Badacsony Wine Region
Enjoying a glass of wine in the vineyards.
Lake Balaton’s shore boasts some beautiful beaches, outstanding tourist attractions, and great landscapes. The creepy stories — such as the cemetery where all the tombstones are heart-shaped or the story of the man who built an entire villa for his beloved deceased fiance — also have their rightful place here. Doiniţa has written before about the Siofok Water Tower, which was converted in a coffee shop and belvedere tower, and about the vibrant Badacsonytomaj beach. Today I’ll tell you about the famous Badacsony wine region, which is often considered the most iconic symbol of Lake Balaton.
Badacsony’s vineyards are located on the northern shores of the lake, around Mount Badacsony, having an area of approximately 1790 hectares. Grapes have been cultivated here since the Roman Empire. In the Middle Ages the plantations were mainly owned by the Church. Nowadays, traditional oak barrel based wine production is the main activity for the people who live in the area. This is pretty amazing, as many small families have opened tiny independent wineries in the vineyards where you can stop to taste and buy from their supply.
Due to the nearby volcanic mountains and Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean lake effects, white grapes dominate, and wines produced here are full-bodied with high acidity. The most prevalent grape of the area is Pinot Gris, called Szürkebarát by the locals, and meaning “grey monk”. But Badacsony is also home to a primeval variety called Kéknyelű.
When we visited the Badacsony wine region, we got lost in the narrow streets spread between the vineyards. It was a beautiful sunny morning and Lake Balaton was shining from afar, so we chose to stop at a wine cellar located on the highest hill. From up there we could admire the beauty of the scenery while enjoying a glass of Kéknyelű. After tasting some other local and international varieties, we decided that this was our favorite and bought some bottles for home.
This white grape — which had emerged as the most expensive of the region during 18th century and has been the dominant variety here for hundreds of years — has a strong, fragrant touch, highlighting the minerality of the volcanic soil of the area. Unfortunately, in the 1980’s the Kéknyelű plantations were seriously damaged by frost and the varietal’s importance decreased. Thanks to a rise of popularity in the last years, the grape is now expected to become a characteristic variety of the Badacsony region in the near future.
Wine tourism in the Badacsony region is fun any time of the year. But if you have the opportunity to the visit area during summer (July), don’t miss out the Badacsony Wine Weeks. And keep in mind that the most acclaimed wineries of the region are Szeremley and Németh.
Photo credit: Doiniţa Spuză
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