City of winemakers in Hungary. What types of Hungarian wine are there? What am I paying for?

The wine has a sweetish rich taste and a spicy muscat aroma. It is easy to drink, as it is not very strong, and can be served with. You can buy it quite inexpensively - at a price of 2.00-2.77 €.

For those who like tasting, the doors of several museums are open: in Szentendre and Tokaj, where at the same time you can learn many interesting facts from the history of winemaking in the country. However, true connoisseurs strive to visit at least once one of the 19 festivals dedicated to Hungarian wines. Such holidays are held annually in different regions of the republic. One of the most famous is the February carnival with feasts, exhibitions and wine tasting in Khandushang.

In July you can go to Eger. Hundreds of tourists, residents of the city and surrounding areas have fun here at the Bull's Blood festival. The end of summer and the beginning of autumn is the time of the Suret - the festival of winegrowers in the city of Sopron. It's worth visiting Budapest in November. Here in Vajdahunyad, an ancient castle, a festival of young wine and cheese takes place. And this is only a small part of the events from which you can bring the best examples of Hungarian winemaking.

Tokaj wine from Hungary won the sympathy of even citizens of the USSR. Dessert white and dry wines were of high quality, affordable and had a rich flavor of raisins and honey. Pairs perfectly with popular Hungarian dishes. Where did they come from and where does this name come from?

Tokai varieties

Tokaj (or rather, Tokaj-Hegyalya) is the name of the Hungarian part of the wine-growing region, most of which belongs to Hungary, and a smaller part - 7 villages - to Slovakia. On each bottle you see the brand name in capital letters - Tokaji, but few people know that there are also different varieties of it.

• Tokai-asu. The same “king of dessert wines” that Louis XIV himself spoke with delight about. It is made from sun-dried (as experts say, “raisinized”) berries. Asu is the most time-consuming variety to produce: the wine can mature in a barrel for up to 10 years.
• Native. This Tokay is the simplest and is made from standard raw materials - collected and unsorted berries, the clusters of which are tightly tied, blocking the access of moisture and causing the sugaring process.
• Essence. The most intense type of Tokaji in terms of sweetness and taste.

You can recognize the Tokaji variety by the label - one of the three above types will be indicated under the brand name. The grape variety is also indicated - in this case it could be

• "furmint"
• "Harshlevelu"
• "yellow nutmeg"

Production technology

The harvesting of berries for asu takes place in October - at 3-4 weeks, similar to our “Indian summer”. At this time, the grapes are overripe, and the same Botrytis cinerea mold appears on the surface of the berries, which creates special conditions for their dehydration. Considering that it does not appear on the entire bunch at once, but on individual berries, finding and collecting them is not an easy task.

The raw materials are collected and the berries are processed. The first stage is the press: the grapes are pressed extremely carefully, the seeds should not be damaged. After this, the “base” (dry white) wine and the resulting mass of half-crushed berries are mixed - this mixture is kept at room temperature for 2 days, after which it is poured into oak barrels.

Native - also known as Tokaji Szamorodni: no berries are selected for the production of this variety. The clusters, previously intercepted from the vine with a thread (to limit the access of moisture to the berries and to sugar them), are collected entirely. Subsequently, crushing occurs, mixing with base dry wine and maturing in barrels. The taste of native is extremely variable - it all depends on whether the summer was sunny. If so, it becomes sweeter; if not, it acquires a distinct sourness.

The essence is prepared from the juice of berries that are not pressed at all - the juice leaves them due to overripeness. In addition, there is not much juice itself (such berries are most similar to raisins) - it is viscous and has a high concentration of sugar. When added to a "base" wine, it makes the final product extremely sweet. There is essence in its pure form, which is produced in limited quantities and costs a lot of money.

Best harvests by year

And here’s what the list of the best harvest years for Tokaji dessert wine looks like. The mysterious word puttonyos (“puttoni”) is a basket for collecting berries with a capacity of 23-25 ​​kg. The number before the word indicates the amount of raw materials collected for that particular wine.

