Volcanic rocks in Tokaj.
In partnership with Wines of Hungary
Hungary may no longer have active volcanoes, but it does have a spectacular volcanic history, which continues to shape its wines to this day. The Pannonian Basin, nestled in the Carpathian Mountains, was an area of intense volcanic activity from shortly after the time of the dinosaurs to just a few million years ago – and you don’t need to travel far in Hungary to find volcanic terroir.
What is a volcanic wine?
Volcanic wine is defined as that made from grapes grown on soils derived from volcanic materials. Since volcanic rocks and ash are extremely varied and cover dozens of countries and regions, not to mention climates and grape varieties, volcanic wines are a large and diverse family.
The topography of many volcanic regions is a challenge for vinegrowers, but has produced many unexpected benefits. The difficult terrain – and the fact that phylloxera struggles to survive in sandy volcanic soils – means rare, local grape varieties have been preserved, not to mention traditional farming practices that would be more familiar to a Renaissance painter than to most modern winemakers.
Volcanic wines thus represent a collection of highly distinctive, individual expressions from around the world – stubborn holdouts in a time of merging flavours and creeping homogeneity. What’s more, Hungary has a particular abundance of native varieties with singular flavours.
Networks of
