Furmint is a white Hungarian wine grape variety that is most noted widely grown in the Tokaj-Hegyalja wine region where it is used to produce single-varietal dry wines as well as being the principal grape in the better known Tokaji dessert wines. It is also grown in the tiny Hungarian wine region of Somló. Furmint plays a similar role in the Slovakian wine region of Tokaj. It is also grown in Austria where it is known as Mosler. Smaller plantings are found in Slovenia where it is known as Šipon. The grape is also planted in Croatia & Serbia, where it is known as Moslavac. It is also found in Romania and in former republics of the Soviet Union. Furmint is a late ripening variety. For dry wines the harvest starts usually in September, however sweet wine specific harvest can start in the second half of October or even later, and is often affected by Botrytis.
Furmint grape cluster
Gouais blanc, one of the likely parent varieties of Furmint.
Furmint may have been introduced to Hungary during the reign of King Béla IV.
Furmint grape cluster and leaf from Viala et Vermorel's 1901-1910 ampelography texts.
Hungarian wine has a history dating back to the Kingdom of Hungary. Outside Hungary, the best-known wines are the white dessert wine Tokaji aszú and the red wine Bull's Blood of Eger.
A bottle of Zweigelt
Grapes in an Upper Hungarian vineyard.
A Tokaji vineyard.
The first village level dry Furmint in the Tokaji wine region