Tocai Friulano: a wine... "unique" by Paolo Valdesolo

History

Polemics are swirling around the potential of the Tocai grape variety as they have for many years. The dispute has pitted grape growers of the Veneto and Friuli against those of Hungary and it is based, principally, on commercial considerations in that France is the producer of a sweet white wine similar to the Hungarian beverage and called Tocai d'Alsace. The Hungarians, who feel they are being cheated out of an important slice of the market, have sued to halt use of the name Tocai for a product that is not that of the Hungarian original Because of the similarity of the sounds of the words "Tokay," which indicates the Hungarian wine, and "Tocai," which refers to the Friuli product; the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia has also taken a hand in this dispute.
In reality, while the protests addressed to the French can be justified, those aimed at the Friuli wine cannot, because the varieties and wines are completely different. The Hungarian Tokay is a liqueur dessert beverage, amber in color and aged in wood for five years or more. It has concentrated alcohol amounting to as much as 15° and more than 5° residual sugar. It is produced with the grapes of more than one variety, but principally Furmint. Tocai Friulano is a wine intended for consumption with meals and as an aperitif. Its alcohol level is low and the wine should be drunk in its youth. And it is derived from a single variety, Tocai. In addition to the characteristics of the wines and varieties, the names are spelled differently (Tocai and Tokay). Only the sounds are the same. Still, the defense of Tocai was not adequate and the quarrel was resolved to the disadvantage of Italy with a sentence handed by the European Union that stipulated that the name Tocai had to be changed in 2007, while Hungary obtained the right to protect the name of the viticultural region of Tokay.
Tocai Friulano has a troubled and uncertain history and it is for that reason that considerable confusion exists in regard to the variety. The confusion arose because the histories of Tocai Friulano and Hungarian Tokay are intertwined at some points. According to one historian's interpretation, it appears that the variety was transported from Friuli to Hungary during the reign of Béla IV in the 13th century. Another interpretation holds that the same king had experts come from Italy and France and they, through selecting and grafting obtained Furmint, the variety used in the largest percentage in the production of Hungarian Tokay. Further, in 1623 Conte Battiani married Aurora Formentini and they went to live in Hungary, taking with them the variety from San Floriano, the Furmint, which took the name Tokay from the zone in which it was transplanted. The Counts Formentini are linked to another version. Slovene laborers working in the vineyards at San Floriano were asked where the variety with which they were working came from. They responded: "Tu kay," which in Slovene means "of here," thereby indicating, a native origin for the variety.
On the other hand, the Hungarians put forth claims that the variety was imported into Friuli at the time of the Habsburg empire.

Ampelography

The morphological characteristics of the variety resemble fairly closely those of Sauvignon, with which it can be confused in a less than thorough examination. However, there is an appreciable diversity in the leaves: which are hairless on the under surface for the Tocai: and pubescent in that of Sauvignon. The sinuses are closed in the Tocai, open in a "U" in the Sauvignon. The inflorescence is pyramidal with self-fertilizing hermaphroditic flowers. When the leaves are fully developed they are of medium size, rounded or pentagonal, generally three-lobed with the possibility of two additional lateral lobes. The color of the upper surface is bright green or opaque with veins, or partly reddish. The color of the lower surface is a bright grassy green with veins that are not too apparent and a lightly velvety green color; the lamina has irregular dentation of a sharply pointed type. The petiole is of medium thickness, bald, green with reddish shadings. When mature, the cluster is medium-large. It reaches a length of 15-20 cm. and is conical-pyramidal with one or two wings of medium compactness and with lightly ovoid seeds and a golden-yellow skin. The grape is slightly pointed, pruinose, relatively thick, tender and juicy. With the exception of the area occupied by Prosecco in Treviso province, Tocai Friulano is diffused throughout the zone in the eastern Veneto and Friuli. In this zone it is one of the most widely cultivated white varieties. Another zone of interest is the Verona area of San di Martino della Battaglia and bordering districts. The Tocais that enjoy the most outstanding reputations are those identified in the zones of the Collio, the Colli Orientali and the plain of Lison di Portogruaro. While Tocai is diffused just about everywhere, it is especially cultivated in the Grave, because the vine prefers dry terrain.

