Wine from a 2-Million-Year-Old Volcano

PAP Wines began as a passion project rather than a grand plan. Aron Molnár and Karina Vissonova met in Copenhagen, where Karina was pursuing her PhD in design and Aron was exploring his creative impulses as a DJ and avid cook. [^198^] [^200^] Their shared love of wine — not as a commodity, but as an expression of place, culture, and human care — led them to search for a home where they could transform that love into a livelihood. They found it on Szent György-hegy, a 2-million-year-old extinct volcano on the northern shore of Lake Balaton, in the Badacsony wine region of western Hungary. [^199^]

Their winemaking journey began in 2014 when they stumbled upon an old wine press-house on the slopes of the volcano. [^200^] It was here that they discovered the untapped potential of this wine-growing area — a place where ancient volcanic soils, indigenous grape varieties, and a forgotten tradition of natural winemaking converged. While Karina continued her design work, Aron seized the opportunity to experiment with winemaking. With his background as an avid cook and a natural inclination for creativity, winemaking soon became his new passion. [^200^]

Their first attempts may have been humble, but their Pinot Noir 2015, crafted with low sulphites, proved to be a delightful surprise. [^200^] Encouraged by the positive reception, they acquired nearby vineyards on the volcano, and their journey as winemakers truly began. From the very start, Aron and Karina have been committed to organic and biodynamic farming practices. Their goal is not only to produce exceptional wines but also to leave the land better, cleaner, and healthier than they found it. [^200^] In 2017, they transitioned to low-intervention winemaking, using little to no added sulphites. [^200^] Currently awaiting biodynamic farm certification, PAP's wines are authentic, low-intervention, and completely natural. [^200^]

In the cellar, Aron and Karina practice a philosophy of absolute non-intervention. The grapes are hand-harvested and processed in their small cellar, where fermentation occurs spontaneously with indigenous yeasts. [^197^] The wines are matured on lees in barrique barrels, with no intervention — no temperature control, no selected yeasts, no enzymes, no artificial aids. [^197^] The wines are racked once before bottling, unfined and unfiltered, with minimal to no added sulphur dioxide. [^196^] [^197^] This is winemaking at its most transparent: the only thing between the grape and the glass is time.

One of PAP's specialities is macerated white wines — amber or orange wines that have become their signature. [^200^] They mostly use Hungarian local varieties for this, such as Hárslevelü, Furmint, and Kéknyelü — the latter a grape variety that grows exclusively in this region, making it rare and precious. [^200^] No other winemaker blends Kéknyelü or makes an amber wine from it, and to tease the older generation of local winemakers, Aron and Karina named this amber cuvée "Don't Tell Mama." [^200^] It is a wine of mischief and respect — a nod to tradition and a wink at convention.

The Rozsda is a Pinot Gris (Szürkebarát) that undergoes extended maceration — in the 2023 vintage, 8 months in qvevri followed by resting in barrels. [^196^] The Tuff is a direct-pressed Pinot Gris aged in amphora, capturing the purity of the variety and the mineral character of the volcanic soils. [^196^] The Bazalt is a red blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zweigelt — named after the volcanic soil that gives the wine its structure and identity. [^196^] The Rabbit's Foot is a blend of red and white wine, aged in amphorae — a wine that defies categorisation and celebrates the creative freedom that natural winemaking allows. [^199^]

Every wine is farmed, vinified, smelled, tasted, bottled, and designed by Aron and Karina. [^199^] The labels feature artwork by Aron's father, István Molnár — ink drawings and linocuts from London in the 1960s and 1970s — giving each bottle a visual identity as distinctive as the wine inside. [^199^] The result is a range of wines that are not just natural but deeply personal — wines that carry the imprint of two people, a volcano, and a belief that the best way to live is to work with nature rather than against it.