Furmint is the dominant variety of the Tokaj PDO, comprising approximately 70% of plantings and forming the backbone of both Tokaji Aszú and the dry white revival. It is a late-ripening, thick-skinned grape with very high natural acidity and a pronounced susceptibility to Botrytis cinerea (noble rot), making it uniquely suited to the Tokaj-Hegyalja landscape. Dry Furmint produces wines of high acidity, mineral tension and stone-fruit character with a saline, waxy quality on the finish. The variety grows best on the volcanic rhyolite tuff and clay soils of the Zemplén range between 150 and 400 metres elevation. The post-1989 revival of single-vineyard dry Furmint, led by the Szepsy family and later joined by Oremus, Barta and dozens of others, established Furmint as Hungary's internationally exported white variety with a global export presence.
Hárslevelű
Hárslevelű (linden leaf) is the second most widely planted Tokaj variety, prized for its intensely perfumed, floral aromatics that complement Furmint's acidity in Aszú blends. The variety ripens earlier than Furmint and produces wines with softer acidity, aromatic complexity including lime blossom, acacia and apricot, and a fuller, rounder mid-palate. It is also bottled as a single varietal by some producers. The name refers to the shape of the linden-tree leaf.
Sárga Muskotály (Yellow Muscat) is the Tokaj name for Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, one of the oldest known cultivated vines. In Tokaj it contributes aromatic intensity to Aszú blends and produces both dry and late-harvest single-varietal wines of vivid floral and orange-peel character. The variety ripens early, produces small berries with thick skins, and is highly susceptible to noble rot in the appellation's autumn mist conditions.
Zéta is a Bouvier × Furmint crossing created at the Tokaj Research Institute, authorised for use in Tokaj PDO wines. It ripens earlier than Furmint and its susceptibility to botrytis makes it a useful component in Aszú blends when aszú selection needs to begin earlier in the season. Zéta contributes floral and stone-fruit aromatics, lighter body and lower acidity than Furmint, acting as a softening element in multi-variety blends.
Kabar is a minor crossing of Hárslevelű × Bouvier, bred at the Tokaj Research Institute and authorised for inclusion in Tokaj PDO wines. It is planted on only a small proportion of the appellation and is rarely encountered as a single varietal outside of boutique producers. Kabar contributes perfumed, lychee and rose-petal aromatics and ripens even earlier than Zéta, making it useful for adding aromatic complexity to early-harvest blends. Kovács Nimród Winery in Mezőzombor is one of the few estates to produce it as a varietal wine.
Kövérszőlő
Kövérszőlő (fat grape) is a historic Tokaj variety now approaching near-extinction, classified among the permitted PDO varieties but planted on only a tiny fraction of the appellation's total area. The grape has large, loose bunches, thick blue-green skins and produces wines of mellow acidity and stone-fruit character. Its susceptibility to botrytis was historically valued in Aszú production. Patricius Winery is among the very few estates still maintaining Kövérszőlő plantings at any meaningful scale.
Góhér Fehér
Góhér Fehér (white Góhér) is another rare historic Tokaj PDO permitted variety, documented in the region since at least the 17th century. It was once more widely planted before the phylloxera epidemic and subsequent replanting concentrated vineyards on higher-yielding and more reliable varieties. Today Góhér appears in old-vine field blends in some village vineyards; its presence in a wine is a marker of genuinely old, pre-replanting vine material.
Furmint (Dry Style)
Dry Furmint as a distinct modern style emerged from the post-1989 private revival and is now recognised as a globally distinct white wine category. The style produces wines with prominent racy acidity, 12.5 to 14% ABV, stone-fruit and citrus aromatics, a waxy, lanolin texture and mineral, saline length on the finish. Single-vineyard dry Furmint from Mád's first-class dűlők can age for 10 to 20 years, developing honey, beeswax and smoky reduction with time. The style's emergence gave international buyers a dry entry point into Tokaj beyond the sweet wines.