Nowadays, wines are mostly red and generally based on Kékfrankos, Kadarka or the better-known French varieties. Bikavér (translates as bull’s blood) is perhaps the wine that best shows Szekszárd’s identity. It has everything that makes a wine personable, despite boasting pretty distinctive structure. The first clear traces of viticulture and winemaking were found dating back to the time of the Roman conquest, in the form of one of the side panels of a 11-tonne marble sarcophagus, which is decorated with a fruit-bearing vine growing out of a double chalice. Throughtout the storms of Hungarian history viticulture has remained reasonably successful over the centuries until today, despite some temporary setbacks. The exemplary cooperation of the wine district’s best producers has led to their focus on a well-communicated trio of wine styles – Kadarka, Kékfrankos and Bikavér. The Szekszárd wine district is located between the Tolna-Baranya Hills and the Dunamenti Plain, west of Sárköz. Although the region is officially geographically only considered hilly, both Szekszárd local patriots and oenophiles call this gentle hillock in the centre of the wine district “Szekszárd Hill”. The vineyards that made this area so famous run along the eastern side of the north-south line from Szekszárd to Báta. The famous Őcsényi, Decsi and Sárpilisi vineyards are also located on this eastern slope, although their eponymous villages are located 3-5 km away, in the former floodplain of the Danube. The actual area under vine is 2,116 hectares.The thick loess cover of the Szekszárd Hills provides an excellent basis for the formation of soils favourable for the cultivation of black grapes. During the Holocene, about 10,000 years ago, loess loam, loam with high sand and rock particle content and, to a lesser extent, loess mixed with Pannonian sand former over the loess. It is beneficial from a viticultural perspective that loess always contains at least 5-7% active lime, although there are also soils with up to 10-30% lime content. This yields richer, more complex wines than sandy soils poor in lime. Luvisol brown forest soils also occur in the Geresd Hills area. The Szekszárd wine district has a temperate continental climate, with mild winters and warm winters. There is a high amount of heat and solar radiation, while there is little precipitation. Thus, in unfavourably hot years, some places may experience the adverse effects of drought. Thanks to its warm climate, vines are rarely damaged by frost. This is crucial for varieties sensitive to frost, such as Kadarka and Merlot.Szekszárd is known and sought after by wine lovers primarily for its red wine. The southern style is certainly no disadvantage for this type of wine. However, the same cannot be said for the white wines, which rarely gain national recognition, although there a few good exceptions in every vintage. The rich aromatics of Szekszárd wines as well as their lively acidity and elegance are what sets them apart from other Hungarian red wines. These wines can be drunk a little earlier than their counterparts in Villány, as they are rounder and their tannins are generally softer. So, Szekszárd wines are not only appealing to drink young, but also have great ageability.