Royal Tokaji, Furmint, Hungary, 2022

ROYAL TOKAJI FURMINT

A fresh, crisp wine showing all the fine qualities of the unique Furmint grape. Aromas of grape flowers, apple and pear combine with flavours of ripe apricot and peach to produce a sleek, intense dry wine with a long, refreshing finish.

Whole bunches are pressed and then fermented partly in stainless steel tanks, partly in barrels (15% new oak). After fermentation both lots remained in their vessels on fine lees for further maturation to add subtle overtones and complexity.

Delicious as an aperitif, with seafood, white meats or spicy food.

History of Tokaji

Following World War II, Hungary’s transition to Communist rule nearly destroyed the fine Tokaji wine industry by prioritizing mass production over quality. Its renaissance began in 1989 with the collapse of Communism and the founding of The Royal Tokaji Wine Company, a joint venture between local growers and international investors. Their mission was to restore the wine’s historical quality to a standard worthy of Louis XIV’s famous praise: “The king of wine, and wine of kings.” In 2009, the winery modernized its facilities with 21st-century technology, yet its core vineyard and cellar traditions remain completely unchanged.

The creation of Tokaji wine relies on a meticulous, traditional two-stage process that balances luscious richness with vibrant acidity. In late autumn, shriveled, raisin-like Aszú berries are painstakingly hand-picked into 20-kilo wooden tubs called “puttonyos,” which serve as the measure for the wine’s final sweetness. The sweet juice from these berries is mixed into casks of base wine from the previous year, stirred for days to extract maximum flavor, and then left to ferment in deep, damp underground cellars. While the legal minimum aging requirement for Tokaji Aszú wines is three years, Royal Tokaji enforces its own stricter, higher standards.

The winery’s diverse portfolio ranges from dry whites to incredibly rare, hyper-concentrated sweet vintages. Their ultra-premium Essencia wines are made exclusively from the viscous, honey-like juice that naturally oozes from the Aszú berries. Due to the intense sugar concentration and cold cellar temperatures, Essencia must ferment slowly in glass jars for over six years. Today, the full Royal Tokaji range spans dry white Furmint, late-harvest blends, classic 5 and 6 puttonyos selections, single-vineyard wines, and highly limited quantities of the prized Essencia.