Tokay had already been produced for many years when Louis
XIV of France made this famous statement in 1650. These luscious sweet wines
were highly prized by emperors and kings alike. Indeed, so precious were
they that Catherine the Great kept troops of Cossacks purely to protect the
wines on their journey from Hungary to Russia.
Tokay is produced in a variety of styles from the dry aperitif
Szamorodni to the intensely sweet Tokay Essencia. All of the older wines
have come from the Tokay museum and are from the finest vintages of the 50s
and 60s. The dry Szamorodni is a wonderful aperitif wine and is not unlike
very good fino sherry. The sweet Szamorodni has similarities to the Aszu
in that it has a proportion of botrytis affected grapes. The Aszus themselves
are rich, luscious dessert wines produced only in the best years.
The sweetness is denoted by the amount of Puttonyo they contain.
A Puttonyo is a tub which is filled with handpicked botrytis affected grapes
that have been kneaded to a paste. A number of these Puttonyos are added
to the original dry wine. Three, four or five Putts are most commonly seen,
very occasionally six Putts. The higher the number the sweeter the wine.
As in Sauternes, the botrytis cinerea or Noble Rot is highly
prized. It shrivels the grape leaving the concentrated sugars behind and
this is what gives the Aszus their rich sweetness.
Following these wines is Aszu Essence, produced only in exceptional
years from the very best vineyards. It is made purely from botrytis affected
grapes, hand selected.
