HUMMEL

Hummel Winery was founded by Horst Hummel in Villány in 1998. Although Horst is from Germany, his great-grandfather was a winemaker in the Austro-Hungarian empire. Like many winemaking families in Villány and its surroundings, his family were Swabian settlers that lived in this area since the 18th century. After spending time in Hungary after the fall of Communism, Horst was drawn to the climate and wine culture of Villány and decided to start his own winery there.

The original property included Portugieser, Kékfrankos, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Horst soon added Furmint and Traminer to the estate.

The winery has been organic since 2008 and has followed biodynamic practices since 2016. The red wines are spontaneously fermented in open vats, and the wines remain on their lees for 2-4 weeks to macerate. The wines are then transferred to oak barrels of different sizes and types for aging, where the wines are aged for up to two years.

The winery’s goal is to produce unadulterated and unique wines, wines with character, from healthy, high-quality grapes from their modern organic winery. The wines should reflect the characteristics of the varieties, the soil of Villány, and the special climate of the region. According to Horst, the quality of the grapes determines the potential of the wine. A wine can only be as good as the grapes allow it to be. Because of this, the estate constantly limits the amount of pruning. There is also no artificial fertilization on the property. As Horst says, “quality winemaking can only be achieved in the long term with and never against nature. A good wine makes itself.”

Vineyard Size: 7.5 hectares

Grapes: Kékfrankos, Portugieser, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Furmint, Traminer, Hárslevelű

Soil and Terroir: Loess rich in limestone and magnesium