Bock Olaszrizling

The 2026 vintage began with an early harvest, starting with the picking of the aromatic white grape varieties. The year proved to be exceptionally dry. The main exception was the area around Siklós, where rainfall of between 10 and 30 mm fell on three separate occasions, whilst during the same periods in Villány, only a few millimetres of rain fell. Unfortunately, in the Siklós area, the rainfall was accompanied by hail, which caused visible and measurable damage. In those vineyards where the bunch zone had been pruned, significant sunscald developed as a result of persistently high UV radiation. At the same time, in areas where organic manure had been applied in the autumn, we observed exceptional shoot growth and fruit set, which is why yield restriction was necessary for several grape varieties. Powdery mildew also appeared in the lower-lying parts of the vineyards, but this was successfully controlled in good time with appropriate plant protection measures, so it did not cause any significant damage. As a result of the prolonged drought, the yield fell short of the average for previous vintages; however, this had no adverse effect on quality. The 2026 vintage thus yielded a more modest harvest in terms of quantity, but a promising one in terms of quality.