Kunság wine region

Kunság wine region, home of sand wines

The name Kunság evokes the endless plain, the horizon shining in the distance and the shepherd leaning on his staff, but wines are also made in this region. With its 23300 hectares of vineyards, it is the largest domestic wine region, with a tradition of grape growing already in the Middle Ages. Since the grapes grow on sandy soil, the divine juice produced here is often called sand wine.

 

They make wines en masse

The Kunság wine region starts from the Serbian border in the south and stretches almost to Budapest in the north. Although the area has long been known for its large wineries that mass-produce wine, these days there are some interesting wineries to keep an eye on, such as Szentpéteri Pincészet. The region is best known for making light, aromatic and fruity wines that can be consumed immediately, meaning they are not aged.

Kunság wine region Source: Wikipedia
Kunság wine region Source: Wikipedia
Kunság wine region Source: hellovidek.hu
Kunság wine region Source: hellovidek.hu

Kunság is much more than a wilderness

The topography of the Kunság wine region is relatively flat and the climate is continental with hot, dry summers and cold, frosty winters. Daily temperature fluctuations are also high. The above-average number of hours of sunshine allows the grapes to ripen perfectly. The soil of Kunság consists predominantly of calcareous sand with loess-clay deposits, meadow soils and grasslands. The area is famous for Lake Vadkerti, the Kiskunság National Park, the Bugac Shepherd Museum and its harvest festivals. The grapes were planted in the Kunság wine region at that time mainly to bind quicksand, because the grapes, unlike other plants, can thrive in this type of soil. In addition, vineyards in the sand not only prevent the spread of quicksand, but the high quartz content of the soil also provides additional benefits: a dangerous pest, the vine (phylloxera) parasitizing the roots of the vines, cannot survive on it.  

Kunság wine region area (detail of map 17) Source: Wikidédia
Area of ​​the Kunság wine region (map detail 17) Source: Wikipedia

Nearly a hundred varieties of grapes are grown 

This wine region is the largest wine region of the Alföld, where fruity and spicy wines such as Cserszeg fűszeses and generosa are produced. In addition to light, white table and landscape wines, the winegrowers also produce good quality red wines, champagnes and wine spirits. There's plenty to choose from, as nearly a hundred varieties of grapes grow in this area. In addition to the already mentioned Cserszeg spicy and generosa, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, Ezerjó, Izsáki and Kadarka, Kékfrankos and Kövidinka, Rhine Riesling and Rieslingsylvania, Italian Riesling and Zweigelt can also be found here. The little-known aletta and bianca are also produced in the region. The local wines are rich in aroma and flavor, and would be made in the soft and acidic wine style.

Kunsági Wine Region Source: Budapest.com
Aerial photo of a typical settlement in the Kunság wine region (Ceglédbercel) Source: WikiPédia

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