In many parts of the world more wine is produced than consumed or even than can be sold on the world market. Difficulties in selling wine products are caused mainly by a proliferation of cheap, mass produced wines. The consumption of poor quality wines is decreasing, however, while that of quality wines is increasing. To increase the market share, as well as further to improve the quality of such wines is an important task for all wine producing countries and so for Hungary.
The high quality of Hungarian wines is well known all over the world. In addition to favourable ecological conditions, Hungary can boast of excellent grape varieties: for about three decades now only quality varieties have been planted here. Most of these are international varieties and only a smaller part vines Hungaricum.
Hungary's vine production can look back on a long history. The first Plantations were made in 1276 under the reign of the Emperor Probus on the slopes of the hills of Transdanubia. in the 19th century, under the Austroungarian monarchy, plantations stretched over 335,000 hectares. Following a reorganisation after a break out of Phylloxera, Hungary's vine growing area covered 200-240 thousand hectares. Currently the figure is just above 100 thousand hectares. Hungarys annual vintage is 4-4.5 million hectolitres, of which approximately 1.0 to 1.2 million hectolitres are produced for export. Hungarian wines are popular in Western and Northern Europe, and beyond. Their internationai appreciation is well proven by the many gold medals they have won abroad.
Ecological conditions make Hungary - a country located at a latitude of 45.5-48.5 - an excellent location for growing quality wines. The average annual temperature is between 9-11 °C, with the average temperature in the summer months (June-August) exceeding 20 °C. The growing season is 190-200 days with a so-called 'effective heat sum' of 1,350 °C, 1,500 sunny hours and 350 mm of precipitation on average, allowing good maturing for quality varieties. These conditions are ideal for the formation of a fine fragrance aroma and acid content in white wines and the colour and tannin content in red wine grape varieties. individual years do of course differ somewhat, but well ripening quality varieties in Hungary are not particularly year sensitive: they provide good quality wine even in not so good years, in contrast to slow maturing grapes, most of which are highly year sensitive.
'Aszú' years count as particularly important in Hungary. Over the past 50 years in Tokaj-hegyalja the best quality aszú wines were produced from grapes harvested in 1947, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1963, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1975, 1983, 1988, 1989 and 1993
Half all grape plantations are located in hilly areas and half on the Great Plain, stretching between the rivers Danube and Tisza. Grapes can be grown up to a height of 250 m above sea level.
High quality is also enhanced by southern location, as well as volcanic or loess soil in many wine regions. Sandy soil in the Great Plain aiso gives good quality wines. Hungary being a small country, differences among its individual wine regions as regards quality are minimal in comparison with larger size countries with more varied climatic conditions.
Grape and wine production in Hungary are subject to stringent regulations. Of the 20 currently existing wine regions the ones in Tokaj-hegyalja, Badacsony, Eger, Villány, Siklös and Szekszárd are the most widely known abroad. But excellent wines are produced aiso in the wine regions of South Balaton, Mátraalja and others as well as in good wine growing areas not classified as wine regions.
Grape varieties eligible for plantation in wine regions are specified in the relevant regulations. in the past local varieties of ordinary quality were predominant. Today the 35 white and 15 red grape varieties approved by the authorities and so eligibie for plantation include a number of new breeds most of which are yet to catch up with the more well known varieties.
The basis for, the control of regional appellation in accordance with the French model is the so-called vineyard cadastre. in Hungary such a register was first drawn up in the 1950s, then in the 1980s. Another update has commenced in 1994.
Maximum yields are limited by, decree. The maximum has been established at 12 tonnes/hectare for quality wines and 10 tonnes/hectare for premium quality wines. The relevani decree differentiales between table, regionai, qualily and premium quality wines. The first two are produced from must with a natural sugar content of at least 130g/kg, quality wines 150 g/kg and premium quality wines 190 g/kg and all of these have to conform with a number of other strict requirements. Requirements are especially high regarding Tokaj wine specialities, such as various kinds of dry and sweet Szamorodni and 3-6 puttonyos aszû wines. With the exception of the great Tokaj wines as well as Eger and Szekszárd Bull's Blood, Hungarian quality wines are put on the market featuring the name of the place where they were produced, the grape variety used and the name of the producer. Labels of premium quality wines also indicate the vintage year.
Grape plantations made after the Phylloxera attack were usually small parcels of land with a relatively large per area number of vines (10 thousand per 1 hectare), cultivated by using head- or horny head training, with or without stake-support and based on manual methods. In large concerns established from the second half of the 20th century onwards, where the territory of plantations often exceeded 500 or in some cases even 1,000 hectares, after 1963 a method called wide-spaced high training was in use due to a lack of special power-machinery. in these vineyards all operations, with a few exceptions, were carried out by machines. This method of cultivation is however only suitable for well maturing varieties. The production of a number of varieties, such as Muscat Ottonel and Tramini, among others, became profitable after the introduction of high training, as traditional meihods of head- and horny head training combined with short pruning, previously in use, yielded too little.
In recent years most large vineyards of state farms and co-operatives have been privatised. in accordance with European standards, new plantations are set up with a minimum 5,000 vines per hectare. Alongside a large number of privale and family growers, now a network of Western type cellar-co-operatives is rapidly emerging.
Among Hungarian winegrowers there is an increasing awareness that high quality wines may be produced only from the best grapes, especially if the two golden rules of oenology - absolute hygiene and control of technological processes - are widely adhered to.
The conditions required to improve the quality of Hungarian wines are in place and such endeavours are also supported by a large number of professionai and interest represeniing organisations. The priority task in this respect is both to restore and to improve the image of Hungarian wines.
This publication has set out to make a contribution by describing the major quality grape varieties grown in Hungary with a stress on local peculiarities.
We hope that this publication will be a useful guide for ali those who would like to get better acquainted with Hungarian wines, as well as those who are aiready aware of the outstanding quality of these wines from their own personal experience but who would like to deepen their knowledge.
Quality Varieties of Hungary
Asko Korpela 980603 (980528) - Asko.Korpela@kolumbus.fi (palaute tekijälle)