📍 Zala

Zala is a wine district in western Hungary, in Zala County, not far from the borders with Slovenia and Croatia. The district belongs to the larger Balaton region, which stretches around the lake. Zala has fewer famous wine villages than the shore of Balaton, but many small hills with vineyards, forests and quiet valleys.

The climate is moderate, humidity is higher than in the centre of the country, summers are not hot and winters are cool. Vineyards lie on hills with clay and sandy soils. The wines are based on white grapes, the main one being Welschriesling (Olaszrizling in Hungarian). It gives light, fresh wines with citrus scents and good acidity. Other whites are grown too, and a little red.

The zone also covers the Mura river valley in the south-west, by the border with Slovenia and Croatia, from which a wine of the same name comes. Estates are small, and wines go mostly to the local market and to restaurants around Balaton.

For comparison with its neighbours: to the east lies the Balaton-felvidék district with basalt hills, to the south Balatonboglár, and to the west across the border Slovenia's Prekmurje.