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понедельник, 25 июля 2016 г.

Dessert Wines: What is Tokaji Aszu Wine?

A guide to Tokaji and Tokji Aszu, one of the most famous Hungarian forms of dessert wine.
 

Whilst France is famous for Sauternes and Germany its Eisweins, Hungary is also home to a legendary sweet wine in the form of Tokaji Aszu. Whilst Tokaji Aszu is a wine of great repute, the region has suffered over the years. Fortunately for wine lovers, interest has begun increase in recent years, and there are some good examples of Tokaji leaving Hungary once again.

What is Tokaji Aszu?

Tokaji is a wine producing region within Hungary and produces a range of both sweet and dry wines. However, it is Tokaji Aszu, the sweet wine, for which the region is most famous for and often simply referred to as Tokaji.
Tokaji Aszu is made from grapes which have been subject to the noble rot Botrytis cinerea, and are subsequently left on the vine to shrivel for maximum sweetness. The grapes of Tokaji Aszu are Furmint, Harslevelu, Muscat Lunel and Oremus.
The sweetness of Tokaji Aszu wines is measured on a scale using “Puttonyos” and are highlighted below:
  • 3 Puttonyos – 6-9% Residual sugar
  • 4 Puttonyos – 9-12% Residual sugar
  • 5 Puttonyos – 12-15% Residual sugar
  • 6 Puttonyos – 15-18% Residual sugar
  • Tokaji Aszu Eszencia – Over 18% Residual sugar
  • Tokaji Eszencia – 40-70% Residual sugar

The Story of Tokaji Aszu

Louis XIV described Tokaji as “the wine of kings and the king of wines”, quite a compliment from the king of such a legendary wine producing nation as France. However, since this time Tokaji has had a difficult history and a struggle to maintain production and its reputation. Following the attack of the deadly aphid phyloxera, the vineyards of Tokaji were restored, only to then be devastated by two World Wars.
After World War Two Hungary entered a period of communism, which saw the nationalisation and confiscation of the country’s wine making industry. As such, fine wines such as Tokaji were neglected in favour of blending and large scale production for the masses. Fortunately since the end of communism private investment have flooded into Hungary’s wine industry, and once again the country has begun to produce high quality bottles of Tokaji for export, as well as domestic consumption.

Serving Tokaji Aszu

  • Aging – Tokaji is ready to drink when released, released bottles will already have been aged for significant periods of time by the producer and so further bottle aging is not required.
  • Pairing – Tokaji is an extremely sweet wine and is usually served with dessert, Tokaji goes great with a slice of cheese cake.
  • Glass Size – Serve Tokaji in a small glass, the wine is extremely sweet and rich in flavour.
  • Temperature – Tokaji should be served slightly chilled, treat Tokaji like other dessert wines in this respect.
  • Keeping – Unlike many wines, Tokaji, like Port, will keep for months, even after the bottle has been opened. This is largely the function of the high levels of sugar present in the wine.


 

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