Tokaji Aszú and sweet Szamorodni History
Aszú was first mentioned in 1571 in the records of the Garay family on the 15th of May 1571 to be precise. While the ancestor for Szamorodni was called „Főbor” (translation: main/chief wine) and was mentioned as high-quality Tokaji wine without selection in the year 1589. The without selection refers to the method of picking fully ripe and botrytis grapes together and not separating them.
The Latin version of főbor was mentioned by Szikszai Fabricius Balázs in the Nomenclatura dictionary published after his death in 1590. Aszú was referred to as vinum passum, while vinum primae notae generosum suggested the főbor style. The first technical description of the főbor comes from Paul Keller wine merchant from Poland from the year 1726, he also noted that these wines have a „longer shelf-life”.
Parliamentary Act of 1655 supports tax exemptions for the aszú berries, therefore the shrivelled aszú berries are picked out from the clusters and the aszú wines produced out of it may be sold at a better price.
While the process for Aszú production today is straightforward, Szamorodni whether sweet or dry is less known on the international market, perhaps due to the difficult pronunciation and compliance.
Aszú vs. Sweet Szamorodni, the analytics
| Wine type | Minimum total (potential) alcohol content (% vol.) | Minimum total acidity content ( g/l) | Total actual alcohol content (% vol.) | Residual sugar content (g/l) | Maximal volatile acidity content (g/l) |
| Aszú | 19 | 6 | min. 9 | min. 120 | 2.1 |
| Sweet Szamorodni | 16 | 5 | min. 9 | min. 45 | 1.5 |
Blind-tasting sweet szamorodni and aszús from the vintage 2018 and 2019
Vintage 2018 and 2019 concerning botrytis; some of the recent producers who I tasted (blind!) sweet szamorodnis and aszús. 2018 and 2019 were quite different vintages in Tokaj, while ’18 was warm and was an early one, ’19 happened to be a true “aszú” like autumn, with an Indian summer and ideal botrytis formation.
Kvaszinger Szamorodni 2019
Deep lemon colour. Truck-load of quince, honey, and apricot with a gentle spice from the wood. Clean and bright, great layers, juicy apricot, re-fined botrytis, honey, ginger, saffron. Full-bodied with a creamy texture, long concentrated finish, complex and exciting.
89 points, drink now – 2028
Hímesudvar Szamorodni 2019
Made from the Kövérszőlő variety. Medium gold colour. Almond, cashew nuts, salted almonds wrapped in sweet fruit and spice, vanilla, tropical fruit, mango underlined by some perfume and lots of bright honey.
Creamy and sweet mouth-feel with lots of lemon freshness, zip, lime zest, round, ripe and a great balance with a long, lively finish.
88 points, drink now – 2028
Gizella Szamorodni 2019
Deep lemon colour. Very modern in style, clean and bright botrytis, Williams pear, honey, mango, apricot, creamy honey, and lots of sweet velvet-like fruit. Very sweet, fresh crisp, juicy and creamy at the same time. Great concentration with a very long finish. Stunning example.
90 points, drink now – 2030
Gróf Degenfeld Szamorodni 2018
Medium deep gold colour. Lots of spice, dill, sage, and green herbs followed by vivid honey, tropical fruit, mango, and guava underlined by sweet spice, coconut, and cinnamon from the oak. Round, subtle mouth-feel with a creamy texture, apricot, peach, Williams pear, ripe fruit and suave yet tight structure, long finish.
89 points, drink now – 2028
Royal Tokaji Szamorodni 2018
Gold colour. Ripe fruit, clean and bright in style, honey, and quince in the mix followed by apricot jam, pronounced and rich scent. The ripe, sweet style continues on the palate with quince compote, apricot jam, great depth and mid-palate richness, all wrapped up with a lovely spicy tone. Stunning!
89 points, drink now – 2025
Ducsai János, Edit 5 puttonyos Aszú 2019
Gold colour. Herbal picture followed by lemon peel, honey, apricot and candied fruit. Sweet mouth-feel with notes of baklava, lokma, white nougat delight and exotic spice followed by honey, mango, and bright freshness. It puts you into a Turkish bazaar wonder-like atmosphere.
88 points, drink now – 2030
Oroszlános Birtok, 6 puttonyos Aszú 2019
Gold colour. Spice, dried fruit, slowly opening up. Almost worth decanting this wine to let it express itself. Overt and out-spoken in style with plenty of candied fruit, honey, and spice, followed by ripe apricot, velvety texture and juicy bright long finish.
89 points, drink now – 2035
Hímesudvar Tokaji Zéta Aszú 2018
Deep gold colour. Dried fruit, plum, red cranberry and apricot jam all packed in one scent. A hint of spice and some havla, white nougat in the background covered in a whiff of pistachio. Superb sweetness with a rich mouth-feel, pronounced in personality, quince cheese, jam and a very long finish.
88 points, drink now – 2028
Pelle, Tokaji Aszú 2018
Gold colour. Perfectly ripe apricot, sweet spice, ginger, saffron, honey with pure botrytis. Very modern and clean, bright style. Very rich mouth-feel, lusciously sweet, complex, rich and round with incredible layers, a dash of spice, apricot jam, quince, honey and lots of tropical juicy fruit from mango, lychee, rambutan, guava. Perfect balance and incredibly long finish, polished surface, „art nuovo”.
92 points, drink now – 2035
Gizella Aszú 2018
Deep gold colour. Very rich in style with pure botrytis, dill, and herbs followed by honey, ginger and saffron covered in warm pure chocolate spice. Exciting nose, chiselled and pure. Great sweetness followed by sweet spice, vanilla, mango, guava, and apricot jam, a pristine balance between fresh acidity and silky texture. Its long finish is pure and vivid, incredibly lively it just carries the flavours to an endless finish.
93 points, drink now – 2035
Check out a short video on the creation of Tokaji Aszú with English subtitles
As well as listen to the recent podcast on Tokaji Aszú & Sweet Szamorodni:
