNATIONAL THE
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WWW.ROYAL-TOKAJI.COM
world's greatest wines. greatest world's
easac,i eiae oretbihn eonto o oaiAz soeo the of one as Aszu Tokaji for recognition reestablishing to dedicated is Renaissance,
of the Royal Tokaji Wine Company and, as a founding member of the Tokaji the of member founding a as and, Company Wine Tokaji Royal the of
Spirit Education Trust and serves on the Council of the Wine Guild. He is a Director a is He Guild. Wine the of Council the on serves and Trust Education Spirit
do Vinho do Porto and the Vintners Company. He has lectured for the Wine and Wine the for lectured has He Company. Vintners the and Porto do Vinho do
Food Society's guide to port -Rich, Rare and Red - and is a member of the Confreria the of member a is and - Red and Rare -Rich, port to guide Society's Food
of wine -particularly fortified and dessert wines. He wrote The International Wine & Wine International The wrote He wines. dessert and fortified -particularly wine of
with many leading vintners, inspired his commitment to educate others to the enjoyment the to others educate to commitment his inspired vintners, leading many with
receive this award, and the experience gained then, in Europe's vineyards and working and vineyards Europe's in then, gained experience the and award, this receive
Ben Howkins was awarded the Vintners Scholarship in 1963, the youngest person to person youngest the 1963, in Scholarship Vintners the awarded was Howkins Ben BEN HOWKINS BEN