Kőfejtő Pince – Volcanic Wines from the Séd parcel, Somló
Kőfejtő Pince is a small, family-run estate on the western side of Somló, next to an old basalt quarry. The site was formed by an ancient lava flow, leaving behind fractured, mineral-rich basalt rubble. While useless for construction, this soft, crumbling rock allows vine roots to penetrate deeply in search of water. This porous, nutrient-poor volcanic soil produces wines with razor-sharp acidity and a distinctive salty, mineral structure that is typical of western Somló.
The vineyard was first purchased by winemaker Péter Tóth’s grandfather in the 1980s. Péter planted his own vines here between 2004–2008, creating a one-hectare estate on the Séd parcel. All grapes are grown and harvested by hand, and only estate fruit is used in the cellar.
Viticulture and Winemaking: Kőfejtő Pince practices a foliage-heavy canopy to protect the fruit from excessive heat on Somló’s western slope. By encouraging sugar production to remain in the leaves rather than the berries, ripening slows down naturally. This results in lower alcohol levels, tighter acidity and better phenolic balance at harvest.
Fermentations are carried out exclusively with native yeasts, with low sulphur use. Bâtonnage is adjusted according to the vintage, and ageing takes place in traditional 220–260 litre Szerednyei oak barrels, which promote slow oxygen exchange. This winemaking style preserves the dense volcanic texture and supports long ageing potential.
Kőfejtő Pince works primarily with Somló’s classic white varieties: Furmint, Hárslevelű, Olaszrizling and Juhfark. A small parcel on the nearby Ság hill also produces limited red grapes.
Somló in its purest form, bottled by Kőfejtő Pince.
