World Of Wine

Octoberfest is the perfect time to sample sweet wine. The range of sweet wines is immense, from the light and delicate German sweets to fortified Sherries; the onset of cooler weather invites a good sweet wine.

In this article, I want to talk about the real tokay. The original tokay should not be confused with American tokay wines, which are typically made with muscat grapes. Nor should we confuse the tokay of Alsace, which uses the pinot gris grape.

The original tokay is Hungarian. It is one of the oldest wine varieties in the world. The Hungarian tokays are blended wines. The appellation control for tokay pre-dates the French Bordeaux by 120 years. Hungarian vineyard classification began in 1730 with 3 areas of classification based on soils, sun exposure, and the amount of noble rot 'Äì botrytis cinerea 'Äì a naturally occurring mold that aids in the development of natural sugar in the ripening grape.

The true tokay wines are from the Tokaj-Hegyalja region of Hungary into Slovakia. The vineyards are along the plateau beneath the Carpathian Mountains at elevations ranging around 1500 ft. The area allows for an extra long ripening period with the hot weather lasting well into autumn. This time in the heat allows for the grape skin to become thin. Much of the juice inside evaporates before harvest and concentrates the sugars of the grape while still on the vine.


There are 6 grape varieties officially approved for Tokaji wine production.

* Furmint

* Harslevelu

* Yellow Muscat

* Zeta

* Koverszolo

* Kabar

The most important grape is the Furmint grape in tokay wine. It accounts for 60% of the wine produced. The Harslevelu grape makes up about 30% of tokay. The remaining four varieties are blended in much smaller quantities.

The most famous tokay is the Aszu. A topaz-colored wine, very sweet and rather thick, Aszu is usually 14% in alcohol or higher. Aszu wine will be rated on sweetness by puttonyos number on the label, the range for Aszu puttonyos is between 3 and 6, the higher the puttonyos number, the sweeter the wine.

Eszencia, also called nectar, is the wine of legends. This tokay has the nickname "Wine of Kings, King of Wines." It was celebrated by Louis XIV, Peter the Great, King Gustav III, Pope Pius IV (who at the Council of Trient in 1562 proclaimed Summum pontificem talia vina decent! Meaning this is the type of wine that should be on the papal table).

Eszencia can be stored for many years. A Polish presidential wedding party in 1933 had 250-year-old Eszencia for the guests. This wine is so sweet, it deserves a very small glass, and drunk in small quantities. The fermentation takes 4 years to complete. The sugar concentration of Eszencia is as much as 900 grams per liter. The intensity of this wine, and the enormous sugar content can technically be called a liquor. It is made solely from the juice exuded from grapes waiting to be crushed for Aszu.

There are a few other Hungarian tokays made, the Masolas, the Foditas and some late harvest, or Kesoi Szuretelesu wines, these are rare in the US. You can find Aszu and Eszencia in good wine shops across the States. They will be in clear glass, a deep straw color and some in 500ml size bottles. You need to look for the Tokaji appellation on the label. Then find the puttonyos number for your taste in sweetness. The Eszencia is beyond puttonyos classification 6, if you are ready. Once you sip a true tokay, all other sweet wines will be judged by that taste.