Tokaji aszú: the “wine of kings”
Tokaji aszú is made from noble rot (Botrytis cinerea). Its main varieties are Furmint, Hárslevelű and Sárga Muskotály. Misty autumn mornings and sunny afternoons favour the fungus: it pierces the skin, the berry loses water, and the sugar, acidity and aromas become concentrated. The aroma is honeyed, with apricot, ginger and saffron.
The five-step journey of Tokaji aszú, from the aszú berry to the barrel.
How is it made?
The aszú berries are picked out by hand, berry by berry, in several passes (under 10 kg per picker per day). They are made into a mashed aszú dough, which is steeped in must or base wine for anything from a few hours to two days. The thick juice is then pressed out and fermented slowly over a long period. Ageing takes place in Gönc barrels in cool, humid cellars: at least 18 months in barrel, and at least two years of ageing in total.
The puttonyos system
The old puttonyos system showed how many puttonyos (baskets of about 25 kg) of aszú berries were added to one Gönc barrel of must. From the 2013 vintage every aszú must contain at least 120 g/l of residual sugar, which is the old 5-puttonyos level. The puttonyos number may still appear on the label.
The puttonyos number also indicated the minimum residual sugar. The levels under the old classification:
The highlighted column is the level that every aszú must reach today.
Fordítás and máslás
The traditional, lesser-known by-products of making Tokaji aszú are fordítás and máslás: sweet wines. Fordítás is made by pouring must or wine over the pressed remains of the aszú paste, and máslás by pouring it over the yeast lees of the aszú.
