This was the title for the first trade tasting held in London, or to be precise trade and consumer tasting. To summarize the event in one word: well done. This would be actually two words, the venue was magnificent, great producers and everything was just perfect. Decanter, Tokaj Renaissance, Wines of Hungary and ITD Hungary the sponsors for this well organized tasting.

Celebration of 20 years, the new “Tokaji” if you like could have been another title too. After 1989 a lot of new investment hit the wine region, after the Soviet Union collapsed, fall of the iron curtain, Hungary was once again free, so where the wines as well. Independent thinking and quality wine making got re-introduced in this probably one of the oldest wine regions in the world, Tokaj-Hegyalja.

Beside the show casting 12 producers from the wine region, Stephen Brook held a presentation for the trade on Tokaj and later Hugh Johnson attended as a special guest for the consumer event, later in the evening. I have not been around for the later event, but I’m pretty sure it went down well, having a great host, fantastic wines and a marvellous venue. What else do you need? Just the people of course.

It was a great idea to hold a seminar for the trade on the wines and the wine region Tokaj-Hegyalja. I do preach this now since quite a few years why not have more events on Hungarian wines all around the world. At Hungarian Embassies (free venue), in partnership with well respected organizers (in this case Decanter), and besides just showing the wines a presentation a more in depth focus on the wines, region, etc. (it must be done also on the London Wine Fair as well, LWSF).

Stephen Brook gave a brief out line of the region, his first visit was back in 1986, and he must have tasted the same wine again and again. It was meant to be for the Soviet, communist market. Under the motto probably: if it’s sweet enough, it’s good enough.

Since the collapse of the USSR a lot of foreign but also local investment has been done in the wine region. I shall point out one benefit, which I experienced in Argentina for instance. In Buenos Aires the Dereszla Aszú was probably the only foreign wine (apart from Champagne) it some of the wine shops which I visited. It simply means for me, to be represented internationally, a positive exposure.
I told this experience to Patrick d´Aulan the head of the Edonia Group which owns Chateau Dereszla, great effort, well done.

The major difference which you could point out to Sauternes, Tokaji has a far higher acidity. While a Sauternes has around 150 g/l residual sugar (RS), an Esszencia can have as much as 600 g/l (or see the notes below). There is also more extract and glycerol due to the maceration (aszú berries with base wine or must/unfermented or fermenting must).

As Stephen was pointing out every estate does the aszú wine making differently, either with base wine or fermenting must (chilling it down) later one according to some wine maker (recipe) provides more extraction.

It was interesting that due to the high acidity, the wine needs a longer time as well. In particular the dry wines. Dry Furmint is something fantastic if it’s done well. While the issue is very complex but I agree with Stephen on that a hint of residual sugar could do well, get the balance between acidity and residual sugar right. Some people asked whether Hárslevelü is a better wine for dry, I don’t think it would be bland, probably the name is more difficult to pronounce. Somló boosts some great Hárslevelü (aka Linden leaf), but here again to get the balance right is crucial. Sometimes a bit of over ripe berries (maybe even a touch of botrytis) work just fine, or simply to look out for phenolic ripeness.

Something else what was interesting and the style of sweet wines. Regardless of how you make it, aszú wines are recognizable and very much detectable in a blind tasting. I had my success stories on this, quite a few. Certainly, there was a debate between old styles vs. new style, by a lot of aszú wines not gaining the permission of the authorities (OBI). The style debate oxidative – reductive. Earlier: co-op barrels got not topped up, quick oxidation, flavours turned into caramel, toffee, heavy nuttiness, and acetaldehyde. The later, (new style) new comers, foreign investment, French oak, fresh cleaner style, etc. More a story of the past. Reductive aszú technology doesn’t exist anyway; on the other side overly oxidized wines are of no good.

Back to my issue, aszú has a recognizable style, no doubt. But what about dry Furmint? I don’t think so, I just complained about this in one of my older article. To put it simply, a lot has to be learned on this. István Szepsy is leading, a lot of other people follow, and this is good. The path however is a long one. Therefore I do not understand why some people try to make a Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc. You have to walk first before you run. Stephen suggested this is probably more meant for the domestic market. True, as who would care about Tokaji (or Zempléni as the law forbids it to be named under the wine region) Chardonnay, when they can have Burgundy, California, Australia, Chile, South Africa…shall I continue Chardonnay. Better quality, better price and more exciting as well.

