“2022 was a hot and droughty year, which wasn’t too promising, but after the 30th vintage, we learned that there are no general truths in grape growing. We worked all summer to help the plants survive the heat and drought, by mulching, not moving the soil and working with the leaf canopy more than ever. Because of the heat, ripening stopped completely at the end of July, the vines decided to concentrate on survival rather than the ripening of the crop. With some unease, we acknowledged that this is the way it should be. We didn’t experience any major changes until the end of August, so we didn’t harvest. There was little sugar in the berries, the composition of the acids was muddled, but what bothered me the most was the lack of flavour. No wonder, as under such circumstances vegetation in the berries also stops. We could’ve harvested the grapes, but what for? A patient but tense wait ensued, and we knew that if the nighttime temperatures dropped in September and there was even some precipitation, anything could happen. That’s how it happened, the vegetation started again and from the end of September to the beginning of November, the Olaszrizlings caught up,” says Mihály Figula.

The Olaszrizling wines of the Balatonfüred winery, which come from a number of vineyards and are in fact made in the same way, contributed greatly to changing our perception of the variety. Some of their single-vineyard Olaszrizlings now serve as reference points. When opening the contents of the box, it’s always a great pleasure to discover the sometimes smaller, other times larger differences caused by the place of growth.

Five single-vineyard wines and a HegyBor wine that are exciting impressions of the vintage:

• Figula Olaszrizling 2022
• Figula Sóskút Olaszrizling 2022
• Figula Száka Olaszrizling 2022
• Figula Erdőszéle Olaszrizling 2022
• Figula Öreghegy Olaszrizling 2022
• Figula Gella Olaszrizling 2022