HOLDVÖLGY Hold and Hollo Sweet 2019

The Hold and Hollo Sweet cuvée is a sweet wine from the Tokaj appellation (more precisely from the Betsek, Holdvölgy and Nyulászó terroirs in the Mád basin) where the volcanic soils, combined with a cool and dry microclimate, favor the late ripening and aromatic concentration of the Furmint grape variety blended with Hárslevelű.

Harvested in October, the grapes are pressed directly, fermented and aged entirely in stainless steel vats , thus guaranteeing a pure and controlled expression of the sweet style of Tokaj . With 62.7 g/l of residual sugars, this wine displays a harmonious balance between sweetness and acidity.

This wine reveals notes of flower honey , peach , quince , orange peel, oriental spices, Williams pear , pineapple , passion fruit and a touch of minerality. The finish is elegant and fruity, vibrant and refreshing.

It was the Romans who planted the first vines at a time when the Country was part of a region called Pannonia. It was at the dawn of the 18th century that Hungary, united with Austria, ensured the export of its most famous wine throughout Europe: Tokaj (from the Furmint grape variety). As throughout Europe, in the 19th century, viticulture was destroyed by phylloxera. During the communist period, vineyards were managed in cooperatives which guaranteed a stable income for wine producers. Quite a few small winegrowers were unable to keep up with this growing economy, so the Hungarian vineyard was restructured, losing 30% of its surface area in the process. Nowadays, many family estates have emerged, some of which produce wines of incredible quality. As everywhere in Europe, viticulture is in decline as part of the European restructuring plan for the wine industry. Hungary, which is at the same latitude as Burgundy, has a continental climate with hot summers and cold winters. The rainfall is sufficient for non-irrigated viticulture and the soils are heterogeneous and of high quality depending on the region. With around a hundred indigenous and international grape varieties, the country has good varietal diversity. The fürmint and the hárslevelű from the Tokaj region, vinified dry and at the origin of the great sweet wines of Tokaj, are undoubtedly the best-known varieties today. The most widely planted grape variety is Olaszrizling for whites and Kékfrankos for reds. International grape varieties, mainly Bordeaux grape varieties, flourish in particular in the south of the country where they produce high-class wines.