Abbey Winery Pannonhalma

ABBEY WINERY PANNONHALMA History Rebirth Cellar and wine-technology Vineyards (year of plantation, cultivation method, density, loading, etc.) Széldomb Babszök ő Tavaszó Packalló and Cseresznyés Wines (production, vineyard, technology, tasting notes, food recipes, analytics, etc.) Rosé Tricollis white / red Tramini Rajnai Rizling / Prior Sauvignon Blanc Hemina Pinot Noir Infusio Tramini Grape Marc Brandy Wine vinegars (wine vinegar with lavender, wine vinegar with nut leaves and sage) Awards (2004-2009) Contact information Contact Visit Access History Rebirth The Benedictine monks having settled on the Sacred Hill of Pannonia have always been closely associated with viticulture and wine making. They have applied the highest actual level of wine- growing. At the beginning of the 1900s the Archabbey had about 100 hectares of vineyards in the direct vicinity of Pannonhalma and it also had plantations on the Somló Hill and in Tokaj-Hegyalja. Its bottled wines both whites and reds were sold in Hungary as well as abroad far beyond the borders of what was then Greater Hungary. The political and social upheaval that followed World War II put an end to the centuries-old tradition when the single-party state confiscated the Abbey's vineyard holdings and winery. During the decades that followed, the monks never gave up hopes of reviving the legacy of excellence one day. Finally, it was in 2000 that the plans for rebirth took shape when the Abbey Winery Pannonhlama on a floor space of 2000 m 2 and with a storage capacity of 3000 hectolitres was established in which the Abbey would control the majority interest in partnership with the MKB Bank as the minority owner. The facility was designed by the architects of the CZITA Architectural Office based in the city of Gy őr, in close co-operation with Tibor Gál, the internationally famed wine-maker of Eger who oversaw the enological-technical work and was expert consultant of the Winery. Cellar and wine-technology The grapes from the vineyards of the Abbey Winery Pannonhalma are processed in the new cellar and wine house of almost 2000 square meter ground-space located at the south-eastern foot of Saint Martin’s Hill in direct neighbourhood of the monastery. The building complex matching to the environment and utilizing the configurations of the terrain makes it possible for the Guests to have full insight into the technological process of wine making and its results. The cellar technology fitted for the composition of the grape varieties is suitable for producing more than 300.000 bottles of quality wine a year . We introduced a special wine producing process that perfectly preserves the high quality potential of our grape varieties. Its basis is the four-storied building with each floor devoted to a different stage of processing where we can apply gravitational material movement . The juice of the white grapes goes into temperated stainless steel fermentation tank, while the fermentation of the red grapes is served by wooden vats and temperated metal tanks. The maturation of the red wines and some of the white ones is carried out in the cellar branches full of wooden barrels reaching deep into the hill. The Winery has a storing capacity of 3000 hectolitres which will be enlarged later. The facility was designed by the architects of the CZITA firm based in the city of Gy őr in close co-operation with Tibor Gál, the internationally famed wine-maker of Eger who oversaw the enological-technical work and was expert consultant of the Winery as well. In the course of designing and building our main objectives were to create a producing capacity fitted for the yield of the vineyards of 52 hectares, to introduce a modern and soft wine-producing technology, to build an “open cellar” of tourism value matching both to the environment and the spirit of the place. The building complex consists of three distinctly separable parts: press house, well and wine house. PRESS HOUSE The press house is the place of the grape processing where the harvested grapes arrive in boxes on trailers to the upper level of the building. This press house is a four-storied building with different technological steps on each floor. Its unique structure enables the gravitational material movement which means that during the production not the grapes, the mash or the juice go to the machines but the machines are placed to the appropriate location by means of a crane placed on the top of the building. When processing the white grapes (first of all Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Rheinriesling, Welshriesling, Chardonnay) they are first destemmed and crushed on the top floor. Than the white grapes are filled into the press machine from where the juice is transferred to the wine house through a pipeline in the well. In case of red wines the destemmed and crushed grapes