On Lake Balaton's northern shore, Badacsony grows white-wine grapes on basalt slopes. Olaszrizling and Kéknyelű bring texture, smoke and freshness. Its volcanic landscape is marked by terraces that control erosion. After phylloxera, growers rebuilt vineyards with retaining walls, some four to five metres high. Kéknyelű has a long history here; Furmint was once the main variety before Olaszrizling gained ground in the nineteenth century.
Continue through the region
Elsewhere in Lake Balaton
- BalatonNo producers listed yetBalaton's six wine districts share Olaszrizling but not one style. Northern and southern vineyard conditions differ, and the area includes white wines as well as ageable red styles.
- Balaton-felvidékNo producers listed yetOn Lake Balaton's northern shore, Balaton-felvidék shares climate and soil influences with Badacsony and Balatonfüred-Csopak.
- BalatonboglárNo producers listed yetBalatonboglár sits mainly on Lake Balaton's southern shore. Its wines are fruit-forward and concentrated, with ageable reds among the local styles.
- Balatonfüred-CsopakNo producers listed yetBalatonfüred-Csopak makes Olaszrizling and Kékfrankos at village and single-vineyard level. It is especially associated with Olaszrizling, while Tihany has a separate specification.
- Csopak1 producerCsopak works with Olaszrizling and Kékfrankos at village and single-vineyard level.
- KáliNo producers listed yetKáli's hills are largely made of volcanic debris rock, with little lava rock.
- Nagy-SomlóNo producers listed yetNagy-Somló's vineyards grow on volcanic ground. The direction a slope faces affects grape sugar and acidity.
- SomlóiNo producers listed yetSomlói wines come from a small volcanic hill in the Lake Balaton area. Furmint and Juhfark grow on basalt soils and make wines with firm acidity and a savoury finish.
- TihanyNo producers listed yetTihany has its own wine specification within Balatonfüred-Csopak, with volcanic, tuff-derived soils.
- Zala1 producerZala's rain and lower sunshine favour fresher, more balanced wines. It became a wine region in 1997 after local communities requested the restoration of its classification.
Producers in Badacsony
Producer profiles
- Gilvesy WineryOrganic producer on a volcanic hill south of Lake Balaton, making low-alcohol, high-acid white wines from Furmint, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc on 17th-century Esterházy estate grounds.