A Geo Terroir research group was established at the University of Szeged

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According to the announcement, this is the first research group in Hungary to start its work, which, by carrying out a complex study of a specific region and area, helps economic actors – primarily winemakers – so that they can produce and position their products on the world market on a scientific basis.

Terroir includes all the factors that together determine the uniqueness of a wine from a wine region or a smaller area within it

These factors range from geological features, through climate and viticulture practices to the “art” of the winemaker and the consuming public. The science of describing the physical environment, site-specific relationships between grapes and wine developed later than the social and historical recognition of regions and vineyards. Terroir is extremely important in viticulture, as it relates the sensory properties of the wine to the environmental conditions in which the grapes are grown. The quality hierarchy and the wine style can be explained to a significant extent by the terroir. However, the concept of terroir can be extended beyond agricultural products to other foods as well.

Terroir emphasizes the particularities of the given area and the influence of the growing conditions there on the quality of the food

In addition to SZTE’s geologists, geochemists, and soil science specialists, biologists, chemists, ethnographers, and experts from the field of social sciences also participate in the joint work, and external specialists, such as viticulturists and winemakers, are also involved during a specific research. The goal is to help economic actors with complex information that can make Hungarian agriculture, the food industry, tourism more successful and also strengthen the country’s image worldwide. Elemér Pál-Molnár, the head of the group, told MTI that their activity is a healthy mix of basic and applied research. As their first project, the terroir-geological processing of one of the oldest wine regions in the Carpathian Basin, the Ménes-Magyarád wine region, is nearing completion. The results will not only be used in the field of winemaking, they will also be used in tourism in connection with the presentation of geoheritage. He added that their next big project is related to the volcanic terroir of the Somló wine region. The work of the research group is also supported by grant and partnership funds, such projects take advantage of both natural and agricultural science grant opportunities, the specialist said.

MTI