Tokaj or Tokaji?

tokaji aszu bottle

Well, a simple rule is Tokaj for the place, both the town and the Tokaj wine region.

And Tokaji? As in Tokaji wines.

Perhaps you’ve seen Tokay too. On a bottle from centuries past. This was the name used traditionally in Britain, France and elsewhere, and as it appears in the treat of a film, Dean Spanley, in which the Dean experiences a different reality when plied with imperial Tokay. Set in Edwardian London. More about Tokaji in film and literature in another post.

Naturally a place of legends is bound to have many names. Here are a couple of the Hungarian versions with their translations…

Tokaji borvidék (Tokaj wine region)
Tokaj-hegyaljai borvidék (Tokaj foothills wine region)
Tokaj-Hegyalja (Tokaj foothills)

and my favourite, simply Hegyalja (Foothills) – because in many people’s hearts there is only one!