Our winery was founded by the saviour of Hungarian vituculture, the famous viticulturist, Zsigmond Teleki in 1881, his spiritual heritage has been determining our estate regarding both our future objectives and every day practices. Our state of art winery is equipped with the most modern machinery, and every year 2 million bottles are filled. Under the winery building the longest cellar labyrinth of Villány stretches deep into the ground.
Being the largest winery of Villány wine region we have vineyards in the best ’crus’ of Villány capable of producing grapes of the most outstanding quality: we harvest from the legendary Kopár vineyard, and we have parcels in the excellent vineyards called Ördögárok, Csillagvölgy or Jammertal. Currently our estate owns 370 hectares, which will be increased up to 500 hectares by the year of 2020.
In addition to Teleki traditions and those of the wine region, we consider innovation most important as well so that the merits of the past and human knowledge can join forces with the most modern winery equipments. From satellite vineyard monitoring system to computer controlled vine plantation – all these human innovations serve the most essential objective to produce wines of extraordinary quality.
Villány is predestined to give unparralel red wines, thank to the mediterranean climate Bordeaux varieties ripen fully every year – Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot –, but our native Kékfrankos (also known as Blaufränkisch) feels at home in Villány as well. We harvest Syrah in smaller quantities, but we are fond of this variety just like Petit Verdot, which is less known in Hungary. The traditional variety of Villány, Portugieser is vinified as red wine as well as a rosé, while the dignified elegance of Pinot Noir contributes to the beauty of not only our red wines, but it also serves as the base wine of our bottle fermented sparkling wine.
We produce a white wine of Hungary’s most popular grape variety called Olaszrizling (also known as Welschriesling), and a single varietal wine made of Hárslevelű, and to these two whites a third one has recently been added: the immensely popular aromatic indigenous grape of ours called Irsai Olivér.
Zsigmond Teleki
``Fine wines cannot be made without devotion``
THE MILESTONES OF OUR HISTORY
Our past, present and future
THE BEGINNING OF VITICULTURE
Our region was inhabited by the Celts, who – under Greek influence – were experienced wine growers by this time.
4th century B. C.
THE VALUABLE VINEYARDS OF VILLÁNY
The Roman Empire conquered Pannonia, and there are written evidences from this era to prove that the Romans had been aware of the prestige and value of Villány vineyards.
1st century B. C.
VINES AT THE FEET OF FORTRESSES
Our ancestors arrived in 896, Hungary was born! The Roman heritage was maintained and cherished by our forefathers even in the most tragic times of the Middle Ages. After the Mongol invasion grapes were grown mainly on the feet of fortress hills, with the protection of the lord of the castle – as it can still be read in the foundation certificate of Szársomlyó given by King Béla the 4th.
1249
THE APPEARANCE OF PORTUGIESER GRAPE VARIETY
Due to noble families like the Savoyai, Albrecht, Batthyány, and later Montenuovo family mastering of agriculture has been elevated to a very high level including winemaking as well. As a consequence, Villány became an internationally famed wine region. Wines matured here were transported not only to other countries in Europe, but also to North and South America, and were consumed by many people to their great pleasure.
17–19. centuries
ZSIGMOND TELEKI SAVES VILLÁNY
Zsigmond Teleki was born in the southern Hungarian city of Pécs as the son of a grocer. After his studies in Budapest and Vienna, he started to work as a bookkeeper, then he became a wine merchant. He travelled all through Europe and with his immense knowledge and experience he literally saved the vineyards of Villány.
1854
CHATEAU TELEKI WINERY IS FOUNDED
The devastating phylloxera reached Villány in 1872, and as it happened to countless wine regions of Europe, the vineyards of Villány were completely destroyed. However Zsigmond Teleki founded a graft nursery in 1881 where he selected resistant varieties by crossing American and European varieties. The hybrids created by Zsigmond Teleki were adapted and bred further all over the world. Chateau Teleki estate founded by him became the official supplier of the royal and imperial court.
1881
A STATUE WAS ERECTED IN VILLÁNY IN HONOUR OF ZSIGMOND TELEKI
Zsigmond Teleki’s sons, Andor and Sándor opened an export office in Vienna in 1910 and they also launched several experimental graft nurseries: in the 1920’s there were functioning Teleki stockyards and experimental plantations in Austria, Italy, France and even in Algeria. At the international viticulturist conference in Barcelona in 1930, it was officially ackowledged that the vineyards of Europe had been reconstructed with the help of the experimental varieties by Zsigmond Teleki. In the very same year his followers erected a statue to commemorate the great viticulturist.
1930
THE WINERY IS NATIONALIZED
Under the Soviet regime the winery was nationalized, and the prestigious estate became a „socialist state farm”. Quantity ruled over quality. The plantation built in this era was oversize and fragmented: on one side of the highway there lied the grape processing plant, while the winery itself was situated over the road, what is more the bottling plant and the store house was located even farther, behind the mountain. The buildings were joined by the huge underground cellar labyrinth.
1945
ANTAL BAKONYI, CHIEF WINEMAKER AND PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
The winery was purchased by the current owner and in the year of 2000 major development began under the professional management and guidance of Antal Bakonyi, who led the winery and its predecessor from 1967 to 2015. The development took place both in the vineyards and the winery buildings.
1998
THE ESTATE IS NAMED CSÁNYI WINERY
The changing of the regime took place, a new chapter began in the life of the winery. The winery received a new name after its owner, and the management set its objectives as priority to strictly follow Teleki traditions. The old plant with fragmented buildings was replaced with a state of art winery with the most modern techniques, all located between the highway and the eastern foothills of Villány mountain.
2002
ON THE PATH TO FUTURE
Present chief executive manager, László Romsics took over the estate with the well defined objective to develop the winery into a dynamic estate of the 21st century, which is market leading not only within Hungary, but also in Europe.