Dante Remy
Noble Rot, the essence of Tokaj wine…is a tale about so much more than a late harvested sweet wine. Although I am no expert, I certainly am a student of life and I can tell a compelling story. Noble Rot, particularly the Tokaj wine region, is a story of history, culture, and how we have arrived in present day. Tokaj wine is one that can be celebrated. It can be savored alone, but I think it is best shared. Perhaps you are celebrating a birthday, perhaps you are gathering as a family and you want to mark the occasion just right. Well, I would recommend a Tokaj wine. These wines can be selected by taste, from a sweet dessert experience to a more complex, drier variety. However, these wines, these Tokaj wines, these wines of the Noble Rot, all have something in common, something that is destructive by nature, perhaps counterintuitive, that we will discuss in more detail. However, before we enter into this world, let us read a version of the story that will allow us to explore and dive deeper into this incredibly earthly experience: this Tokaj wine, this wine of history, this wine of the people, this wine of the earth.
Pourriture Noble by Marie Ponsot
A moral tale, for Sauternes, the fungus cenaria, and the wild old Never prophesy. You can’t. So don’t try. Lust, pride, and lethargy may cause us misery or bliss. The meanest mistake has a point to make. Hear this — what his vintner d’Eyquem said once the lord d’Eyquem was dead: “The wine that year promised bad or none. He’d let it go too late. Rot had crawled through all the vines, greasy scum on every cluster dangling at the crotches of the leaves. Should have been long picked but he’d said, ‘No. Wait for me,’ off to wait on a new woman, grapes on the verge of ripe when he left. Coupling kept him till rot wrapped the grapes like lace & by the time she’d kicked him out the sun had got them, they hung shriveled in the blast.
Well, he rode home cocky & bullied the grapes into the vats rot & all, spoiled grapes, too old, too soon squeezed dry. The wine makes. The wine makes thick, gold-colored, & pours like honey. We try it. Fantastic!
not like honey, punchy, you’ve never drunk anything like it — refreshing, in a rush over a heat that slows your throat — wanting to keep that flavor stuck to the edge of your tongue where your taste is, keep it like the best bouquet you can remember of sundown summer & someone coming to you smiling. The taste has odor like a new country, so fine at first you can’t take it in it’s so strange. It’s beautiful & believe me you love to go slow.” moral: Age is not all dry rot. It’s never too late. Sweet is your real estate.
Source: Poetry Foundation Poetry (2013).
I could be whispering about a forbidden romance, but instead, I am divulging the tantalizing tale of the unparalleled Tokaj wine. What is Tokaj, you ask? Close your eyes and imagine a rendezvous with a long-lost lover, a clandestine affair that sparks a fire within. That is the essence of Tokaj—a wine with a story that begs to be unraveled, with countless hidden questions and enchanting pathways along its journey. Some may have heard murmurs about Noble Rot and the sweet elixir that is Tokaj wine, but I shall reveal a secret. A secret about a time and place that should be shared only with those truly deserving. Are you ready? Prepare yourself, for all roads lead to the bewitching land of Slovakia. Yes, Slovakia, where a very select, a very special, Tokaj wine region beckons like a seductive caress, enticing us with its subtleties, its history, its culture, and, of course, its alluring taste. Within this history lie countless twists and turns, a tapestry waiting to be explored.
Let us begin at the beginning, shall we? What exactly is this Noble Rot and what earthly alchemy brings forth this extraordinary elixir? Ah, the term “Noble Rot” lingers on the tongue, doesn’t it? So let us delve into the process of this mesmerizing rot. Do the grapes truly harbor the essence of this exquisite wine? Surprisingly, the answer is a resounding yes.
Tokaj is not simply a wine—it is a manifestation of a fungus, known as Botrytis cinerea. The formation of this magical fungus on grapes is intricately intertwined with the geography. For this beneficial fungus to thrive on grapes, a delicate dance of mist is required. The grapes must be caressed by a fine morning mist, a gentle kiss of moisture. And then, day after day, like a fleeting lover’s touch, the mist must vanish swiftly, leaving the grapes to dry in the embrace of the sun. And thus, Botrytis cinerea emerges. But beware, for there exist deadly fungi and diseases that plague grapes. Yet, not Botrytis cinerea. This fungus is a lover’s dance on the grape.
Thriving in select valleys and regions where morning mist envelops the land, this fungus bestows its affection upon tightly clustered grape bunches. It is a delicate dance, a harmonious choreography between mist and sunshine. What does this enchanting fungus do, you ask? Well, over time, it gently pierces the skin of the grapes, causing them to gradually wither and shrivel, like precious raisins on the vine. And this remarkable process yields intensely sweet, exquisitely concentrated grapes, begging to be crushed and transformed into the elixir that is Tokaj—a wine born from the dried, noble-rotted fruit. This enigmatic phenomenon, my sojourners, occurs in only a handful of regions in the world, such as Alsace in Germany, Sauternes in Bordeaux, France, and the Tokaj region nestled between Hungary and Slovakia.
It is within the Tokaj region that the birth of botrytized wines is said to have taken place. Now, as with all cherished secrets, they are often concealed, hidden away, like the most intimate fantasies that dare not be revealed. Whispers tell of botrytized wine, this wine of noble rot, picked and produced over centuries but clandestinely kept under wraps. Perhaps it was fermented, bottled, and sold as an everyday wine, concealed from prying eyes. Perhaps it was a wine reserved for the vintners, the toilers of the fields and the vineyards. While much of the literature surrounding this mystery revolves around 18th-century France, historical records trace the existence of this noble rot wine back even further.
