Harvest has begun in South Balaton

(Photo: Pixabay)

György Takács reported that the light, fruity semi-dry wine made from the hybrid grape variety harvested in the settlement belonging to the Balatonboglár wine region is expected to hit the stores in early September. He noted that Csabagyöngye is a so-called zero-maturation wine, meaning it is bottled as soon as possible to preserve its freshness. Ordacsehi and its surroundings are the largest growing area of Csabagyöngye, from where Varga Pincészet is purchasing about 30 thousand kilograms of Csabagyöngye this year, from which it makes 30 thousand bottles of wine in its Badacsonyörs headquarters – noted the cellar manager of Balaton Agrár Zrt. on his 4-hectare Csabagyöngye plantation. Speaking about the date of this year’s Csabagyöngye harvest, György Takács noted that it is the third earliest in the company’s history, and the quantity and quality of the harvest are good. Regarding the other varieties, the expert said that “the vegetation period started very well this year”, they were completely satisfied with the development of the grapes, but the rainfall proved to be low, especially in June, which is noticeable on the plantations, especially on the late-ripening varieties. However, in the past week, a relatively larger amount of rainfall fell at Lake Balaton, which was favorable for the grapes, and in addition, low-temperature nights are beneficial for aromas, so he expects this year’s vintage to be better than last year, richer in aromas – he said.

József Tavaszi, Balaton Agrár Zrt. The president and director of the company said that the grape sector accounts for 10-12 percent of the company’s sales revenue

Their own vineyard is 150 hectares, they also provide services on an integrated area of 80 hectares, and they buy grapes from a similar area. Last year, they processed 2,000 tons of grapes in their winery, so in addition to grapes as fruit, they also sell must and wine.

Varga Pincészet Kft. informed MTI that the winery employs 159 people, farms 146 hectares, of which 106 are located around Lake Balaton and 40 are located in the Eger region

The company deals with 40 grape varieties, and depending on the vintage, they process 150-200 thousand tons of grapes annually at their two sites, and they distribute about 13 million bottles of wine in 0.75 liter bottles, 95 percent of which are sold domestically, and their largest export market is Slovakia. The company achieved sales of 7.2 billion forints and a profit of 186 million forints in 2023, and a profit of 185 million forints after sales of 7.1 billion forints in 2024, and this year’s plan is sales of 6.5 billion forints and a profit of 150 million forints. They announced their development plans that they would purchase a bale breaker for the bottling plant, as well as baling machines and winemaking machines, and they also plan to build a warehouse and a solar park. They have applied for funds, and the assessment is in progress. In connection with wine consumption habits, Varga Winery informed that red wine is out of fashion, rosé consumption is also showing a significant downward trend, but fresh, fruity reductive wines are becoming increasingly popular.

MTI