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Wine Books: David Copp

David Copp has a passion for all things Tokaj.

Tokaj - a Companion for the Bibulous Traveller
David Copp
Available from Amazon
9-6387-5243-2

All of the world's greatest wine regions have their guides; those interested solely in Burgundy, Bordeaux or similar can feast on specialised texts. So pity the poor lover of Tokaj, Hungary's historic wine, who lives in a world void of relevant information. At least, that was the case before David Copp published his book dedicated to all things Tokaj. In this guide Copp brings together a wealth of information on the region and its wines, but he goes beyond the call of duty in the breadth of his advice.

Like any regional guide this book gives plenty of opinion on the producers, divided up into the regions of Sárospatak, Erdöbénye and Tolcsva, the Mád Basin and Tokaj Hill, and as we might expect for each of these Copp furnishes us with maps, producer profiles and details of the best wines. He also tells us where to dine, where to stay, and he even gives a nod towards the notable attractions of the region, making this a handy guide for the traveller. For those wanting a more detailed knowledge of the wines, the opening sections provide information on climate, terroir, viticulture, varieties, winemaking, vintages and a potted history. And for the visitor, he has more than a few words on transport, itineries for the tasting traveller, hotels, restaurants, shopping, the local telephone system and some useful websites. In fact the only unusual feature of this text is the foreword, where Hugh Johnson's remit seems to be drift off into his own Hungarian dream, before he suddenly remembers he is introducing an author and a book, and they appear in his final sentence. Nevertheless, this is a little gem of a book which embodies the passion that Copp clearly has for the region and the wines, and which will be extremely useful to both the Tokaj drinker and the traveller in Hungary.

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