Tocai is the name given to wines produced in the Tokaji-Hegyalja region of Hungary.  This is the protected origin of the wine and as of March 2007, it was longer permitted to be used on wines produced in other countries of the world.  The wines are typically sweet wines and have become very popular all over the world with wine connoisseurs.

Prior to March, 2007, tocai wine was one of the dry wines produced in Northern Italy. It is still produced in this region, but now it carries the name of Friulano. It is a dry white wine with a distinctive taste and aroma that is decidedly different from the sweet wine of Hungary. However one wine from a country of the European Union can have the name Tocai or Tokaji.

There are only six approved grapes that can be used in producing Tocai wine in Hungary:

·        Furmint, which is the main component of the wine.

·        Harslevelu

·        Yellow Muscat

·        Zeta

·        Koverszolo

·        Kabar

These grapes are grown in an area of the country with a unique climate and soil composed mainly of iron and lime. The surrounding mountains offer protection for the vineyards in this part of the country where winter is bitterly cold, spring is cool and dry, but summer is really hot.

This climate is very conducive to growing the grapes needed for Tocai. The Indian summer weather in autumn allows for a long ripening period. Furmint grapes have thick skins, which thin out becoming almost transparent as they ripen. This allows the light and heat of the sun to really permeate the fruit making it very high in sugar, hence the sweetness of the wine, which is similar to a Viognier.

There are many different varieties of Tocai wine:

·        Dry wines. These are common wines, often named after the grapes used to make them, such as Tokaji Furmint and Tokajo Harslevelu

·        Szamorodni. This wine is very sweet and has a higher concentration of alcohol than most other Tocai wines.

·        Aszu. This is the national wine of Hungary, which is topaz in color. In many parts of the world it is known as Tokay, even though the wine by this name is most often associated with wines from Alsace made from Pinot Noir grapes. You will have to check the country of origin when purchasing this brand name.

·        Eszancia. This is one of the most exclusive wines in the world, but is also called nectar due to the very high concentration of sugar. The sugar is so high that it keeps down the alcohol level of the wine

·        Forditas. This is Hungarian Tocai wine that is made by pouring the grape juice over the aszu dough that has already been used to make Aszu wine.

·        Maslas. This wine is also a copy of Aszu because it is made by pouring grape juice over the lees of Azsu.

Tocai wine has been famous throughout history having been the favorite wine of many well-known people, such as Beethoven, Mozart, Napoleon and the King of Sweden. These famous people were also fans of Tocai’s red wine counterpart, the Zinfandel.

The Italian varieties of Tocai (Frilano) range in taste green apple to pears and spices.  It is most often paired with prosciutto at the table, but it goes well with all kinds of salads. Because of its crispness, it can be paired with shrimp and other seafood dishes, pork and pastas served with creams that have an olive oil base.

Tags: zinfandel | zinfandel | viognier | viognier | muscat | muscat | tocai

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