📍 Nagy-Somló

Nagy-Somló is a small wine district in Hungary on Somló hill, which rises alone above the plain north-east of Lake Balaton. It is an extinct volcano about 430 metres high, with slopes covered in vineyards. The district belongs to the Balaton region.

The soils are basalt, volcanic tuff and clay. They give the wine pronounced minerality and often a smoky touch. The wines are strong, dense and long-lived: often closed in youth, they open up with the years.

The main grapes are the whites Juhfark (sheep's tail, named after the shape of the bunch), Furmint and Hárslevelű, plus Olaszrizling. Juhfark hardly grows outside Somló.

A tradition says Somló wine was given to Habsburg brides on their wedding night so that healthy heirs would be born; hence it is called the wine of the first wedding night. The wines of Nagy-Somló differ sharply from the light whites by the lake itself. These wines need time: they are served with rich fish, poultry or cheese, and young bottles are best opened in advance. The name Nagy-Somló on a label shows that the grapes grew in this very area, which makes it easy to look for similar wines.