The Tolna wine district is truly an independent wine district; it was not detached simply due to the county (also called Tolna). It consists of cooler areas to the west of the Danube. The area yields wonderful white wines, unlike its motherland, the Szekszárd wine district. Its typically loess areas are real gems of the Pannon region. They don't make lots of fuss, they are simply beautiful...
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
Administratively, it is located in Tolna County, while geographically in the Tolna Hills and in the south-eastern part of the Mezőföld, in three separate subdistricts. Its total production area is 11,324 hectares. The area currently under vine is 2,117 hectares.
SOIL
The soils of the wine district are quite uniform. Loess-loam or brown forest soil and sandy clastic loam soil around Tengelic and Tolna formed over the loess during the Holocene.
CLIMATE
The area boasts a temperate continental climate. Compared to the Szekszárd wine district, the Völgység and North Tolna, which lie slightly further west, are a little cooler, with an average temperature of 16°C during the growing season, and slightly wetter, with average annual precipitation of 700 mm. However, the southern part of the Mezőföld is slightly warmer, with an average temperature of 17°C during the growing season, and drier, with 500-600 mm annual precipitation; it has a continental climate, reminiscent of the Great Plain. Its boasts more favourable precipitation conditions than the Szekszárd wine district, which tends to suffer from drought.
GRAPE VARIETIES AND TYPICAL WINE STYLES
Recommended white varieties are Chardonnay, Pinot Gris (Szürkebarát), Olaszrizling, Pinot Blanc, Riesling (Rajnai Rizling), Müller-Thurgau (Rizlingszilváni in Hungarian), Sauvignon Blanc, Traminer, Zöldveltelini, Zenit, Királyleányka, while black varieties Kékfrankos, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zweigelt, Kadarka and Pinot Noir.
The basically loess soils yield white wines with soft acidity, which are only influenced by the cool climate of the Völgység areas. These are lively, vibrant, fruity wine, with high acidity and appealing freshness. Red wines are most typically smooth and medium-bodied. Both fruity Kékfrankos and red wines from fuller-bodied, more tannic varieties are produced. With due care in the vineyard and winery, varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon can yield ageworthy wines in the same league as those from Szekszárd and Villány. Given the extremely warm summers of the last decade, its cool climate represents a major advantage for the wine district.