Of all the wine districts clustered around Lake Balaton, Balatonboglár perhaps has the least solid history. Nevertheless, it boasts excellent terroir, somewhere on the imaginary border of the most enticing white and red wine regions. Which means that top-quality white and black grapes are grown here, not to mention grapes for sparkling base wines, too. Balatonboglár represents elegance, finesse and outstanding, yet soft, acidity.
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
It is located on the southern shore of Lake Balaton, in the northern part of Somogy County, from Zamárdi to Balatonboglár and extending south to Andocs and Tab. The vineyards around Kéthely and Marcali, south of Balatonkeresztúr, also belong to the wine district. The wine district's total area is 9,984 hectares. The area under vine is currently 3,109 hectares.
SOIL
The soil consists of clayey-sandy sediments, which were deposited by the Pannonian Sea and later covered with loess. This has been overlain by horizontally sloping loess and loam soils, which are perfect for viticulture. Currently, you can differentiate between the unique styles of the Szőlőskislak, Szőlősgyörök, Gyugy, Kőrös-hegy, Sinai-hegy and Jánoshegy vineyards. However, it's likely that more will join the queue in coming years.
CLIMATE
Balatonboglár has a mild climate, which is especially hot in some years. The average number of sunshine hours per year is 1,950-2,000, while average annual precipitation is 600-800 mm. Extremes of temperature are not typical, so vintage variation is relatively slight.
GRAPE VARIETIES AND TYPICAL WINE STYLES
The wine district has traditionally been a popular area for both white and red wine grapes; however, nowadays, white grapes dominate. The most planted varieties are Chardonnay, Irsai Olivér, Királyleányka, Olaszrizling, Riesling (Rajnai Rizling) and Zöldveltelini, while the most planted black varieties are Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, followed by Pinot Noir, Kékfrankos and Zweigelt.
The style and quality of wines produced here perhaps depends more on how they are grown and their yields than in other wine districts. Both white and reds can be fresh, light, summer wines with crisp acidity and bright fruit (e.g. from Királyleányka), but the region also produces extremely concentrated, oak-aged white and red wines with high alcohol. Although the area is close to the shore of the Balaton, white wine was not so dominant here in centuries past as on the northern shore. This is due to its soils and its climate, which is similar to that of Szekszárd. Wines grown here on loess also resonate charm. There are areas where you can walk among the vines in spellbound excitement, with high loess walls revealing soils mixed with lime in many places.
Vines thrives in this terroir and reward careful work with well-structured, silky wines. There are plenty of reductive, light wines. These fruity, light, aromatic, graceful wines are generally characterised by soft acidity in more simple wines, while more complex white wines made from Pinot Blanc, Királyleányka and Chardonnay may boast elegant, playful acidity. The region also produces pleasant, light, dry Irsai Olivér and Pinot Gris (Szürkebarát).
The soft, mellow red wines with restrained tannins are perfect for those who are not fans of very heavy wines. For some years now, however, many fuller-bodied, more tannic yet elegant red wines have been starting to come out of the wine district, mainly from Cabernet Sauvignon, thus showing the hidden merits of the region and of the winemakers concerned. A considerable number of rosés and sparkling base wines are also produced in the area.