VinAgora special award for the most creative label

Hemina, the name of the Burgundian style blend of Pannonhalma Archabbey Winery refers to an amount – but don’t think of litre or pint or any other down-to-earth units of measurement. A hemina is the amount of wine YOU think appropriate for you – as it was advised by Saint Benedict, the founder of Benedictine order. Now the label of the wine received a special prize at VinAgora international wine competition. Well deserved, congratulation!

“Hemina is the proper daily amount of wine – if you drink it, you find God, but it is not enough to make you vulnerable for the devil’s temptation.” According to the explanation of the team of the winery, Saint Benedict’s rule does not define the exact amount, probably because he was a witty theologist, who took the diverse metabolism of different individuals into consideration. However, hemina is defined according to some other sources, they say it is an ancient Roman unit of liquid volume: 0.274 litres. Yet, as Peter Züllig pointed out on Wein.Plus, “the measure of the hemina has changed again and again, especially where it is still part of the table tradition, in many monasteries”. Probably many of us prefer the first explanation, which says that hemina is an undefined unit that leaves the decision to us…

Pannonhalmi Hemina 2021 – VinAgora gold

The exciting story and the stunning label would not be worth much without outstanding wine inside the bottle. But Hemina meets the expectations raised by the look undoubtedly. The blend is made of 50% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Blanc, 15% Sauvignon Blanc, and 15% Viognier. The biologically ripe grapes of the different varieties were harvested separately. After destemming the grapes, the berries were first selected by an optical sorting machine and then pressed, the cleared juice was put into 500 litre Hungarian oak barrels for the fermentation. Also, the malolactic fermentation took place in the barrels and the fine lees have been stirring up regularly for 6 months to increase the complexity of the wine and enrich its aromas.

“The wine is based on Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc that ensure the full body and the creamy structure, ornamented with the calcareous minerality and the delicate notes from the aging in used barrels and enriched by the lively fruitiness of Viognier and the vivid acidity of Sauvignon blanc. It is a complex and rich wine that can even develop with bottle ageing.”

VinAgora result sheet of the wine

More about Pannonhalma Archabbey Winery

See VinAgora Special Prizes and Champion awards here

Winery of the Year 2023: Pannonhalma Archabbey Winery