TR Tallya Tokaj is run by young and enthusiastic wine lovers who strive to renew the village of Tállya and its surroundings in the historic wine-growing region of Tokaj. The story of the winery began in 2012 when, after several trips to the village of Tállya and long walks through the vineyards, they carefully selected a desirable piece of land called Palota Vineyard with an area of only 3.5 hectares. Since then, they have been growing the vines, aged between 15 and 40 years, using organic methods, and in 2020/21 they were organic certified.
The winery strives to create and maintain biodiversity in the environment. They do not use chemical preparations, only contact sprays to build up the natural defences of the vines and strengthen their immune system. Their wines follow the style of the new generation of Tokay vintages, complementing them with youthful vibrancy and less use of barrels. Situated on volcanic soil, the Palota vineyard boasts perfect minerality and its location provides an excellent balance between acidity and sweetness. In addition, Tokaj relies on natural sweetness, which they proudly display in their sweet wines: Edés, Szamorodni and Aszú. The winery strives for the highest quality and focuses on production methods that allow the wine to fully express the characteristics of the grape and its terroir.
Region
The Tokaj wine region at the foot of the Zemplín Mountains in north-eastern Hungary is considered the most important wine region in the country. The noble wine Tokaj Aszú is produced here, which was described by Louis XIV as 'the King of wines and the wine of kings'. The history of winemaking in Tokaj dates back to the 12th century and the region was one of the first with a classification system for viticulture, introduced here in 1730. The long history of winemaking, the local grape varieties, the unique wines and the cultural landscapes protected by UNESCO make Tokaj one of the most significant places in Hungary.
Climate & Soils
In addition to the Zemplin Mountains, the vineyards in Tokaj are protected by the Carpathian Mountains, giving them a relatively warm continental climate. The soils in Tokaj are a mixture of volcanic loess and clay. Tokaj's vineyards are spread over 27 villages and cover an area of 5967 hectares. The best vineyards are on the southern slopes where they are sheltered from the northerly winds. The first classification of vineyards in Tokaj was introduced in the mid-17th century by the Racocci family, who divided the vineyards into 1st, 2nd and 3rd class (or cru) according to quality. Each of Tokaj's 27 villages offers unique conditions and identity for the wines produced.
Wine
The most famous wine from Tokaj is Tokaji Aszú. It is a classic sweet wine characterised by a combination of sweetness, acidity and fruity apricot flavours. The main ingredient in the production of Tokaji Aszu is Furmint, a grape juice with high acidity. Aszu grapes are hand-picked and collected in containers called 'puttony', which contain around 25 kg of grapes. The grapes are then crushed to a pulp and mixed with a finished base wine made from grapes that are not aszu. The wine is aged for 18 months in barrels. It must contain 120 g/l sugar and have an alcohol content of at least 9 %. Szamorodni wine is also made from a blend of mature or very mature aszu and non-aszu grapes. The dry type of this wine is known as Szaraz and the sweet type as Edes. The Edes style is aged in oak barrels for two or three years. The most luxurious wine from Tokay is Tokay Eszencia. This wine is also known as 'Legfobb Fob', which means 'the finest wine'. It is rich in sugar, which makes it extremely sweet, with velvety aromas and notes of peach and honey.
