Vineyards

Our vineyards are located in the northern part of Tokaj region outside the town of Sárospatak about 20 km to the Slovakian border. The vineyards are in close proximity to Hungary’s most beautiful tarn called The Megyer-Hill Tarn.

We work on approximately 13 hectares of land planted mostly with traditional varieties from Tokaj, i.e., Furmint, Hárslevelű, Muscat Lunel. We believe that Furmint is the most important variety to express the volcanic terroir of are vineyards and slopes, Hárslevelű has a very significant role to bring complexity of pronounced fruits and floral characters and Muscat has an undoubtedly unique sweet spiciness and aromatic character that enrich the complexity of our aszú and late harvest wines.

Handcraft does not only mean organic and low intervention cultivation for us, but careful attention to the vine, always keeping in mind that the quality of the wine is primarily decided in the vineyards. In our low cordon cultivation, we prune the vine stock back leaving only 10-12 buds on them. During our work over the year, we keep pruning the bunches of grapes to reach only 6-7 bunches per vine stock to maximise flavour concentration by the time of the harvest.

Winery

Handcraft is not only present in the vineyard. The endeavour for being natural is our most important principle in the cellar too, completed with the combination of traditions and modern approaches.

We take care of our wines according to their character and individual nature. The processes for our fresh youthful style of wines are adequately controlled by the use of stainless-steel tanks for example the wildly popular and particularly scented Muscat is produced by reductive technology. Our single vineyard furmints are aged in Hungarian Zemplén oak barrels for usually 4-8 months as it’s body, mineral flavour concentration and outstanding acidity interacts extremely well with barrel ageing. Our aszú wines spend a minimum of two years in oak barrels before bottling as it is not only a tradition, but also now part of Tokaj-Hegyalja (Tokaj Foothills) PDO’s regulation.

We produce approximately 180-190 hectolitres of wine per year. We make wines which can show the diversity of our region, the character of our terroir and the traditions of our land, however we also believe in progression and sustainability. Today, more than 70% of our production goes under organic viticultural approach.

Family heritage

The land has been owned and taken care of by the same family for over 170 years, except for the Rákosi era.

In 1850 Rick Jakab the great-great-grandfather of the current owner (Gábor Harsányi) had purchased the first vineyard and established the Rick Cottage. He had also opened the first pharmacy in Sárospatak. The cottage has become one of the town’s main heritage destinations for tourists since.

From 1877 Jakab’s son, Gusztáv Rick took over the estate and the pharmacy, but the significant improvements of the winery had started under his wife’s Jolán Grissza management who soon became widow when Gusztáv passed away at the age of 41. She had sold the pharmacy and invested the money in Ciróka vineyard and became one of the certifiers of the wine contests organized on Tokaj-Hegyalja for years.

In 1907 the real flourishing became complete during the time of the great-grandfather, Béla Rick who graduated in agriculture so he could develop and cultivate the vineyards of the Rick brothers called “Ciróka” at the highest standards of the times as an expert.

This was broken by World War II. followed by the deportations and the confiscations of the entire land in the Rákosi era. The family winery was then taken up by Dr. Ádám Harsányi (grandson of Béla Rick) in the 1970s who was a physician in Budapest, but his family traditions and his heart belonged to Sárospatak. During the compensations in 1992 most of the original vineyards were transferred back to the possession of the family but the major goal was still to continue family traditions.

Gábor Harsányi took over the management of the winery in 2012 when his father got retired. Although he has a different profession like his ancestors, but the family land, the “Ciróka” still takes a central place in his life. He opened a new era in the history of the winery when he took over the land. Stepping out of the family business he expanded the size of land and changed to more modern viniculture and wine-making technologies. As a committed handcraft wine-maker his work combines tradition, modernism and expertise well.

Our slopes

KIRÁLYHEGY

Királyhegy is the oldest historic vineyard of Sárospatak. The south-eastern, cool slope is based on rhyolitic tuff although there are spots of andesite which is also very common in volcanic territories. The wines of the slope have a tense acidic character and beautifully developing, particularly rich minerality. Furmint and yellow muscat are grown in this territory on 20 to 30-year-old highly productive vine stocks.

KÚTPATKA

It is an exceptionally well-positioned slope with excellent conditions to spoil wine lovers with outstanding quality wines. It is a very steep and high territory where the number of sunny hours is expressly favourable for the grapes due to the southern position of the slope. It is based on rhyolitic tuff, which is typical in the area with ferric oxide precipitations. The soil structure is compact and rocky. Wines made from the grapes harvested here have good acidic structure and higher alcohol content and are complex and rich due to the excellent position of the territory. We find furmint and scented hárslevelű in the territory. The vine stocks may be as old as 40 years.

CZIRÓKA

The core of the vine territory, the heart of the land was purchased by Jakab Rick the great-great-grandfather of the current owner (Gábor Harsányi) in 1850. The land has been owned by the same family for 170 years except for the Rákosi era. The base rock of the slope is rhyolitic tuff covered with less rocky, argillaceous, thick and fat soil. Due to the special terroir and its favourable south-western position the wines from here are playful, fruity and light. Furmint, hárslevelű and yellow muscat give us excellent wines from here.

MEGYER

The history of Megyer hill or slope in Sárospatak reaches back to the Middle Ages. It is most probably named after the Hungarian Megyer tribe from the era of the Hungarian conquest. The steep, south-western slope is characterised by very varied soil structures and colourful composition. There are high amounts of clay and fine grains of kaoline which results in a porous structure on the rocky ground. The wines of the slope are heavy, rich and creamy. The 20 to 30-year old vine stocks give us furmint and hárslevelű.