Chapter 46 Tokoy Wine Region
200 kilometers from Budapest, the Tokoy wine region is a UNESCO historical and cultural heritage site, and it is the home of the world-famous Tokoy brand.
"When it comes to wine, Hungary is arguably the most striking wine producer in the Balkans and Eastern Europe, especially the famous Tokoy wine, which is considered one of the finest wines in the world, and the town of Tokoy, where this wine is produced, is the brightest jewel of the many Hungarian wine countries," Joseph said. β
Hannah said: "We Hungarians love wine, and we have relatives who work as winemakers in the town of Tokoy, so I'll let Josef introduce you later." β
Fang Yun nodded, "Okay, I can interview the winemaker up close and inspect the production process of Hungarian wine, the audience must like it very much, we Chinese consumers buy a lot of wine, and wine is also very popular in banquets." β
"Mr. Joseph, do you know how to make wine?"
Joseph smiled, "I have relatives in my family who are winemakers, they are professional, although I don't make wine, but I have heard about it since I was a child, and I also know some knowledge about wine. β
Fang Yun said: "Then please explain it to the audience!"
"Good!"
"There is an old saying in China, every industry has its own doorway, and the same is true for winemaking, the vineyard system is complex, including vineyards, farms, villages, small towns, and a network of underground cellars left over from history, and every winemaking process and its quality and production of the famous Tokoy wine are under strict management and control. β
"Tokoy is located in the north-east of Budapest, and since the middle of the 16th century it has been the world's finest producer of sweet white wine, Tokoy Osu. β
"I'm going to take you to my cousin Nicklich, who has a vineyard here, who has grown grapes, who has been a winemaker for many years, who has a lot of experience, who knows more than I do. β
"Good!"
Joseph took Fang Yun to find his cousin Niklich, Nikllich was of medium height, very strong, brown hair, blue eyes, a stocky middle-aged Hungarian man, Joseph introduced Nikledge to Fang Yun.
Nikledge reached out in a friendly manner and shook hands with Fang Yun.
"Miss Fang, you are welcome to visit my vineyard, and I will tell you this interesting story. β
"First of all, we are famous for our wines, and I think it is due to the climate, the natural conditions for the growth of grapes in the foothills, the sandy soils, and the typical continental climate. β
"If you don't have a climate like this, it's not good for the grapes, and without the grapes, no matter how good the technology is, you can't make good wines. β
"Of the 13 climates in the world, only 3 are suitable for grape growth, these three climates are Mediterranean climate, marine climate, continental climate, and the regions suitable for growing grapes in the world are mainly concentrated between 30-50 degrees north latitude and 15-40 degrees south latitude. β
"The Mediterranean climate, also known as the subtropical summer dry climate, is formed by the alternating control of the westerly wind belt and the subtropical high pressure zone, and is a subtropical, temperate climate type. It is distributed on the west coast of the continent at 30-40 degrees north and south latitudes, including the Mediterranean coast, the Black Sea coast, California in the United States, Perth in southwest Australia and Adelaide in the south, southwest South Africa, and central Chile. β
"The summer is hot and dry, the winter is mild and rainy, the temperature changes are milder throughout the year, between 13-15 degrees, the temperature difference between the four seasons is relatively gentle compared to the inland areas, the winter temperature is generally higher than that of the inland areas, and from April to October, the temperature can vary by about 10 degrees during the grape leaf-growing period, and the sun is very abundant. β
"During the fruiting period, there is very little rainfall, so the grapes in the Mediterranean climate are very concentrated, with strong colours and flavours, and the wines in these climates are more warm and unrestrained, with notes of sunshine and heat. β
"Typical regions of the Mediterranean climate include Tuscany in Italy, Greece, Israel, the South Narle Valley in France, Provence in France, Languedoc-Roussillon in France, Catalonia in Spain, the coastal vineyard region, and the Napa and Central Valley regions in the United States. β
"Compared with the continental climate, the main characteristics of the oceanic climate are not only the annual and diurnal variations of the temperature are small, but also the extreme temperature occurs later than the continental climate region, the seasonal distribution of precipitation is more uniform, the number of precipitation days is large, the intensity is small, the frequency of clouds and fog is more, and the humidity is high. β
"In terms of annual temperature variation, spring is colder than autumn and is a clear sign of oceanic climate, with the warmest month occurring in August and even extending to September, the coldest month being February, and in high latitudes delaying until March. β
"Like the Mediterranean climate, the growing season is long, but the harm of the oceanic climate to viticulture is that there is more rainfall, too much humidity, which can cause many diseases in the grapes, the marine climate has more distinct four seasons, but not as drastic as the continental climate, the summer is hotter but not hot, and the winter is cool but not cold. β
"So this climate is also very suitable for grape growth, and the typical regions with oceanic climates are Bordeaux, the southwest of France, the south of Chile, most of New Zealand, etc. β
"We have a typical continental climate here, which is characterized by four distinct seasons, hot summers and colder winters, and during the growing season, the inland climate has a large temperature difference between day and night, and the difference between the years is more pronounced, compared to the southern hemisphere, the inland climate is mostly concentrated in the northern hemisphere, which is due to the small land area of the southern hemisphere compared to the sea area. β
"The general characteristics of the continental climate are greatly affected by the continental, the influence of the oceanic is small, in the continental climate conditions, the solar radiation and the ground radiation are very large, so the summer temperature is very high, the air pressure is very low, very hot, and the humidity is large, the winter is controlled by cold and high pressure, the temperature is very low, very dry, the winter is cold and the summer is hot, so that the temperature varies greatly from year to year, and there is also a great diurnal variation in one day, and the temperature annual and daily range are more than the oceanic climate. β
"Spring temperatures are higher than autumn temperatures, with annual highs and lows occurring shortly after the summer or winter solstice, with the hottest month being July and the coldest month being January. β
"Typical regions with continental climates include: Champagne in France, Hungarian wines, Burgundy, Germany, Rioja in Spain, Piedmonte in Italy, North RhΓ΄ne Valley, Douro in Portugal, Austria, Mendoza in Argentina, etc. β
Fang Yun was surprised, "I didn't expect that there is such a big knowledge in wine!"
Nikledge smiled, "Yes, the climate alone, there are so many exquisite, among the 13 climates in the world, only 3 are suitable for grape growth, other regions do not have these conditions, you can't grow high-quality grapes, without high-quality grapes, you can't make good wine, I will take you to my vineyard to visit, you will feel more." β