“Come With Us to Hungary’s Vineyards!”

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN HUNGARY

The Zemplén Mountains are known for their cone-​shaped hills of volcanic origin. On the slopes of these mountains lies the wine-​growing region of Hungary, the picturesque Tokaj-​Hegyalja.

IN NORTHEASTERN Hungary, tucked beneath the towering Mount Tokaj, lies the city of Tokaj. Extending from there, where two rivers join, to 35 miles [55 km] northwest is a grape-​growing region. Right in the middle of this fertile area, we find the small village Tolcsva, where a team of grape pickers are carefully picking what appear to be raisins from clusters of Hungarian Furmint grapes.

Come, taste the famous sweet Tokay Aszu wine of the Tokaj-​Hegyalja! Here the growers consider their product unique and label their wines with Latin names, such as Vinum Regum, Rex vinorum, meaning “King of Wines, Wine Fit for Kings.”

Wine From Raisins?

“Are you planning to make wine from raisins?” we ask curiously. Our question elicits an enthusiastic explanation. These are not really raisins but special grapes left to pucker on the vine, we are told. “What makes them so special?” we wonder out loud. To our surprise we are introduced to Botrytis cinerea, which is a special mold that exists on the surface of grapes in this region.a We are told that the evaporation of water from the rivers below us makes the environment favorable for this special mold.

For the mold to do its work on the grapes, the correct climate is essential. The growers need a summer that is rich in sunny days along with enough rainfall to promote the early growth of the grape clusters. Then, if the grapes become fully ripe in early September and a dry, sunny autumn follows, the fruit will be at its peak for wine-​making.

But how does the mold help in the wine-​making? The answer is somewhat technical; nevertheless, this is what we are told. A chemical reaction is set off when the skin of the ripe grape bursts on the vine, allowing the mold to feed on the fructose in the grape, allowing acids to form.

Do the acids give the wine a sour taste? We are assured that the sugar and alcohol mask the acidity of the malic acid and tartaric acid. Other acids, such as citric acid and gluconic acid, are essential to the taste of the wine. The acidity of the wine depends on the composition of the soil, and the taste of the wine is also affected by the position of the vines in relation to the sun.

As the explanation continues, we find out that after being pressed, the pulp from the dry grapes is mixed with wine from the previous year, which was made from normal grapes. The result of a 72-​hour extraction process and a final pressing is a thick liquid with high sugar content that will undergo a fermentation period in wooden barrels. When the alcohol level reaches between 13 and 15 percent, the fermentation is stopped chemically. At the end of six months, the wine has to be strained and allowed to stand to mature further. Good quality Aszu wine needs from three to five years before it is ready to be consumed.

Down Into the Cellars

Returning to the village, we enter a wine museum, where one exhibit catches our eye​—an old two-​pronged hoe. Working with this instrument in the hard soil was so tiring that the tool was known as the man-​killer.

A jovial cellarman greets us and gladly guides us through the cellar of the museum. He proudly explains the care taken to maintain the correct temperature and humidity for the wine casks. Since the temperature should be 54 degrees Fahrenheit [12°C], the cellars are carved into limestone rock. Relative humidity is kept at 85 to 90 percent.

Again we are surprised, this time to learn that the maturing of the wine will further depend on the presence of the special mold, which settles on nearly everything in the cellar​—wood, glass, even the brick walls—​everything except the concrete floor. So that the mold is not disturbed by outside fresh air, vintners try to walk through the cellars as little as possible.

Our guide quotes a Hungarian wine-​makers’ proverb: “Where there is a noble mold, there is a wine of good quality, and where there is a wine of good quality, there is a noble mold.” To convince us of the truth of this statement, our hospitable cellarman offers us different kinds of Tokay Aszu wines to sip. By candlelight, with the wine in our glasses glistening with a translucent color, he points out how the wine leaves a ring on the wall of the glass, a characteristic of Tokay Aszu wine.

He tells us that a wine taster appreciates a dry wine, for it reveals qualities such as the flavor and bouquet of the wine, which may be hidden in sweet wine. It is said that a sweet Tokay Aszu wine is mysterious​—it needs a connoisseur to reveal its secrets.

Concluding, he asks us: “Did you know that the Tokay Aszu wine was considered a medicine and used to be found in every pharmacy?” This reminds us of Paul’s advice to Timothy: “Use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent cases of sickness.” (1 Timothy 5:23) Finally, after viewing the bottling and pasteurization of the wine, we return home thinking how, when wine is used moderately, the words at Psalm 104:15 ring true: ‘Wine makes the heart of mortal man rejoice.’

[Footnotes]

[Pictures on page 26]

Above: Wine matures in these casks

Right: The mold even grows on the bottles