Tokaj Oremus Estate

Tokaj Oremus is located in Tolcsva, one of the most well-known villages of the Tokaj-Hegyalja region, in the northeast of Hungary.

The Tokaj Oremus is proud of its 115 hectares of vineyards in such a beautiful place as the Mandulás and Kútpatka strips, first class vineyards, which have been part of the heritage of noble families such as the Rákóczi, Szirmay and Dessewffly lineages. The vine, planted at the foot of the mountains, at an altitude below 200 metres above sea level, is safely protected from the north wind and at the same time is exposed to abundant sunshine. All these factors join together with the work of the winegrower and the winemaker, knower of secrets that are passed on from father to son, to achieve top quality wines. The secret of the Tokaj wines lies especially in the particular microclimate created in autumn. In this time, during the last stage of the ripening of the grape, mists and rain alternate harmoniously with warm sunny days, which favour the noble rot of the grapes, which is the basis of the aszú wine. Of course, the climatic conditions required for the appearance of the noble rot do not arise every year.

As a precious elixir, Aszú wines are scarce, rarities that are neither assured with every harvest nor produced in generous amounts; something which strengthens even more its character as a unique wine. n 1993, Vega Sicilia founded Tokaj Oremus. The personality of the Álvarez family adds to the historic tradition of both wines. Pablo Álvarez, managing director of Vega Sicilia, is also responsible for this new project. The wine is studied in great detail and with great respect, as is its significance, its laborious winemaking process, historical practices... An experienced team of professionals with extensive knowledge of the region's wines is also sought. From the moment the vineyards were founded to present day, the Álvarez family, respecting the Tokaj traditions, has made considerable investment in Tokaj Oremus with a view to increasing the technical level of the treatment of the grape and the winemaking installations, so as to make the best wines possible. The objective of the Álvarez family is to give its former grandeur back to this vineyard, which is one of the best situated, the most emblematic and significant of Tokaj.

The Tokaj Oremus is proud of its 115 hectares of vineyards in such a beautiful place as the Mandulás and Kútpatka strips, first class vineyards, which have been part of the heritage of noble families such as the Rákóczi, Szirmay and Dessewffly lineages. The vine, planted at the foot of the mountains, at an altitude below 200 metres above sea level, is safely protected from the north wind and at the same time is exposed to abundant sunshine. All these factors join together with the work of the winegrower and the winemaker, knower of secrets that are passed on from father to son, to achieve top quality wines.

A great part of the value of the Tokaj wines is that of having preserved up to present day a tradition and winemaking methods that remain closer to a craftwork society than to the technological winery of the 21st century. Awaiting the arrival of the noble rot, harvesting grain by grain, and patiently waiting for the long aging in the wood casks are tasks that do not correspond very much with the airs of modernisation that are currently blowing over the winemaking sector.

The Tokaj Oremus vineyards take up a surface area of 115 hectares in the northeast area of Hungary. The vines are set on the slopes of the Zemplen mountains, which offer practically hermetic protection from the cold north winds.
To avoid the cold to which they would be exposed at a higher altitude, and the humidity which would harm them at lower levels, the vineyards must be located ideally at an altitude of between 150 and 200 metres.They face south, in search of the warmth of the sun.

The main ageing cellar, in Tolcsva, has a maze of corridors some five kilometres in length on three levels. It was built between the 13th and 17th centuries and has an impressive storage capacity. The cellars owe their clean air partly to the ventilation shafts called léleklyuk (spirit gallery), and partly to the noble mildew, cladosporium cellare, which forms a thick layer on the walls. Here, the wine is aged, depending on its quality, at a permanent temperature and with a constant humidity level. These fungi are capable of absorbing, via a process of microcondensation, the esters, volatile aldehydes, volatile acids and alcohol vapours produced by the evaporation of the wine into the air, in a process of total symbiosis.

The dry Tokaj wines may be considered as the region's table wine: they are easily recognised because they are presented in 75 cl bottles. For the rest, the select half-litre bottle is used; a more practical way of distinguishing at first sight the wines in which, to a greater or lesser extent, botritised grapes are used. Tokaj Oremus creates a wide range of wines, but in reduced quantities. As has always been the case with Vega Sicilia, large quantities are not of interest.

Regulations do not stipulate that the wine must remain in the winery after cask aging and bottling nevertheless there is the possibility to keep it in the winery before putting it on the market, as for Aszú (2 years in Tokaj Oremus). However, the ageing of the Tokaj wine in the bottle takes on a significant value in the tradition of the region.

Thanks to the high acidity content of the Tokaj wines, especially of the aszú Tokaj wine, their life in the bottle can last a hundred years. This is the base of the museum wines that are jealously kept in the traditional aging cellars. Tokaj Oremus, faithful to the value of tradition, ages its wines in the bottle, mainly in the corridors of the aging cellars where the walls are covered in cladospodrium gunfus. Thus the wine develops its aromatic complexity next to the old vintages that sleep in the wine cellar, before being placed on the market.

Tokaj wines are best consumed between 8 and 10 ºC.

Dry wine
The dry wine is recommended with seafood and fish, whether raw, cooked or served in a sauce, fish mousses, with soups, asparagus, white meat and free-range poultry roasts. 

Sweet wines
Sweet Szamorodni is a magnificent aperitif when served with fried almonds, or an excellent dessert wine with honey ice cream or a light cake. A Late Harvest may be combined with canapés made from flaky pastry with walnut cream, a fruit salad, a hot crottin, or bolder creations an excellent dessert wine with honey ice cream or a light cake. The Aszú wine of 5 puttonyos has the best expression of balance between sugar content and acidity, which distinguishes these wines form all the rest. It is the ideal accompaniment for a good foie gras, but also combines magnificently with cheeses such as stilton delete, blue cheese as Cabrales or Roquefort. Moreover, the Aszú wine of Tokaj Oremus is presented with desserts as a great culmination to a good table. A good macerated melon is delicious with 5 puttonyos, or honey ice cream on a crunchy base with an Aszú 5 or 6 puttonyos. Or a creamy pine kernel tart with a Tokaj Oremus Aszú 6 puttonyos 1981.