Seppelt Tokay Grand vs Rare

The repackaging exercise, don’t be fooled!

After a couple of internet forum posts and comments about the Seppelt fortified sticky range I decided to do a comparative tasting myself. One thing lead to another and it resulted in a bigger analysis than I had originally envisaged. However the results are interesting and may surprise many, I know I wasn’t expecting the conclusions reached.

For those that may not be aware, about a year ago Seppelt repackaged the DP 57 Tokay and DP 63 Muscat from 375 ml bottles to 750 ml bottles and left the price the same so in theory the purchasers were getting a great deal with a purchase cost of between $22 and $27 a bottle. (There is an entry level 750 ml equivalent below these wines but they do not enter into the scope of this story and the tasting.)  It’s also important for readers to note that as a personal preference I would select Tokay over an equivalent quality Muscat. 

The tastings were carried out in two parts; the first consisted of comparing the Seppelt DP 57 Grand Tokay and the DP 59 Rare Tokay. The Rare sells for between $50 and $60 for a 500ml bottle making it’s a fair bit more expensive than the Grand. So I decided to sacrifice my liver on a cold Saturday afternoon to see exactly what the differenced are between these two wines.

Colour – both dark tawny brown with almost no difference in the hue but when looking from the top of the glass down, the Rare was ever so marginally darker.

Nose – Rare has rancio and sawdust scents, brandied cumquats and burnt sugar characteristics. Grand smells smoother and more caramel aromas but has less complexity than the Rare. Rare seems more volatile but finer and more complex but on the other hand the Grand smells more sugary.

Taste – Rare silky smooth, rich and luscious with a very long finish and excellent complexity. In many ways more subtle than the Grand, it displays honeyed toffee and cumquat flavours which have melded together beautifully. The Grand, as expected is dominated by sweet caramel, honey and toffee that and flows across the palate in an almost seamless fashion and finishes long. Very enjoyable and more forward than, but not as complex as the Rare. It’s also sweeter and has more youthful acidity which is required to cut through the sweetness. 

I would rate the Rare Tokay as Outstanding and the Grand as Highly Recommended. I can see why the Grand would appeal to many people but IMO the Rare is a finer wine with better distinction.

This tasting got me thinking that for some reason I was not that impressed with the Grand Tokay and a suspicion was forming in my mind so I decided to put it to the test by trying the Seppelt DP 63 Muscat. For many years the DP 63 used to come in a 375 ml bottle and was known as “Show Muscat.” When the repackaging occurred and it was placed in a 750 ml bottle at the same price the DP 63 title was retained on the label but the name was changed to Grand Muscat. This name change was no great surprise as it is in line with the four stage quality level naming convention being adopted by a number of Rutherglen wineries for their fortified wines.

By chance I still have a few bottles of the old 375 ml Show Muscat and so I went and purchased a 750 ml bottle of the Grand Muscat just to see if there were any differences in the wines besides the packaging.

Colour – both similar shades of brown and at first glance very little difference in the colour but when tilted at a forty five degree angle the Show Muscat was slightly darker and had an almost cloudiness in the wine.

Nose – Show Muscat was slightly less volatile, more sedate and elegant. It also seemed richer in its depth. The Grand Muscat seemed less complex and it was at this stage my suspicions were looking like they would be proved correct. 

Taste – I tasted the Grand Muscat first and thought it was pretty good but not as impressive as I had remembered the DP 63 to be. The old 375 ml Show Muscat was next and the difference was immediately, obviously and starkly apparent! The Show Muscat was way, way, richer, more luscious, softer and more rounded. It was also more complex with toffee, a little caramel character and an excellent long finish with plenty of rancio characteristics.

The Grand Muscat was sweeter by comparison, simpler and thinner with honey and a slab of caramel going straight through the mid palate tailing of to a shorter finish with minimal rancio character.

The Show Muscat is rated as Excellent and the Grand Muscat as Highly Recommended.

During this tasting as a final comparison I tasted the two Grand wines together and although they are both rated as Highly Recommended, the Muscat is more complex. At the start of this article I stated that given equal quality I prefer a glass of Tokay to Muscat but in this case The Seppelt Grand Muscat is a better and more complex wine than the Seppelt Grand Tokay which is why the quality of the Tokay was bothering me when I first tried the wine.

In summary, there is absolutely no doubt the old Show Reserve DP 63 Muscat in the 375 ml bottle is a better wine by an order of magnitude than the new 750 ml Grand Reserve DP 63. Given that the old 375 ml bottles are no longer available my drinking preference would be the Buller Museum Tokay for very special occasions, the DP 59 Rare Tokay for dinner parties etc and the Seppelt Grand Muscat for quaffing.

Now I have a problem of having seven bottles of liqueur Tokays and Muscats open at the same time that will have to be consumed before they oxidise. More liver sacrifice for the readers of TORBWINE but I now have a very enjoyable afternoon plannkays and Muscats open at the same time that will have to be consumed before they oxidise. More liver sacrifice for the readers of TORBWINE but I now have a very enjoyable afternoon planned.