The 1989-90 breakdown of the communist bloc in Eastern Europe left Hungary without its main customer, the Soviet Union. But it gave Hungary's wine industry the freedom to innovate and modernise, moving away from a system that stressed quantity over quality.
Today, producers of high-quality Hungarian wines have turned to other export markets, including Hong Kong.
In terms of style, critic Jancis Robinson compares Hungarian wines to those of Austria, due to the similarity in climate and the River Danube's geographic influence.
Hungary has attracted much foreign investment from Spain, Italy and France, leading to increased plantings of international grape varieties and a trend towards contemporary wine styles. White wines will tend to be fuller bodied, while red wines may be more variable in quality.
Furmint is the most widely planted white grape variety in Hungary and is typically used to make dessert wines.