Royal Tokaji Blue Label 5 Puttonyos Aszu 50cl

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Even those the wines taste incredibly lean, and they’re often aged in neutral oak (in the local Hungarian oak!). Oaking this way adds a subtle body and texture to the lean, mineral profile of the wines. Last Word After the harvest, the aszú grapes are macerated in base wine or fermenting must (which was made from the first harvest) for between 12 and 60 hours. Next, the aszú grape mixture that was macerated in the base wine (sometimes called the aszú dough) is pressed and the resulting juice is fermented. The wine is then stored in oak barrels, which are typically made from oak from the nearby Zemplén forest, and aged for several years in the underground stone cellar systems that’s unique to the Tokaj region. MEASURING SWEETNESS After fermentation the wine is stabilised and matured for several months in tanks or barrels (the proportion of new and used barrels will vary according to the wine) on the fine lees. Late harvest wines are matured for four to six months whilst Sweet Szamorodni wine spends at least one year in our historical cellars. Eszencia is now a segment of wine on its own (no more Tokaji Aszú Eszencia), with a minimum sweetness level of 450 grams/liter (this is, btw, 4 times as much as a can of coke!).

By law, only white grape varieties are allowed to be planted in Tokaj. There are three primary grapes grown here and used by Royal Tokaji: Quality production ended with the Communist Party takeover of Hungarian winemaking. Aszú grapes were used for mass production in factories, with vineyard distinctions lost in giant tanks. Tokaj’s renaissance began after the collapse of communism with the establishment of Royal Tokaji in 1990 by well-known author Hugh Johnson and a small group of investors, who were inspired to restore and preserve Hungary’s precious wine legacy. The Tokaj Region At the beginning of the 20th century, Tokaji Aszú wines were the most expensive in the world, served in the finest restaurants internationally and enjoyed by the Royal Courts of Europe. Hárslevelü (HARSH’-leh-veh-LOO’): 20 percent of the plantings; less susceptible to botrytis, but rich in sugar and aromas; “Hárslevelü” translates to “linden leaf”In other words, Tokaji is defined by a terroir unique in the world, famous for the conditions that favor noble rot, and the late harvest of raisin grapes, highly concentrated in sugar, acid, and aroma. That is why, by royal decree, the region became the first delimited wine region in the world în 1737, just before the Bordeaux, Burgundy and Porto vineyards. Tokaj egyébként a világ első zárt borvidéke, aminek értelmében csak helyi szőlőből készült, kész bor Dry Wines: The fine quality dry Tokaji Furmint is a relatively new development in the region. For centuries the main product of the area was the sweet wine, mainly the Botrytised selections. The dry Furmint got into the attention of wine connoisseurs and experts of the world when the Úrágya 2000 single vineyard selection had been introduced by István Szepsy. The wine expressed great minerality, complexity and structure, which has been experienced only in the finest white wines of historic regions like Burgundy or the Mosel before. The aging potential was also promising. In 2003 more producers of Mád village produced single vineyard selected dry Furmint wines with great success. Mád village with its almost 1200 ha had the opportunity to produce high quality dry Furmint wine in significant quantity as a commune level wine, which can express the unique volcanic terroir of the region, this wine is named after its appellation Mad and produced by István Szepsy Jr. in the Szent Tamás Winery. Vrontis, Demetris; Thrassou, Alkis (2011). "The Renaissance of Commandaria- A Strategic Branding Prescriptive Analysis" (PDF). School of Business, University of Nicosia. academia.edu/. J. Global Business Advancement, Vol. 4, No. 4. pp.302–316. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016 . Retrieved 16 February 2022.

Great service does not happen by accident. Anything that can recognise its importance is fantastic. These people work hard and recognising talent and giving them that reward is very important. It’s wonderful to give them the opportunity to spend time with people like Silvano Giraldin – that has huge value for them. I also saw the Trustees getting real value from being with future talent. It’s a virtuous circle. The glory of Tokaji vineyard wines almost completely disappeared after World War II, and the wine industry in Hungary shared the Eastern European ‘communist tradition’ of quantity over quality. In Bordeaux, the weather along the Garonne River is dank enough to produce the same noble rot essential to the wines of Sauternes. In Germany, the Mosel River provides the same conditions that affect Riesling grapes that are now part of the classification of German Riesling. Despite its price, winemakers don’t make eszencia for the money. “At least one hundred times more grapes are needed for eszencia than for a bottle of table wine,” wrote British wine writer Hugh Johnson of a bottle of his own Royal Tokaji Wine Company’s eszencia. “Eszencia is the purest expression of a terroir and its vintage known to man. Kings, Queens, Emperors, Czars and Popes have recognized eszencia as the purest health restorative wine, and occasional aphrodisiac, for centuries.” THE AGEING CELLARS It was the unique climate that helped the making of the first dessert wine in history obtained from grapes ‘touched’ by noble rot ( botrytis cinerea), which definitively changed the history of European wine. History of the Tokaji RegionThe Slovak wine region of Tokaj may use the Tokajský/-á/-é label ("of Tokaj" in Slovak) [2] if they apply the Hungarian quality control regulation. [2] This area used to be part of the greater Tokaj-Hegyalja region within the Kingdom of Hungary, but was divided between Hungary and Czechoslovakia after the Treaty of Trianon. I met the owner of Royal Tokaji in 2009 and in 2011 was offered the chance to lead the next stage in its development. On the wine side of service, we have seen that the terrifying sommelier no longer exists. There is an understanding that the customer needs more warmth, and a relaxation of formality. The UK industry as a whole has increased its attention to this, which is always seen at the front end by customer. The methods and traditions of producing Tokaji wines have changed little since the 17th century when aszú berries were individually harvested from bunches and collected in 20-liter (55-pound) wooden tubs called puttonyos or hods. The number of puttonyos added to each barrel of base wine made from grapes unaffected by botrytis determined the puttonyos level of the wine. On a scale of one to six, the more puttonyos the sweeter, richer and rarer the Tokaji. Today, a wine’s puttonyos level is determined by the amount of residual sugar in the finished wine, thus the key factor in the production of Tokaji Aszú wines is the proportion of aszú berries to base wine. In Tokaj the harvest is a long, labor-intensive process that begins at the end of August and usually ends in November (though harvesting aszú berries into January isn’t unheard of). There are essentially three types of harvests in Tokaj: the dry wine harvests, the aszú harvest, and the szamorodni harvest.

Situated along the southern slopes of the Zemplén Mountains, Tokaj is characterized by late springs and short growing seasons. The average temperatures are generally cool, with long, sunny summers and dry autumns. Tokaj’s soil is largely clay or loess with a volcanic substratum. The classification system traditionally indicated the number of “puttonyos” – harvesting baskets – (27 litre or 22 – 24kgs) of Aszú berries added to each Gönci (136 litre) cask of fermenting must/base wine. For example, a 5 Puttonyos wine would require 110 – 120kgs of Aszú berries to every 136 litre of fermenting must/base wine. Subsequently, the long-awaited moment of fermentation begins in conditions of low temperature and high humidity. Obviously, the fermentation process is long, and the high-quality wines will have around 10.5% ABV, but with a high sugar concentration. Project Gutenberg e-book: https://gutenberg.org/cache/epub/13041/pg13041.html#id00174. Accessed on 10 September 2021. According to tradition, the unit of measure for sugar concentration is unique and very original. It is expressed in puttonyos, which is a traditional basket used during the harvest that has a capacity of 20 kg. Subsequently, the grapes are added to wooden barrels of 136 liters of must.Tokaji wines have been famous for a long time, which has resulted in their name being "adopted" by other wines: