Hungary

The parliamentary republic of Hungary (Hungarian: Magyarország) in Central Europe with the capital Budapest covers 93,036 km². The country located in the Pannonian Basin and traversed by the Danube borders to the north with Slovakia and Ukraine, to the east with Romania, to the south with Serbia and Croatia, and to the west with Slovenia and Austria. As one of the first Eastern Bloc states, Hungary became a democracy in 1989.

History

Hungary has a very old wine culture, as wines from Sopron and Eger were already known in the 13th century. Wine cultivation in the Carpathian Basin was influenced by ancient Central Asian traditions and Roman wine culture. Despite wars and unrest, wine has been cultivated here for over 1,000 years. Even the Ottomans, who occupied most of the country for about 160 years, did not suppress wine cultivation despite alcohol prohibition due to tax revenues, but development was hampered during this time. According to a tradition, Emperor Charlemagne (742–814) was so enthusiastic about "Avar wine" that he had some wine vine brought to Germany.

From the Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus (1440-1490), who resided in Vienna (Austria) for the last five years of his life, the statement is recorded, "that the whole people should have wine and the winegrowers should be highly regarded". In the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church played a significant role in Hungary in the spread of wine cultivation and wine culture. Closely associated with Hungary's wine history is the famous Tokaji. After the phylloxera and the two world wars, production shifted to bulk wine. However, since the political upheavals of 1989 and the re-establishment of the winegrowers' association, wine cultivation has been on the rise again.

Wine Regions

Hungary has a variety of soil type, ranging from sand, loess, clay, limestone, to marl and various volcanic rocks such as basalt, tuff, and andesite. A Central European, continental climate prevails with hot summers and cold winters. The 223 registered grape varieties (over 60 of them autochthon) are predominantly white wine varieties. Around 2,000 hours of sunshine annually and various microclimates also favor the production of red wines. The Danube flowing from north to south divides the country into about two large halves.

Hungary is divided into six wine regions (Borrégió). These consist (with the exception of Tokaji) of several wine-growing areas (Borvidék). There are 22 wine-growing areas, all of which are considered OEM (g.U. = origin-protected areas for quality wines). In some wine-growing areas, there are smaller g.U. areas as enclaves. In total, there are 33 protected designations of origin (status mid-2021). This number is constantly increasing.

Wine Regions and Wine Growing Areas = OEM or g.U.

The 6 wine regions (Borréggió) with a total of 33 wine-growing areas (Borvidék)

Balaton (Lake Balaton)

• Badacsony
• Balatonboglár
• Balatonfüred-Csopak
• Balaton-felvidék
• Csopak
• Káli
• Nagy-Somló
• Somló
• Tihany
• Zala

Duna (Danube)

• Duna
• Csongrád
• Hajós-Baja
• Izsáki Arany Sárfehér
• Kunság
• Monor
• Soltvadkerti

Felső-Magyarország (Upper Hungary)

• Bükk
• Debrői-Hárslevelű
• Eger
• Mátra

Felső-Pannon (Upper Pannonia)

• Etyek-Buda
• Etyeki-Pezsgő
• Mór
• Neszmély
• Pannonhalma
• Sopron (Ödenburg)

Pannon (Pannonia)

• Pannon
• Pécs
• Szekszárd
• Tolna
• Villány

Tokaj (Tokaji)

In the Tokaj-Hegyalja area, the Tokaji is produced. A peculiarity is a small adjacent area in eastern Slovakia. Here, in the three (formerly Hungarian) municipalities of Kistoronya, Szõlõske, and the Slovak part of Sátoraljaújhely, wine is produced in the style of Tokaji. After long disputes, the two countries agreed in 2003 that the wines produced within the 172-hectare area could bear the designation of origin Tokaji.

Land Wine Areas (Tájbor) = OFJ or g.g.A.

There are 6 land wine areas. Two of them, namely Balaton and Upper Hungary, are identical in designation to the above-mentioned 6 wine regions

• Balaton (Lake Balaton)
• Balatonmelléki
• Duna-Tisza közi
• Dunántúli
• Felső-Magyarország (Upper Hungary)
• Zemplén

Grape Variety Overview

In 2023, the vineyards covered 60,621 hectares of vine area and the wine production volumes were 2.5 million hectoliters. Hungary is predominantly a white wine country with nearly 70% of the production, although the red grape variety Kékfrankos (Blaufränkisch) dominates. The grape variety (Statistics Ministry of Agriculture Hungary):

Wine Law

In August 2009, the EU wine market regulation with fundamental changes to wine designations and quality levels became valid for all member countries. The designations are (see also under Quality System):

FN (Földrajzi jelzés Nélküli) - Bor (formerly Table Wine or Table Wine)
Wine without origin.

OFJ = g.g.A. (protected geographical indication) - Tájbor or Land Wine
There are 6 land wine areas, which are marked by a blue-yellow seal on the label; see above.

OEM = g.U. (Protected Designation of Origin Wine)
Quality Wine / Protected Origin Wine - Quality Wine
Wine with protected origin. There are 22 wine-growing areas (which are also automatically OEM or g.U.) with a total of 33 quality wine areas, which are marked by an orange-red seal on the label (see above).

OEM DHC (Districtus Hungaricus Controllatus) 
This quality level introduced in 2003 corresponds to the DAC system in Austria. There are three levels: Classicus, Premium, and Super Premium. These wines are characterized by a specific typical taste style for the area. The individual OEM areas can freely decide on the use and also define the specifications. The DHC areas are Izsáki Arany Sárfehér and Villány.

Wine Types & Wine Designations

The place name with the ending "i" (which corresponds to the German "er" like for example "Gumpoldskirchner") is usually followed by the grape variety, for example "Soproni Kékfrankos" (Blaufränkischer from Sopron).

• Aszú = Trockenbeerenauslese only with Tokaji
• Bikavér = Bull's Blood (only g.U. Eger and Szekszárd)
• Jégbor = Ice Wine
• Fehérbor = White Wine
• Fiatal Bor = Young Wine or Újbor (new wine)
• Késői Szüret (Késői szüretelésű bor) = Late Harvest
• Muzeális Bor = Wine with at least 5 years Bottle Aging
• Narancsbor = Orange Wine
• Pezsgőbor (Pezsgő), Francia Pezsgőbor (Champagne) = Sparkling Wine
• Rozé = Rosé Wine
• Siller = light-pressed red wine
• Vörösbor = Red Wine
• Barrique Érlelésű Bor = in Barrique aged wine
• Sugar Content: száraz = dry, félszáraz = semi-dry, édes = sweet, félédes = semi-sweet

Map: © Goruma 
Flag: by SKopp, Public Domain, Link 
Coat of Arms: Public Domain, Link
Map of Wine Regions: Hungarian Tourism Agency
Map OFJ: Ministry of Agriculture Wine and Horticulture Department 
Source: Kristian Kielmayer