The Csizmadia-Honigh family is of Hungarian and Dutch descent and can trace its tradition of winemaking in the Somló region for at least four generations. The family has always had close ties with the Somló region and Royal Somló Vineyards was established in 2006. Peter Cs-H is our main contact, and we met him when he worked in London for the Institute of Masters of Wine, in charge of their European, North American and Australasian educational operations.

Somló, one of the 22 wine regions in Hungary, is the smallest one with 832 hectares under vines. It is located in Western Hungary where the hills of Lake Balaton and the Bakony turn into a flat land. Somló is a solitary hill rising 431 metres above sea level and is the last in the chain of volcanic hills. The climate is continental with an average rainfall of 600 to 700 millimetres a year, the majority of which falls between October and June. The topsoil is a mix of loess and sandstone lending a good drainage, whilst the lower clay-marl provides a good water-holding capacity. The volcanic subsoils of basalt and tufa are rich in minerals and traces and lend a special character to the wines of Somló