Pannonhalma

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The appellation enjoys moderate light and heat resources and good moisture supply, with a mean annual temperature of 10 °C, annual precipitation of 550–650 mm, and more than 1,950 sunshine hours per year.
• Towards the end of the Pannonian Age and the beginning of the Upper Pliocene, tectonic movements began during which the formerly uniform Pannonian platform broke apart along north-west- and south-east-trending fault lines, giving rise to two main valleys and three ridges.
• The foundation of the Sokoró hills consists of Mesozoic or Palaeozoic crystalline rock and limestone, overlain by Pannonian sedimentary sequences of varying thickness, principally layers of sand, sandstone, and clay.
• Along the hollow running down the village-facing slope of Várhegy at Pannonhalma, sandstone walls several metres high can be encountered in places, offering a striking illustration of the Pannonian-age sedimentary rocks.
• Viticulture is practised on the Pannonhalma and Sokoró hill ranges rising out of the Little Hungarian Plain, on brown forest soils developed mainly over loess and loessic sand deposited on Pannonian sediments.
• The soils of the appellation are calcareous and alkaline in reaction, which influences the quality of the wines produced here.

• The estate inventory of Pannonhalma drawn up in 1093 by King Saint László records 88 vine-workers (vinitores) in the area.
• The founding charter of Pannonhalma issued by King Saint István in 1002 lists the vine (wine) first among the crops subject to the tithe.
• In 1874 it was precisely documented that vine-loading was carried out using cane and short-spur pruning, vines were earthed up for winter protection, and the height of the mound was half a foot.
• Rajnai rizling, Olaszrizling, and Tramini played an important role in the variety composition of the appellation.

• The white and rosé wines produced in the Pannonhalmi appellation are fresh, lively wines with a pleasant acid structure and fresh, lively aromas.
• The red wines are highly approachable and elegantly structured in tannin, while also showing a distinctly fruity character.

• The prevailing wind direction in the area is north-westerly, creating continuous air movement that makes it considerably harder for plant-health problems to develop in the vineyards, and this has a significant influence on wine quality.

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

All appellations in Hungary

Sources

• National product specification (PDF) — agrarminiszterium
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-HU-A1338
• Official trade body site — Pannonhalmi Borvidék Hegyközsége (Pannonhalmi Borvidék Hegyközségi Tanácsa)