• Aszu 3 Puttonyos / 2000
• Aszu 5 Puttonyos / 1993
• Aszu 6 Puttonyos / 1999
• Aszuesszencia / 1999
• Essencia / 1993
• Furmint Icewine / 2003

Dry wines from Hungary

Tokaj wine from Hungary is of excellent quality and attractive prices: the entire European market is showing keen interest in this combination. Dry wines from this country are quite powerful competitors even to Italian products.

Where to buy Hungarian wines

Unfortunately, buying original Hungarian wine is becoming more difficult every year. The market is literally flooded with cheap Moldovan counterfeits, passed off as tokay or furmint. And yet you can find a quality product - of course, not only in Hungary itself, but also in Russian supermarkets.

In Hungary

There are also a lot of fakes in the country's chain stores, but if you still decide to save time and buy wine there, look at the price tags starting at 20 euros. Real Tokaji is not sold cheaper.

A more preferable option is to buy in specialized establishments - wine cellars, of which there are plenty in the cities of Hungary (just like in the Czech Republic - beer bars).

In Moscow

First of all, these are specialized networks for the sale of foreign alcoholic beverages, which have “live” points of sale not only online. An important condition is that in this case it is easy to establish the authenticity of the drink: it is enough to require the appropriate certificate, which should be available from any official dealer.

Winemaking is considered one of the main occupations of the people of Hungary, and the most famous Hungarian wines are Harslevelu and Furmint. There are twenty regions in this country that produce high-quality alcoholic products.

In the article:

History of Hungarian winemaking

The Celts were the first to introduce grapes to this country. Further, the process of making wine nectar was supported by the Roman emperor Probus. It was he who gave the order to plant the Danube slopes with vineyards. Historical documents confirm the fact that in the distant fifteenth century more white wines than red wines were produced in this territory. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, the quantity of the drink produced, and therefore the sales of this product, increased significantly. However, at the end of the century, a phylloxera epidemic spread, destroying almost seventy percent of all vineyards.

This period was followed by difficult war times and the stage of socialism. And already the beginning of the 90s was marked by the beginning of modernization and revival of the wine industry, as well as the emergence of new vineyards.

Since then, Hungarian wine products have been known throughout the world for their excellent taste, ensured by the peculiarities of the climate and soil. The varieties of wine berries that are grown only in this area are cultivated here. Traditional varieties are considered:

• Cabernet;
• Pinot;
• Chardonnay;
• Muscat;
• Riesling.

Peculiarities of grape harvest and wine production in Hungary

During the grape harvest process, the bunches are placed in special containers that can hold up to 25 kilograms of wine berries, called putton boxes. Raisin berries are placed under light pressure. Due to the fact that they are already dried and have lost some of the moisture, only a small amount of essence is squeezed out of them. The squeezed out concentrate is placed in special glass flasks.

The concentrated juice is then divided into the one that will be infused in barrels, called Asu, and the one that cannot be aged, its name is Late Harvest. During aging in barrels, grape nectar is oxidized, which gives it a rich taste and aroma.

Late Harvest is considered a more modern category, aimed at the younger part of the population. Asu are intended for true connoisseurs of this intoxicating potion. These drinks have a high sugar content. According to local legislation, this category may have the following sugar levels: 3, 4, 5 and 6 puttons. If the sugar concentration exceeds 60 grams per liter, then this is Aszu 3 Puttonyos, from 150 grams - this is Aszu 6 Puttonyos.

Popular Hungarian wine producer

Château Dereszla Tokaji Aszú 3 puttonyos

Chateau Derezla is one of the most important Hungarian producers. Relatively recently, the company merged with the French manufacturer Edonia, which owns plantations not only in France, but also in Argentina. Ten years ago, the winery was completely reconstructed, old equipment was replaced with new, more modern ones.

Today, the company's vineyards are located in one of the most favorable terroirs in the country - Tokaj, which has unique natural and climatic conditions. The company owns 60 hectares of land planted with grapes, the average age of which is 35 years.

The drink is aged in caves where the walls are covered with mold. This unique microclimate prevailing in the cellars gives the products of Chateau Derezla a unique taste.

List of the best Hungarian wines

The combination of factors such as the unique climate, rich soils and Hungarian grape varieties makes it possible to produce special drinks with a unique smell and taste. All this makes Hungarian wine products so different from the products of Western Europe.

