Author: dr. Gabriella Mészáros , Dániel Ercsey Photo: Árpád Pintér
Mór is almost as close to Budapest as Etyek, but somehow the wine district has never become as visited as the latter. It is not as if Etyek does not deserve this special attention of Budapest wine lovers; however, if you take a realistic look at Mór’s attributes, then it could also join the queue. The Mór region, as part of the Csókakő Castle estate, appears in charters dating back to the 12th century. There is a charter mentioning the vineyards and vineyard serfs of the village of Bodajk near Mór as early as 1138. Later, in 1231, a deed was written about the vineyards of Vajal (today one of the villages in the Mór district) and Csákberény. The first time the name of the village of Mór itself appeared was only in the 15th century. According to written documentation, viticulture in the region developed steadily until the 16th century, but the Turkish occupation then hindered this development. The tempests of the Turkish wars destroyed 28 of the 32 villages belonging to Csókakő. The devastation of the population also resulted in the vineyards growing wild.
Although a new generation of winemakers has managed to bring the younger age group closer to the area through its wines, they are still spoken of relatively little. Mór was once one of Hungary’s most outstanding wine regions, and its geographical location has not changed in the last hundred years.
The Mór wine district is located in the picturesque Mór Valley, which separates the Vértes and Bakony Ranges. Its 1st class vineyards stretch from Pusztavám through Mór to Csókakő and Csákberény.
The Mór wine district is located administratively in Fejér County. It includes the 1st and 2nd class vineyards, as per the vineyard cadastre, of Csákberény, Csókakő, Mór, Pusztavám, Söréd and Zámoly.
The current area of the Mór wine district is 554 hectares, although the potential vineyard area – not planted – far exceeds this.
The vineyard soils are mainly formed over loose Quaternary cover sediments, while slope debris and loam formed mainly over Oligocene sand. Luvisol brown forest soils over loess mixed with limestone debris alternate with brown soils as well as rendzina soils and red earth formed over dolomite and limestone on higher slopes.
Its climate is generally typical of the northern part of Transdanubia, thus moderately cool and relatively rainy. Nevertheless, favourable meso and microclimates on the southern and southwestern sides of the hills can create good growing conditions.
The Mór wine district is primarily a white-wine producing area. Ezerjó is by far the most widely planted variety, with 109 hectares cultivated. Besides Ezerjó, the most typical varieties are Chardonnay, Traminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris (Szürkebarát) and Müller-Thurgau (Rizlingszilváni in Hungarian). A small quantity of black grapes is grown, with Kékfrankos and Merlot occupying around 9 hectares and more limited plantings of other varieties.
Mór wines are usually characterised by freshness and floral aromatics. Calcareous minerality is common, which, together with relatively high acidity, sometimes results in somewhat sharp wines. Completely ripe grapes and strict yield limitation are all the more necessary here as the climate and soil combined result in high acidity. Oak ageing is beneficial to the wines, bringing out noble flavours and resulting in more characterful wines. Besides the region’s main variety, Ezerjó, enticing wines are also made from aromatic varieties and Olaszrizling. Riesling (Rajnai Rizling) and Zöldveltelini also thrive in the region. Cool climate black varieties destined for sparkling wine production are also likely to play a role in the future.
