Author: dr. Gabriella Mészáros, Dániel Ercsey Photo: Árpád Pintér
Although the beginnings of viticulture in the region only date back to Roman times, it survived the storms of migration, as also evidenced by a document from the Carolingian era. According to this, in 890, the Frankish King Arnulf confirmed Wittmar, the Bishop of Salzburg, in his possession of the Pécs vineyards.
In 1015, King St Stephen donated 110 vinedressers and 6 coopers to the Pécsvárad Abbey. During the Middle Ages, Pécs’s most famous vineyards were Tettye, Donatus, Deindol and Makár, as well as Mons Aureus (today’s Aranyhegy), which was named after the Romans.
In 1694, Baranya County received its own coat-of-arms, whose grape motif probably depicts “heveng”. This local delicacy was made by hanging up ripe clusters of grapes on sloe branches in the autumn, to allow them to shrivel in the sun, so that they could be stored for longer.
It was probably at about this time that the Provost of Pécs decided to try and make an Aszú in the Mecsekalja to emulate Tokaj’s. He acquired cuttings and even soil from Tokaj, without realising that the climate was not suitable for botrytis to develop. This is probably how Furmint arrived in the wine district. In the 18th century, this variety was mainly planted in Szentmiklós. Furmint was grown in the area even until the second half of the 20th century and was harvested at high sugar levels, with resulting alcohol of around 13.5%.
The years 1830-1835 brought about a revolutionary change, with stakes appearing in the vineyards, where before vines had previously been trained without any support. Both the foreign and the increasingly sophisticated domestic market was demanding ever larger and higher-quality production. Hence the Provost of Pécs imported the Austrian variety Zierfandler for his own use. This has since become a specialist of Pécs with the Hungarian name of Cirfandli.
At the end of the 19th century, phylloxera destroyed 80% of the vines. Despite replanting, the wine district was never able to regain its former status, especially with regard to bottled wine, and is almost unknown to wine drinkers today.
In the past, it formed one wine region together with the Villány wine district. It was established as an independent wine region in the second half of the 20th century. The area of the wine district was expanded by several villages in 1997.
Kadarka was previously the most commonly planted variety, but by the 20th century, Pécs had already become a white wine region. Cirfandli is a characteristic grape variety that is found hardly anywhere else in the country.
The Pécs wine district is located on the southern slopes of the Baranya Hills, the Mecsek and the Mórágy Hill. It basically consists of two parallel west-east-oriented zones, the northern one stretching from Szigetvár to Mecsek, the southern stretching from the village of Keszü right to the Danube and the town of Mohács.
The total production area of the Pécs wine district is 6,998 hectares, of which 6,416 hectares is 1st class. It is astonishing that only 700 hectares of this highly suitable area is currently under vine. The total currently active area is about 640 hectares, with white varieties dominating on over 480 hectares, with black grapes cultivated on about 158 hectares. It includes the following towns and villages: Babarc, Bár, Boda, Bóly, Cserkút, Dunaszekcső, Hásságy, Helesfa, Hosszúhetény, Ivánbattyán, Keszü, Kisjakabfalva, Kiskassa, Kispeterd, Kővágószőlős, Kővágótöttös, Lánycsók, Magyarszék, Máriakéménd, Mecseknádasd, Mohács, Monyoród, Mozsgó, Nagypeterd, Nagynyárád, Nyugotszenterzsébet, Olasz, Pécs, Pécsvárad, Somberek, Szajk, Szederkény, Szemely, Szigetvár, Versend.
The wine district is characterised by red sandstone and dolomite limestone, which is overlain by loose sand, clay and limestone. The slopes of the Baranya Hills consist of loose sand and loess.
The Pécs wine district is the warmest wine district in Hungary with a sub-Mediterranean climate and the longest growing season. Its climate is only comparable to that of the Villány Hills. Hot, sunny summers are usually followed by mild winters with rare frosts. The southern slopes are protected from the north winds by the Mecsek Range. The most sheltered places have microclimates where fig trees live and even bear fruit! It is a dry region with little water and precipitation.
Recommended varieties are Chardonnay, Irsai Olivér, Cirfandli, Olaszrizling, Zöldveltelini and Sárgamuskotály, while the black varieties include Kékfrankos, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
The region’s warm climate and low rainfall results in full-bodied wines, often high in sugar and alcohol. The relatively high sugar content is complemented by soft acidity, thus ensuring that wines are well-balanced. The wines often boast rich spiciness; however, as the wines often lack acidity, wines from the Mecsekalja age relatively quickly.
Nowadays, few people cultivate Cirfandli. The variety comes from Austria and is a multi-layered wine with characteristic aromas of wildflowers and spice. It is often produced in styles with high sugar content. However, it is considered to be a difficult variety to cultivate under current conditions and few want to work with it. Many people still remember these lush, spicy wines; however, there are very few vineyards left producing them.
Memorable wines from Pécs for the last decade and a half have been made almost exclusively from black grapes, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir and Kékfrankos standing out the most. The area around Mohács was also more sought after for its reds, although it is still dominated by Olaszrizling in terms of quantity. Their ripeness is balanced by their crisp acidity.
