Hárslevelű

Hárslevelű is the second grape of Tokaj, after furmint, and the name means linden leaf, which describes the shape of the vine's foliage. It is a natural offspring of furmint and it fills a complementary role: where furmint brings acidity and structure, hárslevelű brings perfume, honey, linden blossom and a rounder texture.

Like furmint it has thin skin and takes botrytis readily, so it goes into Tokaji Aszú alongside it, usually as the smaller share of the blend. It ripens slightly later. The classic Aszú proportions vary by producer and by year, and a wine that is unusually floral is often one with more hárslevelű in it.

It is also bottled dry and single varietal, and it makes a fuller, softer, more aromatic white than dry furmint does, with less bite. Outside Tokaj it is grown at Somló in western Hungary, on a volcanic hill, where it gains a smoky mineral edge, and in the Eger and Villány regions. Slovakia grows a small amount in its share of the Tokaj vineyard.