Slovakia Wine

Slovakia experiences a continental climate with extreme temperatures during both summer and winter. As the country is located near the northern limit for commercial viticulture, most wine-growing regions are situated in the warmer southwest and along the southern border, with cool-climate grape varieties being grown there. The areas where wine is produced are as follows:

(Lesser Carpathians / Malokarpatská)

The Small Carpathians is the oldest wine region in Slovakia, encompassing 12 viticultural areas and 120 viticultural communes. Close to the Austrian border in the southwest, the vineyards are mainly found on the southwest, south and southeast-facing slopes of the Small Carpathians mountain range.

Benefiting from sufficient sunshine, well-drained sandy loam and rocky soils, in addition to abundant aeration, the Small Carpathians region now hosts nearly half of the nation’s wine producers.

A ‘Wine Route’ is drawn by the locals from the capital Bratislava and extends east along the vineyards on the rolling hills, attracting wine lovers to explore the viticultural centre of Slovakia.

Veltlinske Zelené (Grüner Veltliner) is the most widely planted variety here, followed by Rizling Vlašský (Welschriesling). Frankovka Modrá (Blaufränkisch) and Svätovavrinecké (St. Laurent) are among the most important red varieties.

(Južnoslovenská)

Located in the lowlands north of the Danube (which also serves as the Slovak-Hungarian border), the region has eight viticultural areas and 114 villages. Vineyards are found on the clay-rich plains and for the newer plantings, on the loess-rich uplands and alluvial terraces by the riverside.

This is the warmest Slovak region with an effective accumulated temperature (EAT) of over 3400°C during the growing season (higher than all other regions) and 2,200 hours of sunshine per year.

While white grapes such as Veltlinske Zelené and Rizling Vlašský are among the most planted varieties, Frankovka Modrá, Pinot Noir and late-ripening grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon are also cultivated here.

(Nitrianska)

Located east of the Small Carpathians, the Nitra wine region hosts a wealth of diverse microclimates. With nine viticultural areas and 159 wine-planting villages, the vineyards are found on south-facing slopes and plains, featuring varied altitudes, soils and orientations. It’s generally colder in the hilly north and warmer towards the Danube Lowlands in the south.

Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Müller-Thurgau and Frankovka Modrá produced from higher altitudes tend to yield higher levels of acidity. Veltlinske Zelené, Rizling Vlašský and Svätovavrinecké are also widely seen. Thanks to its dry and long autumn, the region also produces ice wine (when frost arrives in time) and straw wines.

(Stredoslovenská)

With vineyards scattered along the Ipeľ (or Ipoly) river towards the Cerová Highlands, the Central Slovakia wine region includes seven viticultural areas and 107 villages. The region contains diverse terrain and soils: sandstone, loam, clay and volcanic soils in the hilly northwest. The region’s arid and cold climate enables sustainable viticulture. Aromatic whites such as Riesling, Traminer and the indigenous Devín are showing potential.

(Východoslovenská)

Situated along the southeastern border of Slovakia, the Eastern Slovakia region is home to four viticultural areas and 89 wine-planting villages. This is a sunny, dry region with volcanic soils, producing successful wines from the Pinot family. Besides Rizling Vlašský and Müller-Thurgau, red wines made from Frankovka Modrá and the indigenous Dunaj grape are also exciting to explore.

(Tokajská)

The Slovak Tokaj, which borders its renowned Hungarian counterpart, is small but crucial to the quality claim of Slovak wines. This is a ‘closed’ wine region that requires wines to be made using locally-sourced grapes and bottled within the seven viticultural villages.

As is the case for its Hungarian neighbour, the Slovak Tokaj area is known for its lusciously sweet wines made by infusing base wine with noble rot berries. Warm summers and long, dry autumns combined with morning fogs enable the onset of botrytis.

The local producers learned from Hungarian production laws and restructured their own regulations in the early 2000s. The Slovak version of ‘Tokajský’ wine is also made mainly from Furmint, Lipovina (Hárslevelű) and Muškát Žltý (Muscat). Three and four Putňový wines (equivalent to ‘Puttonyos’), which are quality grades already abolished in Hungarian Tokaj, are still made here.

Slovakia boasts a diverse range of grape varieties that thrive in its unique climate and soil conditions.

White Grapes

Grüner Veltliner (Veltlínské zelené) – White – 3,695 ha (9,130 acres)

Welschriesling (Rizling vlašský) – White – 2,997 ha (7,410 acres)

Müller-Thurgau – White – 1,743 ha (4,310 acres)

Pinot Blanc (Rulandské biele) – White – 934 ha (2,310 acres)

Riesling (Rizling rýnsky) – White – 925 ha (2,290 acres)

Pinot Gris (Rulandské šedé) – White

Gewürztraminer (Tramín červený) – White

‘Dunaj’ is the Slovak name for the river Danube. It was created by Slovak researchers Dorota Pospíšilová and Ondrej Korpás in the 1950s (registered in 1997). The scientists bred the variety by first crossing Muscat Bouschet and Blauer Portugieser, then with St. Laurent. It’s relatively resistant to frost, thanks to early bud-break, and it ripens early, therefore it’s believed to be suitable for the cool climate of most Slovak wine regions. Dark in colour, it’s capable of producing wines with plummy dark fruits and structured tannins, suitable for barrel ageing.

A white variety widely seen in Slovak wine regions except for Tokaj. It is a cross between Gewürztraminer and Roter Veltliner, developed in 1958 in Bratislava. The grape can accumulate relatively high levels of sugar towards harvest, featuring tropical, exotic fruit flavours and sweet spices.

