The Aszù, gold in bottle
The varieties planted in Tokaj are Furmint (70 %), Harslevelü, Zeta and Muscat de Lunel. Samuel’s wines are mostly based on Furmint and Harslevelü.
The Aszù grapes are unique and can be found only in the Tokaj region. “Aszù” means “dried out”. The berries are in the best years botrytised as well as dessicated by over-maturation. Hungarian call this phenomenon “Aszùsodas”.
The Aszù berries, hand harvested one by one, are the most expensive grapes in the world.
Sugar and acidity ratio makes Tokaj the most impressively concentrated wine available.
The winemaking of Tokaj is also unique. The berries are so full of sugar and flavours that they need to be added to a wine to so that their delicious content can be extracted.
The aging takes place in Hungarian casks in beautiful underground cellars that help the wines develop their distinct aromas.
The Esszencia is the juice that drops from the simple pression of the Aszù berries : this nectar is a pure product of nature. It goes into glass demijohns and is 5 % alc. maximum. The Esszencia exists only in Tokaj.