WINE-COUNTRIES HUNGARY

1 - Eger
2 - Grande pianura
3 - Lago Balaton
4 - Pecs
5 - Sopron
6 - Tokaji Wineries

Vineyard area: 135 thousand hectares

Total production: 3.75 million hectolitres

Annual consumption
total: 3 million hectolitres
per capita: 30 litres

Exports: 800 thousand hectolitres

Imports: 100 thousand hectolitres

Principal grape varieties: furmint, hárslevelü, irsay oliver, kadarka, kefrankos, kiralyleanyka, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, merlot, gamay, pecs, pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, szurkebarat (pinot grigio), traminer.

Of all the countries of Eastern Europe, since the collapse of COMECON in the late 1980s, Hungary is the one which has made the greatest efforts in the past five years to accommodate the requirements of world markets. Bulgaria has not needed to, since her export position is already healthy. Rumania, crippled by decades of misrule, has not been able to. The Czech Republic and Slovakia lack the capacity. Russia, Georgia, Ukraine somehow lack the will. Hungary, however, with a long tradition of fine-wine production not so far behind her, has been tackling the massive problems of restructuring, refinancing, re-equipping and generally re-thinking the whole business of making and marketing wine. And already some very exciting developments are taking place on the Hungarian wine scene.

Just to give a sketch of progress to date, the structure of the wine industry between Jan 1st 1990 and March 1st 1994 has changed as follows: In 1990 there were a total of 57 firms, including seven state companies, 18 state farms, 20 old-style co-operatives, six state-owned foreign and domestic trade companies and six independent joint companies working in old structures. By 1994 the total had grown to a total of 77 companies, including 18 new enterprises, 20 new-style co-operatives, 33 shareholders' or limited liability companies, several of which remained wholly or partly state-owned, and six companies working in old structures.

The process is still far from complete but there is a lot of foreign interest and capital coming in, precisely because the Hungarian government has proved its willingness to encourage modernisation and to attract investment. The Hungarians in the industry have responded to the new challenges, in particular that of quality production at every level from supermarket-cheap to world-class. There are several examples of the former phenomenon, with outside winemakers like Hugh Ryman, Kim Milne and Nick Butler imposing new regimes to produce really characterful wines at everyday prices. At the other end there are serious investors like Antinori and Incisa della Rocchetta (with native Hungarian winemaker Tibor Gal) from Italy, Arcaute and Rolland from Bordeaux and the German company Schlumberger making wines of high individual quality in Tokay and elsewhere.

Statistical records seem to vary as to exactly how many hectares of vineyard Hungary possesses but the figure is certainly in excess of 110,000, while production in hectolitres swings between 3.75 million and 5 million per annum, the former figure pertaining to the short but qualitatively good 1993 vintage. There are 20 recognised wine producing regions, in all parts of the country except the east, and while they are all but unpronounceable to the non-Hungarian speaker they include as part of their titles such internationally known names as Tokaj, Eger, Villany, Sopron and Balaton.

Grape varieties are a fascinating mix of the autochthonous and the imported, of the red and the white. Among whites, Furmint, Kiralyleanyka, Harslevelu, Irsay Oliver and Olaszrizling are capable of good to fine wine, along with Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Traminer. Quality home-grown reds include Kekfrankos and Kadarka, while Cabernet, Merlot and Pinot Noir have all been produced at very respectable levels.
The prospects for the future must be good, provided the political scene remains friendly. A lot more capital input will be required, however, before the Hungarian wine industry rises to its full potential. And attitudes regarding price and wine-styles will take some shaking up, both at home and abroad, before the machine is running smoothly.