On the west side of Somló hill, there is an old stone quarry, known in Hungarian as kőfejtő, which was used to mine basalt rock that was formed by an ancient lava flow from the time of volcanic activity on the hill. It was quickly discovered that Somló basalt crumbles easily and is not suited for buildings or roadways, thus the kőfejtő was shut down. The qualities that make the basalt bad for infrastructure are wonderful for viticulture since the roots of the vines can easily make their way through the gravel soil while searching for water, giving all the wines from the west side of Somló an extra crisp minerality.

It was here on the west side, that Péter Tóth’s grandfather bought a plot of land in the 1980s. Péter spent his summer’s exploring Somló hill and quickly became enamored with grape growing. As a high school student, Péter decided he wanted to become a winemaker and eventually that plot of land on the west side next to the old stone quarry became the palette from which he crafts his own artisan wines in his own cellar called Kőfejtő Pince. 

Péter founded Kőfejtő Pince in 2008. Up until 2024, he lived in a family house just above the vineyards with his wife Vera, who is a scientist, and their two daughters. Recently, Péter and his family moved to Budapest because of Vera’s job. 

Péter has a calm demeanor and an easy sense of humor. He is exacting in knowledge about his vineyard and can recall each vintage and tell you what the weather was like, which barrels were used, the degree of bâtonnage, and other techniques he chose to bring out the best in the wine for that year. This lends to a very engaging and informative wine tasting. Péter cultivates the vineyards on his own with the support of his family, adhering to organic viticulture practices. One standard practice he consistently incorporates in the vineyard is leaving his grapes completely covered with foliage in order to combat the heat that beats down on the hill, and thus, preventing the grapes from ripening prematurely. 

In the cellar, Péter ferments the wines with natural yeast in 220 liter Hungarian oak barrels and let’s them mature in the barrel for 6-8 months.

Technically, Péter could be a certified organic winemaker, but many winemakers of this size do not want to jump through the hoops of bureaucracy nor do they see the benefit.

On Somló, Péter grows Furmint, Hárslevelű, Olaszriylizing, and Juhfark.  He also owns a small plot on Ság hill - one of the appellation’s smaller volcanic hills - where he grows a few red varieties.  In honor of his wife, Vera, who loves red wine, he makes a red blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Peter’s respect for the land and love for viticulture as well as his simple hands-on approach make him a well-respected winemaker on the hill, and throughout Hungary.