The spooky sweetness of Slovak Tokaji

I’ve mentioned before how surprised I was to learn that Tokaj is not exclusively a Hungarian region. A part of it also spills into Slovakia. From that moment on, I had this place on my mind. Recently, while en route to Hungary, I had a chance to stop there overnight. This short stay in Slovakia was enough to visit two interesting places. We started with lunch and a glass of wine at Chateau Grand Bari, who had previously impressed me with a first-rate 7-year-old Lipovina. Next, we planned to spend a night and enjoy a guided tasting at the Tokaj Macik winery.

Chateau Grand Bari is a very elegant and modern place. Clearly somebody has invested serious money in this business. However, perhaps due to its niche character, the prices are still very reasonable (despite considerable wine production, Slovakia might not be an obvious choice for enotourists). We opted for 3 basic wines – Vulkano, Gentleman, and Lipovina to go with our lunch. All of them were white wines – the first two made from Furmint, a grape variety used to produce Tokaji. All were quite pleasant, very fruity and zesty wines. Definitely worth recommending for a leisurely summer day in a garden.

Tokaj Macik winery

Today though, I’d like to focus more on the Tokaj Macik winery – a family venture specialising in producing Tokaji. It’s a very charming place, with a completely different vibe to Grand Bari. We were very happy with the food (the obligatory duck with dumplings and red cabbage for dinner), wine and accommodation they offered. But an undisputed highlight of our stay was the winery tour, more specifically the unexpected venue of the tasting. It turned out that under the property, which houses the guest rooms and restaurant, hides an entire network of old cellars with ideal conditions for storing and ageing Tokaji.

As our hostess winemaker explained, she and her husband bought the land with the three neighbouring properties precisely because of these cellars. They decided to merge all three cellars to create one large underground space that can accommodate tens of thousands of bottles of wine (and several tables to host guests). It’s a truly unique place to enjoy local wine!

Briefly about Tokaji

As we sipped the wines from the Macik winery, we also learned a bit about the history of the region. Apparently, Tokaj was always a very homogenous region with a set of distinct local traditions. At some point, a national border artificially divided it in two. Despite this, Tokaj winemakers from both sides of the border still cooperate, share knowledge, and regularly visit each other. Regional patriotism seems to win over any nationalistic sentiment here. The Slovak-Hungarian region is also united by geology. The so-called tuff, a type of volcanic rock, is an essential component of the soils where grapes for the Tokaji wines are grown.

The traditional method of producing Tokaji has not suffered during the political upheavals of the last centuries. Samorodni is made from a mix of regular grapes and those infected with the noble rot. Depending on the ratio of healthy and rotten grapes, it’s possible to make sweet or dry wine (in a style similar to dry sherry). In the case of Tokaji Aszú, the grapes with the noble rot are picked by hand. They are collected in baskets known as puttonyos (25 kg each) and added to the base dry wine. The more baskets used for each 136 litres of wine, the sweeter and more expensive the resulting Tokaji. The number of baskets used for a particular wine is always indicated on the label.

The magic of Tokaji is born in the next stage of production. After bottling, the wine ends up in the cellar with 85% humidity. This humidity and darkness promote the spread of different varieties of mould which is actually necessary for the ageing and evolution of Tokaji. Unlike the usual vertical way, Tokaji bottles are stored upright. This facilitates permeation of oxygen through the cork and contact with the mould. Cellar’s humidity is enough to keep the cork wet (usually this is achieved through the horizontal position of the bottle). Not surprisingly, all bottles are equipped with plastic tags for ease of identification, as printed labels quickly deteriorate in such conditions.

Now, let’s move on to the wines from Tokaj Macik. There were quite a few of them:

BIO MUŠKÁT ŽLTÝ 2023 – In the candlelight darkness of the cellar, it was difficult to tell the colour of the wine. The bouquet, however, was very typical for muscat – grape and elderflower, it was very aromatic. The wine was fresh and dry with the hints of menthol and anise. Dominant citrusy notes of grapefruit and lime were easy to discern. Pleasant, but rather simple wine. 6.90 €.

