Hungary | Etyek, Eger & Tokaji
Hungary | Wine Tours from Budapest
Budapest is a fantastic place to start your wine tours in Hungary. This historic and fascinating country offers numerous wine regions to explore either on day trips from your base in Budapest or by enjoying multi-day trips spent away from the capital. Etyek is a wine region located really close to Budapest and is an easy day trip, avoiding packing and unpacking your increasingly heavy luggage. The world-famous Tokaji wine region is best enjoyed by staying overnight in or near the town itself. Two or three days spent exploring Tokaj will never be forgotten.
You also have the option of Eger, an historical gem of a place with a high concentration of quality wineries. Eger is less than a 2-hour drive from Budapest, so it could be visited as a day trip, but it is even better to stay over in Eger. You will then be able to fully enjoy this lovely little place and visit Tokaji from there.
Hungary Wine Highlights:
- On arrival, take a Budapest city tour plus an introductory tasting of Hungarian wines.
- Stay one, two or even three nights in the lovely Tokaji wine region.
- Visit many high-quality Tokaj wineries, vineyards and cellars.
- Taste the iconic “Bull´s Blood” and the exquisite “Tokaj Aszu” wines.
- Explore the Etyek and Eger wine regions, plus the historic town of Eger.
- Enjoy local gastronomy and tour some traditional butchers or cheesemakers.
- Stay at vineyards, rustic guest houses, old castles, and mansions.
- Tastings are often in historic cellars, and some tours are guided by winemakers and owners.
Remember | Everything we do is custom-made for each client or small group; all services are private. If you wish to stay somewhere a little longer or skip something altogether, no problem, just let us know.
Arrival In Budapest.
We will meet you at Budapest Airport and transfer you to your hotel in the historic centre of the city. In the evening, you will have an introductory tasting, a broad flight of Hungarian wines at a lovely wine bar; our favourite is Doblo. This will give you a useful overview of Hungarian wine and whet your appetite for the next few days of wine exploration.
Your choice of lodging in Budapest will depend on your preferences, location, hotel style, and budget. When planning your tour, we will discuss hotel level, and anything from 3 to 5 stars can be arranged. We suggest it is better to spend on experiences rather than lodging; you spend most of your time out and about. However, if you fancy splurging on an upscale hotel, we have some great options.
A great introductory article on Hungarian wine
Budapest and Etyek.
Today starts with a half-day city tour of Budapest. There are several historic monuments we will show you on this tour of the capital. Budapest is spectacular by day or night, so in the evening, make sure to stroll along the river. If you have some spare time when we come back to Budapest, you can see even more. If you find yourself with an extra day or two that you can add to your schedule, even better!
After seeing some of the city from both sides of the river, we will drive 30 to 40 minutes to the nearest wine region to Budapest, called Etyek. We will start with some fuel and enjoy a traditional cold cuts, bread, vegetables and double cream lunch at a traditional Master Butcher shop and cellar in Etyek. It’s likely to be quite hot out here, so we will probably quaff a Froccs Spritz on arrival.
We will visit the cellar to see dozens of hams hanging and maturing, and we will meet the Master Butcher and his wife, hear a little about the process, and sit outside eating and drinking in a place that seems so far from the bustle of the city but is in fact very close. Etyek is full of winery options, and if you have fixed ideas of where you want to go, let us know beforehand. Below, we mention two places that we normally visit.
Our first visit could be to Kuria with its stylish tasting rooms and eye-catching labels. This wine region is predominantly limestone-based, rich in volcanic minerals. The terroir is ideal for white grape varietals such as Olaszrizling, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, and Sauvignon Blanc. Only a few reds are made in Etyek, principally Portugieser, Kadarka, and Pinot Noir. We will enjoy a premium tasting at Kuria before strolling round to the nearby Hernyak winery.
Hernyák Winery is one of the most dynamically growing family wineries in the area, and the members of the family will proudly show us around their impressive projects. Hernyak´s vines are planted across 8 hectares on the south-east-facing slopes around Etyek, which offer the best microclimates. This visit feels very personal, very interactive. After tasting at these two wineries, we will drive the short distance back to your hotel in central Budapest and leave you free to explore the city by night.
Eger and Tokaji.
We will pick you up early-ish today as we will be driving to Tokaj via another excellent wine region, Eger. This 11th-century town is famous for its castle, lovely cobbled streets, and its “Bull´s Blood” wine. The legend surrounding this local blend is an interesting one. As you may have read, Egri Bikaver is required to be a blend of the Kekfrancos variety, at least 50% and then at least 3 French varieties. The superior level of Bull´s Blood will have 4 other varieties blended with Kekfrancos. You will have the chance to try several examples during this trip and draw your own conclusions on the aroma, flavour, and quality.
In the “Valley of the Beautiful Women”, a few kilometres from Eger town, many cellars found side-by-side have been nicely restored and made into wine bars and restaurants. If you decide to add an overnight stay in Eger, then this valley is lovely to stroll around in the evening, trying a glass or four at several places. Our favourite converted cellar belongs to the Ostoros Winery.
Kovacs Nimrod – Old press houses and cellars.
Several old press houses and cellars have been connected to form the winery; cellars have been extended and joined to increase capacity. Clients will love the tasting room, which is very well-appointed and, as the owners are fans of jazz and blues, you will try wines with names such as Dixie, Cool, Blues, etc. Piped music in the tasting area and bathrooms. Our premium tasting will include these music-themed wines, plus the flagship, limited-issue NJK line.
The Grand Cru line comes from near the top of the Nagy Eged hill – Limestone and Rhyolite Tuff volcanic deposits give a complex, highly mineral character. Nimrod also owns two other vineyards on lower slopes in other nearby locations where Granite and Limestone dominate soils.
Bolyki Winery – Hewn out of rock.
On our Hungary wine tour route, you won’t see any other wineries that look like this one. Cut into huge limestone rock faces, with 2 massive blocks guarding the entrance. We were told that these two blocks fell down onto several tanks that were at that location, crushing them and sending thousands of litres of wine down the hill.
There are two very impressive tasting rooms that remind you of a King Arthur round table room hewn into the rock. The wine labels are very entertaining, or slightly bizarre, depending on how much you have been drinking today! Kekfrancos is the cornerstone grape used to create Bulls Blood, or Egri Bikavér (Egri meaning “from Eger”), with other regional varieties such as Csillag. There is the white Furmint, which is popular in many Hungarian wine regions, and a large number of French varieties are also grown.
Our suggested hotel for your Hungary wine tour itinerary night in Tokaj is absolutely beautiful. The Degenfeld Castle Hotel is a mansion owned by the current Count Degenfeld. To work off the great wine and food you will be consuming, you can stroll up the hill through the vines to the chapel for great views over the wine region.
Exploring World-famous Tokaji.
Tokaj is a big deal! Even if you don’t know much about wine from Hungary, then you probably still know a little about Tokaj Aszú. We deal with some of the specifics of this wine region on a separate page, but needless to say there are plenty of options, and if you can stay two nights in this lovely wine region, then even better. With one night in Tokaj, we can still hit some of the highlights; please discuss this with us when you are looking at your options.
After our time in Tokaj, we will head back to Budapest for your last evening in Hungary. The next day, we will take you to the airport for your flight (or train?) to your next wine destination (maybe Germany or Turkey) or home, where you will be scouring wine stores for bottles you have tasted on your trip.