Puttonyos
Encyclopedia
Puttonyos is the name given to denote the level of sugar
and hence the sweetness
of Hungarian dessert wine
, called Tokaji
(or tokay). It is traditionally measured by the number of hods of sweet botrytised or nobly rotted
grapes (known as Aszú) added to a barrel of wine, but is now measured in grams of residual sugar. The Puttonyos was actually the 25 kg basket or hod of Aszu grapes, and the more added to the barrel of wine, the sweeter the eventual wine. Measurement goes from 3 to 6 Puttonyos. A Tokaji made entirely from Aszu grapes is known as Aszu Eszencia.
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
and hence the sweetness
Sweetness
Sweetness is one of the five basic tastes and is almost universally regarded as a pleasurable experience. Foods rich in simple carbohydrates such as sugar are those most commonly associated with sweetness, although there are other natural and artificial compounds that are sweet at much lower...
of Hungarian dessert wine
Dessert wine
Dessert wines are sweet wines typically served with dessert.There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a meal, as opposed to the white fortified wines drunk before the meal, and the red fortified wines drunk after it...
, called Tokaji
Tokaji
Tokaji is the name of the wines from the region of Tokaj-Hegyalja in Hungary and Slovakia. The name Tokaji is used for labeling wines from this wine district. This region is noted for its sweet wines made from grapes affected by noble rot, a style of wine which has a long history in this region...
(or tokay). It is traditionally measured by the number of hods of sweet botrytised or nobly rotted
Noble rot
Noble rot is the benevolent form of a grey fungus, Botrytis cinerea, affecting wine grapes. Infestation by Botrytis requires moist conditions, and if the weather stays wet, the malevolent form, "grey rot", can destroy crops of grapes...
grapes (known as Aszú) added to a barrel of wine, but is now measured in grams of residual sugar. The Puttonyos was actually the 25 kg basket or hod of Aszu grapes, and the more added to the barrel of wine, the sweeter the eventual wine. Measurement goes from 3 to 6 Puttonyos. A Tokaji made entirely from Aszu grapes is known as Aszu Eszencia.
Residual sugar levels (grams per litre):
- 3 Puttonyos - 60
- 4 Puttonyos - 90
- 5 Puttonyos - 120
- 6 Puttonyos - 150
- Aszu Eszencia - 180