Tokaji

Tokaji is a Hungarian wine that takes its name from the town of Tokaj, located about 200 km northeast of Budapest, not far from the Slovak and Ukrainian borders. Proclaimed by Louis XIV as “the wine of kings, the king of wines,” the Tokaji vineyard covered 5,500 hectares in 2006; in the past, it covered more than 7,000 hectares.

The letter “i” at the end of the word “Tokaji” means “from” the Tokaj region. This clarification is necessary to avoid confusion with the name of an Alsatian grape variety (Pinot Gris, formerly known as “Tokay Pinot Gris”), which, according to legend, was brought back from Hungary by Lazare de Schwendi. In reality, Pinot Gris is believed to originate from Burgundy. Thus, Alsatian Pinot Gris has no ampelographic or viticultural connection to the grape varieties of Tokaj.

The white grape varieties of Tokaj are Furmint, Hárslevelű (linden leaf in Hungarian), Sárgamuskotály (small-grained white Muscat), and Zéta (formerly known as Oremus).