Tokaj is a historical town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northern Hungary, 54 kilometers from county capital Miskolc. It is the centre of the famous Tokaj-Hegyalja wine district where the world famous Tokaji wine is produced.
The wine-growing area was first mentioned by the name Tokaj in 1067. The town itself was first mentioned in documents in 1353. Its first castle was a motte, which was destroyed during the Mongol invasion of Hungary. By the 14th century the town already had a stone castle, belonging to the Diósgyőr estate.
After 1450 Tokaj was the property of the Hunyadi family, so after Matthias Hunyadi became king, the town became royal estate. In 1705 Francis II Rákóczi ordered the castle to be destroyed.
After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 the town prospered, but when the world wars came, it suffered a lot, lost its importance and its town status. Even its role in wine trade was taken over by Sátoraljaújhely.
Tokaj was granted town status again in 1986 and it started to prosper again. Now the town is a popular tourist attraction.
WHAT TO DO
Climb Kopasz-hegy (Bald Mountain).
Visit all the wine cellars and try all their wines.
Take part in a wine ship tour on the River Bodrog and Tisza.
Visit the Tokaj Museum.
Visit the Tokaj Wine Festival at the last weekend of May.
Visit the Harves festival at the first weekend of October.
Fishing in the two rivers.
Take part in Kenue tours.
WINE TASTING
Tokaji Aszú These are the wines that have made Tokaj famous since the 16th century. The region provides ideal conditions for the development of the fungus called botrytis cinerea (also called noble rot, or pourriture noble), which pertorates the skin of the grapes and thus allows the autumn sunshine to concentrate sugar and aroma in the grapes to extreme levels unknown in any other wine region in the world. The raisin-like, botrytised grapes (aszú berries) are picked one by one, traditionally in 25 kg hods (puttony). The aszú grapes (usually 3 to 6 hods) are added to a base wine usually still in fermentation, the traditional measuring unit of which is the Gönc cask (136 l). The number of hods of aszú grapes added to 136 litres of base wine determines the concentration of the aszú wine (3 to 6 Puttonyos, or Aszú Eszencia if even more concentrated). Aszú wines are aged in oak barrels in the traditional Tokaj cellars keeping constant temperature (10-12 oC) and humidity (over 90%).
Tokaji Szamorodni This word of Polish origin means: as it grew. This wine is made from partly botrytised bunches without selection of the botrytised (aszú) berries. Both its dry and sweet versions are excellent aperitifs
Tokaji Fordítás this noble wine of Tokaj is made by leaving Aszú grapes on the skins to absorb sugar and aromatic substances.
Tokaji Eszencia An absolute rarity. This mythic nectar is gained by racking off the must pressed by the weight of the aszú grapes waiting to be added to the base wine. The concentration of the Eszencia is such that it takes years until it reaches a few per cent of alcohol.
Dry varietal Tokaji Furmint and Tokaji Hárslevelű are full-bodied white wines that are a perfect accompaniment not only to fish and seafood but also to white meat. Tokaj Muscat Lunel unites the typical muscat aromas with elegant acidity.
Late Harvest These wines are made from the over-ripened (sometimes partly botrytised) grapes of the traditional Tokaj varieties.
HOW TO REACH
Take a train from Budapest (Keleti pu) to Nyíregyháza and step out at Tokaj. The ticket costs about 10-12 euros. With direct connection it takes about 2.40 from Budapest.
