The Tolna wine district is truly an independent wine district; it was not detached simply due to the county (also called Tolna). It consists of cooler areas to the west of the Danube. The area yields wonderful white wines, unlike its motherland, the Szekszárd wine district. Its typically loess areas are real gems of the Pannon region. They don’t make lots of fuss, they are simply beautiful...

History

When hearing the name of the Tolna wine district, many people don’t really know exactly what it is. That’s because Tolna is one of Hungary’s youngest wine districts. It was only designated in 1998 and mainly consists of the former Völgységi district of the Szekszárd wine district, supplemented by a few other good wine-growing areas. On the other hand, it is one of Hungary’s oldest wine districts as it has a 2,000-year-old history as part of Szekszárd. (Please have a look at Szekszárd wine district’s page for a more detailed information on its historical background.)

Geographical location

Administratively, it is located in Tolna County, while geographically in the Tolna Hills and in the south-eastern part of the Mezőföld, in three separate subdistricts. The wine district includes the 1st and 2nd class vineyards, as per the vineyard cadastre, of the following towns and villages a) Tolna subdistrict: Bölcske, Dunaföldvár, Dunaszentgyörgy, Györköny, Kölesd, Madocsa, Paks, Tengelic and Tolna; b) Völgység subdistrict: Aparhant, Bonyhád, Bonyhádvarasd, Duzs, Györe, Izmény, Lengyel, Mórágy, Mőcsény, Mucsfa and Mucsi ; c) Tamási subdistrict: Felsőnyék, Hőgyész, Iregszemcse, Magyarkeszi, Nagyszokoly, Ozora, Pincehely, Simontornya and Tamási.

Its total production area is 11,324 hectares, of which 7,362 are 1st class. The area currently under vine is 2,117 hectares, showing that its cultivation potential is far from being exploited.

Soil

The soils of the wine district are quite uniform. Loess-loam or brown forest soil and sandy clastic loam soil around Tengelic and Tolna formed over the loess during the Holocene.

Climate

The area boasts a temperate continental climate. Compared to the Szekszárd wine district, the Völgység and North Tolna, which lie slightly further west, are a little cooler, with an average temperature of 16°C during the growing season, and slightly wetter, with average annual precipitation of 700 mm. However, the southern part of the Mezőföld is slightly warmer, with an average temperature of 17°C during the growing season, and drier, with 500-600 mm annual precipitation; it has a continental climate, reminiscent of the Great Plain. Its boasts more favourable precipitation conditions than the Szekszárd wine district, which tends to suffer from drought.

Grape varieties and typical wine styles

Recommended white varieties are Chardonnay, Pinot Gris (Szürkebarát), Olaszrizling, Pinot Blanc, Riesling (Rajnai Rizling), Müller-Thurgau (Rizlingszilváni in Hungarian), Sauvignon Blanc, Traminer, Zöldveltelini, Zenit, Királyleányka, while black varieties Kékfrankos, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zweigelt, Kadarka and Pinot Noir.

The basically loess soils yield white wines with soft acidity, which are only influenced by the cool climate of the Völgység areas. These are lively, vibrant, fruity wine, with high acidity and appealing freshness. Red wines are most typically smooth and medium-bodied. Both fruity Kékfrankos and red wines from fuller-bodied, more tannic varieties are produced. With due care in the vineyard and winery, varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon can yield ageworthy wines in the same league as those from Szekszárd and Villány. Given the extremely warm summers of the last decade, its cool climate represents a major advantage for the wine district.