Flavescence Dorée outbreak grips Hungarian vineyards

Hungary’s vineyards are facing a major crisis as Flavescence Dorée (FD), a phytoplasma disease spread by the leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus, sweeps across almost all of the country’s 22 wine regions, including the UNESCO-listed Tokaj. First detected in 2013, FD has exploded in 2025, fuelled by a perfect storm of environmental and structural factors.

Hungary’s warm continental climate allows the leafhopper to reproduce rapidly, while fragmented vineyards bordered by forest and abandoned plots provide ideal refuges for both insects and wild vines. Limited early enforcement, uneven regional coordination, and the movement of infected planting material have also accelerated spread far faster than in western Europe, where decades of strict control have kept FD in check.

More than 200 inspection teams are now surveying 3,385 hectares nationwide. Infected vines are being uprooted and insecticide spraying extended into November, backed by 3.8 billion forints (£8 million) in state funding. Despite hopes that swift action can save key regions, experts warn the disease is 'spreading extremely rapidly', threatening not only Hungary’s vineyards but potentially neighbouring countries too.