Royal Tokaji was founded in 1990 by a small group of investors, including Hugh Johnson, together with 62 small local growers. Hugh was inspired to help revive one of the world's truly original and great white wines by his research into the region for his World Atlas of Wine and by tasting a sample of Aszu produced in tiny amounts by a small producer for family and local consumption. Throughout the summer, the weather was almost perfect. In July and August, the region was hit by hail, but there was no serious damage and overall we had a successful ripening season. From the middle of August, botrytis started to spread all over the region. We harvested concentrated, intensely flavored grapes and aszú berries. The quality was exceptional in all our vineyards and we were able to produce our full range of aszú 1st and Great 1st Growths for the first time since 2008! The Tokaj region lies within the range of mountains in Northeast Hungary. Oremus winery is located at the geographical heart of this region. Pour the hot cream into the beaten egg yolks, stirring with a wire whisk as you do so, and scraping out the seeds from the pan.

The Tokaj region has 5,500 hectares of vineyards and 27 towns and villages. It’s a white wine region best known for its sweet aszú wines, which are made from botrytized grapes, but more than half of the wine it produces is dry. Six grape varieties are permitted to grow in Tokaj. The superstars are the indigenous varieties Furmintand Hárslevelű, with Furmint being the high profile grape that tends to steal the show. Other varieties grown in smaller quantities are Sárga Muskotály, Kövérszölö, Zéta (a crossing of Furmint and Bouvier), and Kabar (a crossing of Hárslevelű and Bouvier). All of these varieties can be used in aszú. A few other grapes are grown in very small quantities (though they aren’t allowed to carry the name Tokaj on their label), such as Pinot Noir. CENTURIES OF HISTORY, AND THE DOM PERIGNON OF TOKAJI ASZÚ Aszú 5 Puttonyos is a rounded, exciting wine, with ripe and elegant aromas. It is a wine which is overwhelming, surprising and hard to match. András Bacsó from Oremus Winery explained that from one hectare of vineyards they can make two bottles of eszencia. From about 150 kilograms of grapes, they yield about one percent of that as eszencia. Not much eszencia is bottled (and in bad years none is produced). But when it is bottled, 375ml bottles sell for hundreds of dollars, mostly as novelties for collectors. The Tokaj region lies within a range of mountains in north-eastern Hungary. The Oremus winery is located at itsgeographical centre.Despite its price, winemakers don’t make eszencia for the money. “At least one hundred times more grapes are needed for eszencia than for a bottle of table wine,” wrote British wine writer Hugh Johnson of a bottle of his own Royal Tokaji Wine Company’s eszencia. “Eszencia is the purest expression of a terroir and its vintage known to man. Kings, Queens, Emperors, Czars and Popes have recognized eszencia as the purest health restorative wine, and occasional aphrodisiac, for centuries.” THE AGEING CELLARS Although many international varieties such as cabernet sauvignon and franc, pinot noir, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc have been planted and are making excellent wines, the Hungarians have retained many native central European vines. Kadarka, kekfrankos (aka blaufränkisch), irsai oliver and the aforementioned furmint and harslevelu have a long history and can make characterful wines. years, at a constant temperature and degree of humidity. After being bottled, the Oremus Aszú is left to continue ageing in the Aszú berries are macerated for two days until swollen, followed by a gentle press. Fermentation takes place in new Hungarian oak barrels; a slow process which can last up to two months. Description The Tokaj legend has grown and grown in its four-hundred years of history; but it was not until 1630 that the greatness of the Oremus vineyard was first spoken of. Today it is the one which receives greatest universal acclaim.

Grand Tokaj is the largest winery in the Tokaj-Hegyalia wine region and consists of 67 hectares of vineyards and a huge ancient underground cellar where Chief Oenologist Károly Áts works his magic each year. The wine called Eszencia is a wine made entirely of Aszú berries. The grape must for Eszencia is so sweet, it’s practically syrup, making it very difficult for yeast to ferment sugar into alcohol. Ageing process is completed in 136 and 200 liter barrels for 2 to 3 years and bottled for an additional year.

