Slovak Tokaj Wine Styles Explained

Slovak Tokaj wines are labelled with traditional Slovak terms defined in § 35 of the Slovak wine act (No. 313/2009); the specification of the protected designation of origin (PDO) adds detailed analytical limits. This page explains each one in plain language: how it is made, what the rules require, how it tastes and how to serve it. Bottles of protected Tokaj wine with these terms must carry a state control number, and Tokaj wine may only be sold in the designated Tokaj bottles.

The categories at a glance

Category	How it is made	Key rules (Act and PDO specification)	Sweetness
Samorodné suché	Grapes as harvested; any cibéby picked out beforehand for výber	Grapes ≥ 21 °NM; ≤ 10 g/l sugar; ≥ 12 % vol.; aged ≥ 2 years, 1 in wood	Dry
Samorodné sladké	Cibéby not picked out, processed together with the other grapes	Grapes ≥ 24 °NM; > 10 g/l sugar; ≥ 12 % vol.; aged ≥ 2 years, 1 in wood	Medium-sweet to sweet
Výber 3- to 6-putňový	Cibéby soaked in must or wine	≥ 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 g/l sugar; aged ≥ 3 years, 2 in wood	Sweet to very sweet
Výberová esencia	Cibéby soaked in must or wine	≥ 180 g/l sugar; ≥ 45 g/l sugar-free extract; aged ≥ 3 years, 2 in wood	Very sweet
Esencia	Free-run juice of cibéby, fermented very slowly	> 450 g/l sugar; 1.2–8 % vol.; aged ≥ 3 years, 2 in wood	Intensely sweet
Forditáš	Must or wine poured over pressed cibéba pomace	Aged ≥ 2 years, 1 in wood	Usually sweet
Mášláš	Must or wine fermented on the lees of samorodné or výber	Aged ≥ 2 years, 1 in wood	Varies
Varietal wines	≥ 85 % Furmint, Lipovina or Muškát žltý	Higher yield cap of 14,000 kg/ha	Dry to sweet

°NM is the Slovak measure of must weight: kilograms of sugar in 100 litres of grape must. Grapes of 21 °NM carry about 21 kg of sugar per 100 l.

Some rules apply to every category. All grapes must come from the seven villages, from qualified vineyard blocks (kvalifikované hony), and the wine must be made and bottled in the region. The traditional categories are limited to 9,500 kg of grapes per hectare.

Tokajské samorodné (suché and sladké)

Samorodné means roughly "as it grows". It is made in years when conditions do not favour the widespread formation of cibéby, from the grapes as they were harvested, with no cibéby added. Whether it becomes dry or sweet depends on the vintage and on whether the cibéby are first picked out of the bunches.

Samorodné suché (dry): any cibéby are picked out of the bunches beforehand to make výber wines. The grapes must reach at least 21 °NM, and the wine has no more than 10 g/l residual sugar.
Samorodné sladké (sweet): the cibéby are not picked out but processed together with the other grapes, which must reach at least 24 °NM. The wine has more than 10 g/l residual sugar.

Both need at least 12 % alcohol (PDO specification) and must age for at least two years, at least one of them in wood.

How it tastes: traditional dry samorodné is often matured in a deliberately oxidative way, which gives notes of walnut, bread crust and dried apple, with Furmint's firm acidity underneath. It can recall a dry sherry, though it is not fortified. Sweet samorodné shows honey, dried apricot and quince, lighter and less concentrated than a výber.

Serving and food: serve dry samorodné at 10–12 °C with aged hard cheese, roasted nuts, mushroom dishes or smoked fish. Serve sweet samorodné at 8–10 °C with pâté, blue cheese or fruit tarts.

You will find samorodné at Tokaj & CO, J & J Ostrožovič, Tokaj Macik Winery and Zlatý Strapec, among others.

Tokajský výber (3–6-putňový)

Výber (literally "selection") is the classic sweet Tokaj wine. Botrytised berries, the cibéby, are picked separately and soaked (macerated) in fermenting must or in young wine of the same vintage. The sugar and flavour of the berries pass into the wine, which then ferments slowly and ages for at least three years, at least two of them in wood.

What a putňa is

A putňa (plural putne) is the wooden tub carried on the back during the harvest to collect cibéby. Traditionally the wine was named after how many putne of cibéby went into one cask of must or wine: more putne, sweeter and richer wine. A putňa is traditionally said to have held about 25 kg of berries. Today the PDO specification defines each level by its minimum residual sugar instead (the Act itself only says that the level depends on the amount of cibéby added):

Level	Minimum residual sugar
3-putňový	60 g/l
4-putňový	90 g/l
5-putňový	120 g/l
6-putňový	150 g/l

The lighter 3- and 4-putňový levels are worth seeking out. Hungary dropped the equivalent levels from its rules in 2013, so within Tokaj they are now made only on the Slovak side. Slovak výber is never called "aszú"; that name belongs to Hungarian wines (see Slovak and Hungarian Tokaj).