MONO Furmint 2022 – Compared to the previous wine, the aroma of MONO Furmint is much more understated, there are perhaps some petroleum notes. High acidity prevails. Lemon and green apple notes came to the fore. An extraordinary feature of this wine is the bottle itself. It was made in Bordeaux, as the local suppliers could not meet the detailed requirements. The label is spray-painted and the cork is made of glass. It is the only Slovak wine presented at the exhibition in Bordeaux.

ROŇAVA 2016 – A blend of 85% Furmint and 15% Lipovina, a very mature wine. Surprisingly incongruous in terms of palate and aroma, suggesting a high sugar and alcohol content on one hand, while being very dry and of normal %. On the nose, a bit like sherry, with ripe apples and plums. It’s powerful on the palate with ripe apple flavours, but also maintaining good acidity. The wine was named after a nearby artificially created river, which constitutes the border with Hungary.

TOKAJSKÉ SAMORODNÉ SUCHÉ 2005 – the wine is almost 20 years old, but it’s in a great shape. To my mind it is the next, more developed stage of Roňava. Both have some flavours in common, but this one is more refined and elegant, with noticeable vanilla and biscuit notes. Bottled in the typical half-litre Tokaji bottle. Recommended to be served as a dry aperitif.

MONO Lipovina 2019 – a wine with 30 g of residual sugar, so it can be considered semi-sweet. Acacia, linden, and honey are the leading notes. Usually, I am not a fan of this type of wine, but here the sweetness was not overpowering and repulsively candy-like (ugh…). Surprisingly, I even detected a hint of black pepper. This straightforward wine should be an easy crowd pleaser.

TOKAJSKÉ SAMORODNÉ SLADKÉ 2011 – The sweet version of the samorodný Tokaji, not difficult to identify thanks to the distinct bouquet. I tasted oranges, ripe apples and a hint of anise or mint. It had a good balance between acidity and sweetness. It was paired with Emmental cheese during the tasting, which turned out to be a splendid match. I think it would also go very well with onion soup. On top of that it promises a great ageing potential.

BOTRIS LATE HARVEST 2019 – Furmint and Lipovina in a 50/50 blend. As the name suggests, the wine is made from grapes infected with the noble rot. It has 81 g of residual sugar. Pretty unusual on the nose – for me, it smelled of gasoline and pickled cucumbers. The bouquet sharply contrasted with its sweet taste of honey. Botris is probably not for me. Fun fact, this wine attracted a particular attention of a supplier for the Vatican. He has been coming to Tokaj Macik for years to secure several crates of Late Harvest, presumably for the enjoyment of the clergy.

TOKAJSKÝ VÝBER 3 PUTŇOVÝ 2009– 65 g of residual sugar. A wine with strong notes of ripe fruit, luckily the high sugar content is not producing an oversweet effect. Intriguing notes appeared such as shea butter or perhaps fruit in chocolate, but also dried fruit like raisins or figs. It was served with dark chocolate, which again proved to be a well chosen pairing. The wine is currently fifteen years old, but it still has a promising future ahead.

Extraordinary place!

Tokaj Macik winery was a total surprise for me. First, I was struck that under an ordinary-looking farmhouse hides a true treasure cave of wine. Second, I came to really admire how well they have cultivated a centuries-old tradition of the region, while still staying relevant in the current market. And most startling of all was how Tokaj winemakers use these spooky underground conditions, let’s be honest, taken straight out of a horror movie, to produce first-class sweet wine. As it turns out, mould is not only important in cheese-making – Tokaji needs it too. The old saying about the book and the cover somehow comes to mind… Who cares about Sauternes or Vin Santo when we have good, old Slovak Tokaji just across the border!

Chateau Grand Bari winery: https://grandbari.eu/.

Tokaj Macik winery: https://www.tokajmacik.sk/en/.