Daniel Kézdy introduces us to Tokaj through a series of portraits of some of those locals who are contributing to the current renaissance in the Hungarian wine region.
We meet 50 winemakers and learn their stories and philosophies as well as find out something about those wines which were key in helping them develop their own style – either their own wines or wines from other winemakers. Winemakers who are continuing centuries-old family traditions, winemakers who took up the profession purely out of passion, men, women, a Frenchman, a couple of Slovakians, young and old, father and son, or daughter(s), we can meet them all in Tokaj.
In Tokaj, with its extraordinarily diverse volcanic landscape and soils, vineyard locations also play a key role in defining the wines, so we can also discover where each winemaker has their vineyards. Attractive colour maps also allow us to pinpoint these vineyards, perhaps unfamiliar to most.
The book really captures the spirit of the place and its people with stunning colour photographs.
Of course, once you’ve read about these inspiring people and seen the wonderful landscapes, you are bound to want to find out more and certainly pay a visit. You can learn about the unique, naturally sweet aszú and the various vintages. A bit of history also puts everything into context.
The author also recommends some further wineries and people to watch, brings us up to date on the developing restaurant scene and takes us on a series of walking tours.
The author loves Tokaj-Hegyalja so much that he even founded Furmint February, a series of events around Hungary celebrating Tokaj’s grape variety of choice, which includes a grand tasting in Budapest.
