Simkó/Evinor Cellar (Tokaj Region)

Winemaker/owner Sándor Simko has been making wine since 1983, first for a Hungarian state winery and after communism a French winery. His family has made wine for generations on the same land. After the end of the communist era his family reclaimed a tiny portion of the land and from this he started his own winery and vineyards.  His tasting room and storage cellar is over 400 years old. 

This region is famous for its sweet wines made from grapes affected by noble rot (botrytis). Aszú is the most well-known wine produced this way, it's a world-famous, topaz-colored, extremely sweet dessert wine. The process of making aszú wine is as follows: first, aszú berries are individually picked, then collected in huge vats and trampled into the consistency of paste. Second, must or wine is added to this paste and left for 24-48 hours, stirred occasionally. After, the wine is racked off into wooden casks or vats where fermentation is completed and the wine is left to mature. The casks are stored in a cool environment and are not tightly closed, so a slow fermentation process continues in the cask, usually for several years. The concentration of aszú was traditionally defined by the number of puttony of aszú paste or dough added to a cask (136 liter barrel) of must. Aszú wines range from 3 to 6 puttonyos, with a further category called Aszú-Eszencia representing wines above 6 puttonyos. Tokaji aszú has been served in Royal Courts of France, England, Austria, Hungary, etc. for centuries and is named by King Louis XV the "Wine of Kings, King of Wines".

5-PUTTONYOS TOKAJI ASZÚ 2001 (12%)

Dessert wine made from hand-picked grapes affected by noble rot: a unique phenomenon of the Tokaj region. The deep honey color and sweet nose represent well the elegance of noble wines from this region. The extreme sweetness is balanced by lively acidity, making this wine an excellent choice to be sipped on its own or to accompany cheeses, fois gras and nutty desserts.

HÁRSLEVELŪ 2014 (13%)

Hárslevelű is a Hungarian grape variety mostly cultivated in the Tokaj region where the grapes are grown on volcanic soil. On the nose it brings us fragrances of honey, chestnut and pollen, and on the palate it becomes a smooth, light and slightly sweet favorite. Pairs well with slightly sweet meat and cheese dishes and light desserts.