are placed into the wooden vats of 50 hectolitres (5000 l) on the top floor and the stainless steel red wine fermentation tanks of 60 hectolitres (6000 l) situated one floor lower. When making red wines one of the most important tasks is to let the colouring material dissolve from the grape skin that can be achieved by holding the skin and the juice (mash) together for a long time, 25-30 days during which it is continuously mixed, thus mechanically helping the colouring material to dissolve. This process is aided by the alcohol and heat which are produced during the fermentation. The released heat should be kept under strict control, optimally at a temperature of 25-26°C . The tanks can be temperated automatically as the conditions require by either cooling or heating. One of the special methods of the Winery is pressing the the red mash in the course of which the press machine is placed under the tank and after the young wine is drawn the mash is poured into the press machine through the emptying door. The pressed new wine is transferred to the maturation rooms through a pipeline in the well. WELL The part of the building called “well” is in fact an elevator house which connects the press house with the wine house. Its lower part of 18 m depth is connected to the maturation cellar. The elevator is operated here, but the cellar can also be accessed by stairs of 102 steps . The walls were built from 220 thousand bricks , while the total length of the wall jointings is almost 10 km . The maturation spaces resemble best to the traditional cellars, where the wines are aged in barrels of different type and size. The bigger barrels have a capacity of 500 litres (lager), the smaller ones with that of 225 litres ( barrique ). The basic material of the barrels scorched in their inner surface is Hungarian oak wood dried for at least 2 years and prepared by Hungarian coopers. Both white and red wines are aged in these barrels. In case of white wines the fermentation of the cleaned juice of the grapes pressed in the press house takes place in the barrels. The wine is kept on the lees for a long time and is maturated for 8-10 months. The barrels are used for the fermentation and maturation of white wine only once, subsequently they are used for aging red wines in them. After fermenting the red grapes in the press house, the aging of the red wines also takes place in the maturation spaces for 12-15 months. The barrels thus remain in the cellar for 3 years. WINE HOUSE The wine house, where the pressed white juice arrives, is connected to the cellar branches. There are the high white wine fermentation tanks which have longer “cigar” shape, complying with the white wine making technology. These tanks which can also be chilled or heated according to the requirements have a capacity of 10-200 hectolitres . In the first phase the grape juice is cleared: it is cooled down to 8-10°C and is left for 12-24 hours to deposit. The cleared juice free of any kinds of deposit is then fermented using special yeast strains depending on the variety. The right fermentation temperature is crucial in order to preserve the primary fruit aromas in the wines. The fermentation process takes about 10-15 days followed by the clarification and stabilization of the wines. Due to this technology, the produced reductive white wines are ready to be bottled very early, in 4-5 months after being harvested. This part of the cellar is where the different methods of wine treatment are taken (i.e. clarification and filtration) and the blending is also carried out here. The wines are always brought to this room before being bottled. The bottling room is located in the opposite end of the building. The modern equipment can fill about 10-12 thousand bottles a day. After bottling some wine types immediately receive labels and packed in carton boxes are ready to be marketed, while the full-bodied white and red wines are taken back to the cellar for further bottle aging of 6-12 months so that the proper bottle aromas can be developed. During this period the bottles are laid to prevent the cork from drying which could lead to unfavourable processes. Afterwards even the full-bodied wines receive their labels and they are put onto the market packed in carton boxes. Vineyards (year of plantation, cultivation method, density, loading, etc.) At the time of building their church and monastery, the Benedictine monks having settled on the Sacred Hill of Pannonia in 996 also revived the ancient viticulture of the region. The drive of the start did not subside later which is shown by the fact that the Register of Albeus originating from the 13 th century and kept in the archives of the Archabbey enlists twenty significant vineyards in the area which demonstrates that wine growing was the main occupation of the region.

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