INTRODUCING THE SZEKSZÁRD APPELLATION
Szekszárd is situated about an hour’s drive north of Villány-Siklos. The best vineyards are on the slopes of the Szekszárd hill itself and the soil is mainly the relatively rare iron-rich “Terra Rossa” soil so renowned the world over for growing high quality grapes.
The microclimate in Szekszárd is less pronounced than Hungary’s southernmost winemaking region, Villány-Silklós. However, the Mediterranean influence remains strong, with an average of 2,000 hours of sunshine in each growing season.
The soil and climate in Szekszárd favour red varieties which account for around 80% of vines planted. Perhaps the most fascinating of these is Kadarka (also known as Gamza in Bulgaria).
It’s a spicy grape variety indigenous to this part of Europe and was first introduced by Serbian Settlers in the 16th century. This grape was largely responsible for the worldwide fame of Szekszárd wines in 19th-century Europe.
Great classical composers such as Franz Schubert and Ferenc Liszt enthusiastically
endorsed such wines – Franz Schubert's favourite wine was produced from Kadarka, and
led to his composition of the Trout Quintet.
