A History of Central Eastern Europe

fungus that causes blight on a wide variety of plants, but never grapes. Roses, hydrangea,
rhododendrons and viburnum are quite susceptible to gray mold; the same effect on grapes is
called “noble rot” and the shriveled, “dried” fruit is said to be botrytised. These aszú grapes are
minimally processed into a thick, sweet paste that is measured in tubs called puttonyos or putts.
The paste is added to a tart, citrusy dry wine made from furmint grapes and sits for 1 to 3 days
after which the paste is separated out. The wine has to be aged a minimum of 2 years in oak
barrels stored in caves. In the Ungvari section of Sátoraljaújhely there are 27 wine cellars, some
dating back to the 13 th century, that are connected in a vast labyrinthine maze that spreads over
an area greater than half‐a‐million square feet!
To qualify to be called a “sweet wine” it must have more than 45 grams of sugar per liter of
wine. The sweetness of Tokaji is controlled, in part, by the amount of aszú grapes used. The
amount varies from a minimum of 2 putts up to 6 putts; the wine label will state a number of
putts. That number used to tell the consumer the actual number of putts used but now the
number is determined by sugar concentration measured in grams/liter. A 2‐putt wine has less
than 60 g/l and does not qualify to be labeled Tokaji. A 3‐putt Tokaji has at least 60 g/l while a 6‐
putt has up to 180. A further category called Aszú‐Eszencia is used when sugar content passes
the 180 mark.
Then, sitting at the pinnacle of sweetness and perhaps the whole of the planet’s wine
production are Eszenciának, Natúreszenciának and Tokay Nectar. These are way further
up on the sugar‐scale, measuring no lower than 450 g/l! The high sugar concentration
slows the fermenting process and at least 4 years is required. The alcohol content is
less than 6% which is too low to qualify as a wine by most standards. These are the
sweetest, most expensive and the most exclusive “wines” in the world. This unusual
method of making wines has the benefit of allowing the wine to be stored for over
200 years without any loss of quality! A point to consider when buying as the price of
a 500 ml Eszenciának 1999 vintage … $540.00!
As you may imagine, climate is all‐important to the success or failure of any Tokaj‐making
ventures and only 10% of the attempts are met with success. As of 2004, only 2 countries are
allowed to use the name: Hungary uses Tokaj or Tokaji and Slovakia uses Tokajský/‐á/‐é. Tokaji
looks like no other wine. It’s a startling, almost electric‐orange color! Its sweetness is offset by its
high acidity making it quite refreshing; it goes well with blue cheese, foie gras and any rich,
fruity, creamy dessert.
A second botrytised wine to be made here was called főbor but since the 1820s has been
Samorodner or Szmorodni; a combination of aszú and non‐aszú grapes in varying proportions are
used to make it. Several other wines from this region make use of the strained sweet paste from
Tokaji production in various ways to make Fordítás, Másolás, késői szüretelésű (late harvest) and
tokaji cuvée wines. Botrytised wines from other regions include Sauternes and late‐harvest
Rieslings and several California wineries are in the field of late.
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