2016 Disznóko: a honeyed sweetie with orangey notes
Certain sweet wine styles appeal to drinkers with very sweet palates, while others appeal widely, even to people who say that they don’t actually like sweet wines. The critical factor in a sweet wine with a very wide appeal is the presence of acidity.
Acid cuts through sweetness and allows wine to fall into some semblance of balance. It also has the dual job of bringing freshness to the finish. It is not uncommon for a young sweet wine to actually taste tangy and dry right at the back of the palate when in fact it is a very rich proposition. Acidity is the battery pack for red and white wine and a young sweetie will always end up showing more overt sugariness as time marches on and the acid subsides.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
I say this because this late-picked Tokaji is the lowest rung on the ladder in the Tokaji sweetness scheme of things (which goes all the way up to essencia – you can imagine the impact of this style), and it is also a young wine, too.
It does indeed taste orangey with honeyed notes and almond flourishes, but it also possesses marmalade rind bitterness on the finish, which sucks the sweetness out of your palate, replacing it with a lovely “amaro” tang. It is a wine to drink with bitter chocolate and orangey puddings, but also with mature, hard cheese and nuts. It is sweet and dry in one breath and I love this counterpoint of seduction and then control.
2016 Disznóko, Late Harvest, Tokaji, Hungary – Half-litre bottle – £14.50, LeaAndSandeman.co.uk; £14.99 or £13.20 by the straight dozen, CambridgeWine.com; £16, TanninAndOak.com.
Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Communicator of the Year (MatthewJukes.com).
This article was originally published in MoneyWeek
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - November 2, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - anti-fascism, early voter turnout, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
Mulled white wine: a 'quirky' Christmas hit?
The Week Recommends Retailers are hoping to tempt shoppers with a 'lighter' version of the classic festive tipple
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
The Count of Monte Cristo review: 'indecently spectacular' adaptation
The Week Recommends Dumas's classic 19th-century novel is once again given new life in this 'fast-moving' film
By The Week UK Published
-
Death of England: Closing Time review – 'bold, brash reflection on racism'
The Week Recommends The final part of this trilogy deftly explores rising political tensions across the country
By The Week UK Published
-
Sing Sing review: prison drama bursts with 'charm, energy and optimism'
The Week Recommends Colman Domingo plays a real-life prisoner in a performance likely to be an Oscars shoo-in
By The Week UK Published
-
Kaos review: comic retelling of Greek mythology starring Jeff Goldblum
The Week Recommends The new series captures audiences as it 'never takes itself too seriously'
By The Week UK Published
-
Blink Twice review: a 'stylish and savage' black comedy thriller
The Week Recommends Channing Tatum and Naomi Ackie stun in this film on the hedonistic rich directed by Zoë Kravitz
By The Week UK Published
-
Shifters review: 'beautiful' new romantic comedy offers 'bittersweet tenderness'
The Week Recommends The 'inventive, emotionally astute writing' leaves audiences gripped throughout
By The Week UK Published
-
The myth of 'healthy' moderate drinking
Under The Radar The shaky logic that a daily tipple can lengthen your life has been a 'propaganda coup for the alcohol industry'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published