The Birth of a New Wine | HEIMANN & FIAI Bikavér
The Story This story is about Heimann Ferenc, my 28-year-old grandfather, who won a special prize at the Agricultural Exhibition […]
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The Story This story is about Heimann Ferenc, my 28-year-old grandfather, who won a special prize at the Agricultural Exhibition […]
The pale green lower two teracces are the ones planted with old wines.
One of the very rare, truely old vineyards of the Szekszárd wine region was acquired in 2006 by Ágnes and Zoltán Heimann. They soon discovered that the low yielding old grapevines produce a wine with depth and length like no young vines can, so the decision was made to renovate the old wines.
The parcel was in terrible shape: the high trunks had to be pruned back, new cordon arms developed, the missing 30% of the Kékfrankos vines replanted and the neglected cordon system rebuilt. Yield of the old vines are every year since picked separately from the young vines’.
Observations about Szívem Kékfrankos wines
Szívem parcella of Baranya-völgy dűlő
old, non-clonal plantation from 1969
1,3 hectares, 3775 living vines (as of 2023)
SE facing terraces
200-210m above sea level
The genetic diversity of these 50+ year-old vines is of great value for us, and coming generations. In 2023 we’ve started a selective process of choosing and further propagating the best vines of Szívem.
Among all our Kékfrankos plantings Bati Kereszt is the most protected, North-facing plot, covered from two sides by forest. Ripening and harvest are delayed by 2-3 weeks compared to other vineyards. The prolonged growing season adorns the wines with a more fragile structure and typically delicate, floral aromas.
The name Bati Kereszt refers to the nearby cross, in Hungarian „kereszt“
Bati Kereszt dűlő
A4-1 clone, planted 2002
0,94 ha, 4300 living vines (in 2023)
N-facing, protected slope
275-278m above sea level
Excavations at Bati Kereszt show a unique layered soil with loess bedrock, a 20-30cm thick red clay layer. This clay layer seems to have a stress-inducing factor on vines’ roots, leading to increased anthocyanin production (pink coloration of the root tips).
The Kékfrankos grapes grown in the middle of the Baranya-valley enjoy the Szekszárd sunshine. With a southeast exposure the valley opens to the Great Plain. On warm summer days It is very noticeable, how the heat waves are streaming in from the Plain into the valley.
Observations about Kékfrankos Baranya wines:
Baranya-völgy dűlő
2 terasz parcella
A4-1 clone, planted in 2010
0,78 ha, 3965 living vines (in 2023)
SE facing terraces
200-210m above sea level6 terasz parcella
A4-1 clone, planted in 2013
1,44 ha, 6889 living vines (in 2023)
SE facing terraces
200-210m above sea level
Soils at the Baranya-valley show no layering, just pure loess with fine limestone corns. While parcels in the bottom of the valley have a visible upper humous layer, in the top parcels low soil life activity were observed. Development of more humous, more microbial activities are ongoing.
Would you be looking for a red grape variety to represent the diversity of Central European terroirs, Kékfrankos lends itself as the most obvious choice. With its erect shoots and savory berries, and importantly with moderate yields, it can be a very reliable grape variety, reflecting the climatic and soil conditions it’s grown on.
Kadarka is a variety with thin skins and very tasty, juicy berries. Heimann’s interest lays in retaining this juicyness and bringing the vivid varietal character to the bottle.
Since Kadarka is susceptible both to Botrytis and to an early shriveling of the berries in excessively warm and dry weather, careful choice of the harvest date is key in nailing the wine style.
Started in the year 2005, a selection of new potential clones of the Kadarka grape variety were planted on the estate. After careful observation in the vineyard and through micro-vinifications, the seven best clones were further propagated. In recent year, new clones have shown their strength in more homogenous ripening potential, and showing rich flavour while staying true to the featherlight elegance of the Kadarka variety. This broadening of the genetic pool of Kadarka is great assurance in the future of this –mostly forgotten– grape variety.
