Wine has been produced around Lake Balaton in Hungary since the beginning of time. The lake brings cooling and reflects the sunshine onto the vineyards. The climate and the volcanic soil create a specific terroir. Winegrowers mainly produce white wines. There are five different wine districts around the lake: Badacsony, Balatonfelvidék, Balatonboglár, Balatonfüred-Csopak and Zala.
Badacsony is located on ancient volcanic soil on the western side of the lake. The soil contains clay, loess, sand and basalt. Most winemakers mature their white wines in oak barrels according to local traditions. This gives them a full and rich character. In recent decades, there has been a trend towards lighter, tighter wines with higher acidity, matured in steel tanks.
The main grapes grown in Badacsony are Szürkebarát (Pinot Gris), Olaszrizling, Muskat Ottonel and Kéknyelű. The latter has shaped Badacsony for centuries but is increasingly less planted. Olaszrizling is now the most important grape of the region. The Szürkebarát was brought to Lake Balaton by monks from France in the 14th century.
This wine region is located north of Lake Balaton. Here too, the soil is volcanic with lots of basalt, tuff, limestone and red earth. In the 18th century, the vineyards were owned by the famous noble family Estherházy, who made noble sweet wines there. Nowadays, dry white wines are made here. For example, Olaszrizling, Szürkebarát, Rizlingszilváni (Müller-thurgau) and Ezerfürtű.
On the south side of Lake Balaton, in a beautiful landscape, lie the extensive vineyards of Balatonboglár, named after the dreamy town on the shore of the lake. With 2,200 hectares, this is the largest wine region in the Balaton region. Almost 4,000 winemakers are active here. Most of them on a small scale.
The soil consists mainly of loess and the climate is suitable for making light, aromatic white wines from Chardonnay, Irsai Olivér, Királyleányka and Riesling. On a smaller scale, light red wines are made, mainly from Pinot Noir, Gamay and Merlot.
Balatonfüred-Csopak has a sub-Mediterranean climate thanks to the sunny hills on the north side of the lake. The vineyards turn red due to the iron-rich soil. When the sun is low in the evening, it still shines on the vineyards via the lake. This allows the grapes to develop a lot of flavor. The most important grapes are Riesling and Olaszrizling. On Tihany, a small peninsula in the lake, red wines are made from Zweigelt and Cabernet Franc.
This is the youngest wine region near Lake Balaton. The climate and volcanic soil composition are comparable to Balatonfelvidék. White wines are made in the hills of Zala, from Riesling and Olaszrizling. There are a large number of small vineyards with just as many winemakers. Because of this small scale, Zala will probably remain the least known wine district around Lake Balaton for years to come.
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