Zemplén

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The bedrock of the appellation consists of sedimentary rock and rhyolite tuff formed by the consolidation of ash deposited during volcanic activity, and is exceptionally rich in rare trace elements.
• Additional igneous rocks are present in significant quantities, notably rhyolite and andesite, which exert a similar influence on the vine and on the minerality of the wines as rhyolite tuff does.
• The soils of the appellation are predominantly loess-based skeletal soils and nyirok (clay-rich weathered volcanic soils), with typical brown forest soils in places, and elsewhere various soil structures developed over volcanic bedrock.
• The annual sunshine total is 2,009 hours, of which 1,400–1,500 hours fall within the growing season, and the active heat summation ranges between 1,600 and 1,800 °C.
• Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county is traversed by numerous rivers, whose water surfaces reflect sunlight and whose mist-generating effect influences the climatic conditions of the appellation.

• Written records attesting to the importance of viticulture and winemaking, as well as to the construction of underground cellars, are found in the appellation from the thirteenth century onwards.
• Viticulture entered a period of rapid growth in the sixteenth century and reached its golden age in the seventeenth, before being halted by the phylloxera crisis; it later regained momentum in the early twentieth century through vineyard reconstruction programmes.
• Alongside the traditionally present varieties Furmint, Hárslevelű, Sárga Muskotály, and Kövérszőlő, additional white-wine grape varieties have been planted in a complementary role, including Zéta, Kabar, Olaszrizling, Szürkebarát, and Tramini.
• After the political transition, the Zempléni regional wine (tájbor) category was introduced and first regulated at statutory level under the authorisation for regional wines granted by Act CXXI of 1997.

• The wines are characterised by spicy, floral, and herbaceous aromas and a mineral palate, with vibrant acidity and mineral flavours being especially pronounced in the fuller-bodied Zemplén white wines.

• The continental character of the appellation — in particular its cold, frosty late-autumn and winter periods — makes it suitable for the production of ice wine, a practice that dates back to the post-transition era.
• Owing to sunlight reflected off the surrounding rivers and a relatively high heat summation, the white wines produced here are fresh and fruity, with floral and spicy character, rounded acidity, and a harmonious flavour profile.

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 PGI-HU-A1375
• Official trade body site — Tokaji Borvidék Hegyközségi Tanácsa