The country of Hungary may not play a major role in the wine industry but it does have a part in it. Hungary is located in Carpathian Basin in central Europe and boarders Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Austria. It covers about 35,919 square miles, which is about the same size as Indiana. There are seven main wine regions and each have their own sub regions totaling twenty two total wine regions located in Hungary. The seven main regions are Balaton, Duna, Eger, Eszak-Dunantul, Pannon, Sopron, and Tokaj. Balatons sub regions include Badacsony, Balatonboglar, Balaton-felvidek, Baltonfured-Csopak, Nagy-Somlo, and Zala. Duna’s includes Csongrad, Hajos-Baja, and Kunsag. Eger’s includes Bukk, Eger, and Matra. Eszaks-Dunantul includes Neszmely, Etyek-Buda, Mor, and Pannonhalma. Pannon includes Pecs, Szekszard, Tolna, and Villany. Then both the main regions of Sopron and Tokaj don’t have sub regions. These regions produce many wines but Hungary is known for two main wines Tokay and Egri Bikaver. Tokay is Hungary’s leading wine, made from the grape variety furmint, and considered one of the greatest desert wines of the world. Egri Bikaver, also known as bull’s blood, is made from the grape kekfrankos and is Hungarys most well known red wine.
Wine came to Hungary, or Pannonia, which is what it was called at the time, when the Romans introduced vines. St. Stephen, who was responsible for the spread of Christianity, founded Hungary in 1000AD. The monasteries spread the wine culture and a wine industry was formed. In 1526 the Turks invaded eastern and central Hungary, so many people to head west causing an economic collapse and a decline in the wine industry. Many abandoned their harvest fearing an attack from the Turks and in 1630 they discovered the first noble rot in Tokaj. In 1686 Buda was liberated and this marked the end of Turkish rule and the start of the Habsburg Empire, which provided an ideal market for Hungarian wines. Feudal estates were re-formed and new inhabitants like the Serbs, Swabs, and the Romanians came and repopulated the wine growing regions, causing a boom in the Hungarian wine industry. Around 1700 Tokaj came up with the first ever vineyard classification system. In 1848 to1849