Domaine Tokaji Hetszolo, Edes Szamorodni 2017, Hungary

“We do believe that with organic approach we can protect the vitality of the vines and so have better quality now and in the future. In order to be able to communicate this philosophy we only use our own grapes to create the Hétszőlő wines.” (Gergely Makai, technical director & general manager)

Mysterious Mount Tokaj…seen from above, it rises above the autumn mists, its slopes gleaming with golden grapevines, and its summit overlooking the vast Hungarian plain into the distant southern horizon. In fine weather, you can even see Slovakia and Ukraine. The undisputed king of Hungarian vineyards, Mount Tokaj is located to the North of the country, 230 km east of Budapest. This legendary place produces exceptional wines, served at the court of Louis XIV, the latter said of Tokaj, it’s the “King of the Wines and The Wine of the Kings”.

Unique and Noble Terroir

Wines, this admirable, were never going to remain a secret for very long… the parcels of the Tokaj-Hétszőlő Estate were classed as Tokaj Premier Cru as early as 1772, when the Estate still belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This distinction pays homage to the unique characteristics of what is an exceptional terroir.

The Special Style of the Hétszőlő Wines

Nature conspired to reunite all the conditions necessary on the Tokaj-Hétszőlő Estate for the much sought-after Botrytis cinerea to flourish – the land is a veritable treasure-trove. But when it comes to wine, you can never take anything for granted. Inspired by the mysterious powers of a single location, men have sought to marshal their know-how to promote this unique gift, making decisions without compromise and controlling yields in a constant search for ultimate quality.

For a long time, it was thought that the shimmering colour of the Aszús of Tokaj-Hétszőlő was a sign of gold… Alchemists even examined this strange phenomenon, but failed to find an explanation. One thing is sure: the peculiarities of the Hétszőlő terroir produce wines of great harmony and incomparable complexity, imbued with the smoothness and nose characteristic of loess soils.

Organic Approach at Hétszőlő

From the beginning, Hétszőlő has had a very good background for organic viticulture and always has tried to be conscious about environmental issues. As there was no viticulture at the slopes of Hétszőlő between the 1950’s and 1990 – in fact in the era of massive agrochemical use of Soviet regime – it was nearly a must to figure out a more environmental friendly way of culture at the time of replantation at Hétszőlő vineyards in 1991. Hétszőlő has never used artificial fertilizer and herbicides neither insecticide.

To make organic culture more official, Hétszőlő began the conversion process for organic certification in 2009 with the label of Hungária Ökogarancia, an official organic certifier in Hungary.

Today all the 55 hectares of vineyards of the estate are cultivated strictly in organic way. The first attempt for organic wine was in vintage 2014 where a dry Furmint was vinified according to organic wine making rules. This was followed by the successful 2015 vintage dry Furmint and since 2017, all our wines, vintages are certified organic, even the most complex aszú wines too.

Our main points of organic viticulture:

• • Limited chemical use by using minuscule amounts of copper and sulfur.

• • Instead of systemic chemicals we use more natural products like, orange oil, baking powder and other natural substances.

• • No artificial fertilizer , no herbicides.

• • Natural pest management by using predatory insects.
  • Soil management with compost and diverse cover crops.

• • Strict canopy work and management.

• • Ecological islands next to vine parcels to increase biodiversity

• • As natural wine making as possible based on traditional wine making methods.