Nitrianska

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The vineyards are planted on the wine-bearing slopes of the Pohronský Inovec and Tribeč hills, as well as on loess hillocks formed by wind-blown loess deposits 15,000 years ago.
• Soils on the slopes are often high in skeletal content, and the heterogeneous relief of the landscape creates diverse microclimatic conditions among individual vineyards, despite the overall warm and dry climate of the area.
• Vines are cultivated on south-, south-east- and south-west-facing slopes and on plains, at elevations of 100 to 350 metres above sea level, on brown forest soils with sandy to loamy texture transitioning in the lower horizons to a clay layer.
• Annual precipitation in the area totals 550 mm, with the growing-season share typically running 20 to 30 percent higher than that recorded during the dormancy period.
• Mean air temperatures from May through the end of September range between 13 and 19 °C, the average temperature during the growing season is 17.3 °C, and the mean annual sunshine duration is 2,200 hours.

• The oldest historical evidence of viticulture and winemaking in Slovakia is preserved from the surroundings of Nitra, in the form of three Old Church Slavonic prayers dating from the Great Moravian period.
• The foundations of professional viticulture in the Nitrianska wine region were laid in the 9th century by Benedictine monks of the Zobor monastery, and the fame of the local wines spread across Europe particularly during the 18th and 19th centuries.
• In the production of botrytised selection wine (cibébový výber), the grower makes pruning and canopy-management decisions throughout the year, but it is the autumn weather at the end of September that ultimately determines whether the vintage is suitable for the development of noble rot, Botrytis cinerea.
• In the production of the higher late-harvest styles — bunch selection (výber z hrozna), berry selection (bobuľový výber), and raisin selection (hrozienkový výber) — growers carry out so-called green harvesting, whereby a portion of unripe grape clusters is cut away in order to reduce yields and increase sugar concentration in the remaining fruit.
• Grapes for ice wine are harvested in December when temperatures drop below minus 7 °C; they receive specialised viticultural treatment and are protected with nets against starlings, wasps, and wildlife.

• White wines are more expressively fruity than red wines and are characterised by pronounced acidity, averaging around 6.3 g/l.
• Wines of the higher late-harvest categories have only a restrained fruit character and are distinguished rather by their fullness and intensity, which reaches the highest possible values on the sensory scale.
• In botrytised selection wine (cibébový výber), honeyed notes imparted by the sun during an exceptional autumn predominate, alongside full ripeness and brioche-like bread nuances as the hallmark of noble rot and masterful winemaking.
• Sparkling wines from this area are distinguished by a youthful vivacity, fresh fruitiness, and a harmonious floral bouquet, with vigorous, dynamic effervescence and a colour ranging from green-yellow to golden yellow.

• The noble rot fungus Botrytis cinerea, essential for the production of botrytised selection wine (cibébový výber), finds favourable conditions when the morning autumn mist is dispersed by sunlight and overripe grape berries begin to split.

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

All appellations in Slovakia

Sources

• National product specification (PDF) — upv-sr
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-SK-A1357
• Official trade body site — ZVVS — Nitrianska oblasť