Tokaj's main wine varieties
Tokaj's special winemaking processes resulted in wine varieties which are completely unique to the region. We will help you to understand these special wine types of Tokaj which were crafted over centuries, so that you can make the right choice when browsing our wine offer.
Tokaj had produced the most expensive wines in the world for several centuries, and that is for a good reason of course. There are three major factors why Tokaj wines are the jewels of oenology: the region's geographical attributes, the high exposure to weather conditions and the labor intensive unique wine making process. The microclimate of this wine region combined with the amazing vulcanic terroir is completely unique to Tokaj, furthermore production of Tokaj’s classical wine types - which are produced from the "aszú" berries thanks to the noble rot - are extremely dependent on the weather conditions, aszú wines cannot even be made in every vintage. Last but not least, the wine making process involves highly intensive manual work with procedures strictly regulated since the 16th century.
Due to their high content of sugar and acidity the most prestigious wine types are perfect for long maturation, the best vintages have the aging potential of several centuries! Tipically, fresh wines have the notes of peach, tropical fruits, apple and honey, adding dried fruits, nuts, fig, tobacco, vanilla on maturation. The following types are exclusive to Tokaj: Essencia, Aszú, Aszúeszencia, Szamorodni, Fordítás, Máslás. Below you will find the description of the most sought wine types of the region.
Essencia
King Of Wines
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A special wine for special occasions, and for wine collectors. Essencia can be aged for several centuries. It is the free-run juice of the hand-picked, botritized grapes, and - as its name suggests - it is the essence of the given vintage in Tokaj. From 100 kg of hand-picked Aszú berries, only around 1.5 liters of Essencia can be made. It takes several years to ferment, and will usually not reach an alcohol level above 3%. It is so intensive and sweet with >450 grams of sugar / liter, it is usually served from a tablespoon. With more than 300 trace elements present in this precious liquid it can also be consumed as a nutritional supplement.
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Essencia had been the most expensive wine in the world and the favourite wine of royal courts across Europe for several centuries.
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Aszúeszencia
The Viceroy
The highest concentration level of Aszú wine - you will find description of what exactly an Aszú wine in the next section. Residual sugar level of the Aszúeszencia is between 180 – 450 grams / liter, which gives the wine the ability to age perfectly. Although you would think that the high level of sugar makes it too sweet to drink, however the level of acidity which is present in the liquid perfectly counterbalances the sweetness; that's exactly the magic of aszú wines, along with the beautiful aromas deriving from the noble rot, the terroir and barrel aging.
This wine type is discontinued from 2013, as it was often confused with the Essencia, hence as time passes this Tokaji wine type is becoming a rarity. Make sure you buy one (or two) if you come across this wine.
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Aszú
The Star of Tokaj
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To make the famous aszú wine, botrytized (aszú) grapes are hand-picked and collected in dedicated containers throughout the harvest in several rounds during several weeks. At the end of the harvest they crush the aszú berries into a paste, also called the aszú-dough, which is then soaked in a „base wine” or must made from normal (un-botrytized) grapes. This process is called maceration. They leave the berries in the base wine from 12 hours till up to 3 days during which they continuously stir the liquid to ensure that the wine or must will absorb the content and bouquet of the aszú berries as much as possible. After this they press the juice and fill it in oak barrels where it will ferment further and will age for at least 18 months.
​On most aszú wines you will find a number with the word "puttonyos", which basically defines the amount and taste intensity of the aszú berries in the wine. In the old times they used the puttony (backpack) to measure the amount of aszú berries mixed with one Gönci barrel (136 liters) of base wine. As an example, the 3 puttonyos wine had 3 backpacks worth of aszú berries in one barrel, the 4 puttonyos had 4 backpacks, etc. The concentration of aszú berries in the wine defines the taste intensity and sugar level. You can find 3-4-5-6 puttonyos aszú wines. The lowest level, the 3 puttonyos, needs to have minimum 60 grams residual sugar / liter, the highest level, the 6 puttonyos, has a minimum of 150 grams / liter sugar level.​
Szamorodni
The Baroness
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Szamorodni is made using bunches of grapes partially impacted by noble rot. In this wine type botritized grapes are pressed together with the regular grapes, giving the wine the beautiful aromas of botrytis, peach, honey and citrus.
There are both sweet and dry wine varieties of Szamorodni. Sweet szamorodni needs to have a minimum residual sugar level of 45 grams / liter, although many producers make sweet Szamorodni with much higher sugar content. The dry Szamorodni is similar in its character to Fino Sherry. Try both, the sweet and the dry variety, and you will find out which one suits you best!
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Wine making process of
Tokaj's unique varieties
Essencia
How is the King Of Wines made?
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Essencia and aszú wine cannot be made in every vintage. As a rule of thumb, in ten years usually there are three vintages when you can make essencia and aszú, as botrytization requires the perfect combination of fog, rain and sunshine.
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During the harvest botrytized (aszú) berries are hand picked from the grape vines. As botrytis does not develop with the same speed on all berries, harvesters usually need to go back several times (3-4 times) with a delay of couple of weeks to select and pick the berries which are ready for harvest. Aszú berries are collected in dedicated containers. The precious liquid of these botrytized berries cannot be extracted by pressing. The berries need to reach a critical mess, and their liquid content, the essencia (also called the nectar) will flow out from the sheer weight of the berries. This liquid is then poured into large glass bottles. From 100 kg of hand-picked berries only around 1.5 liter essencia can be extracted.
Fermentation of essencia takes around seven years due to the extremely high level of sugar, and it usually does not cross 3% of alcohol. This unique nectar is so sweet and intense, they usually serve it by the spoon, and it can age for several centuries.
Aszú & Aszúeszencia
How is aszú wine made?
To make the famous aszú wine, botrytized (aszú) grapes are hand-picked and collected in dedicated containers throughout the harvest in several rounds during several weeks. At the end of the harvest they crush the aszú berries into a paste, also called the aszú-dough, which is then soaked in a „base wine” or must made from normal (un-botrytized) grapes. This process is called maceration. They leave the berries in the base wine from 12 hours till up to 3 days during which they continuously stir the liquid to ensure that the wine or must will absorb the content and bouquet of the aszú berries as much as possible. After this they press the juice and fill it in oak barrels where it will ferment further and will age for at least 18 months.
​On most aszú wines you will find a number with the word "puttonyos", which basically defines the amount and taste intensity of the aszú berries in the wine. In the old times they used the puttony (backpack) to measure the amount of aszú berries mixed with one Gönci barrel (136 liters) of base wine. As an example, the 3 puttonyos wine had 3 backpacks worth of aszú berries in one barrel, the 4 puttonyos had 4 backpacks, etc. The concentration of aszú berries in the wine defines the taste intensity and sugar level. You can find 3-4-5-6 puttonyos aszú wines. The lowest level, the 3 puttonyos, needs to have minimum 60 grams residual sugar / liter, the highest level, the 6 puttonyos, has a minimum of 150 grams / liter sugar level.​
