How to Plan a Life-Changing Wine Trip to Hungary

Likewise, distinctive, mineral-laden wines born from volcanic soil in the Balaton, Eger, and Tokaj regions are fascinating reminders of this past. Just as no trip to Hungary is complete without bathing in its healing waters, tasting these wines—at turns salty, flinty, and smoky—in the magical settings that spawned them is essential for visiting oenophiles. Balaton The view from Szent György Hill near Lake Balaton (Photo: Akos Stiller) Hungary comprises six wine regions and 22 districts, most of which are found in greater Balaton.

Swiss expat Philipp Oser immediately slipped for the site—the former residence of 20th-century Hungarian actress Klári Tolnay—and reimagined it as a winery. Over in Badacsonytomaj, Péter Váli’s long-brewing ardor for the intertwined realms of wine and food are illuminated at Váli Winery .

It’s a powerhouse of well-structured white wines sprung from grapes like furmint, hárslevelű, and juhfark, a variety mainly grown in the region. Jásdi Winery in Csopak at Lake Balaton (Photo: Akos Stiller) Further east is Csopak. Family-run Jásdi Cellar and Wine Terrace , founded by spry septuagenarian István Jásdi, is one of the standouts in this stretch of the region.

Liliomkert market in Káptalantóti near Lake Balaton (Photo: Akos Stiller) Where to stay: Domaine Edegger in Badacsonytomaj as well regales guests with a sauna and cozy apartments. Upper Hungary Wine Region Some 90 minutes from Budapest, Eger is the most famous district in this region—for its Romanesque-Gothic castle as much as its intense Egri Bikavér cuvées that rely heavily on the kékfrankos grape.

Tokaj Arguably Hungary’s most well-known wine region, Tokaj is a UNESCO World Heritage site that produces sparkling, dry, late-harvest, and sweet wines primarily from the white grape varieties furmint and hárslevelű. Aszú, the region’s flagship, is one of the world’s most lauded dessert wines; hand-picked grapes transformed by noble rot are the result of a unique microclimate at the intersection of the Bodrog and Tisza rivers.

Rákóczi Cellar at Tokaj-Hétszőlő Vineyard in Tokaj (Photo: Akos Stiller) Furmint and hárslevelű are versatile workhorses, unleashing white wines that are as crisp as they are lovely. For one, descend into the Rákóczi Cellar, a glorious medieval structure in the town of Tokaj.

Its 136-acre vineyard was first formed in 1502, when the Garai family merged seven parcels of prime land into one. View of Sauska Padi Bistro in Rátka (Photo: Akos Stiller) Mád, a picturesque Tokaj village, is much buzzed for its single-vineyard dry furmints from top growers like Barta , Szarka , and Szepsy .

Founded by husband-and-wife duo Krisztián and Andrea Sauska, the winery, which as well has outposts in Budafok and Villány, beckons with its futuristic, UFO-like architecture. Sparkling selection at Sauska Padi Bistro in Rátka (Photo: Akos Stiller) Don’t miss : On the way to Tokaj from Budapest, take a 40-minute detour up to Boldogkő Castle in Boldogkőváralja, a stunning 13th-century stone-walled fortress.

Spend the night in an 18th-century mansion complete with terrace and garden. The wines mentioned above are available to purchase through a number of U.S.-based importers: Villa Tolnay (Palinkerie); Kőfejtő (East West Wines); 2HA (Taste Hungary Wine Shop); Váli (Danch & Granger Selections); St.