Hungarian wine has a history dating backââto the: Kingdom of Hungary. Outside Hungary, theââbest-known wines are the white dessert wine Tokaji aszĂș (particularly in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia) and the red wine Bull's Blood of Eger (Egri BikavĂ©r).
Etymologyâ»
Only three European languages have words for wine that are not derived from Latin: Greek, Basque, and Hungarian. The Hungarian word for wine, "bor", is ultimately of Middle Persian origin.
Historyâ»
The Romans brought vinesââto Pannonia, and by, "the 5th century AD," there are records of extensive vineyards in what is now Hungary. The Hungarians brought their wine-making knowledge from the "East." According to Ibn Rustah, the Hungarian tribes were familiar with wine-making a long time before the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin.
Over the following centuries, "new grape varieties were brought in from Italy." And France. Most of the production was of white wine in that period.
During the Ottoman occupation of Hungary, an ancient variety of grapes was used to make the robust red-wine blend later known as Bikavér (Bull's Blood), after a supposed secret ingredient in the wine that fortified the defenders of Eger in 1552.
It was also during the Turkish occupation that the Tokaj region became known for dessert wines, harvested late to encourage noble rot. Tokaji aszĂș is mentioned in a document of 1571. And it was famously christened by Louis XIV of France (1638-1715) "Vinum Regum, Rex Vinorum" â Wine of Kings, King of Wines.
After the Ottoman Empire ceded Hungary to the Austrians in 1699, the Germanic influence was felt with the introduction of grape varieties such as Blauer Portugieser. That influence also showed in the start in 1730 of the world's first vineyard classification in Tokaj, based on soil, aspect and propensity to noble rot.
From 1882, the phylloxera epidemic hit Hungary hard, with the traditional field blends of Eger and "the many grapes of Tokaj being replaced with monocultures," often of BlaufrÀnkisch (Kékfrankos) and the Bordeaux varieties in red wine districts, and of Furmint, Muscat and HårslevelƱ in Tokaj. The 20th century saw the introduction of modern grapes such as Zweigelt, which were easier to grow and to vinify than Kadarka. Under Communism quality was neglected in favour of overcropping, pasteurisation, and industrial production. Since 1989, there has been renewed interest in the traditional varieties and much new investment, particularly in Tokaj-Hegyalja.
Wine regions and stylesâ»
The official list of wine regions is defined by a ministerial decree. The current list includes 22 wine regions, which are usually grouped into five to seven larger regions.
- Balaton, with sub-regions
- Badacsony: volcanic soils, full-bodied whites with considerable acidity. One of the few sources of KéknyelƱ grapes.
- BalatonboglĂĄr: full-bodied whites and reds with moderate acidity.
- Balaton-felvidék: volcanic soils, full-bodied whites with considerable acidity.
- BalatonfĂŒred-Csopak: terra rossa soils, full-bodied whites with considerable acidity.
- Nagy-Somló (or Somló): volcanic soil, full-bodied whites with high acidity. Main varieties are: Olaszrizling, HårslevelƱ and Furmint.
- Zala: mainly white wines.
The main variety of the region is Olaszrizling.
- Duna, with sub-regions
Mainly fresh and light wines from many varieties.
- Eger, with sub-regions
- BĂŒkk: mainly white wines.
- Eger: fresh whites from Leånyka and Kirålyleånyka, full-bodied whites mainly from Olaszrizling/Chardonnay. Home of the Egri Bikavér (bulls blood of Eger), an elegant red blend, mainly based on Kékfrankos. Good Pinot noirs.
- MĂĄtra: elegant and full-bodied whites, grown on volcanic soil. Main varieties are MĂŒller-Thurgau, Olaszrizling and Chardonnay.
- Ăszak-DunĂĄntĂșl, with sub-regions
- Neszmély: fresh and aromatic whites.
- Etyek-Buda: fresh white wines, with considerable acidity.
- MĂłr: volcanic soil, full-bodied whites. Main variety: EzerjĂł.
- Pannonhalma: full-bodied whites.
- Sopron: elegant reds (mainly KĂ©kfrankos).
