Perhaps if the poet Kölcsey were alive today, he would also consider including a red wine in the words of the Hungarian National Anthem. And if that were the case, it would probably be one from Villány. Rich, full-bodied, tannic red wines combined with the delicacies of everyday life. Who wouldn't enjoy sipping a glass of Portugieser or RedY in the evening? And if you have enough time to appreciate them, how about an elegant Cabernet or Merlot at the weekend or on a holiday? However, make sure you bear in mind that great Villány wines need time, both in the cellar and in the glass.
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
It is located in the south of Hungary, along its southern border, on the south-eastern slopes of the Mecsek Hills and the southern and eastern slopes of the Villány Hills. The total area suitable for viticulture is 4,522 hectares. Currently, there are 1,884 hectares planted.
SOIL
The Villány Hills consist of five huge plates thrust up on top of one another. Their core is mainly made up of carbonate rocks deposited in the seas of the Mesozoic, including compact, hard Middle Triassic dolomite and limestone. The Tenkes Hill in Siklós, which is somewhat separated from the main mass of the Hills, as well as the Csarnóta and Szava Hills also consist of thin and thick beds of Triassic limestone and dolomite. After a long interval, these were overlain by Younger, Middle and Upper Jurassic limestone, including the 150-million-year-old Szársomlyó Limestone, which created the hill of the same name. The sequence is closed by Nagyharsány Limestone, which is about 120 million years old. It only crops up in a few places and can be seen in Szársomlyó. There are no vines directly on the old limestone and dolomite. The vineyards are all located where there is also a few-metres-thick surface layer of loam, loam-loess or brown forest soil. In places where the loess topsoil thins out, the vine's roots can penetrate deep into the calcium-rich subsoil mixed with carbonate rock debris. The thin loess soil cover directly above the limestone outcrops is mixed with dolomite and limestone debris. This yields wines with greater acidity, while pure loess soil produces softer wines. In addition to loess-loam soils, red clay can be found at the bottom of the slopes, while brown forest soil occurs on higher slopes, along with rarer rendzina soil.
CLIMATE
It is characterised by sub-Mediterranean microclimate and is the earliest region in Hungary to warm up in the spring.
GRAPE VARIETIES AND TYPICAL WINE STYLES
Olaszrizling, Chardonnay, Riesling (Rajnai Rizling), Hárslevelű, Müller-Thurgau (Rizlingszilváni in Hungarian) and Traminer are the most typical white varieties. Cabernet Sauvignon, Portugieser, Kékfrankos, Zweigelt, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and small quantities of Syrah are the main black grapes.
The proportion of white and red wine varieties are almost the same in the region; however, it differs between the subdistricts, with white varieties dominating in Siklós and black in Villány. However, most believe red wine to be king. The red wines of Villány were popularised by the softness of Portugieser, which produces pleasantly fruity, approachable, easy-drinking wines, that are generally drunk in the year following the harvest. There is also now another good everyday drinking wine, a Portugieser-based blend called RedY. It is a light, fresh, fruity wine that has not necessarily been oak-aged.
Wines from varieties that are generally harvested with much higher acidity and tannins, often from low-yielding vines, thus with greater concentration, need long ageing in oak. They often only start to show their true potential after two or three years. Wines based on Cabernet Sauvignon are generally aged for longer than average in barrique and repay the consumer's patience. These are full-bodied wines, and good vintages can be enjoyed for up to 15 to 20 years.
The wine district's flagship variety is Cabernet Franc. Besides Villány, monovarietal wines from the variety are generally only produced in its region of origin, the Loire Valley. It may only bear the trademark of Villányi Franc, the wine district's flagship wine, after sensory evaluation by a panel of producers. The classic Bordeaux varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, as well as blends thereof, can yield high-quality, ageworthy wines. Many producers have also planted Syrah in recent years, which produce wines with the variety's beautiful characteristic acidity, plenty of tannin and great fruit concentration.
White wines from Siklós are relatively low in acidity, but rich in alcohol and dry extract. They are not renowned for their freshness, rather than for their full-body and depth of flavour.