30 March 2022 / Dániel Ercsey
It is a well-known agricultural fact that some areas are more favourable for corn, others for wheat. There is wet meadow where almost nothing grows and there is fertile black soil where almost everything grows. So, why should this be any different if we look at land suitable for viticulture? In the beginning, when man consciously bred and planted vines for winemaking, he probably tried planting vines in any area he thought suitable, where he was not growing cereals, since eating was always more important than drinking. This is how he noticed that in some places, the fruit ripened earlier, while in others, the crop always rotted. This is how the first vineyards may have developed.
Already in the Middle Ages, monks in Burgundy, who also cultivated vines and made wines from their fruit, observed differences in the wines. In other words, wines made from grapes from different areas could have very different characteristics. This was followed by the logical step of not simply distinguishing between the vineyards but also classifying them into quality categories. Thus, the world’s first classification of vineyards was born.
It is important to note that the classification of vineyards depends on many things. In Burgundy, they have worked with relatively few grape varieties for a long time, so they have not had to consider which vineyard would be suitable for which grape variety. In modern viticulture, grapes are grafted onto rootstocks, and among these rootstocks there also varieties that are resistant to lime and those that are, say, more tolerant of soils formed on volcanic rocks, so you need to know about the soil to make optimal decisions. In the case of vines, we can also talk about clones, for example, there are Cabernet Sauvignon clones that ripen in Bordeaux at the end of September and others that ripen at the end of October. Some are not affected by spring frosts, because budburst is later, and some are sure to produce a lot of sugar, meaning that the potential alcohol in the wine will be high. If the viticulturist knows the strengths of a particular parcel or vineyard, he also knows which grape variety, clone or rootstock to plant.
In Hungary, Tokaj Wine Region is most often mentioned in connection with vineyards. Certainly, a classification of the vineyards was already established there in the early 1700s, which has been a source of controversy to this day. The main reason for this is that no instructions for its use have survived. In Tokaj, a vineyard can be first class because it lies lower, is basin-shaped and therefore the grapes are highly likely to botrytise there each year; however, also because it’s high up, on rocky, stony ground, where the wind is always blowing, so there are almost never any aszú berries, but you can make perfect dry wines.
It’s no coincidence that when we talk about single vineyards in Hungary, Tokaj is one of the first places you think of.
There are also quite interesting stories behind the naming of vineyards! Vineyards are often named after an owner, sometimes after a family squabble or dispute, and it is no coincidence that there is a vineyard called Peres (disputed) in every wine region! It might also be that the vineyard got its name from its appearance, just think of the iconic vineyard of the Villány Wine District, Kopár, meaning barren or bare. In other cases, the name of the former owner has changed over the centuries into a different word, which, if research is to be believed, is how the name of one of the vineyards between Tolcsva and Erdőbénye changed from the original Arantxa to Narancsi. Arantxa may have been a noble of medieval Basque origin who had vineyards there, but after the family died out, the vernacular did not preserve the original form, but changed it to something that it thought made sense.
Ördögárok is just one of Villány’s notable vineyards
The point is that a single-vineyard wine, which means that the grapes for the wine were harvested exclusively from the named vineyard, is not a quality category at all. Rather, it means that the winemaker thinks the wine is different from other wines, and if you pay attention, you can see those differences!
