Balaton

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The large water mass of Lake Balaton gives the area a sub-Mediterranean-continental climate character: summers are cooler, the air is more humid, and winters are milder than in other European regions at the same latitude.
• The Bakony Mountains shield the basin from cold northerly and westerly winds; mean annual temperature is 9–11 °C, annual sunshine hours amount to around 1,900, and mean annual precipitation is 650 mm.
• Thanks to the reflective effect of Lake Balaton's water surface, hillside and mountainside vineyards receive more light than the average sunshine-hour figures would suggest, especially during the long, sunny autumns brought by Mediterranean anticyclones.
• The vineyards are generally situated on south-, south-east-, and south-west-facing hillsides and mountain slopes, while cool evening breezes descending from the Bakony direction help moderate the spread of fungal diseases.

• After the Ottoman occupation, the population that settled around Lake Balaton continued to cultivate local autochthonous varieties belonging to the Pontic grape group — among them Kéknyelű, Juhfark, and Pinot — and until the phylloxera crisis these varieties formed the foundation of the reputation of Balatoni wines.
• Following the phylloxera crisis, Olaszrizling and Szürkebarát became established in the region and have since become an inseparable part of the variety profile of the Balaton wine region.

• Balatoni wines are characterised by freshness, a ripe acid structure, and a full, generous palate; in rosé and red wines the tannins are silky and elegant.
• Vegetal and heavy aromas as well as unripe, raw acidity generally do not appear in Balatoni wines, and the fruit lingers persistently on the palate.

• The clay-illuviated brown forest soil retains winter and spring rainfall effectively, allowing the vine to develop continuously and without stress during the critical summer period.

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.

Sources

• Specification (EUR-Lex, single document)
• National product specification (PDF) — agrarminiszterium
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PGI-HU-A1507
• Official trade body site — Hegyközségek Nemzeti Tanácsa — Balaton borrégió