Balaton

One of the six wine-growing regions in Hungary (Hungarian: Borrégió), which is named after Lake Balaton. At 591 square kilometres, it is the largest freshwater lake in Central Europe and is also known as "the sea of Hungary". The Celts and Romans were already cultivating wine here at the turn of the century. The area is also considered one of the most scenic in Hungary. The north bank in particular, with its sheltered location and excellent sunshine, is ideal for viticulture. The large body of water has a positive regulating influence on the climate.

The soil is a combination of sand and peculiar volcanic cones, the most famous of which is Badacsony. White wines are mainly produced here, the most common grape varieties being Olaszrizling (Welschriesling), Szürkebarát (Pinot Gris), Chardonnay and Rizlingszilváni (Müller-Thurgau). There are six wine-growing areas around the lake (in Hungarian: Borvidék): Badacsony, Balatonboglár, Balatonfüred-Csopak, Balaton-felvidék and Zala. Balaton is also a country wine area (PGI).

Map: CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Landscape: By txd - originally posted to Flickr as Landscape, CC BY 2.0, Link