Others

Mead, Rust, Ménes, BeregszászNon Tokaji

Not the focus of this record, but sometimes what comes out of a cellar is not Tokaji at all — and worth keeping anyway.

Oldest mead: 1825Possibly the oldest bottle of mead in the world
Oldest Austrian: 1682Possibly the oldest full bottle of Austrian wine
Ménes red aszú: 4 bottlesAll unopened, none analyzed
Beregszász: 3 litresIn a k.u.k. Hofkeller bottle

Very old non-Tokaji

Although not my focus of interest, occasionally we discover very old bottles that are interesting. Here are some of them.

1825

Honey Wine (Fukier Cellar)

This large unique bottle is probably the oldest known bottle of mead (honey wine).

It was part of the Fukier cellar collection and can be found on old price lists (miody) as the oldest of all offered meads. The price of 180 Zloti is comparable to a Tokaji bottle of vintage 1811. Fukier expert Gabriel Kurczewski explains:

“During the interwar period, the Fukier winery was also famous for its meads. The 1929 price list listed the following vintages: 1892, 1885, 1879, and the oldest ones, belonging to the Hetman’s Cellar collection: 1825, 1792, 176496. According to Henryk Maria Fukier, the oldest meads were collected by Florian Fukier, but the purchase book does not confirm this. Teofil bought honey several times only in the 1880s. His supplier was a well-known Krakow honey producer, J. Wójcikiewicz. Perhaps Fukier began to buy honey in larger quantities only after the popular historical legend of the wine bar had taken shape, arousing guests’ interest in this old Polish drink.”

Drinkability is unknown, the bottle is unopened. Bottle and content have not been chemically analyzed. Some sources claim that old mead can be harmful, others state that honey itself can practically be kept forever.

The 1825 mead bottle, full view — The bottle, its label, and the price list on which it appears among the *miody*. Click any image to enlarge.

The 1825 mead bottle, label detail — The bottle, its label, and the price list on which it appears among the *miody*. Click any image to enlarge.

1682

Wine from Rust (Fukier Cellar)

A historic bottle in several aspects:

Likely the oldest full bottle of Austrian wine that exists in the world
The only Fukier bottle from Austria (chemical composition of the ink is exactly the same found on other Fukier bottles)
A famous vintage, one year before the second Turkish siege of Vienna

There is no further documentation. The bottle does not appear in pre-war Fukier price lists, neither in the German confiscation lists of the Fukier cellar. Ruszt is written in the Hungarian version, the text on the neck label is hard to decipher, but the last word seems to suggest that it is Essencia.

The 1682 Rust bottle, full view — The bottle from every side, with the *Ruszt* inscription and the neck label whose last word may read Essencia.

The 1682 Rust bottle, second view — The bottle from every side, with the *Ruszt* inscription and the neck label whose last word may read Essencia.

One inconsistency to settle

The overview page calls this bottle a 1684 Ruster Ausbruch, its own article calls it 1682. I have used 1682 here, following the article. Tell me which year is right and I will make both agree.

1895

Vörös Aszú (Ménes Region)

Red aszú from Ménes used to be a well-known wine, but today no one seems to produce it and it has long been forgotten. Until recently not a single historic bottle of red aszú from Ménes was known but luckily 4 bottles have surfaced, all labeled by Ernő Stein. I also found an interesting tokaji price list from the 1930-ies containing sweet red.

Here are some links to articles describing how aszú was made in Ménes (e.g. Kadarka grapes):

Link 1 Link 2 Link 3 Link 4 Link 5

1895 Vörös Ménesi Aszú, full view — The surviving bottles, the Ernő Stein labels, and the 1930s price list on which sweet red still appears.

1895 Vörös Ménesi Aszú, second bottle — The surviving bottles, the Ernő Stein labels, and the 1930s price list on which sweet red still appears.

1901

Beregszász Aszú (K.u.K. Hofkeller)

A very unique bottle in several aspects:

The only bottle of old Beregszász Aszú that I know of
Glass mark and neck seal of the bottle indicate it comes from the Imperial Cellar in Vienna
Very elaborated engravings featuring a coat of arms (probably Almásy) and the year 1797
large size, app. 3 liter

Aszú wines from Beregszász can occasionally be found in old price lists. The bottle shape and size seems to be very similar to (empty) Hofkeller bottles found on auctions.

The 1901 Beregszász Aszú bottle, full view — The three-litre bottle, the engraved arms with the year 1797, the glass mark and the neck seal of the Imperial Cellar.

Engraved coat of arms, probably Almásy, with the year 1797 — The three-litre bottle, the engraved arms with the year 1797, the glass mark and the neck seal of the Imperial Cellar.