Hungary — wine

Tokaj Wine Region

Hungary's UNESCO-listed wine region northeast of Budapest, producing Tokaji Aszú — the world's first legally classified wine, designated in 1730 — from Furmint and Hárslevelu grapes on volcanic tuff and clay above the Bodrog and Tisza rivers. Botrytis-shrivelled aszú grapes produce sweetness measured in puttonyos (buckets); the 6-puttonyos Aszú and rare Eszencia achieve extraordinary concentration and longevity of 100+ years. Dry Furmint from the best classifiers equals fine Chablis.

Year Rating Notes
2023 Good Tokaj vintage; fresh Furmint and promising Aszú botrytis development
2022 Outstanding year; exceptional botrytis concentration in Aszú
2021 Good conditions; precise dry Furmint and well-balanced Aszú
2020 Warm growing season; ripe Furmint and exceptional Aszú concentration
2019 Landmark Tokaj year; Royal Tokaji Mézes Mály among the finest ever made
2018 Good botrytis development; concentrated Aszú with good balance
2017 Variable botrytis; dry Furmint performed better than Aszú expressions