Sweet Tokaji Celebrate International Aszú Day

There’s something special about a wine style that has lasted so many centuries, adored by royalty and praised as “king of wines and wine of kings”. Today, wine drinking is so often about young, fresh, uncomplicated wines, but these glorious, complex elixirs still deserve a place on menus and in glasses. Wines of Hungary UK has just launched its latest project to combine the amazing, sweet wines of Tokaji with exciting food-matching partnerships throughout a whole meal. The aim is to get restaurants, sommeliers and consumers to think beyond the dessert menu and to experience both Aszú and sweet Szamorodni in new ways. And as we head into winter, the time is right to think about how well sweet Tokaji can enhance a festive celebration too.

Tokaji Aszú is arguably the greatest sweet wine of all thanks to its amazing balance of fruit, sweetness, fine and vibrant acidity, and complexity – a great artist’s palette for chefs to match. The fantastic Furmint grape is key, sometimes supported by Hárslevelű and Yellow Muscat, as well as the unique climate and soils. The combination of cool, continental climate meeting the Tisza/Bodrog river floodplains creates morning fogs, perfect for reliable noble rot, while volcanic hillsides and sunny, breezy afternoons deliver shrivelling resulting in super-concentrated Aszú berries. These are handpicked one by one then soaked in fermenting juice before ageing in barrel. Aszú’s baby sibling Szamorodni is also made partially from noble-rotted berries, but with less shrivelling and whole bunches, and shorter ageing – offering a more delicate, fruitier style.

Inspiring combinations

The campaign has asked top chefs and sommeliers to design inspiring new combinations of food and Tokaji, with the idea of inspiring trial – full results to be revealed in December for Aszú Day. Some of the dishes that worked beautifully at a recent celebratory lunch at Trivet in London included aged mangalitza ham, lobster in a spicy nage, smoky celeriac risotto, marinated wild mushrooms, crispy veal sweetbreads and pigeon with persimmon.

Restaurants which have taken part in this year’s challenge are highlighting sweet Tokaji on their wine lists with special offers by the glass for customers to try with their savoury courses too. So, if readers are visiting any of these top restaurants, Wines of Hungary UK hopes they will be inspired to explore.

Participants are Ynyshir (Balassa sweet Szamorodni, Best of Hungary), Chef’s Table (Berés 5 Puttonyos 2011, Mephisto Wines); Piazza Italiana (Chateau Dereszla 5 Puttonyos 2019, Armit); Olive Tree in Bath (Füleky 6 Puttonyos 2013, Amathus); Trivet (Patricius 6 Puttonyos 2017, Enotria); Ekstedt at the Yard (Royal Tokaji Blue Label 5 Puttonyos 2017, Bibendum); Red Lion & Sun (Sauska 5 Puttonyos 2019, Enotria & Coe); Chewton Glen (Szepsy Aszú 2017, Top Selection); L’Oscar, London (Hétszőlő Aszú 5 Puttonyos 2010, Les Caves) and The Counter (Zsirai 6 Puttonyos Aszú 2019, Jascots).

Wines of Hungary UK wants to encourage  more of the trade to be inspired by these ideas - to explore out-of-the-box combinations and cook savoury dishes to try with sweet Tokaji wines, and to offer by-the-glass options throughout a meal.

There’s also a chance for consumers to win a trip to Tokaj by creating new menu ideas and posting online with the hashtag #dinewithaszu.