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No wine style, like an old and valued as Tokay can get without the colorful legends. So here's what happened in lore. Mid-17th century, a noble woman, called Zsuzsanna Lorantfly owned property, which includes the present day Slovakia, Tokay region. Her priest, who doubled their winemaker, postponed the fall harvest in 1650, fearing an attack by the Turks. Priest precautions can save your wine collectors, but he left his grapes vulnerable to moisture-loving fungus "botrytis. Some of them succumbed and shriveled, but the priest is not economical to reject them. Instead, he chose to be crushed and added that there should be made from unaffected grapes.

Meanwhile, the Turkish invasion, the threat remained real, because the other Lorantfly vineyard developments. To hide the precious wine from potential hackers, winemakers dug tunnels into the hill, the entrance to which could be easily concealed. These distinctive caves, according to regional climate is humid and the fact that they are traces of evaporated wine were excellent hosts black mold that should be critically Tokay aging process.

Whether it's above, it is true, we know, this region is a pioneer in botrytis-infected dessert wine grape used. In fact, the fungus was a very effective use of the Tokay that within 100 years, winemakers in Germany and France have been using it to create your own glorified dessert wines. At the same time, the fungus gained much loftier name: noble rot. And - just as a matter of fact and not a legend - Tokay wine gained the 18th century between the hot-crowned. French court worshiped, and the Habsburgs were so impressed that they introduced him to the Russian imperial court. Sweet wines era Mad, Tokaj became known as the "king of wines, wine of kings'. Champagne area of France, at that time known mainly for its still wines, as yet no rival. Tokay 'prestige in the 20th century, even today, it ranks among the world's most valued after-dinner wines, Port, Madeira, and some of the Alsatian white.

However, the 20 th century Tokay is almost devastated the region, especially in the Slovak part. When dissolved the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the First World War, Tokay area was divided into two parts - the remaining 90 per cent in Hungary and the rest going to the new Czechoslovakia. The Second World War severely disrupted the entire European wine trade and the rise of communism after the war, the two countries meant nationalization of Tokay vineyards, with a focus on quality in quantity. Communist Czechoslovakia, indifference Tokay mystique was so great that the government traded away their right to Tokay brand in exchange for the right to export beer to Hungary. That's a lot, because it was abolished, but Slovak winemakers still lack the right to sell its wine to the European Union countries under the name of Tokay. Hungary signed a 13-year deal with the brand name of Tokay in 1993. Slovakia, when the Velvet Divorce of suffering, did not participate in these negotiations.

So, when communism fell Tokay region of Hungary, has gone through a renaissance - a foreign investments poured wine once again became fashionable. However, Slovakia was submerged. In addition to exporting to the EU's lucrative market, foreign winemakers saw little reason to invest in Slovakia, a tiny bit of Tokay region.