The Szepsy family's legacy dates to the 16th century. With ancestral roots firmly planted in the fertile soils of the Tokaj region in Hungary, the family has flourished, leaving an indelible mark on the world of winemaking. In a pivotal moment that would shape their destiny, a visionary ancestor of the Szepsy family crafted the world's first "Aszú" wine (sweet dessert wine made from Botrytised grapes) in 1631. This extraordinary creation was hailed by none other than by King Louis XV as the "wine of kings and the king of wines."
This delectably sweet elixir quickly became the object of desire for wine aficionados across the globe, cementing the Szepsy family’s stature as masters of their craft. Almost 300 years later, István Sr. dedicated himself to restoring their vineyards and region following the collapse of communism in 1990. As a member of the 18th generation, István Jr, the current torchbearer, is now following his father's pursuit of crafting world-class dry wines.
The Szepsy family proudly carries forward their legacy with each bottle they produce. They blend tradition, innovation, meticulous craftsmanship, and a profound respect for their vineyards to create a range of wines that pay homage to their illustrious past and inspire future generations of winemakers to transcend boundaries and explore the full potential of the Tokaj region.
Tokaji Furmint Dry "HUN"
The HUN label was made from grapes grown in Hasznos, Bohomáj, Úrágya, Urbán and Nyulas vineyards. Harvested at the end of September and fermented and aged in tank. Partial malolactic fermentation.
Tokaji Furmint Dry
Classical estate blend made from Szent Tamás vineyard, with soil very rich in zeolite, riolite, red and yellow clay; Betsek vineyard, which is soft, crumbled volcanic soil with yellow clay; Urbán vineyard, riolite tuff with quartz, providing a massive, layered wine structure; Bányász, Hasznos and Bohomáj vineyards from andesite based Tállya soils, and the dry Furmint of the loess slope Nyulas (Liliom) vineyard enriches the final blend.The grapes, harvested from different vineyards went on maceration separately. The wines were fermented either in tanks or in barrels and then matured in new, 300 litres oak
barrels for 7 months.
Tokaji Furmint Dry "Úrágya"
Úrágya is a 70 hectare vineyard situated on the western part of Mád village, where the family cultivates 5.3 hectares at a 200-235 m altitude, situated SE-S-SW on 15% slopes. The vines were planted in 1964 and 1982. 80% of the vines are Furmint and 20% are Hárslevelű variety. Underwater volcanic post activity formed the soil to a hard, red clay with quartzy riolite tuff with a thin crumbled upper layer. Extremely complex mineral accumulation provides very disitinctive minerality to the wine. The grapes for this wine were harvested from the 1.24-hectare parcel. It was matured in 300 litres oak barrels for 7 months. 3700 bottles produced.
Tokaji Furmint Dry "Szent Tamás 46”
Szent Tamás is a large, 70-hectare vineyard, located at the eastern part of Mád village. Their 11-hectare plot is between 140 and 230 m above sea level on east- southeast-south facing steep slopes. The oldest vines were planted in 1954 while the youngest in 2015. In this parcel the vines are 60 years old and two-thirds of them are low-head trained. Mineral and layered zeolite and rhyolite soil, very rich in volcanic material, red clay with clay mineral elements which gives a unique, mineral character, very long finish and decades in aging potential. The grapes for this wine were harvested several phases.Fermented and matured in new, 300 litres’ large oak barrels for 7 months. 1900 bottles produced.
Tokaji Szamorodni Sweet
The word Szamorodni means “as it comes”. They harvest whole bunches of grape containing botrytised, shriveled, overripe and even healthy berries from the estate (while making Aszú wine, aszú berries are picked separately). A short maceration of the bunches before pressing helps maximize extract of the botrytised flavors. The Szamorodni method is one of the most natural techniques in sweet vine production. In the vintage 2016 the wine is made of 60% botrytised Furmint grape, 20% overriped Hárslevelű and 20% Yellow Muscat.The wine matured for two and a half years in 200 liter Hungarian oak barrels. Alcohol: 12 %vol. Residual sugar: 177 g/l Acidity: 7,8 g/l Produced: 12,000 bottles
Tokaji 6 Puttonyos "Aszú"
70% Furmint, 20% Hárslevelű, 10% Muscat Lunel.The aszú berries were harvested selectively from October to late November from Szent Tamás, Betsek, Úrágya and Király vineyards of Mád and Bányász vineyard in Tállya. The average amount picked by one person per day is 11kg.
The base wine was harvested from the overripe grapes of the Szent Tamás vineyard.The aszú berries were soaked in the base wine for 48 hours, and after pressing, fermentation took 3 months in oak barrels.The wine is aged in new and second use 300l zemplén oak barrels for nearly two and a half years. Alcohol: 10.0 %vol. Residual sugar: 259.8 g/l Extract: 60.6 g/l
Acidity: 8.34 g/l. 8590 (500ml) bottles produced