Picking of the typical blue grape varieties of the Villány wine region has begun

By: STA Date: 2022. 09. 01. 10:02

The harvest of typical blue grape varieties has begun and is expected to end in the second half of October in the Villány wine region, where the quantity of the harvest is expected to be average, but the quality will be excellent – the secretary of the mountain village council of the almost 2,400-hectare grape-growing area told MTI.

The harvest will last for about a month and a half (Photo: Pixabay)

Gergely Nagy said that the picking of the white grape varieties produced in a small part of the area has already been completed almost everywhere, and for a few days the harvesting of the blue grape varieties for rosé and siller and the kéo port, which produces Portuguese red wine, known as a specialty of the wine region, has also been taking place. He said: the wineries adapt the time of picking the blue port grown on around 315 hectares to the purpose of use, so currently they harvest lighter red wines, such as the youthful “Redy” made by several wineries, and wines intended for blending, while the full-bodied, matured in oak barrels, the fruit yielding a characteristic red wine is harvested later, only in October. He explained: not only kéoportó, but also the other blue grape varieties that dominate eighty percent of Villány’s production area are expected to reach the processing plants in excellent quality. Due to the dry weather, the farmers expect an average yield, but at the same time excellent quality and the production of good vintage wines. The latter will contribute greatly if the weather remains moderately warm and rainy in the next month and a half, he added.

Hand harvesting is slowly becoming a thing of the past

Gergely Nagy said: the area of wine grape production around Villány varies slightly from year to year. In the largest part of the currently 2,400-hectare vineyard, sauvignon is grown on 380 hectares, cabernet franc on 340 hectares, blue port on 315 hectares, merlot on 300 hectares, and Italian Riesling on 170 hectares. The specialist pointed out that due to the increase in costs and the increasingly difficult to secure human labor, the wineries are mechanizing production to an increasing extent, this year already in a quarter of the area the grapes are harvested by machine.

The secretary of the mountain municipality stated: in order to avoid losses, the producers will certainly be forced to enforce the runaway energy prices and the increase in other costs that also affect them in the price of the wines. However, the extent of the increase in price cannot be determined for the time being, he added.

Because of the pandemic, there are more premium quality wines

Regarding the wines being made, he said: since restaurant consumption has dropped significantly in recent years as a result of the pandemic, in addition to top-quality drinks, table wines – which are still of high quality – are being made in Villány in a higher proportion compared to the previous period this year as well. Exports, which account for 5-10 percent of the turnover, are almost exclusively premium products of an outstanding level even in international comparisons, the secretary of the mountain commune said.

MTI