Tokaj and the surrounding region of vineyards have had a great significance for centuries. The wine of Tokaj was already mentioned in the 18th century as the “king of wines, the wine of the kings”.
En route from Miskolc to Tokaj, the Gróf (Count) Degenfeld Wine Estate is on our way. The estate that won “Hungary’s most beautiful wine estate” title in 2019, is cultivated entirely by organic methods. The magazine wanted to know where the German name of the estate came from, and for this reason they made an interview with Máté Tóth, managing director of the estate.
Mr. Tóth, on your business card I can see “Count Degenfeld 1857 Tokaj”. Is this number for the foundation of the winery?
In 1857 Count Imre (Emmerich) Degenfeld founded a society of the best wine makers and other experts with the purpose to make a regulation for the quality of the wines of the Tokaj wine region, and thus improve the standards, too. This community was called the Tokaj Hill Wine Makers’ Society (Tokaj-hegyaljai Bormívelő Egyesület). The today well-known scale of products is the result of their efforts. A refoundation took place in 1995, when the property was returned to the family of the legal heirs.
Is it true that the lineage of Imre Degenfeld is of German origin?
Yes, the places where the forefathers used to live have been searched for back to the 13th century. From the 16th century on they lived in the castle of Eybach near Geislingen, in Baden-Württenberg County, Germany.
Why did the Degenfeld family come to Hungary?
The marriage of Count Maximilian Degenfeld (1766-1815) and Countess Anna Teleki created a bond between the German and Transylvanian noble families. In 1800 the couple moved to Transylvania, to Erdőszada (today Ardusat), and they settled down there. 3 sons were born.
Let's stay at the family Degenfeld a little longer. Is there a connection between the Degenfeld lines of Tarcal and Téglás?
The son of Maximilian, Imre (1810-1883) has founded the Hungarian branch of the Degenfeld family. His grandson Count Pál Degenfeld did not have an heir, so he adopted Count Sándor Degenfeld from the Transylvanian branch, so Sándor inherited the family’s Hungarian estates in Téglás, Baktalórántháza and in Tokaj. Count Sándor Degenfeld is the father of the present owner of the Tarcal Wine Estate, Countess Marie von Degenfeld.
Countess Maria Degenfeld has been taking care of the Winery and of the Hotel since 1995.
Is the name Degenfeld to be found in politics too?
The most well-known figure of the noble family came from the German branch, Christoph Martin von Degenfeld (1599-1653). He was an excellent captain in the Thirty Years’ War, and he also became the governor-general of Albania and Dalmatia. In Hungary several members of the family had important roles in politics and in the Johanniter Order.
When was the castle of Tarcal built?
It was built in 1873 within a national project which was invented to support wine making after the phylloxera crisis. The phylloxera (root louse disease) had come to our continent from America via the Vitis aestivalis (summer grape), and since 1863 it had been threatening Europe’s vineyards. Those days the castle served as an institute for the education of viticulture, and thus it helped the survival of the vineyards and of wine-making in this difficult period.
Were cellar masters trained here as well?
Yes, the big and spacious cellar is testifying to this, which is now a part of the winery. Now the building itself is a 4-star hotel, the Gróf Degenfeld Castle Hotel****.
What wines are made in the winery nowadays?
In the Tokaj Region only six traditional types can be raised. They are all white vines, and the three most important ones are the Furmint, the Hárslevelű and the Sárgamuskotály (Muscat Blanc). Our winery makes fresh wines out of these three, and we also offer a selection of wines fermented in barrels. Besides the dry and off-dry wines, we also make late harvest wines, like the world famous Tokaji Aszú, and the sweet Szamorodni.
In the last decades we have been experimenting with a traditionally fermented Furmint sparkling wine as well, and I think we have created a very popular sparkling wine of our own.
The Gróf Degenfeld Castle Hotel**** and its restaurant is an important channel in the selling of wines. Does the restaurant offer wine tastings too?
The castle hotel is next to the winery. The style of the hotel reflects the noble roots and the noble wines. In the hotel there is a cellar-room for wine tastings. The restaurant offers wine dinners with five or six courses, during which our guests can taste our specialties with the most appropriate wines. The wine tastings can be booked in English and in Hungarian, and at each occasion they start with a visit to the winery and the cellar system of the winery.
Can we find You at the various wine events, like the Tokaj Harvest Days?
We take part in several wine festivals and wine events throughout the whole country. Last year the Tokaj Harvest Festival was one of our most successful events. It was a great feeling to show and represent our wines here on homely ground. We are active on the internet as well, we have a web page and a newsletter and we are present on Facebook as well.
Mr. Tóth, thank you for the very interesting interview.
Dr. Heinz Schleusener