ONE FOR HIS WIFE &
ONE FOR HIS WINE
Would you believe us if we told you that the owner of Gere Winery once disliked wine?
It was not until his then wife-to-be, Katalin, poured him a glass from her family cellar that he realised it was not wines that he disliked but bad wines.
And today, 42 years on, in his reach for perfection Attila has transformed Gere Winery into one of Hungary's best.
Here is his story...
VILLÁNY
Situated in the southernmost tip of Hungary the origins of viticulture in this wine region go back to Roman times.
The immigration of German speaking Swabians to the region in the 18th century has brought significant changes and development both in viticulture and winemaking. This is the time when the famed rows of cellars were built in Villány.
The region’s climate is continental, with some sub Mediterranean influence.
In terms of annual average temperature and sunshine hours it boasts the highest figures among all Hungarian wine regions, the warm and dry weather translates into relatively long vegetation period.
The slopes are usually protected from several directions and the heat retained is further enhanced by the warm air coming in from the Mediterranean thus creating a rather unique submediterranean microclimate.
Cabernet Franc - Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot - Portugieser - Pinot Noir - Syrah - Medoc Noir - Tempranillo - Kékfrankos - Fekete Járdovány
The soil is mainly loess and red clay on a limestone bedding. In some plots loess is mixed with Triassic dolomites, limestone and Jurassic limestone.
One of the pecularities of the region is the presence of geothermal heat. On average soil temperature increases by 1°C every 33 meters towards the Earth’s core, however in Villány you get 1°C rise at every 10-12 meters.
Yields are kept low (for the top of the range wines this means 0.7 to 1 kg/vine) and only faultless, hand sorted grapes are processed.