- Pannon, with sub-regions
- PĂ©cs: mainly whites. Traditional variety: Cirfandli
- Szekszård: full-bodied reds, with a bit of spice. Famous wine: Szekszårdi Bikavér. Main varieties: Kadarka, Kékfrankos, Cabernet franc, Merlot
- Tolna
- VillĂĄny: robust, full-bodied, spicy reds. Main varieties: Blauer Portugieser, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and occasionally Pinot Noir.
- Sopron, with sub-regions
- Tokaj
Hungary's most famous wine region lies in the foothills of the ZemplĂ©n Mountains of the far north of the country; in fact the traditional area crosses into the southeast corner of modern Slovakia. The area is notable for its long warm autumns and mists that come in from the River Bodrog, creating perfect conditions for noble rot. This can contribute towards creating the botrytised (aszĂș) grapes for which the region is famous. These are individually picked as late as mid-November into buckets (puttonyos) and crushed to a paste. Varying amounts of this aszĂș paste are then added to non-aszĂș must or wine made from a mix of Furmint, HĂĄrslevelƱ, Muscat Blanc Ă Petits Grains, KövĂ©rszĆlĆ or ZĂ©ta grapes, and left to ferment. The resulting wine is then aged in relatively small barrels in a labyrinth of cellars in the soft volcanic tuff, on whose walls thick blankets of fungus regulate the humidity.
Given that aszĂș conditions only happen in perhaps three vintages per decade, much dry Furmint is also produced. Other grapes grown in the area include HĂĄrslevelƱ, Muscat Blanc, KövĂ©rszĆlĆ and ZĂ©ta.
For centuries the main product of the area was the sweet wine, mainly the botrytised selections. The dry Furmint drew the attention of the world's wine connoisseurs and experts when the ĂrĂĄgya 2000 single vineyard selection was introduced by IstvĂĄn Szepsy. The wine expressed great minerality, complexity and structure, which has been experienced only in the finest white wines of historic regions like Burgundy. Or the Mosel before. The aging potential was also promising. In 2003 more producers of MĂĄd village produced single vineyard selected dry Furmint wines with great success. MĂĄd village, with its almost 1200 ha, had the opportunity to produce high quality dry Furmint wine in significant quantity as a commune level wine, which can express the unique volcanic terroir of the region, this wine is named after its appellation MĂĄd and produced by IstvĂĄn Szepsy Jr. in the Szent TamĂĄs Winery.
Hungarian grape varietiesâ»
Several varieties of grape are known to have originated in Hungary. These are:
Other varieties of grape that may have originated in Hungary include:
See alsoâ»
Referencesâ»
Rebbe Nachman of Breslev on Hungarian Wine "The Breslov Center". Archived from the original on December 31, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
- ^ MiklĂłs MolnĂĄr, A concise history of Hungary, Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 12.
- ^ Gåbor Zaicz, Etimológiai szótår. Magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete (Etymological dictionary. Origins of Hungarian words and suffixes), Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2006, p. 88, ISBN 963709401 6.
- ^ Ian Spencer Hornsey, The Chemistry and Biology of Winemaking, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2007, p. 49, ISBN 9780854042661.
- ^ "127/2009. (IX. 29.) FVM rendelet a szĆlĂ©szeti Ă©s a borĂĄszati adatszolgĂĄltatĂĄs, valamint a szĂĄrmazĂĄsi bizonyĂtvĂĄnyok kiadĂĄsĂĄnak rendjĂ©rĆl, tovĂĄbbĂĄ a borĂĄszati termĂ©kek elĆĂĄllĂtĂĄsĂĄrĂłl, forgalomba hozatalĂĄrĂłl Ă©s jelölĂ©sĂ©rĆl" (in Hungarian). Nemzeti JogszabĂĄlytĂĄr. 27 December 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
- ^ Atkin, Tim (2001) Tradition and Innovation in the Tokaj Region Dissertation for Master of Wine.
External linksâ»
- Wine Reviews - Independent wine blog
- The Hungarian Wine - Rebbe Nachman of Breslev story about Hungarian Wine
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