Stredoslovenská

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The Stredoslovenská wine region extends across the Southern Slovak Basin along the course of the Ipeľ river and the southern border of Slovakia with Hungary, around the towns of Veľký Krtíš, Lučenec, and Rimavská Sobota.
• The Southern Slovak Basin system is tectonic in origin, formed by a major flexure of the Earth's crust during the Neogene, with differential movements playing a role during volcanic activity in the adjacent volcanic mountain ranges.
• The viticultural foundation of this region is an andesitic substrate bearing loamy to clay-loam soils, on which fertile andosols of medium-heavy soil texture have developed.
• Climatically, the region belongs among the warm zones, with a mild, dry climate, average annual precipitation of 450 mm, and average annual sunshine duration of 2,100 hours.
• Of exceptional significance for grape ripening is an elevated geothermal heat flux originating from brown-coal deposits, and wines from this region are distinguished by a higher and more persistent aromatic quality.

• The first written record of viticulture in this region dates to 1135, when King Béla II donated two vineyards to the Benedictine monastery in Bzovík.
• From that historical mention onwards, viticulture in the region has thrived above all with the varieties Tramín červený, Rizling rýnsky, Pinot Blanc, Frankovka, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Svätovavrinecké.
• In the production of botrytis-selected wines (výber z hrozna), berry-selected wines (bobuľový výber), and raisin-selected wines (hrozienkový výber), growers carry out a green harvest, removing a portion of unripe grapes by cutting in order to achieve lower yields with higher sugar levels.
• The processing of must for the higher late-harvest wine styles draws on historical experience passed down from one generation of winemakers to the next, with specialised yeasts used at a controlled temperature of 12 °C.

• The white wines are fresh, with elevated acidity and an optimal sugar-acid balance, and are also well suited to long-term cellaring and ageing.
• Red grape varieties are vinified with maceration on the skins, and the resulting wines are characterised by greater extract; after two years of ageing they develop a velvety smoothness and fullness.
• Sparkling wines (sekty) from this region display a youthful vivacity, fruity freshness, and a harmonious floral bouquet, with vigorous bubbles and a colour ranging from green-tinged to golden yellow.

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

All appellations in Slovakia

Sources

• Specification (EUR-Lex, single document)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-SK-A1355
• Official trade body site — ZVVS — Stredoslovenská oblasť