Grand Tokaj is a highly important winemaker in Tokaj-Hegyalja, as reflected not only in the quantity of basic materials it produces, but also in the integrating role it plays in the region. The state-owned company accounts for some 40% of the region’s total wine production. With 67 hectares of its own vineyards, the winery also purchases grapes from more than 1,400 small producers working some 1,150 hectares of cropland.
Besides making quality wines, the state winery is committed to the goal of helping the work of local farmers. For example, it endeavours to make producers aware of the procurement prices applying to each given year as soon as possible so that they have good time to assess the financial benefits of cultivating quality grapes. Growing grapes of premium quality is of fundamental importance not only for farmers, however, but also for the winemaker itself, since the wines it produces serve to enhance the wine region’s reputation.
The winery also supports growers with advice, having completed and made available to producers a four-volume viticultural guide containing vine-growing tips for attaining high quality yields.
Contracted partners also receive assistance in exploiting the given land in the most efficient manner. By means of a special geographic information system (GIS), developed when assessing the growing potential of vineyards, the winery may make recommendations to producers for determining the cultivation goals of specific plots of land.
VINEYARDS:
Szentvér Terroir - Tolcsva
The Szentvér Terroir is located in the middle of the Tokaj Wine Region, on the southern slopes of a string of hills stretching between Erdőbénye and Tolcsva. Its ideal elevation and slope characteristics protect the grape crop against damage by frost in winter and early spring.
The winery rearranged the vineyard in 2003, planting at a density of some 5,000 vine-stocks per hectare.
The terroir has black soil mixed with rhyolitic tuff which can retain water even in the dry summer months. Due to the excellent location and mineral-rich soil structure, wines made with grapes from this terroir are very richly flavoured, with nicely balanced acidity and a fragrance of linden blossom specific to the Hárslevelű variety.
Grape area: 12,5 hectare
Grape varieties: Hárslevelű
Outer-Meszes Terroir - Erdőbénye
This terroir has properties very similar to the vine-growing lands of Szerencs, with mildly acidic soil containing calcium carbonate. The south-southeasterly orientation favours grape varieties of relatively early maturation.
Grape area: 6,7 hectare
Grape varieties: Furmint
Pető Terroir - Tolcsva
Located in the vicinity of Tolcsva, this terroir has provided favourable environmental conditions for Hárslevelű and Furmint vine-stocks since 1975. The northeast and southwest-oriented vines are likewise planted in mildly acidic soil containing calcium carbonate.
Grape area: 8 hectare
Grape varieties: Furmint
Szarvas Terroir - Tarcal
The Szarvas Terroir is set on the southern slopes of Tokaj Hill on a perfectly south-facing slope, which helps retain the early morning mist arriving from the Tisza and Bodrog rivers in the autumn months.
The vineyard is one of the best vine-growing areas in the entire wine region, and one of two terroirs classified as “above first class” in 1737, a designation assigned to croplands of outstanding quality. For many years it was owned by the famous Rákóczi family, before passing into the ownership of the Hapsburg Empire in 1715, and then of the Kingdom of Hungary until 1918.
Heat is easily absorbed by the loess soil structure of the terroir, allowing a longer than average growing season. The vine rows run from hilltop to valley, with the length of the rows varying depending on the angle of the slope to help minimise erosion.
Vines are typically cordon-trained at medium height. A high vine-stock density permits moderate vine yields, essential for the production of wines of excellent value and quality. An outstanding microclimate particularly promotes botrytisation.
Grape area: 35,1 hectare
Grape varieties: Furmint, Hárslevelű, Sárgamuskotály (Muscat Lunel), Kövérszőlő, Zéta, Gohér
Kővágó Terroir - Mád
One of the most famous terroirs bordering the village of Mád, Kővágó has a southerly orientation and favourable microclimate providing excellent yields and a high degree of botrytisation for Furmint grapes. The area was replanted in 1993, with a density of 5,000 vine-stocks per hectare.
Soils mixed with rhyolite and andesitic tuff produce a surface rich in minerals, enabling the production of wines that are easy to store and mature.
Grape area: 6,91 hectare
Grape varieties: Furmint