Azu or Aszu is considered one of the most popular Hungarian wines, which may well compete with French Sauternes. To make it, they take grapes with Botrytis mold, botrytis cinerea. This mold leaves a whitish coating on the berries and appears when humid fogs descend on the plantations located along the Bodrog and Tisa rivers. Thanks to such weather conditions, the berries become candied. This is the reason for the presence of a sweet taste in.

What types of Asus are there:

• "Asu" - in dry young wine Asú berries are added.
• “Native” (sweet and dry) - whole bunches are selected to make the drink.
• “Asu Essence” – the taste of the drink is enriched with nectar.
• “Essence” – the concentration of residual sugar is approximately 600 grams per liter. This species is pure raisin berry nectar and is not produced annually. In those years when it is produced, the volume of production is no more than twelve liters per year, which is one ton of grapes. The intoxicating drink is aged for two decades in oak barrels, and then in a bottle after bottling.

According to local standards, the minimum period during which this type is aged in barrels is two years, and then another year in bottle. It is worth noting that wine can remain in a bottle for longer than one year; this factor remains at the discretion of the manufacturer.

Egeri Bikaver

Another local celebrity is the Egeri Bikaver, Eger Bull's Blood, which is produced from varieties such as Cabernet, Kadarka, Medoc Noir, Oporto and Kekfrancom. The drink has a rich dark garnet color and a pleasant aroma. The taste can be described as velvety, harmonious and tart.

Tokaji Harslevelu

Tokaji Harslevelu

Furmint, Sargamuskotal and Harslevelu - these varieties are also very important in Hungary, as they have an unforgettable taste, delicate aroma and a good level of acidity. In short, they have all the qualities to create Hungarian wines in their best traditions.

Harslevelu and Furmint became the basis for most of the famous Tokaj wine products. In Tokaj, Furmint accounts for almost seventy percent of the entire plantation area. Local winemakers claim that this type most accurately reflects the characteristics and character of the Tokaj terroir. Furmint grows on volcanic soil. Raisin berries are used to make wonderful sweet wine nectars, as well as dry wine, for example, Furmint Dereszla Kft.

Wine Atlas Furmint Tokaji 2014

Also special for Hungary is the Sárgamúskotal (or Muscat) grape, which is used both in blends and for making wine.

Wine Dereszla Kft Furmint Late Harvest

The best wine products from Tokaj are made from these three types. By the way, an interesting fact - Hungarian legislation allows only white grapes to be grown in this region. The following types are built here:

• Harshlevel;
• Furmint;
• Kirajyleányka (kirayleanka);
• Muscatel;
• Bakator;
• Cserszegi fűszeres (cherszegi fuseresh).

I would like to mention another species that has almost been forgotten in Hungary - the Keknyelu. It gives wines energy and richness of aroma.

Many other varieties are also used in the country:

• Feteasca Alba, Feteasca Alba or Leanyka - has a light, aromatic taste;
• Feteasca Regala or Kiralyleanyka – adds freshness;
• Mezesfeher (“White Honey”) – sweet, has a rich taste and an enveloping aftertaste;
• Olasz Rizling, Welschriesling;
• Grape hybrids: Cserszegi Fuszeres, Irsai Oliver, Zenit and Zefir;
• White: Welshrizling (Riesling Italico - Italian Riesling), Feteasca Neagra, Leányka.

Grape variety Feteasca Neagra

As for international varieties, I would like to note the following:

• Sauvignon Blanc;
• Chardonnay;
• Tramini;
• Muscat;
• Merlot.

In Hungary, red wine is not very popular, but they also make it. For example, Kadarka, which is also called a “workhorse”, is used for blends. Red wine is produced from Nagyburgundi or Kekfrankos. They grow best in the north of the country.

Wine “Kadarka semi-red.

Other red varieties include:

• Pinot Noir, Blauburgunder;
• Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon;
• Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Franc;
• Zweigelt (zweigelt);
• Feteasca Neagra.

Tourist tours to the country's grape regions are extremely common in Hungary. Millions of people come here every year to try the local wine, which has made the country so famous throughout the world. If you are lucky enough to visit this country, wine from Hungary will be the best gift you bring to friends and family.