Hungary

Definition - What does Hungary mean?

Hungary is an Eastern European country bordered by Slovakia to the North, Austria and Croatia to the west and southwest respectively, and Romani to the southeast.

Hungary has been a wine-producing region for centuries dating back to the Roman period, and it was the first country to classify vineyards. Hungary boasts 22 different wine regions that make it a perfect growing region for varietals favoring dry and hot climates. The term for wine in Hungarian is "bor"; it is among two European wine regions with a term for wine that does not originate from latin, indicating that wine production has been taking place in the region for over 1000 years.

WineFrog explains Hungary

Of the large variety of bor produced in the region, their most prized wine is the Tokaji, botrytized dessert wine, which was famously dubbed "Wine of Kings" or "King of Wines" by King Louis XV of France. However, today, the region is most known for flying winemakers and low-priced wines.

Hungary is one of the few countries in the world where vineyard plantation is suitable in all parts of the country. They have made full use of this potential by producing different wines. There is a great demand for wine locally, which has contributed towards the production in the country.

Because of the varied soil types – from volcanic to terra rossa soils- and production styles, wine tastes different throughout the country, taking on characteristics from its specific terroir. Hungary has summers with low humidity and mildly cold snowy winters which adds to variation in wine production and longer growing seasons. Of the vast selection of wine available in the country, almost 75% of the production line consists of white wine.