Tokaji aszü

Hungary may not be the most famous winemaking country in the world, but the Northeast corner is home to a terroir recognized since the sixteenth century for its noble rot sweet wine that at one time was reputed to be the king of wines and wine to the kings.

The unique characteristics of this wine are undoubtedly the result of the masterful skill of the winemakers at the cellars where it is vinified and bottled. There are several styles of Tokaji aszü with differing levels of residual sugar measured in terms of the number of puttonyos (a unit of measure corresponding to 25 kg of sweet grape paste, or aszü in Hungarian) added to each 136-litre barrel of the base wine. A total of four grape varieties are authorized for elaborating this sweet wine: Furmint, recognized for its liveliness, Muscat Jaune (a variant of Muscat à petits grains), Hàrslevelü, and, finally, Zéta, formerly known as Orémus. Since 1993, all Tokaji aszü is aged a minimum of two years in barrels and one year in the bottle.

One of the first Tokaji wines is said to have been produced by the family of Prince Rakoczi, owner of the Orémus estate. With its four kilometres of tunnels sheltering nearly 3,000 oak barrels, the cellars here are said to be just as impressive as the wines themselves!

View all Tokaji aszü in inventory

The Vintages