For many wine lovers, the name Tokaj will ring a bell. If that is not the case; do not be ashamed. Far from it. Despite the fact that Tokaj, together with Chianti and Porto, is one of the oldest wine regions in the world, it is still a relatively underrated wine. Mind you; not by the (wine) critics and/or nerdy sommeliers (… I am talking about myself), but for the general consumer, and this due to a lack of awareness. That is precisely why it is the moral duty of every wine importer or sommelier to inform you, dear loyal pleasant reader of this writing, about how brilliant Tokaj can be. Noble names such as Louis XIV, Thomas Jefferson and Hugh Johnson, all from a different era, cannot all have a warm heart for this region for nothing?
Let's start at the beginning; Tokaj. A PDO (read - the Hungarian form of a French appellation) situated in the eastern part of Hungary, 1h48min drive from the border with Ukraine (…). The vineyards are situated on the slopes of the foothills of the Carpathian high mountains, and on mostly volcanic soils. The climate here is warm continental (think long, sunny summers, cool nights, cold winters). History and storytelling can be found here in abundance, but a major turning point was the World Wars and communism. The communist rule seriously damaged Tokaj because the emphasis shifted from quality to quantity. However, since the Fall of the Wall , quality has once again become the focus and today Tokaj has a wealth of top quality producers with Royal Tokaji as the absolute standout.
There are six grape varieties permitted for the production of Tokaj wine. By far the most important grape in this production is Furmint. This is a late-ripening white grape that is particularly susceptible to botrytis cinerea (noble rot) and is excellent for the production of sweet wines, but also for dry wines. What’s more; Furmint is an A-grape in terms of quality and may (must?) be placed among the great wine grapes on earth. Hárslevelű, the second most important variety in Tokaj, is also susceptible to botrytis and contributes a waxy note to the blend. The other permitted grapes are Sárga Muscotály (known internationally as Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains), Kövérszőlő, Zéta and Kabar.
There are several styles of Tokaji wine, ranging from dry and semi-sweet to even sweeter than Tokaji Aszú. Key styles include Szamorodni, Late Harvest and Eszencia. Tokaji Eszencia is legendary in its own right, known for its low alcohol content and decadent sweetness - the minimum residual sugar is 450g/L and often levels are closer to 800g/L. This style of Tokaj is so absurdly concentrated and dry extract that you 'drink' Eszencia with a spoon. This incredible but sadly rare wine has a mythical status in the wine world and is an experience in itself. But all this beauty comes at a price ... an ideal Easter gift.
To return to Furmint; this is the grape in Tokaj and effortlessly produces wines with a deep, complex character, ranging from sparkling, still & bone dry to noble sweet. And always with a gigantic storage potential! ' But where does Furmint come from? ' you ask yourself, rightly, with a trembling voice and slight panic. Well; Furmint is the daughter/son (take your pick - 100% woke & inclusive-proof ) of Gouais Blanc. And Gouais Blanc is a bit of the Casanova of grapes. Gouais Blanc, one of the world's oldest grapes, is the father of several world-famous grapes such as Chardonnay, Gamay Noir and Riesling. And therefore also Furmint. This makes Furmint a half-sister/half-brother of Chardonnay and Riesling. My claim that Furmint is an A-grape is therefore completely wrong (once every full moon I am right).
Going back to the Fall of the Wall, it is only since the 1990s that we have seen a renewed interest in the absurd potential of Tokaj. And this has not gone unnoticed by wine icons such as the famous wine writer and journalist Hugh Johnson . The good man plays a significant role in the most prestigious project of the Tokaj region. Royal Tokaji was founded when Hugh Johnson, investors and several vineyard owners entered into a partnership with the aim of restoring Tokaji to its formal, royal glory. During the communist era, the vineyards were confiscated by the government and transformed into communist cooperatives focused on maximizing quantity, with the result that quality completely faded into the background. The restoration work after communism took decades, but in the meantime Royal Tokaji has reached cruising speed. For us, modern trendy wine lovers that we are, this offers the opportunity today to rediscover a historic wine. One that was celebrated and praised by kings, tsars, nobles and influencers -avant-la-lettre à la Thomas Jefferson. And this with a heritage that goes back to a period when Burgundy was still in the making, Bordeaux was still a swamp that had to be drained by the Dutch, and Barolo still had to receive vinification lessons from the winemakers of Burgundy.
Now, because I can already see the remark coming from the Kennedy tunnel; ' But Tokaji is sweet, and I'm not a fan of sweet wines! '. Aha! We have a solution for that too in Crombé! Royal Tokaji not only produces stratospherically expensive Eszencias. Royal Tokaji also produces, in addition to very affordable elegantly sweet Late Harvest wines, a range of bone-dry still white wines such as their Dry Furmint , which is a wonderful alternative to a mineral, dry Rheingau-Riesling. At a bargain price, mind you. Or Burgundian styled single vineyards, such as from the 'Grand Cru' vineyard Betsek , which Chardonnay lovers will more than appreciate. Again at a bargain price (... to stay current, for the price of a bottle of Betsek you can barely heat your house for an hour). Something for everyone, literally.
Tokaji is one of Hungary's greatest gifts to the world. To the Hungarians, Tokaji is of such great importance that it is even mentioned in the Himnusz , the national anthem ("Let the silver rain of nectar ripen the grapes of Tokaji soon"). It's up to you to hurry to Crombé and discover Royal Tokaji. No strings attached; we are only closed on Mondays and Sundays, mind you, but the webshop is open 24/7 (via the webshop you can save yourself a lot of out-of-the-pan-swinging -petrol costs ).
