Somlo Hill

Somlo is one hill, a basalt witness cone standing alone in flat country north of the Bakony, and its vineyards make up the smallest of the historic Hungarian wine regions, some 830 hectares wrapped around a single hill. The volcanic soil and the exposure give white wines with a hard mineral character and high acidity that need years, made mainly from juhfark, a variety grown almost nowhere else, along with furmint, harslevelu and olaszrizling. The wine carried a long-standing reputation at the Habsburg court for producing male heirs, which is why it is still called the wine of wedding nights. Small cellars and press houses ring the hill, and a ruined castle stands on top.

History

The vineyards were once held by rich aristocrats and religious houses, among them the Archabbey of Pannonhalma, and the region's fame is said to have rivalled Tokaj's; its wine appears as a medicine in old Hungarian pharmacopoeias. Habsburg rulers, Maria Theresa and Joseph II especially, are said to have favoured it, and an old, unsubstantiated belief that it helps conceive sons gave it the name "wine of wedding nights" (Wikipedia, Somló).

Highlights

• Juhfark - a grape grown almost nowhere outside this hill.
• A single-hill wine region - the smallest of the historic Hungarian districts.
• Press houses ringing the slope - small cellars around the cone.
• The castle ruin on the summit - the walk above the vineyards.

When to go

May to October, with September the harvest. Half a day. Cellars are mostly open by appointment; book ahead. A car and a driver who is not drinking are needed.

Practical notes

The wines are austere and high in acid, and young bottles can be hard going for anyone expecting soft whites. Cellars are small and often shut without notice. Public transport is minimal. There is little else on the hill.

Nearby

Devecser is west; Sumeg lies south.