View source for Hungarian wine

{{Short description|Wine making in Hungary}}

'''Hungarian wine''' has a history dating back to the [[Kingdom of Hungary]]. Outside Hungary, the best-known wines are the white [[dessert wine]] [[Tokaji]] aszú (particularly in the [[Czech Republic]], [[Poland]], and [[Slovakia]]) and the red wine Bull's Blood of Eger ([[Egri Bikavér]]).

==Etymology==
[[Image:Word for Wine in European languages.svg|right|thumb|The Hungarian word for wine "bor" is of Eastern origin]]
Only three European languages have words for [[wine]] that are not derived from [[Latin]]: [[Greek language|Greek]], [[Basque language|Basque]], and [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]].<ref name="Molnar">Miklós Molnár, [https://books.google.com/books?id=y0g4YEp7ZrsC&pg=PA12 A concise history of Hungary], Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 12.</ref> The Hungarian word for wine, [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bor#Hungarian "bor"], is ultimately of [[Middle Persian]] origin.<ref>Gábor Zaicz, ''Etimológiai szótár. Magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete'' (Etymological dictionary. Origins of Hungarian words and suffixes), Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2006, p. 88, {{ISBN|963709401 6}}.</ref>

==History==
The Romans brought vines to [[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 [[Ahmad ibn Rustah|Ibn Rustah]], the Hungarian tribes were familiar with wine-making a long time before the [[Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin]].<ref>Ian Spencer Hornsey, The Chemistry and Biology of Winemaking, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2007, p. 49, {{ISBN|9780854042661}}.</ref>

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. 
[[Image:Vivamus_Zweigelt.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.56|A bottle of [[Zweigelt]]]]

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 [[Siege of Eger (1552)|defenders of Eger]] in 1552.{{cn|date=December 2022}}

It was also during the Turkish occupation that the Tokaj region became known for dessert wines, [[Late harvest wine|harvested late]] to encourage [[noble rot]]. Tokaji aszú is mentioned in a document of 1571, and it was famously christened by [[Louis 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|date=November 2010}} in the start in 1730 of the world's first vineyard [[appellation|classification]] in Tokaj, based on soil, aspect and propensity to [[noble rot]].

From 1882, the [[phylloxera]] epidemic hit Hungary hard, with the traditional [[Viticulture|field blends]] of Eger and the many grapes of Tokaj being replaced with monocultures, often of [[Blaufränkisch]] (Kékfrankos) and the Bordeaux varieties in red wine districts, and of [[Furmint]], [[Muscat (grape and wine)|Muscat]] and [[Hárslevelű]] 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 styles==
[[File:Wine regions Hungary.svg|400px|thumb|The 22 wine regions of Hungary:
'''1''' Sopron,
'''2''' Nagy-Somló,
'''3''' Zala,
'''4''' Balatonfelvidék,
'''5''' Badacsony,
'''6''' Balatonfüred-Csopak,
'''7''' Balatonboglár,
'''8''' Pannonhalma,
'''9''' Mór,
'''10''' Etyek-Buda,
'''11''' Neszmély,
'''12''' Tolna,
'''13''' Szekszárd,
'''14''' Pécs,
'''15''' Villány,
'''16''' Hajós-Baja,
'''17''' Kunság,
'''18''' Csongrád,
'''19''' Mátra,
'''20''' Eger,
'''21''' Bükk,
'''22''' Tokaj]]

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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.njt.hu/cgi_bin/njt_doc.cgi?docid=125985 |title=127/2009. (IX. 29.) FVM rendelet a szőlészeti és a borászati adatszolgáltatás, valamint a származási bizonyítványok kiadásának rendjéről, továbbá a borászati termékek előállításáról, forgalomba hozataláról és jelöléséről |access-date=27 December 2012 |date=27 December 2012 |publisher=[[Nemzeti Jogszabálytár]] |language=hu}}</ref>


=== [[Balaton wine region|Balaton]], with sub-regions ===

*[[Badacsony wine region|Badacsony]]: volcanic soils, full-bodied whites with considerable acidity. One of the few sources of [[Kéknyelű]] grapes.
*[[Balatonboglár]]: full-bodied whites and reds with moderate acidity.
*[[Balaton-felvidék]]: volcanic soils, full-bodied whites with considerable acidity.
*[[Balatonfüred-Csopak]]: [[Terra rossa (soil)|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]], [[Hárslevelű]] and [[Furmint]].
*[[Zala County|Zala]]: mainly white wines.
The main variety of the region is [[Olaszrizling]].