But let us delve deeper into the heart of this story. Imagine waking up in a wild meadow, enveloped in a misty morning that nurtures your very being. Tokaj is a gift—a gift from nature, nourishing us in countless ways and paying homage to those who tend the soil, those who honor the cycles of nature. Tokaj wine and those grapes caressed by the loving grip of Botrytis cinerea—they are precious, rare, and found in limited quantities. The number of vineyards is scarce, and due to their exceptional concentration, the yield is delightfully limited. This is another reason why Tokaj captures our hearts. Its rarity and uniqueness among all wines and grapes make it a treasure to be savored, appreciated, and cherished. And as we embark on this journey, I hope you come to realize that Tokaj brings us full circle—connecting us to life, to our very essence, and to the profound bond between humanity and the untamed beauty of nature. The fermentation process of these wines is slow and deliberate. Patience is required, my friends, as it takes double or even triple the time of an ordinary wine to reach its exquisite potential. The ambient temperature must be just right, every detail attended to with the utmost care and precision. These wines have been known to age gracefully for 50, a 100, or even more years, evolving and blossoming as they mature.
Now, let us turn our gaze to the Tokaj wine region, nestled within the southeastern corners of Slovakia and the northeastern reaches of Hungary. You may question why we have shifted our focus from France to Tokaj. But my fellow travelers, it is widely recognized that the Tokaj wine region holds the crown as the oldest and most prominent home of noble rot wines in the world. In the more recent history of this region, following the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the formal border between Czechoslovakia and Hungary altered what had once been a united region. A treaty held until 1993, during which Tokaj wine produced on the Slovakian side was exported, sold, and marketed as Hungarian Tokaj. Oh, the complexities of taste that must have ignited within! Slovakian Tokaj remained hidden, veiled from the world for decades, bottled and consumed as Hungarian Tokaj. It wasn’t until the early 1990s that Slovakia finally stepped onto the international stage, reclaiming its ancestral heritage and proudly presenting its own Tokaj wine to the world. However, dear friends, our story does not conclude there. Disputes surrounding the title of Tokaj persisted, with both Hungary and Slovakia longing to claim this illustrious name for themselves. For many decades, only Hungary was associated with Tokaj. Yet, in a historic ruling in 2012, the European Court rejected Hungary’s attempt to erase the Slovakian entry of Tokaj, firmly establishing Slovakia as a legitimate global producer of this wine.
However, my discerning readers, let us remember that Tokaj wine is not solely defined by its past. The Slovaks continue to innovate and surprise us, breathing new life into this extraordinary nectar. Pure Tokaj, in its quintessential form, is created solely from these grapes. Take, for instance, the d’Yquem vineyard in France, known for its Essencia—a wine of unparalleled purity, exclusively crafted from these grapes. Its texture is akin to the richest honey, coating your palate with each sip. Its flavor dances like a summer sunset, leaving an intense and lingering sensation that captivates the soul. Yet, in the world of Tokaj, additional grape varieties are often blended to create a symphony of flavors and sweetness. A sophisticated classification system has been established, ensuring that Tokaj enthusiasts encounter a diverse range of tastes, paying homage to tradition and allowing for innovation. Dare I share yet another secret? In the Slovak villages of Vel’ka Trña and Čerhov, a dazzling experiment is underway. Grapes are now being fermented in large Georgian clay vats, a journey that harkens back to the roots of winemaking. These clay vessels, qvevri (amphora), brought all the way from the Republic of Georgia, deepen the complexity and subtleties of the noble-rotted grapes, introducing even more exquisite variations of taste. So, the journey of Tokaj continues from the past, to the future.
Now, let us return to the reading that has enraptured us, drawing us back to France, to the Sauternes region. The very mention of Botrytis cinerea, the fungus that lovingly embraces the grapes’ tender skins, sends shivers through our being. What lesson shall it impart? What profound truths lie within its verses?
The passage speaks of errors and mistakes, reminding us that even the meanest of missteps can have a purpose, can guide us towards both despair and utter bliss. And then, with audacious fervor, it proclaims that the meanest mistake holds a secret, a truth waiting to be illuminated. Take a moment to reflect, my dear friends. What mistakes have you made in your own life that have led to profound insights, shaping your very essence?
In the tale of d’Eyquem Vineyard—a renowned sanctuary for noble rot wines—lays a glimpse into the enchanting essence of nature’s tale. It is whispered that this particular story was revealed only after the lord of the estate had departed this earthly realm. Within the vineyard’s embrace, you witness the very fabric of nature, the story of wine itself. Conventional wisdom states that grapes should be harvested at their peak—but no. The lord, consumed by desire, returned late and forced the grapes into the vat, extracting every bit of life they could offer. And what was discovered, you ask? A revelation—an exquisite wine, brimming with sweetness, born from a mistake, from a seemingly insignificant act.
In truth, noble rot wine was not discovered at d’Eyquem Vineyard. However, it was a discovery that this land, this territory, had the power to create such beauty. It was a rediscovery, if you will, a reawakening of the knowledge that this region held the key to the mystique of noble rot. And within this tale lies a profound truth. Age is not to be feared, for it can bestow upon us the sweetest of blessings. It prompts us to ponder the meaning of life, to contemplate the intricate dance between old and new, between tradition and innovation, between the past and the present.
Tokaj, the noble rot wine from the Tokaj region, beckons us to unlock a world where history intertwines with the present, where the very essence of nature dances upon our eager tongues. It is an exquisite secret, one that we now share, my companions. Tokaj—a gift from the land, a tale of love, of mystery, of discovery—forever etched upon our souls.
©️ 2023 Dante Remy
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