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{ SOMMjournal.com } 67 Royal Tokaji Wine Company Dereszla Winery Gróf Degenfeld Winery Grand Tokaj Co-founded in 1990 by respected wine writer Hugh Johnson, Royal Tokaji leads the region's recent renaissance and ranks among the world's most admired wine brands. The company owns 107 hectares of vineyards (roughly 264 acres), predomi - nantly in the village of Mád, and ages wine in its 600-year-old cellar. Royal Tokaji's award-winning portfolio includes dry Fur- mint, late harvest, 5 and 6 puttonyos blends, single-vineyard aszù wines, and the legendary Eszencia. Dereszla Winery farms 30 vineyards encompassing 30 hect- ares (82 acres) in the heart of the Tokaj region. The winery is known for its extensive network of 200-year-old underground wine cellars employing a series of switchbacks that span more than half a mile. Although the historic Degenfeld family winery was re- established as recently as 1995 by Marie Countess Degenfeld and her husband Dr. Thomas Lindner, her ancestor Count Imre Degenfeld founded the Tokaj Region Wine Producers Associa - tion back in 1857. From the beginning, the Degenfeld name has epitomized a respect for high-quality and modern technology combined with valuable traditions and strict business ethics. Grof Degenfeld's 35 hectares (86 acres) of vineyards are sus- tained organically; weeds are removed mechanically and never chemically. The property also includes four-star lodging at the Gróf Degenfeld Castle Hotel. Last but certainly not least, Grand Tokaj was founded by the Hungarian state in 1948 and is located at the intersection of the Tisza and Bodrog rivers. It's the largest winery in the historic Tokaj-Hegyalja (Tokaj "foothills") wine region—recog - nized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Grand Tokaj's 66 hectares (163 acres) of vineyards account for 35 percent of the region's total output. It also purchases grapes from roughly 1,000 small producers across roughly 1,050 hectares (2,595 acres) of land. The winery's holding tank is capable of storing 66,000 hectolitres of wine, and a bottling plant capable of producing 10 million bottles annually is cur - rently being built. "In the words of our Founder Hugh Johnson, Tokaji Aszù is 'a wine that would make angels sing out loud in praise.' The unique magic of Tokaji Aszù lies in the balance of thrilling acidity and sumptuous sweetness. Royal Tokaji's Red Label 2013 is the definitive example." —Zoltán A. Kovács, General Manager at Royal Tokaji Wine Company "Aszú cannot be described with objective or subjective parameters: It is more a joint creation of the nature and the winemaker based on the satisfaction of the consumers. Tokaji Aszú is like a gold jewel for us: Its content, color, flavor, elegance, minerality, and harmonious acidity restore the uniqueness of Tokaj's production area." —Edit Bai, Chief Winemaker at Dereszla Winery "The natural conditions of the Tokaj wine region are extraordinary, and our native grape varieties are optimized for this terroir. Noble rot provides a richness and concentration to aszú that's impossible to replicate, and, truthfully, these natural blessings combined with localized winemaking and aging techniques make the wine even more complex and elegant. In one word: immortal." —Sándor Zsurki, Chief Winemaker at Gróf Degenfeld Winery "Tokaji Aszú is the best Tokaj can offer to the world. I believe that a winemaker's personality always seeps through the wine, and my aim is to radiate happiness and joie de vivre through my wines. I am committed to this special wine and to the greatness of this region, and consider it a mission to restore it to its former glory." —Károly Áts, Chief Winemaker at Grand Tokaj WILSON DANIELS NEW WINES OF HUNGARY, INC. COGNAC ONE, LLC CURRENTLY SEEKING IMPORTER