Kőszeg

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The rocks of the Kőszeg Mountains are sedimentary-origin metamorphic rocks — crystalline schist, clay slate, sandstone, and gneiss — that were brought to the surface through a tectonic window.
• On the weathered bedrock, acidic, non-podzolic brown forest soils have formed, with clay-illuviated brown forest soils in other locations, while Pliocene loam and Pleistocene loess are found at the foothill zones.
• Annual precipitation in an average year exceeds 700–800 mm, of which 60–70% falls in summer; mean annual temperature is 9.2 °C, and total annual sunshine hours are fewer than 1,800.
• The first-class vineyard sites belonging to the town of Kőszeg are situated on the hills above the town, beneath the forest edge, sometimes at elevations above 450 metres, with predominantly south-east or east-facing aspects; south-facing sites are rare.

• In selecting grape varieties, priority was given to those that deliver good acid structure and fresh fruitiness, supported by expertise in cultivation, yield management, and harvest ripeness passed down through generations.
• Skin maceration of red wines and determining the ageing period both require considerable expertise, and the wineries skilfully combine traditional barrel ageing with tank ageing well suited to preserving a fresh character.

• The wines are at most medium-bodied and are characterised by taut, crisp fruit, vibrant, fresh acidity, and a lean, mineral structure, all of which can be traced back to the altitude, the quartz, the schist, and the metamorphic rocks.

• A saline minerality derived from the bedrock is characteristic of all Kőszeg wines.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Hungary

Sources

• Specification (EUR-Lex, single document)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-HU-02804
• Official trade body site — Kőszeg és Környéke – Vaskeresztes és Környéke Hegyközség (under Soproni Borvidék Hegyközségi Tanácsa)