Vines were brought to the region two thousand years ago by the Romans. The soil and climate of the Balaton region favours this delicate plant, and now Lake Balaton has become almost synonymous with good wines. Badacsony wine is a veritable legend. The reason for the excellent quality is the soil, containing volcanic rock, the Mediterranean climate of the sheltered southern slope and what is known as secondary radiation, the sunlight reflected from Lake Balaton, which doubles the strength of the rays. The best known wines of the Badacsony region are Szürkebarát (Pinot Gris) and Kéknyelű, but the Olaszrizling (Laski Rizling), the Rizlingszilváni (Müller-Thurgau), the Ottonell Muskotály (Muscat Ottonel), and Tramini are also delicious. Many characteristics of the Balatonfüred-Csopak region (G 2-3) are similar to those of Badacsony (D 4). Although the wines here are also fiery and strong, they have a more elegant character than those from the neighbouring region. The typical grapes of the region are the Rajnai Rizling (Rhein Riesling), Olaszrizling (Laski Riesling) and Chardonnay, but on the Tihany hills black grapes also grow: Merlot, Zweigelt and Cabernet Franc. Somló Hill is also a famous wine-growing region, if a little further from the lake. Its vintage was formerly known as the “wedding night wine”, for it was widely believed that those who drink it give birth to baby boys. For centuries Somló wine was indispensable at royal wedding banquets. Today the side of the wellformed volcanic remnant hill is planted mainly with Furmint, Olaszrizling, but this is also the last bastion of an old Hungarian variety, Juhfark. A large area of the wine growing region next to Lake Balaton is encircled by the southern slopes of the Keszthely hills and the Káli Basin (DE 3). Many varieties of white grapes grow in these parts, but the most famous is the locally selected Cserszegi fűszeres (“spicy wine of Cserszeg”), the wine of which, with its spicy bouquet and nose, has won a dozen or so competitions. Grapes have long been cultivated on the southern shore of Lake Balaton too. The varieties grown are no different from those on the other shore, but the sandy loess soil lends them an entirely different flavour. In these parts, the cellars mature smooth, fruity wines, rich in aromas. Perhaps the only exception are those grown on the side of Castle Hill in Fonyód (D 4) and Balatonbolgár (E 4), because the two small hills - just like their larger brothers on the opposite shore - are also the result of volcanic activity. The largest single vineyards can be found on the border of Balatonboglár.