Why Hungary deserves greater recognition in the world of wine

It has ancient viticultural origins, historic vineyard classifications, high quality native grapes, volcanic soils, and great whites and reds, so why is Hungary still relatively unknown in the world of wine?

That’s something Caroline Gilby MW pondered when presenting a masterclass in London last month on Hungary’s flagship grape: Furmint.

Before considering a selection of single vineyard dry white wines made from the variety, she drew comparisons with other wine-producing countries of a similar size to Hungary that seem to have achieved higher levels of awareness among drinkers worldwide.

“Hungary is still relatively unknown, and if you consider countries like Austria, New Zealand or Greece, they all have a greater share of voice; Hungary deserves some attention,” she said.

When asked by db about this statement after the masterclass was over, Gilby said that Hungary’s comparative lack of vinous fame may be because the country had not benefitted from sustained promotional investment for its wines in key markets, such as the UK – although she added that this was now changing.

“There have been so many strategies, but all of them have lasted a relatively short time, but now there is more consistency of investment behind it [promoting Hungarian wines], and that means the awareness is starting to come through,” she said.

In terms of comparative sizes, New Zealand has approximately 40,000 hectares of vineyards, Austria has 45,000ha and Greece 60,000ha, while Hungary has just under 58,000ha, two thirds of which are devoted to white grapes, and one third red varieties.

And, if one considers these countries, each one benefits from a distinctive, leading white grape, be it Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, Grüner Veltliner from Austria, and Assyrtiko from Greece, while for Hungary, it’s Furmint.

Historically, Hungary’s area under vine was far greater, amounting to more than 570,000ha in the eighteenth century, recorded Gilby, noting that it was once the third largest wine producer in the world, but had seen its vineyard area decline over the years, exacerbated by the fact that Hungary itself had become a smaller country, having lost two-thirds of its territory in the treaty of Trianon in 1920.

Considering the nation’s traits today, Gilby picked out some of the geographic elements that influence Hungary’s wine styles today.

Among these is Lake Balaton – the largest lake in central Europe – along with the river Danube, that dissects the country from north to south, and a series of mountain ranges, including the Transdanubian mountains, that that run north of Lake Balaton towards the wine region of Eger, and Tokaj’s Zemplén range, which is part of the North Hungarian Mountains within the Carpathian Mountains.

However, much of Hungary is a low-lying basin between these ranges, with its geology influenced by the ancient and former “brackish” Pannonian sea.

Gilby said that it’s thought that the earth’s crust is thinner in Hungary than anywhere else in the world, and noted that volcanism has “shaped the country”, with 70% of the nation’s geology based on volcanic outcrops, and Tokaj home to as many as 380 extinct volcanoes.

While the wine region of Villány, home to powerful reds based on Bordeaux grapes and central European grape Kekfrankos, is located on limestone bedrock that has been lifted up from a former seabed, Gilby stressed that the majority of Hungary’s wine regions are found on volcanic bedrock that has been weathered to soil over time.

As a result of this, she said, “You get a fieriness and freshness in Hungarian wines, whatever the grape variety.”

On the topic of grapes, she said that the nation is home to as many as 178 varieties, spread across 22 wine regions, and noted that a number of pre-phylloxera grapes are coming back into production.

“If you combine the high number of grape varieties with the wide range of wine regions, it is a fascinating mosaic of a country to try and understand,” she said.

Continuing, she commented, speaking about the UK – which is Hungary’s leading export market for wine – “You may find that the best-selling wine from Hungary is a supermarket Pinot Grigio, but many sommeliers will have Furmint on their lists, it is becoming more widely available, and we are starting to see some of the other cracking varieties from Hungary too,” mentioning the likes of Kekfrankos, Kadarka, and Hárslevelű.

It is Furmint, however, that the nation is pinning its hopes on, and, as a result, has invested in promoting this grape as Hungary’s flagship through its ‘Furmint February’ initiative, that culminated in a tasting last month in London, during which Gilby’s masterclass took place.

Although the grape was planted “all over the country” pre-phylloxera in the late nineteenth century, today it is almost exclusively found in Tokaj, where it is the leading grape, and prized in particular as the basis of the great sweet wines from this region: Tokaji Aszú.

In Tokaj, Hungary’s most famous wine region, the vineyards were classified according to geography and wine quality in the early eighteenth century, more than 100 years before Bordeaux, which ranked its wines on price.

Commenting on this pioneering Hungarian vineyard classification – the first formal one recorded worldwide – Gilby pointed out that “Furmint was at the core”, while noting that the classification has “stayed a constant, through everything, including phylloxera.”

Although Furmint and Tokaj are strongly associated with sweet wines, Gilby said that “people are realising that Tokaj has fantastic terroir and Furmint makes superb dry wines,” adding that it makes commercial sense to promote dry Furmints because “it is difficult to sell people large amounts of sweet wine.”

Introducing Gilby at the event, Hungary’s ambassador to the UK admitted that Furmint was a grape variety that was “not well known in the UK or around the world”, but “a wonderful way to get to know about Hungarian dry whites”.

“It is grown in areas other than Tokaj, and will give you the chance to get to know Hungary’s different regions and terroirs, so you can learn about the country’s diversity,” he added.

Continuing he said, “And if Furmint introduces you to dry wines from Hungary, then you might want to get to know about our other grapes, and the reds too.”

Concluding, he remarked, “Furmint is the perfect ambassador for Hungary.”

A few further wine facts about Hungary:

• It is believed that wine production in Hungary predates Roman influence
• Two thirds of the country lies on volcanic soil
• While a small, landlocked country, Hungary has 22 wine regions
• Native central European white grapes of quality from Hungary include Ezerjó, Furmint, Hárslevelű, Irsai Olivér, Juhfark, and Kéknyelű, and, among reds, Kadarka and Kékfrankos.