The Figula Winery was founded in 1993 in the Balaton region, the gemstone of the Pannon landscape. János Figula’s great-grandfather, István Tolnay, was among the most notable winemakers of Balatonfüred in the 19th century, so the path was laid down for the next generations. In order to guarantee the highest quality, the family members are involved in each phase of the wine-making process from tending to vines all the way to bottling. Their wines showcase the diversity of the region thanks to the classical terroir cultivation on their 30-hectare estate, where the harvest of each slope is dealt with separately and yields are restricted. Their dedicated and thorough professional work has earned their wines prestigious recognitions at competitions in Hungary and abroad (Bordeaux, Brussels, Paris).

Category-winner wine: Lőcze Olaszrizling 2015

Lőcze Olaszrizling is the leanest member of the 2015 Figula Italian Riesling series. It has a minerally, wet, rocky nose, which recurs in the aroma. An elegant item true to the grape variety and dominated by citrus and white-fleshed, crispy fruits. Nicely balanced and aged for eight months in ten-hectolitre, twenty-year-old barrique barrels. The Lőcze hillock is an area between Csopak and Palóznak, adjacent to the Sáfránykert slope, but the red soil containing marl and clay lends a unique character to the wines produced here.