Hungarian wine

It was the Romans who planted the first vines at a time when the country was part of a region called Pannonia. It was at the dawn of the 18th century that Hungary, united with Austria, ensured the export of its most famous wine throughout Europe: Tokaj (made from the Fürmint grape variety). As in all of Europe, in the 19th century, viticulture was destroyed by phylloxera. During the communist period, the vineyards were managed in cooperatives, which guaranteed a stable income for wine producers. Many small winegrowers could not keep up with this growing economy, so the Hungarian vineyard was restructured, losing 30% of its surface area in the process. Today, many family estates have emerged, some of which produce wines of incredible quality. As everywhere in Europe, viticulture is in decline as part of the European restructuring plan for the wine industry. Hungary, which is located at the same latitude as Burgundy , has a continental climate with hot summers and cold winters. Rainfall is sufficient for non-irrigated viticulture, and the soils are heterogeneous and of high quality depending on the region. With around a hundred indigenous and international grape varieties, the country boasts good varietal diversity. Fürmint and Hárslevelü from the Tokaj region, vinified dry and the source of Tokaj's great sweet wines, are undoubtedly the best-known varieties today. The most widely planted grape variety is Olasrizling for whites and Kéfrankos for reds. International grape varieties, mainly Bordeaux grapes, flourish particularly in the south of the country, where they produce high-class wines.