Kövidinka 2021 – Sziegl Winery

The Hajós-Baja wine region is located in southern Hungary, across the Danube from the much better-known Szekszárd and Villány regions. Hajós-Baja does not enjoy the same fame as its neighbors across the river! But the region does have one of Hungary’s most beautiful and unknown wine villages—the Hajósi Pincefalu. The rows of hundreds of small, well-kept wine cellars offer an incredible view and represent the strong wine culture of the region. There are annual wine festivals and events held here for visitors.

Technically Hajós-Baja is not part of the big Kunság (Great Plain) wine region, but it is often considered as such since it is surrounded by it. The infamy of Kunság’s reputation as a bulk-wine producer is often also passed along to the Hajós-Baja region. Unfortunately, most of the wine produced in this area is made in the famed bulk-style, with low-quality grapes such as Bianca, Aletta, and Kunleány. The reason for the popularity of these otherwise obscure varieties is the region’s sandy soil, which creates a harsh growing environment for most grapes, with the exceptions of these unknown varieties.

Since the Hajós-Baja region is considered to be one of the hottest regions of the country, it is surprising that the majority of its 1,600 hectares of vineyard land is planted with white grapes. One thousand hectares are planted with white grapes, including 400 hectares of the floral and charming Cserszegi fűszeres (the most planted grape of the region). The red Kékfrankos, with 330 hectares, is the second most planted in the region. The region only has 38 hectares of Kadarka, but they are high-quality old-vines, which are one of the features the region is best known for.

Producers like Sziegl have brought back a reputation for quality wines to the area. The Sziegl Winery is also considered among the pioneers of Hungary’s natural wine movement, producing wines with very low (if any) sulphites and chemicals. From Hajós-Baja you can expect fruit-forwards wines with ripe fruit profiles, moderated acidity, and elevated alcohol.