tokaji

Tokaji is a wine region in northeastern Hungary, along the Bodrog River at the foot of the Zemplén Mountains. The area, commonly referred to as Tokaj-Hegyalja, is famous for wines made from botrytized grapes, particularly Tokaji Aszú, a style that helped establish the region’s international reputation in the early modern period.

The principal grape varieties grown for Tokaji wines are Furmint, Hárslevelű, and Sárfehér. Aszú wines are produced by incorporating must or wine from botrytized grapes into a base wine, creating a range of sweetness levels. In addition to sweet Aszú, the region also produces dry varieties and semi-sweet styles such as Szamorodni, as well as Eszencia, a rare and intensely sweet nectar derived from the free-run juice of botrytized grapes with lengthy aging.

Production and regulation emphasize the botrytization process, concentration of sugars and flavors, and careful aging, often in oak casks. Traditional labeling historically used a “puttony” system to indicate sweetness, though modern labeling varies and follows Hungarian regulations governing Aszú, Eszencia, and other Tokaji categories.

Historically, Tokaji wines enjoyed widespread esteem across Europe from the 16th century onward, being favored by royal courts and merchants alike. The region’s reputation for exquisitely sweet wines contributed to the development of dessert wine styles in general. Today, Tokaj remains a major wine region and a symbol of Hungarian winemaking, with producers in Hungary and neighboring Slovakia continuing the tradition.