Wine Grapes: Furmit

Furmint originates from the Tokaj region in north-eastern Hungary, the home of the famous sweet Aszú wines (made from grapes affected by the benevolent form of botrytis bunch rot), whose existence was first documented on 15 May 1571 in the Hétszőlő vineyard in the village of Tokaj (Zelenák 2002). Furmint has a parent-offspring relationship with Hárslevelű (Calò, Costacurta et al. 2008; Vouillamoz), the other key variety in Tokaji wines. Legend has it that Furmint was brought to Tokaj in the first half of the twelfth century by Italian missionaries who had been invited by King Stephen II (Fabbro et al. 2002).

Early budding, late-ripening. Loose bunches of medium-sized, thick-skinned berries. Susceptible to botrytis bunch rot and downy and powdery mildews and prone to frost damage, but good drought tolerance.

Furmint is an intense variety producing world-class, fiery, full-bodied, high-acid, long-lived sweet and dry wines almost exclusively in Central Europe, especially Hungary. The combination of high acid, susceptibility to botrytis bunch rot and high sugar levels in the berries make Furmint ideal raw material for intensely rich, long-lived Aszú dessert wines, often blended with the more aromatic Hárslevelű and sometimes also a lesser amount of Sárga Muskotály (Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains) and/or the more recent Zéta.