Hungarian wine
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'''Hungarian wine''' has a history dating back to at least Roman times, and that history reflects the country's position between the Slavs and the Germanic peoples. The best-known wines are the white [[dessert wine]] Tokay ([[Tokaji]]) and Bull's Blood ([[Egri Bikavér]]), a full-bodied red wine.
==History==
[[Image:Originaltokaji.jpg|right|thumb|A bottle of Tokaji Aszú 3 Puttonyos]]
[[Image:Vivamus Zweigelt .jpg|right|thumb|A bottle of [[Zweigelt]]]]
Only two [[Europe|European]] languages have words for [[wine]] that are not derived from [[Latin]]: [[Greek language|Greek]] and [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]]. Records carved in a [[Runic alphabet]] used by ancient Hungarians have words for wine derived from [[Turkic languages|Turkic]], suggesting that the [[Magyars]] had contact with the first winemakers in the [[South Caucasus]]. Examples include :
*''Szőlő'': "grape"
*''Bor'': "wine"
*''Ászok'': "cask"
*''Áldomás'': "blessing", "libation"
The Romans brought vines to [[Pannonia]], and by the 5th century AD, there are records of extensive vineyards in Hungary. Following the Magyar invasion of 896, [[Árpád]] rewarded his followers with vineyards in [[Tokaj-Hegyalja]]. Over the following centuries, new grape varieties were brought in from Italy and France, probably including [[Furmint]] and the other grapes of Tokay. Mostly white wine was made like that of their neighbours to the west.
During the invasion of [[Suleiman the Magnificent]] in the early 16th century, displaced Serbs brought the red [[Kadarka]] grape to Eger. This ancient variety was used to make the robust red wine blend later known as Bull's Blood, after the supposed [[secret ingredient]] in the wine that fortified the [[Siege of Eger|defenders of Eger]] in 1552.
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 aszu 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 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]] and [[Hárslevelű]] in Tokaj. The twentieth century saw the introduction of modern grapes such as [[Zweigelt]], which were easier to grow and to vinify than Kadarka, and 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 a lot of new investment, particularly in Tokaj.
==Wine regions and styles==
===Észak-Dunántúl (North-Transdanubia) ===
This wine region contains the following sub-regions:<br />
[[Ászár-Neszmély]]: fresh and aromatic whites.<br />
[[Etyek-Buda]]: fresh white wines, with considerable acidity.<br />
[[Mór]]: volcanic soil, full-bodied whites. Main variety: [[Ezerjó]].<br />
[[Pannonhalma]]: full-bodied whites.<br />
[[Sopron]]: elegant reds (mainly [[Kékfrankos]]).<br />
===Balaton===
Sub-regions:<br />
[[Badacsony]]: volcanic soils, full-bodied whites with considerable acidity.<br />
[[Balatonfelvidék]]: volcanic soils, full-bodied whites with considerable acidity.<br />
[[Balatonfüred-Csopak]]: terra rossa soils, full-bodied whites with considerable acidity.<br />
[[Dél-Balaton]]: full-bodied whites and reds with moderate acidity.<br />
[[Nagy-Somló]] (or [[Somló]]): volcanic soil, full-bodied whites with high acidity. Main varieties are: [[Olaszrizling]], [[Hárslevelű]] and [[Furmint]].<br />
[[Zala]]: mainly white wines.<br />
The main variety of the region is [[Olaszrizling]].<br />
===Dél-Pannónia (South-Pannonia)===
Sub-regions:<br />
[[Pécs]]: mainly whites. Traditional variety: [[Cirflandri]]<br />
[[Villány]]: robust, full-bodied, spicy reds. Main varieties: Portugieser, Cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet franc, Merlot and occasionally Pinot Noir.<br />
[[Szekszárd]]: full-bodied reds, with a bit of spice. Famous wine: [[Szekszárdi Bikavér]]. Main varieties: [[Kadarka]], [[Kékfrankos]], [[Cabernet franc]], [[Merlot]]<br />
[[Tolna]]<br />
===Duna (Alföld)===
Sub-regions:<br />
[[Csongrád]],<br />
[[Hajós-Baja]],<br />
[[Kunság]].<br />
Mainly fresh and light wines from lots of varieties.<br />
===Felső-Magyarország (Upper-Hungary)===
Sub-regions:<br />
[[Eger wines|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.<br />
[[Mátra]]: elegant and full-bodied whites, grown on volcanic soil. Main varieties are [[Müller-Thurgau]], [[Olaszrizling]] and [[Chardonnay]].<br />
[[Bükkalja]]: mainly white wines.<br />
===Tokaj===
{{Main|Tokaj-Hegyalja|Tokaji (wine)}}
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 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]], [[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, a lot of dry Furmint is also produced. Other grapes grown in the area include Hárslevelű, Muscat Blanc, Kövérszőlő and Zéta.
==Hungarian grape varieties==
There are a few varieties that are believed to have originated in Hungary. These include
*[[Furmint]]
*[[Ezerjó]]
*[[Hárslevelű]]
*[[Kéknyelű]]
*[[Juhfark]]
*[[Irsai Olivér]]
*[[Cserszegi Fűszeres]]
*[[Királyleányka]]
*[[Leányka]]
*[[Category:Hungarian wines]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.archimedia.hu/content.php?param=2;set_lang=eng Archimedia.hu] - good overview of the regions and wines
* [http://www.budapestdailyreview.com/wineguide Wine Reviews] - Independent wine blog
[[Category:Hungarian wine| ]]
{{Wines}}
{{Wine by country}}
[[de:Weinbau in Ungarn]]
[[fr:Viticulture en Hongrie]]
[[sv:Ungerska viner]]