Hungarian wine industry in danger

It started with a drought, ended with a better vintage – but this is only temporary relief

At the beginning of the vegetation period, especially in June, an extraordinary lack of precipitation emerged, with a nationwide spread, affecting the eastern part of the country particularly severely. Although grapes are relatively drought-tolerant, the stress of water shortages quickly intensifies after flowering and during berry growth: in several wine regions, the need for irrigation has already arisen at this time – while this is still not generally solved for grapes due to technological and water management reasons.

However, local precipitation arrived in several regions during the summer, and according to industry feedback, the stands in many places withstood the dry period better than previously expected. The crop prospects have stabilized, the vintage has proven to be particularly good in several places – but this positive turn of events has not solved the structural problems.

Phytoplasma: epidemic spread, less and less room for maneuver

In 2025, it became truly obvious that golden yellows was not an isolated “wine region problem”, but a systemic threat. The pathogen is spread by the American grapevine cicada: the phytoplasma becomes infectious after passing through the insect’s digestive tract, which the cicada then transfers to the next plant. This biology makes the professional logic clear: the key to protection is reducing the vector population and consistent elimination of infected plants.

In practice, however, the chain of protection breaks at several points:

• Climate change favors heat-loving pests, and the number of American grape cicadas is increasing rapidly in several places.

• Insecticidal treatments were not carried out or were not sufficiently effective in several regions.

• In parallel with the deterioration of profitability, neglected, uncultivated plantations are increasing, which can act as infection hotspots.

All this is aggravated by the life cycle of the cicada: it has one generation per year, the eggs are They overwinter in bark cracks and appear as potential vectors in the spring. For this reason, the infection often becomes visible when the possibilities for intervention are already limited.

Regulation, forced felling, compensation – and the “broomgrass logic” as a pattern

In the current domestic system – according to the article – forced felling can be ordered above 30% infection, which is associated with compensation entitlement. At the same time, winemakers are increasingly suggesting that a fast and enforceable practice similar to forced ragweed mowing is needed to treat neglected areas – otherwise, community protection will be “knocked out” by a few neglected plots.