Hungary — wine

Tokaj-Hegyalja PDO

The world's oldest classified wine region and home to Tokaji Aszú — the most complex dessert wine ever made. The confluence of the Bodrog and Tisza rivers creates an autumn mist that triggers Botrytis cinerea (noble rot) on Furmint and Hárslevelű grapes harvested in individual puttonyos (baskets) by hand. The Aszú berries, individually selected over weeks, are mashed into a paste and macerated in base wine, then fermented to create wines of extraordinary concentration, acidity, and complexity that can age for 200+ years.

Year Rating Notes
2022 Exceptional conditions for botrytis — ideal autumn fog. First reports suggest a vintage comparable to 2017 in quality; Aszú production substantial.
2017 Exceptional Tokaj vintage — ideal botrytis conditions across all classified vineyards. Szepsy and Royal Tokaji both produced wines of once-in-a-generation concentration. The finest modern Tokaji vintage.
2016 Good to very good botrytis conditions; wines of excellent typicity. Some estates produced exceptional single-vineyard Aszú from the finest plots.
2013 Outstanding year for Aszú concentration — excellent botrytis development in the Bodrog fog. Wines of great depth and classic Tokaji character.