==== [[Duna wine region|Duna]], with sub-regions ====

*[[Csongrád]],
*[[Hajós-Baja]],
*[[Kunság]].
Mainly fresh and light wines from many varieties.
[[File:Vineyard near Szurdokpuspoki.jpg|thumb|Grapes in an Upper Hungarian vineyard.]]


==== [[Eger wine region|Eger]], with sub-regions ====

*[[Bükk]]: mainly white wines.
*[[Eger wine region|Eger]]: fresh whites from [[Leányka]] and [[Királyleányka]], full-bodied whites mainly from [[Olaszrizling]] or [[Chardonnay]]. Home of the [[Egri Bikavér]] (bulls blood of Eger), an elegant red blend, mainly based on [[Kékfrankos]]. Good [[Pinot noir]]s.
*[[Mátra]]: elegant and full-bodied whites, grown on volcanic soil. Main varieties are [[Müller-Thurgau]], [[Olaszrizling]] and [[Chardonnay]].


==== [[Észak-Dunántúl wine region|Észak-Dunántúl]], with sub-regions ====

*[[Neszmély]]: fresh and aromatic whites.
*[[Etyek-Buda]]: fresh white wines, with considerable acidity.
*[[Mór]]: volcanic soil, full-bodied whites. Main variety: [[Ezerjó]].
*[[Pannonhalma]]: full-bodied whites.
*[[Sopron]]: elegant reds (mainly [[Kékfrankos]]).


==== [[Pannon wine region|Pannon]], with sub-regions ====

*[[Pécs]]: mainly whites. Traditional variety: [[Cirfandli]]
*[[Szekszárd]]: full-bodied reds, with a bit of spice. Famous wine: [[Szekszárdi Bikavér]]. Main varieties: [[Kadarka]], [[Kékfrankos]], [[Cabernet franc]], [[Merlot]]
*[[Tolna, Hungary|Tolna]]
*[[Villány]]: robust, full-bodied, spicy reds. Main varieties: Blauer Portugieser, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and occasionally Pinot Noir.


==== [[Sopron wine region|Sopron]], with sub-regions ====

*[[Sopron wine region|Sopron]]


==== [[Tokaj wine region|Tokaj]] ====

{{Main|Tokaj wine region|Tokaji (wine)}}

[[File:Tokaj Hetszolo vineyard.jpg|thumb|A Tokaji vineyard.]]
[[File:MÁD Furmint.jpg|thumbnail|left|The first village level dry Furmint in the Tokaji wine region]]
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 River [[Bodrog]], creating perfect conditions for [[noble rot]]. This can contribute towards creating the [[botrytis (fungus)|botrytised]] (''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 this ''aszú'' paste are then added to non-''aszú'' [[must]] or wine made from a mix of [[Furmint]], [[Hárslevelű]], [[Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains]], [[Grasă de Cotnari|Kövérszőlő]] or [[Zéta]] 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.<ref name="Atkin">Atkin, Tim (2001) [http://www.masters-of-wine.org/Assets/Files/Student%20Pages/Atkin.pdf Tradition and Innovation in the Tokaj Region] Dissertation for Master of Wine.</ref>

Given that ''aszú'' 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 volcanic [[terroir]] of the region, this wine is named after its appellation Mád and produced by István Szepsy Jr. in the Szent Tamás Winery.

==Hungarian grape varieties==
[[File:Hárslevelu grapes.jpg|thumb|upright|Hárslevelű grapes]]
Several varieties of grape are known to have originated in Hungary. These are:
*[[Ezerjó]]
*[[Hárslevelű]]
*[[Irsai Oliver]]
*[[Cserszegi fűszeres]]
*[[Királyleányka]]
*[[Zenit (Hungarian Grape Varietal)|Zenit]]
Other varieties of grape that may have originated in Hungary include: 
*[[Furmint]]
*[[Juhfark]]
*[[Kéknyelű]]
*[[Kadarka]]

==See also==
{{portal|Hungary|Wine}}
*[[Old World wine]]
*[[House of Hungarian Wines]]

==References==
Rebbe Nachman of Breslev on Hungarian Wine {{cite web |url=http://www.nachalnovea.com/breslovcenter/articles/article_wine.html |title=The Breslov Center |access-date=December 27, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111231071911/http://www.nachalnovea.com/breslovcenter/articles/article_wine.html |archive-date=December 31, 2011 }}

{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080610011526/http://budapestdailyreview.com/wineguide/ Wine Reviews] - Independent wine blog
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20111231071911/http://www.nachalnovea.com/breslovcenter/articles/article_wine.html The Hungarian Wine] - Rebbe Nachman of Breslev story about Hungarian Wine

{{Hungary articles}}
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{{Wine regions of Hungary}}
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