Hungarian Wine - Tokaji

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1 Tokaji Only six grape varieties are officially approved for use in wines bearing the Tokaji name: Furmint, Hárslevelű(Slovak: Lipovina), Yellow Muscat (Hungarian: Sárgamuskotály), Zéta (previously called Oremus), Kövérszőlő and Kabar. Of these, Furmint accounts for 60% of the area under vine and is by far the most important grape in the production of aszú wines. Hárslevelű makes up a further 30%. Nevertheless, an impressive range of different types and styles of wine is produced in the region, ranging from dry whites to the world's sweetest wine. The area in which Tokaji wine is traditionally grown is a small plateau, 457m (1500 ft) above sea level, near the Carpathian Mountains. The soil there is of volcanic origin, with a high concentration of iron and smaller amounts of lime. The location of the region experiences a unique climate which is beneficial to this particular viniculture, due largely to the protection of the nearby mountains. Winters are bitterly cold and windy; spring tends to be cool and dry, and summers noticeably hot. Usually, autumn brings rain early on, followed by an extended Indian summer, allowing a very long ripening period. The dominant Furmint grapes begin maturation with thick skins, but as they ripen the skins become thinner, and transparent. This allows the sun to penetrate the grape and evaporate much of the water inside, producing a higher proportion of sugar. Other grapes mature to the point of bursting, and some juice escapes; however, unlike with most other grapes, Furmint grow a second skin after this which seals it from rot. This also has the effect of concentrating the grapes' natural sugars. The grapes are left on the vine long enough to develop a "noble rot" (aka Botrytis cinerea) mold, harvested as late as December (and in the case of true Ezencia, occasionally into January).

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