Hungarian wine history

As in the surrounding countries, the Romans introduced viticulture to present-day Hungary. However, the Hungarian tribes that arrived in the area from Central Asia in the fifth century already had experience in making wine. They would have been pleasantly surprised to find abundant vineyards in their new country, and perhaps that was one of the reasons for settling here.

It is no coincidence that Hungarian, along with Greek, is the only European language in which the word for wine is not derived from Latin. Wine was introduced to the rest of Europe by the Romans. The Hungarian word ‘bor’ for wine is probably derived from Turkish. It is likely that the Hungarians learned how to make wine from Turkish winegrowers in the south of the Caucasus before they migrated to Europe.

Ottoman invasion

Wine was already being made on a large scale in present-day Hungary in the Middle Ages. Crusaders are said to have received large quantities of wine here during their passage in the twelfth century. Many vineyards were destroyed during the Tartar invasion in the thirteenth century. In the fourteenth century, Hungarian wine growing flourished again. Wine barrels were exported as far as Germany and Poland.

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Hungary was occupied by the Turks. They drove Serbs fleeing north ahead of them. These Serbs introduced the Kadarka grape to Hungary; to this day one of the most important ingredients of the famous Hungarian Bull's Blood.

During the Turkish occupation, several important developments took place. Although the Turks themselves did not drink wine, they did realise that wine was an important source of income for the region. They therefore allowed wine growing to continue undisturbed. Especially wine from Tokaj and Eger was very successful internationally during this period. Tokaj was even the most exclusive and expensive wine in the world.

Wine of Kings, King of Wines!

It was during the Ottoman occupation that the French king Louis XIV christened his favourite sweet Tokaji wine "Vinum Regum, Rex Vinorum": 'Wine of Kings, King of Wines”. The Hungarian Tokaj was a welcome guest at the tables of European royal houses.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, wine production in Hungary reached unprecedented levels. Viticulture was a lubricant in the Austro-Hungarian partnership. In 1730, Tokaj was the first wine region in the world to receive an official classification. At the end of the nineteenth century, many of the original vines were lost to disease. They were replaced by other, more resistant varieties such as Kékfrankos and Hárslevelű.

On the road back

In two world wars in the twentieth century, Hungary lost two-thirds of its territory. As a result, several originally Hungarian vineyards are now located in Slovakia and Romania. Under communism, quantity became more important than quality. After 1989, many vineyards were returned to their original owners. Much has been invested. Production methods have been modernized. Hungary is back on the international wine map.