To the question of what to bring from Hungary, many experienced tourists answer: “Of course, real Tokai wine!”. Although this country produces more than a thousand varieties of weak alcohol, the vines are small in size in the valley in northeast Hungary - in a special position. What makes them so specific? Climate and "noble rot." But first things first.
It is believed that the first vines in the Tokai-Hedalia valley were planted by the ancient Romans. Vineyards cover the southern slopes of low mountains. There is a capricious rainy spring, hot summers and warm autumn, which in November is replaced by fogs and night frosts. These are ideal conditions for the life of the fungus botritis cinerea, nicknamed the still noble mold for its ability to expel excess moisture from the berries. In the November harvest, the grapes look shriveled like raisins. But Tokai wines differ from the Crimean ones (for example, from the "Sunny Valley" and the "Black Doctor") in that the berries do not just dry under the burning sun on the vines, but also undergo a special rotting process due to the fungus.
By the way, attempts to plant the famous vines around the world were unsuccessful. Having conquered the Crimean peninsula, Russian sovereigns ordered several thousand vines to be brought here, and the wine production was assigned to three winegrowers who came from Tokai. But compliance with all the rules of the technology did not give a positive result - the berries simply dried and dried.
By the way, in Russia, Tokai wines were first tasted at the wedding of False Dmitry and Marina Mnishek. They were so fond of nobles that a special commission was established to ensure that supplies became regular and protected from counterfeiting. Barrels were accompanied by an escort of Hungarian hussars.
There are so many fakes of famous alcohol that even their museum is open in Tokai. A bottle of Asu from Saratov stands out from the rich collection. Although everyone knows that Tokai wines are only white. Also, a lot of counterfeit comes from Moldova and Ukraine. How to understand the intricacies of a variety of wines from Tokai and not get into trouble?
The cost of the drink does not depend on the type of vine, but on technology. The best Tokay wine, the price of which starts at 20 euros per bottle, is an ace of 6 puttones. What does it mean? In early September, grapes are harvested for the base. Squeeze the wort, put in the cellar.
After the first frosts, in November, they again go to the vineyards. Dry rotten berries are put in large baskets - puttoni, designed for 25 kg of such a product. Three to six such containers of the November crop are poured into a 136-liter barrel with base wine. They are kept in special cellars, the walls and ceiling of which are also buried in mold, then they are wrung out and insisted for three to four years.
When deciding to purchase Tokai wines, pay attention to the label. Under the large name of the Tokaji region, the type of wine should be indicated - asu, native, essence, furmint, muskotai, harshlevel. The number of puttones (from three to six) is additionally written on the asu label - the more there are, the sweeter the wine. Essence - a drink made exclusively from the November harvest. Since the berries are sugared enough, fermentation is slow, over the years. This is liquor wine.