Tokaj (Slovakia)
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The Tokaj wine region in Slovakia comprises 22 communities and about 1,000 hectares of vineyards. The long official name of the region in Slovak is vinohradnícka oblasť Tokaj.
A portion of the Slovak wine region of Tokaj was once part of the historic Tokaj wine region of the Kingdom of Hungary (one hill of the Slovak part was even called "Tokaj" in 1904 according to Hungarian censuses), but for commercial reasons Hungary started to deny this in 1958. The Tokaj region as redefined in 1908 was split up in 1918, with the majority (around 28 communities and some 4,500 hectares of vineyards) going to Hungary and a smaller part (3 communities and about 175 hectares of vineyards) going to Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia). In 1959, four more villages were added by Czechoslovak legislation, three of which had been mentioned in the original 1798 Tokaj delineation.
The dispute between the countries over the right of Slovakia to use the name Tokaj that started in 1958 for its wines was resolved in 2004 - the two countries came to an agreement in June 2004 under which wine produced on 565 hectares of land in Slovakia will be able to use the Tokaj label, providing that common regulations are applied. The basis of the agreement was that both countries will consider both wine region as one single region again. In effect, this should reintegrate the two wine regions, but will require a substantial adjustment to the current Slovakian wine region.
With the accession of both Hungary and Slovakia to the European Union, the Tokaj name (including other forms of spelling) is being given Protected Designation of Origin status. In future (since 2007), only authorised wine producers from either the Hungarian or the Slovakian Tokaj region will be able to use the Tokaj brand (although currently producers in 6 Slovak villages have authorisation).
[edit] Wines
Wine makers of these communities produce similar wines to those of the present-day Hungarian wine region across the border (although Hungarian winemakers maintain that the Slovak wines are usually produced using different techniques). However same regulations currently apply in Slovakia how in Hungary (since 2005). The Slovak Tokaji wines, made exclusively from Furmint, Lipovina and Yellow Muscat (Slovak: Muškát žltý) grapes, are:
- Tokajské samorodné suché (derived from a Polish word meaning "the way it was grown"): Samorodné wine is set apart from ordinary wine in that it is made from bunches which contain a considerable proportion of botrytised grapes. Because of this, Samorodné is typically higher in alcohol and extract than ordinary wine.
- Tokajské samorodné sladké (means "sweet")is set apart from ordinary wine in that it is made from bunches which contain a bigger proportion of botrytised grapes.
- Tokajský výber (in Hungarian: aszú): This is the wine which made Tokaj world famous. It is a sweet dessert wine made by individually picking botrytised grapes and trampling them in huge vats to form a paste. Must is then poured on the paste and left to soak before the wine is transferred to wooden casks where fermentation in completed. The wines are graded from 2 to 6 putňa, representing the level of sugar and sugar-free extract in the mature wine.
- Tokajská výberová esencia (the Hungarian version is called aszú-eszencia)
- Tokajská esencia-nektár (meaning "essence-nectar")
- Tokajský mášláš (the Hungarian version is called máslás)
- Tokajský fordítáš (the Hungarian version is called fordítás)
see also: Tokaji Wines
[edit] History
see: Tokaj-Hegyalja (wine region in Hungary)
[edit] Characteristics
Some of the characteristics which make the Tokaj wine region unique are:
- Soil and microclimate: The Tokaj terrain consists of clay or loess soil on volcanic subsoil. The microclimate is determined by the sunny, south-facing slopes and the proximity of the Tisza and Bodrog rivers, and is conducive to the proliferation of Botrytis Cinerea (noble rot) and the subsequent desiccation of the grapes.
- Indigenous grape varieties: Furmint and Lipovina have been cultivated in the region for centuries and, together with Yellow Muscat, are the only grape varieties officially permitted for use in the region.
- Cellars: A vast system of cellars has been carved out of solid rock. They provide a constant temperature of around 12 °C and high humidity of around 95%, which are ideal for the aging of Tokaji wines.
- Appellation system: A royal decree in 1757 established a closed production district in Tokaj, the world's first system of wine appellation. Vineyard classification began in 1730 and was completed by the national censuses of 1765 and 1772.
