Péter Nagyváradi doesn’t come from a family with a long lineage of winemakers. His father is a Geologist, and his grandfather worked at a viticulture research institute in Pécs, Hungary. It was with their gentle nudging that Péter decided to explore a career in winemaking following his studies in Budapest. He worked for several wineries in Hungary, New Zealand and Chile before starting his own project at home in Balaton. In 2018 Péter began exploring the region, developing an impression of its terroir, culture and history, and in 2019 he found an old neglected vineyard called Arács, which he started to work on the weekends in his spare time. It took two full years to develop the parcel, and in 2021 he was able to produce his first vintage from the 80 year old bush vines of Olaszrizling (Welschriesling). Over that span Péter acquired a few more plots in the region, and in 2022, a cellar in Balatonfüred.

Balaton is a region influenced heavily by Lake Balaton, the largest freshwater lake in Central Europe. It’s a popular vacation destination for tourists coming from both the East, and the West. It was originally five unique lakes, which over time, as ridges eroded and water levels rose, became one large body of water stretching laterally across Hungary. The soil is mostly volcanic basalt, with veins of clay, sandstone and limestone throughout. Viticulture is predominantly located on the north side of the lake, and dates back over 2000 years to the Celts and the Romans. Phylloxera decimated the region, but it’s recently experienced a resurgence at the hands of some young, and very forward thinking natural vignerons like István Bencze, and Kolonia 52.

For Péter the primary goal is to "express the diversity of the region through old vineyards in harmony with nature." The notion being that with old abandoned vineyards, one doesn’t have to work to bring nature back in. This is a region at large that has for many years been dominated by heavy chemical use in agriculture. It could take years to restore a younger vineyard through farming and regenerative agriculture, but much less time to tame the wilderness that has creeped in at the edges. At the moment he works 3ha of rented vineyards, scattered throughout Balaton in Monoszló, Hegyestü and the Tihany peninsula. Péter’s goal is to maintain a reasonable output, which is currently around 10,000 bottles a year, and one he hopes will never exceed 5ha and 20,000 bottles per year. The labels are from a painting, interpreted from a photo of the first harvest done in Arács, by the incredible Jules Maillard.

Farming at the estate is organic, and the fruit is always hand harvested in multiple passes to ensure optimal ripeness and balance. The white wines are gently whole cluster pressed with an old vertical basket press, and the reds are generally made with carbonic maceration. All of the wines are barrel fermented, with élevage in barrel, on the lees, and minimal or no sulfitage at bottling. They are always unfined, and unfiltered. Balaton natural wines tend to push freshness to the forefront, sometimes sacrificing phenolic ripeness therein. However, Péter’s wines are balanced, fruit forward, rustic, and extremely stable. There is the distinct imprint of volcanic terroir, alluding to classic references from places like Tenerife.

Though the wines are thoroughly Hungarian, cuvées like Arács and Monoslou remind us of Romorantin and Côt from Theirry Puzelat. It’s clear that Péter has sunk his teeth into the history and wine culture of both his home and places afar. The resultant wines are beautiful, unfettered expressions of thousands year old volcanic terroir, in an updated, contemporary style. We’re excited to be a part of what is clearly just the beginning for this young and promising grower.