Tokaj winecellars

As a little boy, I didn’t really notice the beauty of the Tokaj cellars. To me, they were just an ordinary place where I used to run around and ride my bike with friends. During the wine events, which take place twice every summer, our parents would sit and sip wine, while we explored the narrow corridors of the dark cellars. We weren’t interested in the microclimate or the smell of mold on the walls.

But with age came questions.How long have these cellars been here?What’s the purpose of the mold?Why is wine stored here?

We'll answer these questions in this article.

Tokaj wine cellars

History

Our parents told us that the cellars were probably first dug during the Tatar invasions, in the 13th century. The cellars were initially used as shelters for the inhabitants, but later people discovered that they had a positive effect on wine production and especially on wine aging. However, some sources suggest that they were actually dug specifically for storing wine, also in the 13th century. Specifically, since 1252, when King Béla IV brought Italian winemakers to our land to help restore viticulture and winemaking in Tokaj after the vineyards were destroyed by the Tatars.

In any case, while some of these cellars are already over 700 years old, the last portal was started in the 1990s (Portal No. 19). After that year, the digging of new portals was prohibited because they were included in the list of national monuments. They are currently awaiting registration as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

portal n. 17

White clay?

This was a question I asked my father when I was a child. I couldn't understand why the cellars didn't collapse. After all, we can scrape that "white clay" off the walls like sand. However, he explained to me that it isn't clay at all, but tuff, volcanic ash that settled in the Mesozoic era. Some of the Zemplín mountains in Hungary, as well as our own Black Mountain (the hill between Čerhov and Veľká Tŕňa), were volcanoes. These volcanoes went extinct millions of years ago, so nowadays we no longer need to fear their awakening. On the contrary, we can make use of the soil and rocks that are special because of their volcanic origin.

Apparently, these are tuffs of andesites and rhyolites, but in Čerhov and Veľká Tŕňa, it's common to find volcanic glass, obsidian, on the ground in the fields and vineyards.

In Portal No. 17, where we have two small cellars, this tuff is very dark and medium-hard. However, there are also cellars where the tuff is literally as hard as rock. On the other hand, there are cellars where the tuff slowly crumbles from the walls like sand.

In the largest cellar in Slovak Tokaj, in Malá Tŕňa, we can observe how both white and black tuff can occur in the same place. However, the difference between them is still unknown to us.

white and dark tuff

What is the purpose of this mold?

The first thing that attracts the attention of every new visitor to the tuff cellars is their mold. When we were children, our parents scolded us when we touched it. This was because it stains a lot, and especially, its growth on the walls, barrels, and bottles is very slow. Moreover, the cellar mold (lat. Cladosporium cellare) has a very positive effect on the aging of wine. In Veľká Tŕňa, we try to preserve its growth in the cellar rather than remove it.

This mold, when young, is completely white, like a snow cover, but over time, it darkens. After a few years, it turns black. It feeds on the vapors of the wine, and that's why it is found in places where wine is stored and produced. It mainly covers barrels, bottles, and the areas around them. It is harder to find in cellars that are only used for recreational purposes. Its most vigorous growth occurs in the spring, when the snow melts after winter, or during wet days.

Wine in cellars

The fact that wine has always been stored, produced, and offered in cellars has always been "natural" for us. But has it always been this way? People probably figured it out gradually.

Cellars provide wine with silence, darkness, and a constant temperature; conditions that modern wineries try to achieve when building today's production facilities and storage spaces. In modern times, it is certainly more advantageous to build a winery above ground rather than underground. However, it will never replace a cellar, which has its unique microclimate and conditions.

Wine, made from grapes that have received rich nutrients from volcanic soil, is returned to age in that very soil. This ensures the perfect production of Tokaji wine, which is known as "The Wine of Kings and King of Wines."

In Veľká Tŕňa, two wine events are held annually.

Tokaj Unplugged, which always takes place during the St. John's fire period, i.e. the last weekend of June, is one of the few nighttime wine festivals in Slovakia. On this occasion, people have a unique opportunity to taste wines from various small winemakers directly in their tuff cellars.

The second event is the Day of Open Cellars, which usually takes place at the turn of July and August. This event lasts during the day and is often accompanied by some family-friendly programs.

Outside of the events, you can also reserve a personal wine tasting with specific winemakers. A list of winemakers will soon be available on the website: https://www.tokajskepivnice.sk/

Our winery has two small cellars in Portal No. 17, one for tasting and the other for wine aging. To reserve a wine tasting, you can use our website: https://www.manticwines.com/come-and-visit-us or call us at 0908999626.

Tokaj winecellars in Veľká Tŕňa

Bc. Juraj Mantič, 14.3.2025