Tokaji Eszencia
Tokaji Eszencia is the world’s sweetest wine, made from the pure, unpressed juice of botrytized grapes, offering intense concentration, syrup-like texture, and extraordinary aging potential.
Tokaji Eszencia (Toe-kye Ess-en-see-uh) is the most concentrated and rare of all Tokaj wines. With a syrup-like texture, and often served with a teaspoon rather than a glass, Eszencia contains over 450 g/L of sugar, offering intense flavors of honey, dried apricots, figs, marmalade, and caramel. It’s also the OG low alcohol wine, often under 3% ABV.
Tokaji Eszencia in the glass. Credit: Wines of Tokaj
How it’s Made
Tokaji Eszencia is made from hand-picked Aszú berries, which have been affected by noble rot (Botrytis cinerea). These berries are carefully harvested one by one, and, without any pressing, the concentrated juice naturally drips out under its own weight.
This free-run juice is incredibly rich in sugar, exceeding 450 grams per liter, which makes fermentation difficult for yeast. As a result, Eszencia undergoes an extremely slow fermentation and the alcohol content rarely exceeds 3% ABV.
A maximum of 6 liters of juice can be collected from 100 kg of botrytized grapes.
Aging and Flavors
Eszencia’s syrupy texture and intense concentration give it a unique flavor profile. Expect notes of dried fruits, honey, saffron, and apricot jam. With its naturally high acidity, Eszencia maintains balance despite its extreme sweetness. Aged for decades or even centuries, this rare wine only improves with time, developing even more complexity.
