Egerszóláti Olaszrizling is one of the traditional white wines of the Eger Wine Region

Eger wines

Eger is a Hungarian wine region in North-Eastern Hungary. It is famous for its red blend, Egri Bikavér and for some whites like Egri Leányka, Debrői Hárslevelű or Egerszóláti Olaszrizling. Its center is the town of Eger....

. It is made of the wine of the variety called Olaszrizling (outside Hungary more commonly known under its German-language name Welschriesling

Welschriesling

Welschriesling is an ancient variety of white wine grape, unrelated to the Rhine Riesling, that is grown throughout Central Europe. The origin of Welschriesling is uncertain. The German name "Welschriesling" literally means 'Romanic Riesling', and most of the synonyms in Central Europe are...

) and has on origin of the village Egerszólát

Egerszólát

Egerszólát is a small village in Heves county, in the north-eastern part of Hungary, west of Eger. It is located in Eger Wine Region and is famous in Hungary for its white wine called 'Egerszóláti Olaszrizling'.-External links:*http://www.egerszolat.hu...

. It is the best, when it is fermented and aged in barrel. Good or known vineyard locations are: Tóbérc, Tagi and Pipis.

Climate

The climate of Egerszólát is similar to that of the other parts of Eger: the annual mean temperature is 10,1 °C. Eger is among the coolest wine region of Hungary. The annual amount of rainfall is 595 mm (average of the last 40 years), while the Sun shines 2100-2200 hours a year.

History

Egerszóláti Olaszrizling used to be one of the well-known Eger white wines in the Hungarian market before the communist regime. After 1945 it became a victim of the socialist farming focusing on quantity instead of quality. Attempts to re-discover this wine were made by some Eger wine-makers in the late 1990s. It is planned to award Egerszóláti Olaszrizling the DHC-status (DHC is the Hungarian AOC-system, under construction).

Regulations

Nowadays Egerszóláti Olaszrizling is a quality white wine. The maximal yield can reach 95 hl/ha, though most producers follow stricter practice: their vineyards yield 15-50 hl/ha. The wine is to get the DHC status within a few years (when the Eger DHC-system will be set).

Wines

Egerszóláti Olaszrizling is a full-bodied white wine with nice acids. It is the best when fermented and aged in oak for a few months. Bottle ageing pays off well. It is the best 2-3 years after harvest.