Tokaji

Tokaji (también Tokaj o Tocai), que en húngaro significa «de Tokaj», se usa para referirse a los vinos de la región de Tokaj-Hegyalja en Hungría.

Legend of origin

The emergence of Tokaji wine is associated with the figure of the Hungarian countess Susana Lorántffy (1600–1660). Susanna was the wife of George Rákóczi I, Prince of Transylvania, and consequently the owner of vast lands and vineyards. She personally cared for them and taught many of her servants and her religious, such as Laczkó Máté, the secrets of cultivation. It was due to the constant wars against the Turks and Germans that on one occasion the harvest was postponed until November, and the result was the sweeter flavor typical of the grapes used for this wine.

The name Tokaji

Tokaji wines have a great reputation and history, which, unfortunately, has caused an abuse of the Tokaji name:

• Historically Tokaji was the wine from the Tokaj region in the Kingdom of Hungary. Before the plague of the phyloxera, the wine that grew in the Tokaj region came from various varieties of grapes, especially white. However, many historical references to the Tokaji wine refer to the sweet assua dessert wine.
• The name of Tokay began to be used in the French region of Alsace for wines based on the Pinot Gris variety. In Italy the name Tocai referred to a variety of grapes from the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region.
• The name is also used for a small number of wines from the Slovak region of Tokaj in Slovakia, which until the end of World War I, in 1918, was also part of Hungary since the beginning of the kingdom in 1000. In 1918, a small part of the Tokaj wine region (approx. 1.75 km2) became part of the newly created State of Czechoslovakia. The rest of the region, for the most part, was integrated into the newly created Republic of Hungary.
• With the treaty of accession of Hungary and Slovakia to the European Union, the name Tokaji obtained the status of Denomination of Protected Origin, so that French and Italian producers cannot use the name Tokay or Tocai since March 2007.
• There has also been a long dispute between Hungary and Czechoslovakia (Slovakia since 1993) about the right of the region that still remains there to use the name Tokaji. Negotiations between the two governments led to an agreement in June 2004. With this agreement, the wine produced in 5,65 km2 of land in Slovakia can use the name Tokaj. However, a number of practical issues remain unresolved. Slovakia has committed to introducing the same standards as the Hungarian wine laws since 1990, but it has not yet been decided who will be responsible for monitoring compliance with these laws.

Types of Tokaji wine

Currently only four grape varieties are allowed for wines bearing the Tokaji name: Furmint, Hárslevelü, Sárgamuskotály and Zéta, a cross between Furmint and the variety Bouvier. The Furmint variety occupies 70% of the cultivated area and is by far the most important grape in the production of Aszú wines. However, the region produces an impressive number of different wines, from dry whites to the sweetest wine in the world. The following list reproduces the types of wine produced in the Tokaj-Hegyalja region of Hungary.

• Dry wines: It is generally not taken into account that the Tokaj region produces excellent dry wines. These wines, called ordinárium, mention the variety they are made of: "FurmintTokaji "Hárslevelu and Tokaji "Sárgamuskotály.
• Szamorodni: What differentiates a Szamorodni from an ordinary wine is that it is made from clusters that contain a significant proportion of grapes affected by the action of a parasite fungus, which causes noble rottenness or Botrytis cinerea. These grapes have lost their content in water and sugar is more concentrated. Because of this, the alcoholic graduation of a szamorodni wine is usually greater than in an ordinary wine. Szamorodni usually contains up to 100-120 g of residual sugar. However, if the clusters contain less grapes affected by noble pruning, the residual sugar is lower and the resulting wine is dry.
• Assú: This is the wine that has given fame to the region of Tokaj, and is also quoted in the Hungarian national anthem. The original meaning of the Hungarian word aszú It's "seco." According to the legend, the first aszú was made by Laczkó Máté Szepsi in 1630. However, in Nomenklatura by Fabricius Balázs Sziksai, which was completed in 1576, is already referred to a wine from assua grapes. The concentration of grapes aszú is traditionally defined by the number of grapes Fucking (soap grapes added to a barrel of 136 liters). Currently the number Fucking is based on sugar concentration in mature wine. Aszú varies from 3 Puttonyos up to 6 Puttonyos, there is a higher category called Assú-Eszencia, which represents wines with 7 Puttonyos.
• Szence: It is the aszú with 7 Puttonyos, which is also known by the name of nectar, which is often described as the most valuable wine in the world, although technically it should not be called wine, since its enormous concentration of sugar means that its level of alcohol has never exceeded 5-6 degrees. Eszencia is the juice of the grapes aszú, similar to an almibar, which flows naturally through the grids located at the bottom of the cubes where the grapes are put during harvesting. The sugar concentration in szence wines is typically between 500 and 700 g per litre. Normally szence is added to the Assú wines but at times it is bottled separately.
• Forditás: It means "changed" in Hungarian. To make a Forditás, the grapes aszú, after a first light pressing, are mixed again with the must in fermentation. After the maceration of the grapes a second pressed. Forditás wine reaches 10 degrees of alcohol and is also a sweet wine.
• Morelás: It means "copy" in Hungarian, it is made by adding the must in fermentation to the aszú grape pasta.
• Other sweet wines: In recent years other types of sweet wines have appeared in the Tokaj region. They usually launch a year or 18 months after harvest. The typical sugar content is between 60 to 180 g per litre and contains a proportion of grapes affected by the noble pruning similar to the Assú wines. These wines are often called kesõi szüretelésú ("late harvest wines").