Tokaj-hegyalja wine region - Wine & Gastronomy tour - Tokaj

This is the most famous grape and wine producing region in Hungary, it is well known worldwide. Even though the viticulture in this area is a thousand years old, it became world famous only in the 17th century, when the Tokaj Aszu, a remarkable rare phenomenon resulting from typically late harvesting and special manufacturing processes, achieved wide recognition.
The first Aszu to be mentioned in written records was produced in 1650 by Szepsi Lacko Mate on the downs of Oremus - a property belonging to the town Sarospatak At that time the most important land and cellar owners and developers were the noble families. The regulations for grape and wine production were created early on. In 1655 a decree was issued to control the segregation of the Aszu grape, and in 1737 they were the first producers in the world to establish the exact boundaries of a wine region. In 1803 they started to classify the grape plantations according to their quality (1st class - 3rd class) based on an analysis of the wines, their content, flavour, the soils and the micro-climatic factors.
As it?s fame grew, it reached more and more people. The Tokaj Aszu was awarded the title of "The king of wines, the wine of kings" in the court of Louis 14th, but was also well-liked by the court of the Tsar and by the Polish nobility.
The climate here is sub-continental. The autumn weather of Tokaj is unique, which is what gives the region its distinctive character. During the maturing season the frequent one-week-long, slightly wet, humid weather is often followed by milder, sunny, bright, dry periods. This is advantageous for the Botrytis infection, which is the essential condition for the development of the noble rot on the grape, the Aszu process.
The soils of this area are very varied. On the border of Tarcal and Tokaj the loess extends over a large area, while on the slopes of the Zemplen hills the soil formations are difficult to work, consisting of hard sedimentary and brown forest soils with clay alluvial deposits. Quite often the soil is mixed with the detritus of volcanic rock, full of stones and heavily eroded.
The terrain is an important factor in the quality of the wine. The southern and eastern slopes of the inverted "V" shaped Zemplen hills protect the vines from the cold northern winds and at the same time help to lift the mist to the grapes.
The wine region can be divided into five zones, which also have distinct climatic, soil and terrain characteristics. They are the Kopasz-hegy (Tokaj), the Mad Basin, the Erdobenye Basin, the Tolcsva Basin, and the Upper-Tokaj.
Another determining factor is the proximity of the rivers Bodrog and Tisza, flowing at the foot of the hill and playing their part in forming the micro-climate. The rivers have also been important in the transportation of the wines since the Middle Ages. It is no accident that Tokaj, the town from which the district gets its name, located at the confluence of the rivers Tisza and Bodrog, has always been the economic and commercial centre of the region.
The most important grape variety of the region is the Furmint and the Harslevelu (linden-leaf). Apart from these the Sarga Muscat and the Zeta (formerly Oremus), are also recommended, other varieties cannot be grown here. An important quality of these varieties is the tendency to noble rot (the Aszu-process), seen on the thinner outer skin. The other characteristic is the acidity which makes possible the longer maturing time, and the slow development and the retention of quality. It is not surprising that excellent Aszu wines can be drunk 80 to 90 years after harvesting, but most of them reach their peak at 10 to 25 years.
Total area of the region: 11 251 ha.
Number of settlements in the region 27.