In its area of 2000 hectares, the Villány wine region has millenium-long grape- and wine-growing traditions, thanks to the large number of sunny hours during the year and to the good soil conditions. On the warm southern slopes of the mountains, there are also other fruits of excellent succulence grown. The Villány-Siklós wine region is the southernmost, warmest, sunniest and one of the most famous wine regions in Hungary. Its soil is made up of loess mixing with red clay and brown forest soil deposited on the limestone of the Villány mountains. There are two different types of wine-growing peculiar of two large settlements in the Villány-Siklós wine region. Villány is famous for its fiery red wines and its modern technology, whereas in the environs of Siklós mostly white wines prevail.

Settlements belonging to the Villány wine region: Kisharsány, Nagyharsány, Palkonya, Villány, Villánykövesd, Vokány.

Settlements belonging to the Siklós wine region: Bisse, Csarnóta, Diósviszló, Harkány, Hegyszentmárton, Kistótfalu, Márfa, Nagytótfalu, Siklós, Szava, Turony.

History of the wine region

The first winestocks were set up by the Romans in the area, then the local population took over their grape- and wine-growing tradition. Devotion to red wines is basically due to the Rascians who settled down in the region and brought Kadarka with themselves while fleeing the Turks.

In the 18th century, Swabians settled down in the villages of the region, and initiated Kékoportó, one of the most popular and most widespread wine sorts in the Villány wine region. They played an important role in cellar and cellar route construction. Furthermore, they also laid  the foundations of high-quality wine-growing. Thus, wine-growing has become one of the most important sectors of the economy of the region since the 18th century.  

In the 19th century, the population of Villány was enlarged by Hungarian settlers. The wines of the Villány wine region already got even overseas at this time. At the end of the century, the devastating phylloxera epidemic did not spare the Villány wine region, either. Following the epidemic, re-settling of the wine region began by means of grape varieties cultivated by the grapevine cultivator, Zsigmond Teleki, and of other resistant grape varieties. The most widespread grape variety in Hungary these days, Blue Frankish (Blaufränkisch) also appeared soon, then French grape varieties, as well: Cabernet, Merlot, and Pinot Noir.

By 1914, wine production had reached the level of the period before the phylloxeria epidemic again, but the development of winemaking was seriously hindered by World War I and II. After World War II, the majority of the German population having been exiled, a significant part of grape growers left the wine region, and Hungarians arriving from the territory of present day Slovakia replaced them having the need to learn the mastery of wine growing.

During the Socialist era, mainly large-scale production was peculiar of this region, wine growing non-combines were made, and two-thirds of the vineyards were transformed in order to be suitable for large-scale production. In the course of the privatisation following the regime change, the farmers in Villány began significant developments, besides large-scale wineries, modern private wineries were also founded.

The wine region of Villány is today one of the most developed wine regions in Hungary. In some people’s view, its success is due to the excellent experts from the period of large-scale production, in others’ view, to the endurance of the Swabians who settled here. From the middle of the last century, winemaking experts have also been trained in the wine region. In 1994, the first wine route in Hungary, the 30 km long Villány-Siklós Wine Route was inaugurated.