This is the classic sweet Tokaj and usually the sweetest wine of any producer. The table above shows minimum residual sugar and extract required for these designations.
Style
Residual sugar (g/l)
Dry extract (g/l)
Aszú
120
35
Eszencia
450
50
Tokaj Aszú always has a high concentration of residual sugar and is made from hand-selected shrivelled, botrytized grapes. Before pressing, the harvested botrytized grapes are soaked for a period of 16 to 36 hours in fresh must, murci (fermenting wine), or new wine that has completed fermentation. The wine is then matured under oxidative conditions without any fortification, including at least two years in barrel. The unique second fermentation gives a special, deeper character to the wines. The classification of sweetness by the number of puttonyos is no longer part of Hungarian wine law.
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