The Villányi Terroir

"In order to express its terroir, wine requires considerably less than most winemakers believe they can afford." Horst Hummel

Villány has a unique terroir, comparable to no other European or non European wine region.

Villány is located on the border between Mediterranean and continental climate (sub-Mediterranean climate). The winters can be very cold and precipitous, but depending on the climatic course of the very year they are strongly moderated by the variying Mediterranean influence. The summers are predominantly hot and dry and, for their part, mitigated by the year-to-year varying Mediterranean climate. Already in August, the tropical nights in June and July often drop below 20° C. One can say that in Villány the dry (extreme) continental heat and cold and the moist (mild) balanced Mediterranean coolness and warmth meet and influence each other. Depending on the climatic course of the very year, the climatic extremes are differently pronounced. This particular feature explains the different characteristics of the Villányi vintages. The Villány Terroir is characterized by its double protection against cold winds from the north, which is given by the Mecsek mountains and the Tenkes mountain range (Villányi Hegység). The Villány vineyards benefit from this privileged situation. It allows the full ripening of late-ripening varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and offers early-ripening varieties such as Blue Portuguese the opportunity to fully develop their potential.

The Villány soil, the terroir in the closer sense, is calcareous, mineral loess with a unique high magnesium content, which is responsible for a fine, animating bitterness in the Villány terroir wines. The soil is "cold" and has a high water keeping capacity. That is to say, the soil absorbs heat, but, in contrast to stony soils, gravel or slate, reflects little of it. The Vilányi soil is responsible for the high minerality, the fine structure and the strong body of Villányi terroir wines.

Crucial for the Villányi Terroir are on the one hand the extremes of the continental climate and on the other hand their play with the mitigating Mediterranean influence. Hot summers meet cold winters, hot summer days meet cool August nights, hot sun meets cool ground, and this clash of extremes is continuasly alleviated by the influence of the Mediterranean climate. The interplay of these characteristics with the Villányi grape varieties is the Villányi Terroir. In the Villányi wine, they become a lively, tensious, harmonious unity. The heat of the summer is reflected in the ripe fruit, the coolness of the soil and the August nights get expressed in the clear fruit aromas, the lime in the living acid, the minerality of the soils in the clear structure and animating bitterness of the wines and the nutritious loess in a well-shaped body. Depending on which climat situation gets expressed in the very year, the individual aspects of the very climate situation get differently expressed in the Villányi grape varieties, which gives the Villány vintages an extraordinary diversity. The play of the unique Villányi climate with the Villányi soil and the Villányi grape varieties - the Villányi Terroir - gives the Villányi wines their independent character, its extraordinary complexity and its outstanding quality.

The Villányi Terroir

"In order to express its terroir, wine requires considerably less than most winemakers believe they can afford." Horst Hummel

Villány has a unique terroir, comparable to no other European or non European wine region.

Villány is located on the border between Mediterranean and continental climate (sub-Mediterranean climate). The winters can be very cold and precipitous, but depending on the climatic course of the very year they are strongly moderated by the variying Mediterranean influence. The summers are predominantly hot and dry and, for their part, mitigated by the year-to-year varying Mediterranean climate. Already in August, the tropical nights in June and July often drop below 20° C. One can say that in Villány the dry (extreme) continental heat and cold and the moist (mild) balanced Mediterranean coolness and warmth meet and influence each other. Depending on the climatic course of the very year, the climatic extremes are differently pronounced. This particular feature explains the different characteristics of the Villányi vintages. The Villány Terroir is characterized by its double protection against cold winds from the north, which is given by the Mecsek mountains and the Tenkes mountain range (Villányi Hegység). The Villány vineyards benefit from this privileged situation. It allows the full ripening of late-ripening varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and offers early-ripening varieties such as Blue Portuguese the opportunity to fully develop their potential.

The Villány soil, the terroir in the closer sense, is calcareous, mineral loess with a unique high magnesium content, which is responsible for a fine, animating bitterness in the Villány terroir wines. The soil is "cold" and has a high water keeping capacity. That is to say, the soil absorbs heat, but, in contrast to stony soils, gravel or slate, reflects little of it. The Vilányi soil is responsible for the high minerality, the fine structure and the strong body of Villányi terroir wines.

Crucial for the Villányi Terroir are on the one hand the extremes of the continental climate and on the other hand their play with the mitigating Mediterranean influence. Hot summers meet cold winters, hot summer days meet cool August nights, hot sun meets cool ground, and this clash of extremes is continuasly alleviated by the influence of the Mediterranean climate. The interplay of these characteristics with the Villányi grape varieties is the Villányi Terroir. In the Villányi wine, they become a lively, tensious, harmonious unity. The heat of the summer is reflected in the ripe fruit, the coolness of the soil and the August nights get expressed in the clear fruit aromas, the lime in the living acid, the minerality of the soils in the clear structure and animating bitterness of the wines and the nutritious loess in a well-shaped body. Depending on which climat situation gets expressed in the very year, the individual aspects of the very climate situation get differently expressed in the Villányi grape varieties, which gives the Villány vintages an extraordinary diversity. The play of the unique Villányi climate with the Villányi soil and the Villányi grape varieties - the Villányi Terroir - gives the Villányi wines their independent character, its extraordinary complexity and its outstanding quality.