Hungarian wine has a history dating back to theKingdom of Hungary. Outside Hungary, the best-known wines are the whitedessert wineTokaji aszú (particularly in theCzech Republic,Poland, andSlovakia) and the red wine Bull's Blood of Eger (Egri Bikavér).
Only three European languages have words forwine that are not derived fromLatin:Greek,Basque, andHungarian.[1] The Hungarian word for wine,"bor", is ultimately ofMiddle Persian origin.[2]
The Romans brought vines toPannonia, and by the 5th century AD, there are records of extensive vineyards in what is now Hungary. TheHungarians brought their wine-making knowledge from the East. According toIbn Rustah, the Hungarian tribes were familiar with wine-making a long time before theHungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin.[3]
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 supposedsecret ingredient in the wine that fortified thedefenders of Eger in 1552.[citation needed]
It was also during the Turkish occupation that the Tokaj region became known for dessert wines,harvested late to encouragenoble rot. Tokaji aszú is mentioned in a document of 1571, and it was famously christened byLouis XIV of France (1638-1715) "Vinum Regum, Rex Vinorum" – 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[citation needed] in the start in 1730 of the world's first vineyardclassification in Tokaj, based on soil, aspect and propensity tonoble rot.
From 1882, thephylloxera epidemic hit Hungary hard, with the traditionalfield blends of Eger and the many grapes of Tokaj being replaced with monocultures, often ofBlaufränkisch (Kékfrankos) and the Bordeaux varieties in red wine districts, and ofFurmint,Muscat andHárslevelű in Tokaj. The 20th century saw the introduction of modern grapes such asZweigelt, 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 inTokaj-Hegyalja.
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.[4]
The main variety of the region isOlaszrizling.
Mainly fresh and light wines from many varieties.
Hungary's most famous wine region lies in the foothills of the Zemplén 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 RiverBodrog, creating perfect conditions fornoble rot. This can contribute towards creating thebotrytised (aszú) 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 thisaszú paste are then added to non-aszúmust or wine made from a mix ofFurmint,Hárslevelű,Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains,Kövérszőlő orZéta grapes, and left to ferment. The resulting wine is then aged in relatively small barrels in a labyrinth of cellars in the soft volcanictuff, on whose walls thick blankets of fungus regulate the humidity.[5]
Given thataszú conditions only happen in perhaps three vintages per decade, much dry Furmint is also produced. Other grapes grown in the area include Hárslevelű, Muscat Blanc, Kövérszőlő and Zéta.
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 Úrágya 2000 single vineyard selection was introduced by István 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 Mád village produced single vineyard selected dry Furmint wines with great success.Mád 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 volcanicterroir of the region, this wine is named after its appellation Mád and produced by István Szepsy Jr. in the Szent Tamás Winery.
Several varieties of grape are known to have originated in Hungary. These are:
Other varieties of grape that may have originated in Hungary include:
Rebbe Nachman of Breslev on Hungarian Wine"The Breslov Center". Archived fromthe original on December 31, 2011. RetrievedDecember 27, 2012.
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