Pécs

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• In the Mecsek mountain range, the soil-forming bedrock consists of Pannonian sediment and loess on the western side, while at higher elevations Triassic limestone occurs, with patches of Permian sandstone and Permian clay shale.
• Due to erosion, black and red-clay variants of rendzina soils are found in the Mecsek area, along with weathered Werfenian shale derived from limestone surfaces.
• In the Versend and Szigetvár districts, as well as in the eastern Mecsek, loess is the dominant soil-forming bedrock, and brown earth soils developed on loessic sediment — known as Ramann brown forest soils — occur across large parts of Baranya County.
• The wine region is one of the warmest in Hungary, with a sub-Mediterranean climate shaped predominantly by Atlantic and Mediterranean influences; the Pécs and Versend districts experience a sub-Mediterranean climate largely free of extremes, while Atlantic climatic influence prevails in the Szigetvár district.
• Because the Mecsek and Villány mountain ranges run parallel to each other, a distinctive wind-channel effect operates between the two ranges, which is why thunderstorms are more frequent in this area during the summer months.
• A long and sunny Indian summer is truly characteristic of this region alone, and it is this period above all that defines the character of the wine region's wines.
• The vineyards are situated at elevations of 110–300 metres above sea level, with the majority planted on terrain between 180 and 270 metres.

• In 1753, the chapter of Pécs Cathedral replanted Szentmiklós Hill on the outskirts of Pécs with Tokaj cuttings with the aim of producing Aszú in the Tokaj style, and it was most likely at this time that the Furmint variety arrived in the wine region.
• In response to rising production and an increasingly discerning market, the Pécs chapter introduced the Austrian-origin variety Cirfandli for its own use, and it went on to become a speciality of the wine region.

• In the districts with loessic forest soils, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir yield structured red wines of deep ruby colour, rich in fine tannins.
• White-wine varieties benefit from the Mediterranean influences, resulting in rounded, harmonious acidity, with the intense flavours, aromas, and aromatic compounds characteristic of each variety developing on a regular basis.
• The wine region's climate is well suited to producing overripe and shrivelled grapes from late harvests, from which speciality wines can be made, while early harvests can yield primeur wines ready for Saint Martin's Day.

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-A1385
• Official trade body site — Pécsi Borvidék Hegyközsége (Pécsi Borvidék Hegyközségi Tanácsa)