Ibn-Rostech, the Arabian writer mentions Hungarian vine growing already in
his Xth century chronicle. Vine growing and wine production after the
Original Settlement of the Magyars was based upon three things: the
Greek-Celtic tradition, the Roman tradition, and the knowledge of the
Hungarians brought along from the East.
According to charters and documents there was significant vine production
around the 1000th year e.g. in Pannonhalma, in Szekszárd and in Buda.
After the Peace Treaty of Trianon, which closed World War I, nearly two
thirds of the vineyards got outside our borders. On the other hand, more
than the half of the wine consuming population remained here. With the end
of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy we lost a big part of our foreign markets.
Though the production in the first years after World War II came near to the
average of that before the war, the quality of the vines was going from bad
to worse. Due to wrong economic and political decisions wine production
touched bottom economically and morally as well...The state wanted to
recover vine production with vast expenditure but due to lacking expertise
its efforts were not successful. The wrong variety structure, inconvenient
territory, badly prepared soil characterised the newly planted ten thousands
hectares of vine. Though production and export increased the quality was
first of all determined by the unambitious Soviet market. After the change
of system in 1990 our wine production suffered another crisis. We lost most
of our eastern markets and that led to overproduction. The possibilities and
criteria of agricultural production changed.
At last the new vine-growing community act was born. By this, we hope, the
process has started that, together with the pretension of the consumers and
the knowledge and conscientiousness of the wine producers will create the
former legendary fame of the Hungarian wine again...