Essential Cookies

To make this Tokaji Aszu 5 puttonyos at Pannon Tokaj, Botrytised aszu berries are processed under privileged conditions, that features the world-famous Hungarian dessert wine. From careful hand selection, the botrytised aszu berries, have been soaked in most. After pressing, the rich and flavoursome juice is then fermented in wooden barrels for at least 2 years, then one year in bottle.

Tokaj has taken on increasingly legendary status throughout its four-hundred years of history. However, the firstmention of the greatness of Oremus vineyard was only in 1630; today it is universally acclaimed. The ageing criteria has also changed from minimum 2 years barrel and 1 year bottle ageing to minimum 18 months barrel ageing. This confusion resulted in the classification of the vineyards of Tokaj in 1730, which lead to a noble decree, made in 1757, to establish the closed production district of Tokaj. An example of botrytis on Oraniensteiner grapes (a cross between Riesling and Sylvaner) in British Columbia at Stoneboat Vineyards How it’s Made A nice marriage of spice and dried fruit flavors give depth. Shows good concentration, and tastes of raisins, dried apricots and honey ..." Sit four 175ml ramekins in a deep roasting tin at least 7.5cm deep (or a large deep cake tin), one that will enable a baking tray to sit well above the ramekins when laid across the top of the tin.The production of Aszú wine (teardrop wine) is a meticulous process only possible in exceptional vintages andunder unique conditions which enable the development of "Botrytis cinerea" or noble rot. Aszú (teardrop) wine production is a meticulous process that is only possible with good vintages and underunique conditions that favour the development of "Botrytis cinerea" (noble rot). Producers may still use the phrase “6 Puttonyos” to signify an Aszú wine with 150+ grams/liter of residual sugar. Wines between 120–150 grams/liter of sugar are now labeled as Tokaji Aszú. Of course, you may see wines still labeled with 3 and 4 puttonyos for marketing reasons, but these do not meet the minimum sweetness requirement to be Tokaji Aszú. Making a Name The Tokaj legend has grown and grown in its four-hundred years of history, but it was not until 1630, when the greatness of Oremus vineyard was first spoken of. Today, it is the one with greatest universal acclaim. After the harvest, the aszú grapes are macerated in base wine or fermenting must (which was made from the first harvest) for between 12 and 60 hours. Next, the aszú grape mixture that was macerated in the base wine (sometimes called the aszú dough) is pressed and the resulting juice is fermented. The wine is then stored in oak barrels, which are typically made from oak from the nearby Zemplén forest, and aged for several years in the underground stone cellar systems that’s unique to the Tokaj region. MEASURING SWEETNESS

The Romans cultivated vines in Pannonia from the second century AD and despite a period of Ottoman Muslim rule in parts of Hungary during the 16th and 17th centuries and the dead hand of state control in the second half of the 20th Hungary has adapted well to the demands of a modern free market, and particularly an export driven one. Since the fall of communism in the late 1980s the Hungarian wine industry has garnered foreign and local investment and adopted modern technological and viticultural practises to improve the quality of the wines. This is like fine silk on the palate, impeccably balanced, with a finely woven panoply of melon pâte de fruit, exotic cardamom, cumin, passion fruit coulis, toasted almond and crushed pine needle notes. Long and creamy on the mouthwatering finish." Concentrated and quite sweet, this rich white offers apricot, dried pineapple and honey flavors, with enough acidity to maintain freshness. A serious meditation wine. 90 points." A magnificent First Growth vineyard like Birsalmas competes with the likes of Yquem and the 1990 can go head to head with the best vintages of any top Sauternes and come out on top. Rich apricot, lemongrass lychee and wilted wild flowers dominate the mature nose. Magnificent."Tokaji Aszu 5 puttonyos is beautiful, clear, with gold shining through the glass. Stone fruits such as apricot, peach, dominating hints of pear, nut and honey aromas on the palate. It has a lovely long finish. Put the egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk for 1 minute with an electric hand whisk until paler in colour and a bit fluffy. The Aszú berries were collected in large baskets called puttony and added in measured amounts to barrels of non-botrytis grape must. Then, the wines were produced and labeled based on how many Aszú baskets were added to the must. Thus, the system of labeling wines with ~3–6 puttonyos was developed. The grapes are macerated for two days until they swell, before being gently pressed. Fermentation takes placein new Hungarian oak barrels. It is a slow process that can take up to two months.