4,792 hectares, 16 villages, the most southern wine region of the country
The tradition of viticulture in Villány dates back to Celtic-Roman times. After the settlement of the Magyar tribes in Hungary, the Bor and Kán tribes settled down here, and later it became a royal estate on which Béla IV built castles on the grape growing hills after the tartar invasion. In the villages abandoned during the Turkish occupation following the battle of Nagyharsány, the Rac (Serbs) settled down here. With them came Kadarka. They were followed - mainly during the reign of Maria Teresa - by Danubian Swabians, who besides the Portugieser grape (formerly known as Kékoportó), also brought the technique of fermenting on the skins with them from Germany. The tiny press houses built on edges of the villages were also a gift from them. The wine region soon became prized and the Villány Swabian winemakers carried out serious export activity. Following the phylloxera devastation of the late 19th century, it was rootstock breeder Zsigmond Teleki Villány who cross-bred those basic varieties, which were replanted in Villány and in other European wine regions. French-originating varieties, like Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc, Merlot and the white grapes on the edge of Siklós appeared in the region during this time.
We travelled around several wine regions in the last few months, and Villány certainly cannot be left out from such a journey. Villány is a reference point among the wine regions. The development of Hungarian wineries and wine styles would not have been the same if it had not been for the Villány winemakers at the end of the 80s who by now have become the most well-known winemakers. Based on this, we spent a few amazing days in Villány and its surroundings, travelling through Diósviszló - where we met Miklós Rácz, who we are definitely going to introduce this autumn -through Babarcszőlős to Palkonya. We highlighted a few important names, we met some new people, we tasted quite a few really nice wines. For us this is Villány, even though we couldn't make it everywhere.
The new wave from Villány
Hárságyi Pincészet: the humble Mayor of Palkonya
Balázs Hárságyi and his wife moved to Palkonya from the big city in 2002, to the place they call the wine region's jewel box. Balázs is a passionate fly-tier, the village's major, and has two hectares of grapes and a small cellar. Within ten years he has got to know the old grapes and the people in the village intimately, and from his own, as well as bought-in grapes, he makes 15,000 bottles of wine yearly. "I respect the grapes and I deal with the wine they produce humbly, but I don't like to overcomplicate the matter. I seek perfection and originality in the winery," explains Balázs.
Ruppert family: bringing Babarcszőlős into the Villányi fold
The Ruppert family arrived in Babarcszőlős, on the edge of the Villány wine region, in 1980. Ákos (pictured) was originally a construction engineer and is now the wine grower and winemaker, and his sister Annamária runs the business, though their partners also lend a hand. Between 2002 and 2004 they planted 35 hectares with their grapes, which are made up of the region's best known varieties, with red wine accounting for 70% of their output. The vineyards are concentrated close to one another, where in good soils thicker than the Villány average, they produce dense wines of intense fruit character.
2010. september 08.