It is important that the wine region boosts beside the sweet wines some fantastic world class dry wines, the only answer for this are local grapes, like Furmint which express the truth terroir. The structure must become clear on the surface as it is for the aszú wines.

Minerality question is quite something interesting and without going into great details and loosing my self in this maze. Just one note whether sweetness covers minerality and becomes hard to detect in an interesting one.

I heard just recently that the Dobogó winery planted some Pinot Noir, I had a chat with Izabella, but firstly I asked Stephen Brooks on this: Worth to keep an eye on them, but Vosne Romanée doesn’t have to worry about it. As said, everything probably more for the domestic market.

There is a lot of debate going on between Slovakia and Hungary on the wine region, Tokaji. While clearly this article is reflecting my point, it has to be resolved at the political table, European Union, etc. said Stephen Brook. To the question whether he tasted any Slovakian Tokajsky as they call it, he said: “Visited the region, didn’t impress me”. Thought so.

When it comes to the price Tokaji seems to be for one people in a great value for money sweet wine for others too cheap for the quality (especially compared to TBA´s, Sauternes). While this again is probably an endless debate and the consumer will decide. But what was alarming that the older vintages still sit in the cellar and they’re not yet gone. This is interesting what he pointed out. Worth to think about.

That’s it folks, okay not quite. During the seminar there were quite some interesting wines, on the focus of the sweet ones. And whether late harvest wines from the Tokaj wine regions are really confusing should be discussed a different day.

Just one more though. The 12 producers showed a very good line-up what’s possible in the wine region, great diversity, good quality I very much hope there will be more such events throughout the world. Brining the wines of Tokaj closer to the trade and consumers. Well done once again to the organizers.

Tasted wines 2/11/2009 (see all Tokaji wines)
(Note: the seminar wines are listed under the individual producers. Some of the seminars got re-tasted at the stand, but there is only 1 tasting note for them. The tasting happened from dry to the sweet once (disregard the seminar), which means all the dry ones got tasted first and then the sweet ones thereafter. The sweetness levels got mixed up afterwards, (e.g. 3 puttonyos, 6 puttonyos, late harvest, 6 puttonyos again, etc.), this made a bit harder but with breaks, water and longer chats with producers it got sorted.

Alana Tokaji Furmint 2006
Took 2 years to ferment (!) in barrels. Golden colour, lot of different combination of apple on the nose, with a blossom and grapefruit in hot pursuit. Complex nose. Dry, good acidity, refreshing, hint of almond, vanilla on the palate yet with zinginess. No MLF, good body and complex notes, fine finish.

Alana Tokaji Hárslevelü (dry) 2005
Attila Gábor Németh is the wine maker (he is also in charge with the NAG Estate in Gyöngyös, Mátralja wine region). Medium golden colour, with a bright honey, ripe fruit, pear, peach on the nose. Dry, good acidity, soft mid palate and a slightly bitter finish. Ripe fruit in the middle and between, a very interesting, I reckon you could call it a great dry Hárslevelü, yes why not?! Attila was explaining this and also the Furmint fermented for 2 years, quite amazing. Came down from just above 15% to around 14%. There is 20% aszú (shrivelled, botryitized grapes)-slight bitterness coming from here, perhaps. The harvest happened in November. Did he first finish his harvest in the Mátra region first and then rushed over to Tokaj (not too far from each other). Sort of just happen like this, 2 years in 225 l barrels (old), battonage happened, fermentation on low temperature.

Alana Autumn in Tokaj (LH Cuvée) 2006
Good golden colour, soft fresh – young tropical fruit on the nose. Nice, botrytis, gentle sweetness and a good freshness, balanced. Fine late harvest.

Alana Tokaji Aszú 6 puttonyos 2005
Golden colour, spice and herbal notes. Hint of mint, citrus fruit and peach. Lovely touch of sweetness, there is certain coolness in the aszu wine yet very elegant but still a baby. Great acidity and balanced with the sweetness, round and with good finesse.

