How is Szamorodni made? – its history and its different wine making styles

I am sure you have heard about the World-famous wine region of Tokaj in Hungary and you might even tried a Tokaji Aszú, its most popular Sauternes-like sweet wine. But what about Szamorodni? Have you heard about this historic wine from the same region? Are you familiar with Szamorodni’s history and wine making styles?  Let’s talk about them in details and let me show you why you should discover dry and sweet Szamorodni in the near future.

Tokaj

Tokaj is situated in the northern part of Hungary, just next to the Slovakian border with mainly on volcanic soil which gives its unique character. You can read more about the region here. In that part of the country, they are working with native grape varieties. Namely with Furmint, Hárslevelű, Yellow Muscat (in Hungarian: Sárgamuskotály), Zéta (previously called Oremus – a cross of Furmint and Bouvier grapes) and Kövérszőlő. Furmint is the main variety of all, you can read more about this grape here.

In the past, Szamorodni was known as főbor, meaning “main wine”, which tells you something about its traditional importance to the wine region. However now Aszú is the main wine of the region. Nevertheless, Szamorodni has a long history itself.

History

The origins of Szamorodni date back to the early 17th century when Tokaji was first produced in the Tokaj region of Hungary. At the time, there were no strict rules governing how Tokaji was made, and so it was often made using a mix of botrytised and non-botrytised grapes. This mix of grapes would be fermented together to create a wine that was both sweet and complex in flavor.

In the 18th century, the production of Tokaji became more regulated, and only botrytised grapes were allowed to be used in the production of Aszú wines. Non-botrytised grapes were reserved to produce a dry wine that was known as Szamorodni. The name Szamorodni comes from the Polish word ‘samorodny’, which means ‘self-born’, or ‘as it comes’.

The production of Szamorodni reached its peak in the late 19th century when it was one of the most popular wines in Hungary. It was exported all over Europe and even to the United States. The phylloxera epidemic of the late 19th century decimated the vineyards of Hungary, and the production of Szamorodni was severely impacted.

Production

After World War II, the production of Szamorodni continued to decline as Hungary fell under Soviet control. The communist government placed a greater emphasis on the production of bulk wines that were exported to other Soviet-bloc countries. The focus on quantity over quality meant that the production of Szamorodni, with its more complex and labor-intensive production process, was no longer seen as a priority.

In the 1990s, after the fall of communism, there was a renewed interest in the production of traditional Hungarian wines, including Szamorodni. Winemakers began to experiment with different production methods and grape varieties, and slowly but surely, the production of Szamorodni started to increase.

Today, Szamorodni is produced in small quantities by a handful of winemakers in two styles: sweet or dry. We can find way more sweet Szamorodni on the market than dry one because of its wine making technique and flavour profile. Only a handful of producers still making dry Szamorodni.

Sweet and dry Szamorodni

Both styles start with the same principle that comes from its name: botrytised and non-botrytised grapes are all harvested together and fermented together in the same time. The sweetness will therefore depend on how many botrytised berries we got from the vineyard and that will determine the final wine making technique.

When they are making the sweet version, it is pretty straightforward: it is made in a similar way to the world-famous wines of Sauternes. It typically has 50 to 100 grams of residual sugar, rather like a German or Austrian Beerenauslese (BA), and it is aged for at least two years (one of which is in barrels) down in the cellars. It’s comparable to an Aszú, with flavours of honey, candied orange, sweet spice and zingy acidity, but fresher and less sweet and concentrated.

The dry version has some twist in its making: It’s made from late harvested, very ripe bunches with some botrytis. It is fermented to dryness under a layer of flor (a veil of yeast that develops on the surface of the wine as the ambient temperature in the cellar begins to rise), like Sherry wines. This biological ageing gives the wine a special character, also comparable to Vin Jaune wines from the Jura in France. The flor keeps the wine fresh and a rancio character begins to develop due to oxidation. This is the reason why we can find Sherry-like flavours of tobacco, nuts and dried apricots in those wines.

Usually the best botrytised berries are going into the Aszú wines however they are not made in every vintage. When there is not enough noble rot to produce Aszú, those berries goes into Szamorodni and will give the opportunity to shine on its own.

Conclusion

As I mentioned, it is far less common  to find a dry Szamorodni and is even in danger of being phased out officially, which would be a great shame. This is where we came in the picture. Let’s drink and try more of this delicious wine and put it in the spotlight, specially when we celebrate Furmint February! Those wines are really deserve the attention for their great quality and flavour complexity and should be mentioned next to the best Aszú wines.

Sources:

Taste Hungary