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66 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 Béres Vineyards and Winery is located in the village of Erdo " bénye, one of the oldest settlements in the region and home to the first written mention of the Furmint grape variety in 1611. Established in 2002 by Dr. József Béres and his wife, Klára, the modern winery is housed in a 3,000-square-meter chateau on a 45-hectare (111- acre) estate. The vineyards include three well-regarded, steeply-sloped sites that are interplanted with plum orchards and native flora. Its beauty hasn't gone unnoticed: Béres bested 99 other wineries to win the title of Hungary's "Most Beautiful Vineyard" in 2015. NEW WINES OF HUNGARY, INC. Established by the Kékessy family—whose winemaking ancestral roots trace back to the 18th century—Patricius wines are cultivated from 85 hectares of eight vineyards based in five villages. The winery, located in a renovated ancient wine-press house in the Várhegy vineyard, employs gentle hands-off winemaking practices that take advantage of the gravity- flow vinification process. Patricius offers dry, late harvest, and aszú wines both in single-vineyard and small-batch selections from its best vineyards. In 2016, it was recog - nized as "Hungary's Winery of the Year." CLASSIC WINES, INC. reflecting this new focus on balance and complexity, modern-style aszú has proved it can no longer be de- fined solely by sugar or sweetness. With high levels of natural acidity and com- plex flavors that run from honeysuckle, peaches, and apricots to marmalade, rye bread, and roasted nuts imparted by noble rot, the natural wines of Tokaj are an authentic and utterly distinctive expression of their home country's rich winemaking history. The Definition of Modern Over the past several years, producers have introduced more reductive sweet wine styles protected from oxygen during fermentation. Often made with a ratio of botrytized ber - ries comparable to late harvest wines (50–180 grams per liter of residual sugar), this category isn't regulated and botrytis isn't required, though it is often employed. These wine styles, late harvest or Tokaji (sweet) cuvée, are ready for release as early as a year after harvest. Marked by acidity and complexity that balances and masks the impres - sion of over t sweetness, they taste far drier on the palate and find an easy rappor t with a wide range of ethnic cuisines, especially Pan Asian and Latin American flavors. As the crown jewels of the Hungarian wine industry, Tokaji Aszú wines always possess a dis - tinctive and incomparable character and lead cu- rious consumers to unexplored places on their tasting journey. With the "Year of Aszú" cam- paign, that journey will offer plentiful possibilities for a renewed dive into the art of winemaking. In their efforts to maintain and preserve tradi- tional winemaking techniques, as well as the high production and quality standards required by the region, Tokaji Aszú producers formed their own self-regulatory body. While their styles may differ, all members are collectively committed to producing top-notch quality wines. { cover story } SIX OUTSTANDING HUNGARIAN PRODUCERS "I believe aszú is the best natural sweet wine in the world. Its complexity and unique production method makes this wine extraordinary in so many ways. When someone tastes aszú for the first time, they will embark on a whole new chapter in their lives . . . a chapter with more than 400 years of winemaking history behind it." —János Jarecsni, Chief Winemaker at Béres Vineyards and Winery by Béres Vineyards and Winery Patricius Winery "Tokaji Aszú is a reference in the wine world for balance and uniqueness. This wine draws directly from the perfect location, climate, and microclimate conditions of the region while volcanic base rocks impart rich minerality thanks to active volcanism. Everything is provided in Tokaj to produce the best natural wines with elegance and purity." —Péter Molnár, Ph.D., General Manager at Patricius Winery