Red Grapes

Blaufränkisch (Frankovka modrá) – Red – 1,787 ha (4,420 acres)

St. Laurent (Svätovavrinecké) – Red – 1,337 ha (3,300 acres)

Cabernet Sauvignon – Red – 626 ha (1,550 acres)

Rulandské modré (Pinot Noir) – Red

Alibernet (Oděskij Čornyj) is a cross of red varieties Alicante Bouschet and Cabernet Sauvignon obtained in 1948 by researchers at the Tairov centre in Odessa. Deeply pigmented, it is a late-ripening variety thus more at home in the warmer Slovak regions. When picked at low yields and full ripeness, it produces wines with rich dark fruit flavours, robust tannins and fresh acidity. Barrel ageing helps to tame the harsh tannins.

A dark-colored red grape developed by the ŠSV research center in Velké Pavlovice, Moravia of the Czech Republic. It was named in honor of natural scientist Christian Carl André (1763-1831), who founded one of the world’s first fruit and vine breeding associations in Brno, Moravia. The variety itself is a cross between Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent. It’s a late-ripening grape and needs sufficient warmth to achieve full ripeness. The wine features black fruit flavors with an herbal hint, high tannins, and high acidity. It needs time in the barrel and bottle to smooth its rough edges.

Slovakia wines are usually labeled with one of the following terms:

Wine without geographic indication (Víno bez zemepisného označenia) is replacing former category of Stolové víno – Table wine. Minimum level of sugar content is 13 °NM.

Wine with protected goegraphic indication (Víno s chráneným zemepisným označením) is produced from grapes registered in the List of registered varieties, grown, produced and bottled in one of the Slovak wine regions, maximum yield per hectare wasn’t exceeded, minimum level of sugar content was 13 °NM and it fulfills the requirements of established product specification. It can be indicated with traditional term regionálne víno if the grapes reached 15 °NM, the maximum yield didn’t exceed 18,000 kg/ha, wine has minimum 8.5% of alcohol and it complies with quality requirements.

Wine with protected indication of origin (Víno s chráneným označením pôvodu) is produced from grapes registered in List of registered varieties, grown, produced and bottled in the same or proximate neighbouring Slovak wine regions, maximum yield per hectare wasn’t exceeded, minimum level of sugar content was 16 °NM, there is existing protection on the designation of origin or geographical indication. Term Districtus Slovakia Controllatus, symbol and abbreviation “D. S. C.” can be used if wine was certified.

Quality wine (Akostné víno) is classified by control institute as odrodové – “single varietal” (variety is written up in the List of registered grape varieties) or značkové “branded” (blend of two or more grape varieties or a single grape variety not written in the List or registered grape varieties). Wine is made from the grapes of which natural sugar content is at least 16 °NM and the maximum yield was not exceeded (18,000 kg/ha) with minimum of 9.5% alcohol. It can be chaptalised to 22 °NM for whites and 24 °NM for reds. Wine complies with quality requirements determined by special regulation.

Approximately one-fifth of the Tokaj wine region lies in Slovakia. The Tokaj wines (Tokajské víno) made in Slovakia are made from three base varieties: Furmint, Lipovina, and Yellow Muscat (Muškát žltý). Winemakers from the Slovak side of the border produce quality dessert wines as well as dry wines with various classifications similar to those from the Hungarian wine region.

Tokaj wine is mainly produced from the following traditional varieties:

Furmint (also known as Mainak) is a white wine grape variety that is most noted widely grown in the Slovakian wine region of Tokaj, where it is used to produce single-varietal dry wines as well as being the principal grape in the better-known Tokaji dessert wines. Furmint is a late-ripening variety. For dry wines the harvest starts usually in September, however sweet wine specific harvest can start in the second half of October or even later, and is often affected by Botrytis.

Lipovina is a grape variety from the Pontian Balcanica branch of Vitis vinifera. The name refers to the “lime (tree) leaf” in the Slovak language. The grape is native to the Carpathian Basin and is planted in the Slovakian wine region of Tokaj, where it is blended with Furmint to produce Tokaji Aszú and other dessert wines.

Tokajský Muškát žltý (Yellow Muscat) is a white Italian wine grape variety that is a member of the Muscat family of grapes. Known for its large, deep cluster of loose, deep-yellow berries and golden colored wine, Moscato Giallo is grown mostly in northern Italy, where it is most often used to produce passito-style dessert wines. The grape is also planted in Slovakia, where it is known as Tokajský Muškát žltý.

Tokaj wines are divided into four groups:

1. Tokajské Stolní (Tokaj table)

2. Tokajské Samorodné

Tokajské samorodné suché (“dry”) and Tokajské samorodné sladké (“sweet”) are set apart from ordinary wine in that it is made from bunches that contain a considerable proportion of botrytized grapes. Because of this, Samorodné is typically higher in extract than ordinary wine.

suché (száraz) – >21°NM, cukr <10 g/l

sladké (édes) – >24°NM, cukr >10 g/l

3. Tokajské Výběry (Aszú)

Tokajský výber is the wine that made Tokaj world famous. It is a sweet dessert wine made by picking botrytized grapes and trampling them in huge vats to form a paste. Must is poured on the paste and left to soak before the wine is transferred to wooden casks where fermentation is completed. The wines are graded from 3 to 6 putňa (Hungarian: puttony), representing the level of sugar and sugar-free extract in the mature wine.

2-putnový (~40 g/l)

3-putnový (≥60 g/l)

4-putnový (≥90 g/l)

5-putnový (≥120 g/l)

6-putnový (≥150 g/l)

4. Tokajské Esence (Eszencia)

tokajská výběrová esence (>180 g/l)

tokajská esence (nektar, >450 g/l)