Olaszrizling – Kolonics Winery

Somló is one of Hungary’s emblematic historical wine regions. Its unique, mineral-rich terroir, indigenous varieties and numerous small producers make it one of Hungary’s most exciting white-wine regions. Its wines have long been renowned thanks to their allegedly beneficial properties. They were sold in pharmacies to treat a variety of ailments, and their supposed ability to help conceive a male child gave them the nickname of ‘wedding night wine’.

Situated in northwestern Hungary to the north of the western reaches of Lake Balaton, Somló is one of the country’s smallest wine regions. One of the hill’s secret weapons is the black basalt bedrock which retains the heat of the day and radiates it back like a stove, keeping the vines warm on chillier days. The volcanic buttes are covered by sediment from the former Pannonian Sea (which once covered the area). Sand, gravel, and clay are mixed with basalt, basalt tuff, and calcareous tuff from the bedrock, which has been degraded into debris.

Most vineyard holdings in Somló are tiny, and many are owned by hobby winemakers. But the number of serious winemakers has grown considerably in recent years, and we are beginning to once again see why Somló wines were so famous historically.

Somló’s 507 hectares are dominated by white varieties, most notably Olaszrizling, Furmint, Juhfark, and Hárslevelű. Traditionally terroir had greater significance than the grape varieties, and Somló’s terroir is incredibly strong. The main attributes of a Somló wine are its characteristic salty minerality, high (often piercingly) acidity, and great age-worthiness. They are generally rather austere in their youth and need a few years to open, developing into complex wines with smoky, stony flavors, and sometimes a petrol-like intensity similar to Riesling. The wines are generally aged in large, old oak and often spend time on their lees, lending them a generous, creamy, full body.