As part of our Vinitaly interview series, we introduce the third Tokaj winery at the Wines of Hungary stand and look at the unique characteristics of the wine region through their lens. We also ask Nicolas Jelasity, Export Sales Manager, about the Aszú-dry Furmint pair that will be presented at the “Vinitaly in the City” event.
Grand Tokaj, because of its history and size, has a comprehensive view of the Tokaj wine region. If you had to sum up what this wine region has to offer to wine lovers around the world, how would you do it?
The Tokaj-Hegyalja region is essentially unique and its naturally sweet wines are of interest to wine lovers all over the world. We believe that the geographical, cultural and historical characteristics of our wine region make it one of the most exciting and complex tourist destinations in Hungary. And this exceptional complexity is also reflected in the dry and sweet wines of our wine region.
The exciting views of the hundreds of volcanoes that make up the Zemplén Mountains, the hundreds of vineyards and parcels with different soils and microclimates, the proximity of the Bodrog and Tisza rivers and, of course, the unique wine character of botrytis, all provide the opportunity to produce inimitable and colourful wines. The beauty and uniqueness of our natural sweet wines is that the volcanic soil and the presence of botrytis combine to create an exceptionally complex and exciting wine style.
What are the winery’s current plans and strategic directions for the present and future?
Our main goal is to restore the original splendour of natural sweet wines, late harvest wines, Szamorodni and Tokaj Aszú, and to reacquaint wine consumers with this exceptionally exciting, diverse and gastronomically useful style of wine.
At “Vinitaly in the city: In the land of volcanoes: a journey through powerful dry wines and the incomparable Aszú”, the winery will present a very special wine double act: a single vineyard dry Furmint and an Aszú representing the same vineyard, Szarvas-dűlő. How did this duo come about?
The Szarvas vineyard in Tarcal is the Grand Tokaj Winery’s monopole vineyard on the southern (and southernmost) slope of the volcanic cone of Mount Tokaj. In 2013, our first single vineyard Aszú, the 6 Puttonyos Szarvas Aszú, was produced from this exceptional site.
From the sunny terraces of the volcanic block overlooking the Great Plain, our first single vineyard Furmint was made in 2021, thanks to the age of the vines, the exceptional vintage and the stylistic experiments previously made from the Kővágó vineyard. Both wines perfectly reflect the florality, lightness and elegance of the former royal, historic first-class vineyard, thanks to its exciting soil and location.
The 2013 Tokaj 6 Puttonyos Aszú to be tasted by the participants of the “A Multidimensional Hungarian Variety: Furmint” masterclass is a 100% Furmint. What makes this grape suitable for making Aszú?
There are two reasons why Furmint is perfectly suited to the growing conditions of the Tokaj wine region: firstly, its thin skin and good sugar retention make it highly susceptible to botrytis (also known as noble rot), and secondly, it is perfectly suited to highlighting the terroir differences of the region’s diverse soils. This is complemented by a tight and exciting acidity structure, which is able to concentrate with the sugar in the aszú berries and then be released in the Furmint base wine during fermentation. This is why, despite its exceptional sweetness, Aszú can be a complex, vibrant and inimitably long wine, an exciting drink in its own right, but also, with the right creativity, a perfect match for everyday and fine dining.
Which wine should visitors not miss at the Grand Tokaj stand and why?
If I had to pick one wine, it would be the 2017 vintage 5 Puttonyos Aszú. From an excellent Aszú vintage, this is an exciting, complex wine with great depth of flavour, balanced with 184 grams of natural residual sugar and over 8 grams of acidity. Based on Furmint, but using grapes from all six of the region’s permitted grape varieties, this exciting Aszú is a perfect example of what Tokaj and the Grand Tokaj Winery can create in sweet wine today. At once classic and contemporary, this is a style that can only be made here.
For more information about the masterclasses click HERE!