Béres Tokaji Sárgamuskotály (Muscat Lunel) 2007
Pale colour, with a light floral touch on the nose. Pretty indeed. Dry, crisp, floral – lemon fruit combination, simple yet elegant, it finishes in a nice way, pleasant.

Béres Tokaji Furmint Löcse (dry) 2007
It was one of the older vintages of the Béres family which put them on the map of making serious dry Furmint, varietal wines. It was a benchmark production and ever since I do look out for the wineries dry Löcse Furmint. Pale straw yellow colour, hint of stone fruit with a touch of creaminess, vanilla on the nose. Dry, hint of creaminess on the palate, good acidity and minerality, yet something disturbing the picture or not quite there. Slight bitter finish (due to the alcohol, or tannins from the wood?!). Correct wine, but not quite there.

Béres Tokaji Szamorodni (dry) 2003
Light golden colour, medium intense on the nose, with a light touch of almond, nuttiness, whiff of salt. Soft stone fruit aromas, good acidity, medium long finish.

Béres Tokaji Magita Cuvée 2007
Be named after the beautiful girl who lived during the Ottoman occupation in Erdöbénye and saved the people of the region by sacrificing her own life.
Blend of three varieties, Furmint providing the weight and backbone, Hárslevelü the elegance and bouquet and Kövérszölö the spiciness. Light golden colour, ripe nose aromas of stone fruit and botrytis notes. Sweet on the palate, clean and crisp, but with the elegance and finesse on the finish. Not too heavy, a rather effortless beauty of late harvest botrytis wine with not much if any oak impact.

Béres Tokaji Aszú 6 puttonyos 2005
Clear, light golden colour, tropical fruit with a fresh attack on the nose. Fairly pronounced but not too heavy. Good kick of sweetness, fabulous, round, tropical fruit with a hint of spice, anise, and complex. It has weight, but it’s still effortless, not weak though, but finely balanced, great acidity. 10% ABV, 170 g/l RS, 9,1 g/l TA.

Bodvin Tokaji FurmintBetsek (dry) 2007
Gábor Orosz the wine maker, he releases under his own name just single vineyard wines as he explained to me. He pointed out that it’s a very complex task to make a dry wine. Get the acidity right, if it’s over ripe oxidation can play a major role. Not just the sugar contact but also the phenolic ripeness is very crucial. Pale straw yellow colour, green apple on the nose with a hint of minerality. Dry, crisp, soft touch, ripe fruit beside apple, plenty of citrus touch, nice to drink the minerality adds to the complexity.

Bodvin Király Hárslevelü 2007 (dry)
Straw yellow colour, cool and soft nose with a hint of pear and citrus, lime fruit. Dry, crisp, soft ripe density.

Bodvin Cuvée 2007
Light golden colour, soft and gentle on the nose with a fresh fruity, light botrytis character. Soft sweetness and ripe fruit, good balance and harmony between sweetness and acidity. Gábor says to me the its around 4,60€, ex-cellar. Very good price indeed.

Bodvin Tokaji Aszú 6 puttonyos 2003
Deep golden colour turning into amber. Ripe fruit on the nose with a touch of spice and minerality. Dried fruit attack on the nose, pronounced indeed. Great concentration of sweetness, very deep, lush hint of smoke, good acidity, dried fruit, fig, prune, sultana. Very rich, high sweetness tune, but very well balanced, by all means. 10,5%ABV, 215 g/l RS, 8,1 g/l TA.
The vintage was difficult as Gábor said, 100 kg aszú berries 90 l of must, 36 hours of maceration at 15°C. 220 l, Zemplén (Hungarian) cask, up to 3rd use.

Bodvin Tokaji Aszú 6 puttonyos 2000
Light amber colour, lush sweetness on the nose, very ripe indeed, good hint of spice and dried fruit with herbs. Fullish on the palate, acidity very elegant and counterbalancing the power and weight of the sweetness coming thru, marmalade, fig, prune, awesome jam structure all the way to the finish. Nice one, really, nice one!