How it tastes: amber gold, deepening with age. Expect apricot, orange peel, quince, honey and dried fruit, with a streak of acidity that keeps even a 6-putňový from feeling heavy. Lower putňa numbers are fresher and lighter; higher ones are denser and longer.

Serving and food: serve at 8–12 °C, slightly warmer for older bottles. Classic pairings are duck or goose liver pâté and blue cheese. With dessert, choose something less sweet than the wine, such as apple or apricot strudel or a walnut cake. A good výber also stands on its own after a meal.

Most Tokaj producers make výber, including Tokaj & CO (with archive vintages), Tokaj Macik Winery, J & J Ostrožovič, Chateau Grand Bari, Zlatý Strapec and Chateau Viničky.

Tokajská výberová esencia

Výberová esencia is made like výber, from separately picked cibéby soaked in must or Tokaj wine, but at a far higher concentration. The law requires at least 180 g/l of sugar and at least 45 g/l of sugar-free extract (everything dissolved in the wine except sugar: acids, minerals, glycerol and more). It ages for at least three years, two of them in wood.

How it tastes: thick and glossy, with candied apricot, marmalade, dates and honey, held together by high acidity. Older bottles move towards coffee, dried figs and caramel.

Serving and food: serve at 10–12 °C in small glasses, on its own or with a little blue cheese.

Look for it at Tokaj & CO and J & J Ostrožovič.

Tokajská esencia

Esencia is the rarest Tokaj wine. It is the juice that runs freely from a heap of cibéby under their own weight, without pressing. It contains so much sugar (more than 450 g/l) that yeast can barely work: fermentation takes years and stops at 1.2–8 % alcohol. The law also requires at least 50 g/l of sugar-free extract and at least three years of ageing, two in wood.

How it tastes: closer to a syrup than a wine, with honey, apricot jam and citrus peel, and an acidity that stops it from cloying.

Serving and food: a few millilitres are enough; it is sometimes served on a spoon. Serve it lightly chilled and on its own. Because of its sugar, an opened bottle keeps longer than ordinary wine; store it in the fridge.

Chateau Grand Bari lists an esencia in its range.

Tokajský forditáš

Forditáš uses what is left after výber is made. Must or wine of the same vintage is poured over the pressed cibéba pomace and fermented again, extracting the flavour that remains in the skins. It ages for at least two years, one in wood.

How it tastes: less sugar than výber but more grip from the skins, with dried fruit, tea and bitter-orange notes.

Serving and food: serve at 10–12 °C with nut desserts, semi-hard cheese or pâté.

Producers include Tokaj & CO and Zlatý Strapec.

Tokajský mášláš

Mášláš is made by fermenting must or wine of the same vintage on the lees (the sediment) left behind by samorodné or výber. It ages for at least two years, one in wood. It is rarely seen today, so treat it as a curiosity if a cellar offers one.

How it tastes: depends on the base wine; expect a softer texture from the lees and some of the dried-fruit character of the wine it was made on.

Serving and food: serve at 10–12 °C, with cheese or simple pastries.

Varietal Tokaj wines

Three varietal wines have their own legal names: Tokajský Furmint, Tokajská Lipovina and Tokajský Muškát žltý. Each must contain at least 85 % of the named variety, with up to 15 % of the other two. Their yield cap is higher (14,000 kg/ha). They are usually made in a fresh, reductive style, without long oxidative ageing, and can be dry, off-dry or sweet.

How they taste: Furmint is firm and citrusy, with apple, quince and a smoky edge; Lipovina is softer, with linden blossom, honey and pear; Muškát žltý is aromatic, with grape, elderflower and orange blossom. More on the grape varieties.

Serving and food: serve dry wines at 8–10 °C. Dry Furmint suits freshwater fish, poultry and pork; Lipovina suits mild cheeses and creamy sauces; dry Muškát žltý works as an aperitif. Sweeter versions go with fruit desserts.

J & J Ostrožovič makes reductive varietal wines from all three grapes, and Tokaj Gold, Víno Kapraľ and Tokaj Macik Winery (dry Furmint) are other good places to try them.

Other wines from the region

The protected designation also allows wines outside the traditional Tokaj terms:

Akostné víno (quality wine).
Akostné víno s prívlastkom (quality wine with a predicate), graded by ripeness: kabinetné, neskorý zber (late harvest), výber z hrozna, bobuľový výber, hrozienkový výber, cibébový (botrytický) výber, ľadové víno (ice wine) and slamové víno (straw wine). Despite the similar words, a cibébový výber or výber z hrozna is a different category from Tokajský výber.
Likérové víno (liqueur wine), sekt V.O. and pestovateľský sekt (grower's sparkling wine).

In cellars you may meet a late-harvest wine such as Macik's BOTRIS, berry and botrytis selections at Ostrožovič, sparkling wines at Macik, or frizzante at Chateau Grand Bari.

Tip: At a tasting, ask to compare a 3-putňový and a 5- or 6-putňový výber from the same producer. It is the quickest way to understand what the putňa numbers mean.

Tokaj wine styles