White grape variety
Hárslevelű
Tokaj’s second variety, contributing perfume and honeyed richness to Furmint blends.
What is Hárslevelű?
Hárslevelű is more aromatic and lower in acid than Furmint, and softens and perfumes both dry and sweet Tokaji blends.
Hungary. The name means "linden leaf".
The Vitis International Variety Catalogue, maintained by the Julius Kühn Institute, holds this variety as accession 5314 under the prime name HARSLEVELUE, with berry skin colour blanc and country of origin hungary, and the pedigree "FURMINT X TSIMLYANSKII BELYI". Checked 2026-08-17.
What it tastes like
This is the envelope across every expression of Hárslevelű, not a description of one bottle. Wide ranges are the honest answer.
| Dimension | Typical | Range | Variation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweetness | medium | Highly variable | |
| Acidity | medium-plus | Some variation | |
| Alcohol | medium | Some variation | |
| Body | medium | Some variation | |
| Fruit intensity | medium-plus | Some variation | |
| Aromatic intensity | medium-plus | Some variation | |
| Oak influence | low | Consistent | |
| Savoury character | low-medium | Consistent | |
| Floral character | medium-plus | Some variation | |
| Herbal / green character | low | Consistent | |
| Spice | low | Consistent | |
| Earthy character | low | Consistent | |
| Perceived freshness | medium | Consistent | |
| Texture | medium-plus | Some variation |
Common flavours
Wines made from it
The same grape in different places and different hands. These are where the wide ranges above resolve into something specific.
Hungary
Tokaji Aszú
Hungary’s great botrytised sweet wine, from a region classified before Bordeaux — honeyed, smoky and held up by ferocious acidity.
Hungary
Dry Furmint
Tokaj’s modern commercial mainstay: structured, smoky, high-acid dry white that barely existed thirty years ago.
Hungary
Szamorodni
Tokaji made from whole bunches without separating the botrytised berries — made either sweet (édes) or dry (száraz).
Where it grows
- Tokaj — Hungary
If you like Hárslevelű, try…
Every suggestion says why it is connected and what will be different.
Closest matches
What is most like this?
Ortega
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and softer and rounder.
Muscadelle
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be softer and rounder, and leaner and more cutting.
Scheurebe
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be more aromatic, and fresher.
Similar but lighter
Something like this, but lighter?
Riesling
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be fresher, and leaner and more cutting.
Müller-Thurgau
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be softer and rounder, and more neutral and subtle.
Mosel Riesling
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect it to be lighter, and fresher.
Similar but lower in alcohol
Something like this, but less alcoholic?
Spätlese
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be fresher, and fresher and more acidic.
Riesling
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be fresher, and leaner and more cutting.
Kabinett
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect it to be lighter, and fresher.
Similar but fuller
Something like this, but richer?
Alsace Pinot Gris
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be spicier, and more oaky.
Vidal
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be less floral, and leaner and more cutting.
Condrieu
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect it to be softer and rounder, and fuller and richer.
What to eat with it
Ranked by WineHQ's pairing engine, which reasons from the structure of the dish.
Fillet steak
Works because the finished dish, not the raw ingredient, sets the target.
Salmon
Works because the dish is rich, and acidity cuts through fat and refreshes the palate.
Asparagus
Works because bitterness in the dish and tannin in the wine accumulate rather than balance.
Salmon in a cream sauce
Works because the dish is rich, and acidity cuts through fat and refreshes the palate.
Trout
Works because low tannin avoids the metallic interaction with fish.
Turkey
Works because the finished dish, not the raw ingredient, sets the target.
How to serve it
Temperature
10–13°C
50–55°F · Lightly chilled
About 45 minutes to an hour in the fridge from room temperature, or take it out of the fridge about an hour before serving.
Decanting
No need to decant
Nothing about this wine suggests it needs decanting. Light, aromatic and sparkling wines generally lose more than they gain.
Glass
Universal wine glass
A medium tulip-shaped glass handles almost everything well. If you own one set of glasses, this is the set to own — the difference between a good universal glass and a grape-specific one is far smaller than the difference between a good glass and a bad one.
Ageing
This grape is made into wines so different that ageing has no single answer.
Blended with Furmint in Tokaj, where it contributes aroma and softness. Dry Hárslevelű is generally for early drinking; the same variety inside a Tokaji Aszú is part of a wine that lasts for decades, because botrytis and residual sugar rather than the grape are doing that work.
Family tree
Established by DNA analysis. Ampelography alone could not have found these relationships.
Parents
VIVC gives the parents as Furmint and Tsimlyanskii Belyi.
Sources
Sources consulted
- Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) — Julius Kühn-Institut, Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof
- Tokaj wine region regulatory information — Hegyközségek Nemzeti Tanácsa / Tokaj regional body, Hungary