Chateau Dereszla Tokaji Dry 2006
Pale straw yellow colour, crisp on the nose, 80% Furmint the rest Muscat Lunel, dry, crisp acidity a very refreshing wine with certain steeliness and precision to it. Drink well, under screw cap.
Just a quick note on a grape variety which they don’t have with them but sort of re-introducing to the wine region, the almost forgotten Kabar! Very good effort to Dereszla.

Chateau Dereszla Tokaji Napos 2008
50-50 Muscat Lunel and Furmint, napos meaning sunny. More floral then the previous one, elegant medium intense nose. Blossom and fruit drops, like pear, kicks of with some sweetness on the palate as Patrick is telling me apparently 15 g/l RS, nice and round very easy going, everyday drinking wine. Good acidity, light complex floral and fruit notes, very good food wine as well.

Chateau Dereszla Tokaji Aszú 3 Puttonyos 2005
Golden colour, ripe from the beginning on the nose, lush sweet fruit, spice and a hint of almond beside the orange peel character. Fantastic raciness, counter balanced with the sweetness. A very nice wine without being too sweet, cloying but very fresh and a great food wine (not necessarily desserts, but think spicy dishes). As Patrick said it would be a shame not to have the 3 puttonyos wines any more. Frankly, I believe so too, it just adds to the diversity and it’s a great compliment – almost as you could have a dinner menu based around just Tokaj from dry to the sweet and in the middle the less sweet but still complex 3, 4 puttonyos wines.

Chateau Dereszla Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 2003
Deep golden colour, light amber with a great nose. Hint of nuttiness and almond beside the dried fruit, fig and prune. Kicks off with a great sweetness but immediately after the first second the vibration comes to hand, very nice acidity, complex fruit and spice notes, long finish.

Chateau Dereszla Tokaji Aszú Esszencia Imperium 2000
Deep golden colour, light amber. Candy, caramel, honey with a touch of herbal, spice notes. Some mint, ethereal nose but full of dried fruit at the same time. Fig, prune, very complex. Great concentration, tangy, great acidity, finishes with a smoky honey (evolution) note, superb concentration and long length. The label is quite “funky” but it has serious history, goes back to the Russian Imperial court.
10,4 % ABV, 250 g/l RS, 9,2 g/l TA

Chateau Pajzos Tokaji Furmint Reserve (dry) 2007
Good straw yellow colour, green apple, pear on the nose a hint of juicy quince as well. Dry, touch of almond on the palate, ripe apple and pear, quite ripe but also fresh, good acidity and fruit. Nice.

Chateau Pajzos Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 2002
Deep colour, into amber, spice and a lush sweetness on the nose. Reminds me a bit of more “old school”, on the palate, great acidity, touch of almond and nuttiness while the wine shows good density and lovely sweetness till the end.

Sauska Tokaji Furmint (dry) 2008
Pale straw yellow colour, light floral nose with a crisp start on the palate. Hint of green apple and quite high acidity.

Sauska Zempléni Chardonnay 2008
As you are by law not entitled to use certain “illegal” grape varieties, like Chardonnay and the Sauvignon Blanc (see below notes) you do have to declassify it as “Zempléni” for instance. And as my notes show, quite right so, it is simply not Tokaji, no sign for real terroir!
Light golden colour, leesy nose in hot pursuit with toffee, light caramel. Dry, crisp on the palate without any further complexity. Simple. Why Chardonnay?

Sauska Zempléni Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Straw yellow colour with a hint of greenness. Grassy and floral notes, herbaceous, slightly green almost overt. Indicating under ripeness or bad canopy management. Dry, crisp not much else though, simple finish.

Sauska Tokaji Sweet Life Cuvée 2003
Golden colour, with a hint of spice and evolution on the nose. Basil, herbs. Fine sweetness on the start, good acidity, true signs of development, toffee, caramel, dried fruit, soft sweetness on the end.

Sauska Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos 2003
Deep colour, pronounced nose, fig, prune rich and dense. Good density, and sweetness level, great acidity, fig and prune complex notes of dried fruit hint of spice as well. Very elegant and well balanced wine, with a long finish.

