Hungary. King of Tokaj - Patricius winery

 "A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world" - Louis Pasteur.

Patricius, as a Tokaj wine, is known all over the world for its amazing aszu wines, the sweet beauties that we know and that some people think are the only available wine in Hungary, but that's not all they have (although tasting their aszu is a must while there).

A walk through the vineyards with Péter Molnár, general manager and winemaker, is like reading a regional history book. Their approach is not just to make superb wines (they are succeeding better than well) but also to bring back long lost heritage grapes, vital but forgotten in the region. Amongst the vineyards, there are lines planted with heritage grapes to experiment with their productivity and relationships with the terrain. As they say: “A cornerstone of our philosophy is to better understand the essential qualities of each vineyard, and with the passing of each year rebuild the centuries of knowledge that ruptured after the war.” 

Their harvest starts early in the fall and finishes much later in the season as grape picking for aszu wine is long and very laboring work, picking the grapes, not clusters, one by one. With vineyards located in one of the five local villages, their winery landscape takes your breath away. Wine tasting starts with fresh Furmint and goes to honey like eszencia – a journey you have to take for the pure purpose of understanding the diversity of the land and wine culture. Remember that Tokaj is far more than just azsu sweet wine, and a trip to Tokaj, with its changing scenery and beautiful vineyards, is another way to see Hungary. 

PS. After tasting stop at the local Első Mádi Borház for lunch or dinner, sit outside and inhale the air of Tokaj. 

Our favourite wines:
Patricius Furmint selection 2017
Patricius Green Furmint (organic)
Patricius Sarga Muskotaly 2017
Patricius Aszu
Patricius Eszencia

Address
3917, Bodrogkisfalud3357 Várhegy dűlő
https://patricius.hu/en/

Story and pictures: Signe Meirane
Camera: Sony Alpha 7s