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The wine region is located on the western reaches of the low loess plateau between the Danube and Tisza Rivers, making a transition into the sandy terrain of the Kunsag region to the north. Administratively part of Bacs-Kiskun County, it comprises the communities of Baja, Batmonostor, Csaszartoltes, Csatalja, Csavoly, Ersekcsanad, Ersekhalma, Hajos, Nemesnadudvar, Rem, Siikosd, and Vaskut. None of the region’s 14,874 hectares have been designated as Class I growing sites, though 6,631 hectares earned Class II rank. Only 1710 hectares of this acreage are under cultivation at present. The wine region as we know it split off from the Alfold region in 1990, although its area was somewhat reduced in 1997.

The history of the region has been inseparable from that of the Great Plain. An important turn came about in the 18th century, when the ethnic Slav minority was displaced by a new wave of German settlers who brought know-how and an ethos of hard work to cultivating the vineyards. Following the phylloxera epidemic, the acreage under vines here increased significantly, and the varietal composition slowly settled to the present-day pattern.

Owing to the properties of the soil, the white wines are mild with low acidity. This softness is better-balanced in the region’s reds (e.g. Hajosi Cabernet Sauvignon), some of which attain a quality comparable to that of hill-grown wines. Foremost among them are the red wines produced by Brilliant Holding at Nemesnadudvar under the Villa Stephen label, and the Sumegi Winery based in Ersekcsanad. The region’s best-known sight is the pincefalu or “cellar village” near Hajos. This is a complex of several hundred cellars carved in loess and adorned with baroque frontispieces. A quaint village in its own right, this network of cellars and alleys was created by ethnic Swabian growers in the area. The village of Nemesnadudvar also boasts a number of cellar rows.

Area: 1681 hectares.

Climate: extreme, dry, rather hot summer.

Vine varieties, wines: Italian Riesling, Rhine Riesling, Chardonnay, giving milder wines poor in acids. Kadarka wines are fine, fiery, velvety. Kékfrankos, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Sauvignon.

For more interesting information
Hungarian wines and wineregions. Authors: Zoltán Benyák, Tibor Dékány.	Terra Benedicta 2003: Tokaj and Beyond Authors: Rohály Gábor, Mészáros Gabriella, Nagymarosy András.