The wines of Hegyem

Hegyem is a small organic wine estate in south-western Hungary with a striking Dutch background. Its owner and winemaker is Amsterdam-born Cisca Ansem, who has breathed new life into a neglected vineyard there since 2005. She makes certified organic red and white wines from grapes including Kékfrankos, Olaszrizling and Grüner Veltliner.

Check out our 2 wines made by Hegyem

The story began in 2004, when Cisca Ansem and her husband were visiting family in Hungary. Her sister-in-law already had a house in the area, and on a walk Cisca found herself in the little village of Gyümölcsény. There she discovered a farm with a few small, neglected vineyards on a hilltop above the village. She fell in love with the place at once.

In 2005 she bought the dilapidated farm and the vineyard. She started with about half a hectare, almost half of which was planted with red and white grapes. Because the vineyard was so neglected, a large part had to be replanted. Together with two villagers she restored the old vineyards step by step. Her staff do the work in the vineyard and the cellar, while Cisca, as winemaker, makes the key decisions. The 2011 vintage was the first to reach the market.

The name Hegyem means "my mountain" in Hungarian. Hegyem has about 1.2 hectares of its own vineyards, on the south-western slopes of the Zselic hills in the Hungarian wine region of Pécs. Hegyem makes handcrafted white, rosé, orange and red wines there, with the Hungarian grape Kékfrankos in the leading role. Syrah and Cabernet Franc are also planted in the vineyard; the latter is a classic in southern Hungary. Hegyem makes white wine from Zöld Veltelini (the Hungarian name for Grüner Veltliner), Muscat Blanc and Olaszrizling.

Hegyem has worked organically since 2015 and has been certified organic since 2020. Cisca opts for as little intervention as possible in the cellar. The wines are handcrafted, using modern knowledge and techniques. Sulphites are used to keep the wine stable, but no more than half to two thirds of what is permitted for organic wine. We currently have two wines from Hegyem in our range. You can view all our wines from Hegyem here.

If you want to know more about this winery, here you will find the link to the website of Hegyem.