Aszú Day is – 10th of December – is coming even closer. You still have a day to order a bottle or pop in the nearest wine store. You might find it too expensive – but we have a good reason to charge a lot for this liquid gold. We will explain in a minute. Plus we recommend a great Tokaji Aszú from 2013 by Zsirai Winery – a 7 year old baby…

Something you never knew about Tokaj

Hand picking squared (by Wineglass Communication)
Harvesting by hand in itself is not that unusual but aszú harvesting is on a totally different level. The emergence of aszú berries within the bunches is uneven and is spread over a longer period therefore picking aszú berries is a long term project. Just imagine what it’s like on freezing cold November mornings to select and pick the treasured aszú berries one by one from the bunches with the sugary juice freezing over your skin. And all the while you have to focus not to pick and put any rotten or vinegary berries in the baskets because they might spoil your whole day’s work. Even the most experienced workers can’t pick more than 6-7 kilograms a day, so you can imagine how precious their skills are.
If you open a bottle of Tokaji Aszú during the festive period, use the hashtag #KoccintsAszuval (‘toast with aszú’) to share the experience!

The dessert is on the house!

For the festive season, Zsirai Winery has a very generous gift: if you order a pack of dry wines, the king, the Tokaji Aszú is added free. Sounds good, doesn’t it? The special order is relevant for orders within Hungary, but if you do not stay in Hungary, you still have chance to buy Zsirai wines. As for the winery, they launched the estate in 2005. Nowadays they work on 15 hectares in Tokaj region. The centre is in Mád, in the heart of Tokaj. “We only produce wine from the grape we grow. We believe that the secret of good wine is excellent soil, proper selection of grapes varieties, and diligent care. Besides the world famous Aszú, we produce dry white wines from Furmint and Hárslevelű grapes, and late harvested sweet wines as well. Among these wines, we produce long forgotten Hungarian wines like Máslás, or Fordítás.” The current vintage of Zsirai Tokaji Aszú 6 puttonyos is 2013. On the nose it is clear, complex, concentrated – a typical Aszú. On the palate it is a youthful, vivid wine with dried fruits. A balanced, creamy textured great wine from a great vintage.
More about Tokaj styles

More about Zsirai wines

Zsirai wines in the United Kingdom

Zsirai wines in Belgium