Sauska Tokaji Aszú Esszencia 2003
Apparently Aszú Esszencia will be not made anymore (the so called 7 puttonyos if you like). From 6 puttonyos is goes up straight to Esszencia, and that’s the end of the line. Yet in the middle and between for the moment we shall enjoy the Aszú Esszencia.
Deep colour, lush botrytis full nose, fantastic tropical, dried fruit, spice notes on the nose. Very pronounced, what is great on this wine is the fantastic balance, sweetness vs. acidity, just a great spectacle for the senses. Very good finish and complex notes.

Gróf (Count/Countess) Degenfeld
Tokaji Furmint (dry) 2008
Pale lemon green colour, slightly closed-mute nose. Dry, crisp and simple start till the finish, some green apple, every day drinking, correct Furmint. The winery turned biodynamic, as Countess Degenfeld told me, they using their own humus for fertilizing.

Gróf Degenfeld Tokaji Muscal Lunel 2008 (semi-dry)
One of the best sellers in Hungary. Lemon green colour, pale. Floral, light perfume on the nose, very gentle perfume. Off-dry with just around 12 g/l RS a nice sweetness to the crispness. Floral elegant wine. Gentle finish.

Gróf Degenfeld Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos 2003
Good, deep colour, full of honey, almond, prune, fig a tune of spice is coming through as well. Lush sweetness and good acidity with a very good density, superb finish.

Gróf Degenfeld Tokaji Aszú 6 puttonyos 2004
Golden colour, orange peel, spice, ripe tropical fruit on the nose. Effortless, zingy, light floral touch, superb density with a hint of toffee yet fresh as a daisy, lovely density firm on the finish. An attractive aszu. 100% Hárslevelü, base wine used for maceration.

Andante Furmint Botrytised 2007
Straw yellow colour, fresh jam and marmalade on the nose, good botrytis notes whiff of passion fruit. Good sweetness, with good acidity, 212 g/l RS, just over 1 year time in the barrel. As Countess Maria Degenfeld told me, we looking around 12,50 € ex cellar price, good value for such a high sweetness level, indeed.

Disznókö Tokaji Furmint (dry) 2007
Round, soft fruit notes, peach, green apple yet juicy. Dry, bold fruit, round nice to enjoy, crisp acidity. Nice.

Disznókö Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 2000
Deep colour, fig, prune complex notes with passion fruit on the nose. Lovely clean botrytis, good concentration, supple sweetness on the palate, long finish and spice with good density.

Disznókö Tokaji 6 Puttonyos 2000
Deep colour, pronounced nose, passion fruit, mango, pineapple with a hint of spiciness. Complex notes on the nose. Fabulous density from the start, passion fruit, mango, lush. Some spicy notes in the background, great acidity, soft finish, long and complex wine.

Disznókö Tokaji Aszú 6 puttonyos 1999
Deep colour, amber, lush pronounced nose full of marzipan and toffee. There is a certain development going on in the wine (nose). Orange peel, spice, complex herbal notes, basil, anis, blackcurrant leaf. Hint of vegetal attributes too. Good concentration full of sweetness, fantastic acidity zipping through, great density and balance on the finish.

Dobogó Tokaji Furmint 2007 (dry)
Straw yellow colour, soft pear with a hint of mint and light spicy nose. Interesting dry Furmint with complex notes, shows skills. Dry, crisp, light almond, good structure, slightly vanilla tune, shouldn’t be more then this. Promising wine, a sort of serious Furmint.

Dobogó Lumiere 2007
From the lux- ray, sun ray, it was the name of Izabella´s parrot. Floral, elegant light on the nose. Soft sweetness, more then off-dry, the acidity appreciates the residual sugar. Elegant structure. Muscal Lunel with 30 g/l RS, funky wine.
We discussed with Izabella the Pinot Noir, which they actually just started doing at the estate. I personally have yet to try it, but my first response is despite being the region had some red grapes in the past, the focus should be making aszú wines and dry wines from the given varietals (Furmint, Hárslevelü, etc…). By focus I mean to master this at its best, there is always room for improvement…

Dobogó Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos 2004
Golden colour, lovely rich nose, very pronounced. Full on tropical and ripe stone fruit aromas. Rich spice, full side, juicy, botrytis impact very good. Good acidity, sweet and lovely, rich density on the palate, beside the complex notes of tropical fruit, superb acidity, there is a touch of spice and perhaps looking behind the lush sweetness, minerality as well. Long finish, very good indeed. Serious wine.

