Tokaj-Hegyalja (Tokaj Foothills in English) is one of the most beautiful wine areas situated in Northeastern Hungary, at the foothills of Zemplén Mountains.
The region Tokaj
Tokaj stretches over 6202 hectares of soil since 1561, as proven by documents. The territory has a continental climate, the soil of clay and loess on a volcanic subsoil makes it possible for the winemakers to produce special wines for wine lovers.
Ripening takes place in September and October.
Tokaj UNESCO World Heritage Site
In 2002, Tokaj became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it got the name of Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape. If you ask Hungarians about the first thing coming to their minds about Tokaj, the majority mentions wine. Who doesn’t think of wine when it has such lovely characteristics?
Tokaji Aszú
Tokaji Aszú is the name of one of the most popular wines made in Hungary. It is in fact the oldest botrytized wine in the world which makes it even more special. You can drink it while having dinner or simply as a liquid dessert. Visitors mostly try Aszú wines for it being so popular amongst Europeans.
Basically, wine production happens using the following grape varieties: Furmint, Hárslevelű Yellow Muscat, Zéta, Kövérszőlő and Kabar. You can mostly find Furmint (white) grapes on the fields, 60% of the overall Furmint grapes can be found on Tokaj-Hegyalja fields.
These make the ingredient of the sweet, fluid treasure.
Not only do I love visiting the place for its tasty wines but also for walking next to the tranquil water of Tisza, the beautiful river. It is just an extra that it is an interesting historical place for the ones who love learning about history.
If you are planning to travel to the Heart of Europe as a wine lover, I would recommend you taste the wonderful wines there, let it be red, white or rose. You will ask for more, I promise!
Written by Anikó Tar