Although the Sauternes in France may be the most known region in the world for the production of dessert wine, many people don’t realize that comparable wines are being made in the Tokaji (pronounced Tokay) region of Hungary. These wines are known as Tokaji Aszu and are flavorful and full bodied.
Legend has it that the Aszu wines were first produced over 300 years ago by accident. In the 1600s, the Turks invaded the region during the grape-growing season. The Hungarians were able to withstand the invasion and defeated the Turkish armies, but while they were busy fighting the war, no one harvested the grapes. By the time that the growers returned, all the grapes had dried up on the vines. The grapes were finally harvested and placed in a large pile. One grower noticed a very tasty honey-flavored syrup oozing from this pile and decided to blend this “syrup” with a basic table wine from the previous harvest — and thus began the Tokaji Azsu-style of wines.
At present, Hungary is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the end of Communist control that had been in place from the late 1940s through 1989. During this period, Aszu wines were over-oxidized and brown in color — meaning that the wine had too much contact or exposure to oxygen. An over-oxidized wine usually smells somewhat old and tastes stale.
After Communist control ended, Hugh Johnson (considered one of the top-selling wine authors worldwide) and several investors founded the Royal Tokaji Wine Company, with the desire to re-introduce the world to the Azsu-style of wines.
Ben Howkins, an investor and a leading expert on Port wines, led a recent tasting of several of his companies’ wines. When asked about the wineries’ goal, Howkins replied that their first goal was to produce wines at the same level they had been prior to Communist control and he believe this goal has been met.
The Azsu wines are produced using grapes that have been affected by Botrytis — also known as “noble rot” — which essentially is a mold that removes water from grapes causing their natural sugars to become concentrated. Production of this style wine requires the presence of certain weather conditions which allow noble rot to occur, so in some years no wine is produced. Royal Tokaji didn’t produce any wines from the 2001, 2002 and 2004 vintages.
Royal Tokaji produced their first vintage of Azsu in 1990. In tasting several of their wines, the 1999 Mezes Maly and the 2000 Bestek both stood out, but the real highlight was the 2000 Essencia. All of these wines had copious flavors of apricot, white peach and honey. Both the 1999 Mezes Maly and the 2000 Bestek paired well with blue cheese and would also complement an aged Gouda or stand up to a Manchego cheese.
The 2000 Essencia had a thick feel in the mouth and is perfect to drink by itself. The Essencia is made from the free run juice of grapes that are hand-picked — one at a time. Free run refers to the first juice that flows from grapes prior to being pressed.
This tasting was my first experience with any wines produced in Hungary. The Royal Tokaji wines were delicious and a highlight of the tasting event. The next time you walk into a wine shop, take a look around at all of the wines available from different countries — I did and was shocked at just how many corners of the world produce wine.
Jim Rawe, a family attorney in Bradenton, is an avid collector of fine wines. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at jimrawe@gmail.com.
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