Dobogó Tokaji Aszú 6 puttonyos 2003
Deep colour, spice and orange peel, juicy mandarin, mango. Hint of minerality beside the ripe fruit (touch of flint). Great concentration on the palate, superb sweetness, ripe and dried fruit. With plenty of comfiture, marmalade and jam character. Acidity is still vibrant and density is good and finishes long with a fabulous structure. 70% Furmint (aszú berries), 160 g/l RS, 8,5 g/l TA

Patricius Tokaji Furmint (dry) 2008
Pale straw yellow colour. Blended from different single vineyard sites. Dry, crisp, lime fruit gentle green apple, hint of peach, touch of leesiness, crisp finish.

Patricius Tokaji Aszú 5 puttonyos 2002
Golden colour, great botrytis, tropical freshness to it, youngster, rich. Good sweetness, lush ripe fruit, tropical, mango, passion fruit hint of smoke and spice. Good botrytis and good acidity, perfect balance, harmony, good density. 11,4% ABV, 150 g/l RS, 5,4g/l TA.

Patricius Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos 2000 “Bendecz”
The winery prefers rather 220 l barrels, as Péter Molnár manager was saying, the wines matures (or oxidation is quicker) faster in the 136 l barrel, due to the surface ratio to wine.
Deep colour, rich and full nose, finely tuned fruit, dried plum, fig, hint of spice and jaminess. Elegant sweetness right from the beginning, superb acidity, very fresh and very alive, elegant, effortless, great balance by all means. Complex notes and long finish.

Pendits Tokaji Muscat (dry) organic 2008
Floral peach and gentle nose. Dry, crisp, very refreshing, slightly aggressive sparkle effect on the palate, especially on the finish. Floral, blossom. Bottled under screw cap.

Pendits Tokaji Furmint 2006 (dry)
Very blossom and green apple, flower like on the nose. Gentle fruit on the palate, dry, floral, crisp apple hint of juiciness on the finish.

Pendits Tokaji Late Harvest Furmint 2007
Pale straw yellow colour, light on the nose, not much density. Light sweetness on the palate, soft ripe fruit base, fruity, pear drops and a soft fruit salad like contributions to the flavours profile. Fairly simple, pear, apricot finish.

Royal – Tokaji, Tokaji Furmint (dry) 2007
Bold apple, bright, ripe fruit notes. Pear, peach. Nice on the nose, there is also a hint of tropicalness too. Dry, just on the edge with around 6 g/l RS (by law probably everything under 9 is dry), yet it looks attractive, ripe, pear, nice and full, fairly high in alcohol.

Royal-Tokaji, Tokaji Aszú Mézes Mály 6 puttonyos 1999
Deep golden colour, light amber. Rich and bright nose. Marmalade, jam with a cool breeze and spice added to it. Sweet on the palate, but there is a slight bitter tune in as well on the mid palate. Finishes of with a ripe, lush botrytis fruit and marzipan character. Dense structure, full very nice indeed. 9% ABV, 235 g/l RS, 12,9 g/l TA.

Samuel Tinon Tokaji Dry Szamorodni 2003
Pale golden colour, a lot of activity from the yeast, almond, acetaldehyde notes on the nose. Dry, bit lean, and short on the mid palate, but it finishes of with a light nutty, almond and floral touch. Good acidity, high in alcohol, ages for 8 years, hint of tannin too. It lost 0,5% ABV / year.

Samuel Tinon Tokaji Sweet Szamorodni 2004
Light golden colour (?), soft jamy marmalade, and light touch of caramel on the nose. Sweet, good acidity, hint of almond, alcohol feels a bit high on the mid palate. Good finish.

Samuel Tinon Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 2004
Light golden colour, nutty, almond and fig on the nose, beside some tropical fruit. Good sweetness, good acidity, soft almond, touch of nuttiness yet a round and gentle aszú wine.

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