Vinification

For Tocai, fermentation off the skins is recommended because the wine tends to oxidize easily: Fermentation with maceration means a short life for the wine. Oxidizable flavones are solubilized from the skins in the wine. As a result the wine becomes easily oxidized with a consequent darkening of the color and harmful effects on aromas and flavors. Nor is cold maceration regarded with a favorable eye since it permits production of non-oxidizable but odorous wine. However, in the case of Tocai it is best to avoid weighing down the wine with aromas that are inelegant.
As far as problems of vinification are concerned, it appears that they principally regard the difficulty of clarifying the must. As a result, the grapes are often subjected to attacks of gray mold. It is necessary to keep oxidation and the fearful acetic acid under strict control through additives (sulfur) and low temperatures. The clarification problem can be dealt with by not blocking the action of the lower temperatures of the winter months but by integrating this period with clarification at the beginning of spring. Another characteristic of Tocai is its bitterish background, which is agreeable if it is in harmony with the overall flavor. But there should be no excessiveness, which might cause a relapse into heaviness that will require a substantial dose of sulfur. A minimum should assure antioxidative protection that would not cause formation of substantial acetaldehyde (a bitterish compound). In practice if the wholesome grapes permit it, only several grams of SO2 are added to the strained juice; the rest is added when fermentation is completed. That means after separation from most of the yeasts, which are notorious agents in the production of acetaldehyde when they are subjected to stress by SO2.An enology of reduction is desirable because of the previously cited oxidation. Use of containers impermeable to oxygen (the cask must be banished) permits the sealing off of the air with a layer of gaseous nitrogen. Filtration should be carried out with perfect equipment to prevent absorption of oxygen. In bottling under nitrogen, gas is pumped in to keep the wine separated from the air when the bottles are corked. And wines should be preserved at a low temperature (15 C. or 59° F. maximum), Some advise avoidance of malolactic fermentation, preferring recourse to extremely precocious filtration (even during the drawing off of the wine, if tangential filtration is used) in order to eliminate lactic bacteria blooms before they can cause trouble. Others want to obtain wines with greater finesse than those with a high content of malic acid.
The susceptibility to oxidation of this wine and its tendency to develop sensory heaviness discourages use of the barrique. A wine's aroma and youthful freshness should be preserved and all overpowering with scents of wood and the bitter flavor caused by oak should be avoided.
It is a grave error to push the alcohol level of Tocai to more than 12° and in Friuli it is not unusual to find wines of 14°. Elevated alcohol levels mean pointless increases in costs and a net worsening of quality in addition to limiting the number of aperitifs that can be consumed. It is clear that a high-alcohol wine is not a suitable aperitif. At 11.5°, the wine qualifies as a Superiore. Tocai wine can be aged in the bottle and with two years of maturation it can be labeled a Riserva.

Characteristics of the wine

Tocai Friulano, a wine for meals or aperitifs, is delicate, fine, dry and fruity with an average alcohol level of about 12.5°. It should be drunk young. It should also be noted that the low-medium content of fixed acidity with pH values that are higher than in other white wines at times renders the wine unbalanced and difficult to preserve. The wine accompanies appetizers, broth and vegetable soups, vegetable or fish risottos and above all fried, grilled or sauced fish and mild cheeses. The serving temperature is 11° or 12° (52°-54° F). The color is a dark or bright straw yellow tending to citron yellow. The wine offers a delicate and pleasant aroma that is not too intense but characteristic. The flavor is dry, relatively fresh, rounded, warm, typically bitterish and harmonious.
There are no particularly aromatic characteristics that diversify Tocai from other wines, such as Verduzzo or Pinot Bianco. However, scents and flavors of almonds are characteristic.
The intensity of the aromas depends upon the quantity of extracts permitted by the production code (more extract means more substance and, therefore, more aromas). Weather conditions also influence the amount of extracts. In the hills, where there is a bigger difference between day and night temperatures, the aromatic intensity is greater. In characterizing a wine's odors, much will depend on vinification, since the Tocai variety does not have any particular varietal aromas. If we want to characterize the odors, we must have recourse to terms that refer to olfactory sensations impressed on our memories thanks to our daily experiences. These terms are called "describers." A documented attempt to extrapolate describers for Tocai was carried out by ERSA in collaboration with the Isonzo Consortium. Afterward, the profile constructed and an explanation of the describers were made public.

Pungent chemical: Describes the warn sensation of ethanol on the olfactory system.
Pasticceria: There is on the olfactory system a perception of a mixture of the odors that are found in a pastry shop and especially the sweet aroma of vanilla. That note is an important characteristic of Tocai wine. The scent of almonds has been included in that term. But it is no longer to be found in the wine and some argue that it was due to a defect of vinification.
Bitter fruit: This is a note that brings to mind green apples, which are substantially different from the fruit when ripe. To render the description even clearer, it should make us think of green apple shampoo. Ripe fruit: including aromas of ripe drupes with a prevalence of peaches and, more commonly, apricots.
Tropical fruit: This category includes pineapple, bananas and melons. The aroma is a mixture of an exotic type, with an odor similar to that released by a goblet of fruit juice of an exotic type with a tropical character. This note frequently recurs in Tocai and contributes to a complete sensation of a wine's fruitiness.
Citrus fruit: A sensation that refers almost exclusively to the aroma of lemons.
Dried vegetables: This involves the penetrating odor of grass laid out to dry in the fields; not aromatic to the nose.
Fresh vegetables: This note has been described as close to the odor of mint or to the refreshing aroma of fennel; these are scents that "open the nose."
Pungent vegetal odor: This refers to aromas typical of Sauvignon; odors of tomato and sweet pepper leaves.
Acidic flavor: It is closely correlated with the wine's fixed acidity and with its pH; it also depends on the type of acids present. Tartaric acid is more acidic than malic and malic than lactic. This explains why the wines that undergo malolactic fermentation are softer and, if the acidity is already low at the beginning, the wine will be flat.
Sapidity: This is the sensation produced by all the substances that confer flavor on the wine. Sugars are not taken into consideration in evaluations of this parameter. Sweetness is not included in this profile because Tocai is generally consumed in a dry style.
Persistence: This represents the beverage's capacity to maintain its flavor over time. It is often called a wine that "dies in the mouth," which refers to the immediate disappearance of the flavor when the wine is swallowed. On the other hand, if the flavor of the wine lingers principally on the sides of the lower part of the tongue, it is said that it has a high degree of persistence. That persistence is not dependent upon the permanence of the acidic substance (which confers the sensation of freshness) but above all on sapidity.

Copyright © 2005 - Convivium2000
All rights reserved
Web design and Coding by Webdolomiti