Eau de Hongrie
EDP · 2014
Parfums Viktoria Minya
Statement
Tokaji Wine
Note Profile
About
Tokaji is a Hungarian sweet wine made from grapes shrivelled by noble rot. It smells of apricot and honey first, cut by orange peel and a sharp freshness that stops the sweetness going heavy. Under that sits a warm ginger and saffron spice the rot puts there, and a nutty, waxy layer that arrives with age.
Scent Profile
Tokaji wine smells of apricot and honey first, ripe-to-dried fruit rather than fresh. It is a sweet wine, and that fermented, grapey warmth carries underneath the fruit. A bright orange citrus peel cuts through the sweetness. A warm ginger-and-saffron spice sits in the middle, with a fresh, peppery ginger edge running alongside it. A nutty, marzipan-like layer with a waxy weight comes with age. One blending grape lends a lively, floral lift. Underneath is a sharp, sour, green-apple tartness that keeps the whole thing from turning heavy.
ScentWheel
Breadthbroad
EnvelopeHeart · ~6h lasting
Read off the wheel, not a label applied to the note.
ScentArt
Seen in
Tap a perfume to see where Tokaji Wine sits in it. The rest of the picture goes grey
Origin
Tokaji comes from the Tokaj region of north-east Hungary, mostly from the Furmint grape with Hárslevelű blended in. Grapes left on the vine are infected by Botrytis cinerea, the noble rot, which dries them and concentrates their sugar. Wine Folly attributes the ginger and saffron aromas to the rot itself rather than to the grape. Young Furmint is green apple and citrus. The aged Aszú style has moved past that into honeyed, nutty and waxy layers. There is no essential oil or extract of a wine, so the perfumery note is an accord built to suggest it.
Usage in Perfumery
A heart note in gourmand and boozy compositions. It is attested 3 times on Fragrantica and once on Parfumo across 1 brand, so it is a rare note rather than a workhorse. It offers what the other wine notes here do not: apricot and honey over the fermented base, plus a spice lift. It pairs with stone fruit, honey, saffron, tobacco and amber.
Similar Notes
Perfumes featuring Tokaji Wine
A selection of reviewed perfumes where Tokaji Wine appears prominently.