I have an allergy to most alcohol, but old, vintage wine agrees with my body and my palate. My favourite is botrytised sweet wines - Sauternes is probably the most famous of these, but also from Vouvray, Alsace and even Australia. The common denominator of these wines is that they are made from grapes ripened and rotted by a fungus that sucks out the moisture and concentrates the flavors.
The least well-known of these is also the favourite among my favourites - Tokaji Aszu. It is also the most unusual in that they usually combine the sweet essence of the rotted grapes with fermented base wine. First, ripe grapes of the current vintage without botrytis is harvested and made into a base wine. Then, when the botrytis has had a chance to shrivel up the berries (the aszu grapes), this is made into a paste and added to the base wine.
The amount of aszu paste is measured in "puttonyos" - usually as few as 3 for the lower quality and up to 5, or rarely 6. This combination produces a unique combination of sweet, unctuous honeyed wine with the acidity of the base furmint wine.
Tokaji Aszu was celebrated and consumed by the European Royal families from the 15th century to the late 19th century. Then, phylloxera hit Hungarian vineyards hard and wiped out most of the vines. After that, World War I, the fall of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, World War II, and communism meant that great Tokaji Aszu, which required exceptional care and labour, was not made until about 1990 with the awakening of the Hungarian wine industry.
For Father's Day this weekend, we had the 1993 Disznoko Tokaji Aszu 6 Puttonyos.
After 22 years - it was gorgeous. Honey, dried apricots, orange blossoms and even a little bit flinty.
The least well-known of these is also the favourite among my favourites - Tokaji Aszu. It is also the most unusual in that they usually combine the sweet essence of the rotted grapes with fermented base wine. First, ripe grapes of the current vintage without botrytis is harvested and made into a base wine. Then, when the botrytis has had a chance to shrivel up the berries (the aszu grapes), this is made into a paste and added to the base wine.
The amount of aszu paste is measured in "puttonyos" - usually as few as 3 for the lower quality and up to 5, or rarely 6. This combination produces a unique combination of sweet, unctuous honeyed wine with the acidity of the base furmint wine.
Tokaji Aszu was celebrated and consumed by the European Royal families from the 15th century to the late 19th century. Then, phylloxera hit Hungarian vineyards hard and wiped out most of the vines. After that, World War I, the fall of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, World War II, and communism meant that great Tokaji Aszu, which required exceptional care and labour, was not made until about 1990 with the awakening of the Hungarian wine industry.
For Father's Day this weekend, we had the 1993 Disznoko Tokaji Aszu 6 Puttonyos.
“1993 is very important to us: it marks a true renaissance in the wines of Tokaj and of the region, the first great vintage after the political transition and a new era for Disznók? recently purchased by AXA Millésimes. 1993 was marked by a long, dry and hot summer. It rained at just the right time thus creating the most perfect conditions for Botrytis to spread over the over-ripened berries rich in sugars and acidity. They shrivelled completely in the long, warm autumn days unveiling an elegant botrytis character. Even though I was not yet working at Disznók?, it is a very moving wine to taste because of its purity, its subtle aromas, its unique structure, and because it embodies so well the new era.”
László Mészáros
Director of Disznoko
After 22 years - it was gorgeous. Honey, dried apricots, orange blossoms and even a little bit flinty.