During our brief four days in Hungary, we opted to rent a car and spend a day in Tokaj, a wine production region located about 3 hours northeast of Budapest. (You can read the recap of Budapest, and find our full itinerary, here.)
Tokaj is a region comprised of 27 towns and villages spread over the foothills surrounding the now inactive volcano, Mount Tokaj. The rocky volcanic subsoil provides an ideal growing climate, and the fog that covers the valley in the early morning provides just enough moisture and humidity to enable gray mold, or botrytis, to grow. When the dry heat sets in the late summer, the berries lose their water and dry up. They’re then picked by hand and pressed to form eszencia, a syrupy liquid with low alcohol content and high sugars. The eszencia is then mixed with non-botrytis grapes at specific levels, then furmented to create aszú. Tokaji aszú is considered by many sommeliers and wine aficionados to be some of the best, and most unique, wines in the world. Bottles of aszú fetch $50-150 Euros in local markets (they’re relatively hard to find in the US – Total Wine in Dallas carries one bottle for about $65USD for 500mL), while the pure eszencia, if you can find it, can cost hundreds for a 100mL bottle (if you want to try it, Costes in Budapest serves 1 oz of eszencia as the wine pairing to one of its dessert courses).
Visiting wineries in Tokaj is difficult, though, since most are only open to the public for a few weeks around harvest. C found a local wine expert and journalist, Gergely (“Greg”) Somogyi, who set up a bespoke tour of local vineyards for us, complete with one of the most comprehensive (and interesting) regional history lessons I’ve ever received. I can’t say enough wonderful things about Greg and the advantages of hiring someone local for a private tour, rather than relying on a big company that will drive you in from Budapest (which was our next-best option). He is considered to be one of the most foremost experts on the region, spending most of his days providing tours to journalist and visiting sommeliers. Greg was given the keys to different wineries and walked us through both the vineyards and production facilities, ending with a private tasting.
While the first two stops were interesting, the last stop on our tour was definitely the highlight. Greg brought us to the home of Ábrahám Pince, which at the time, was literally in the home of the winemakers. The fermentation tanks were in their garage, and the tasting room, their family living room. We spent a few hours there talking with the owner/winemaker and tasting different varietals and even a few from his personal collection that have never been available for sale. A completely remarkable, unique experience! (As a note, Abraham has since moved to a larger space near the vineyard.)
ONE DAY IN HUNGARIAN WINE COUNTRY: ITINERARY
Wake up early to make the drive from Budapest to the Tokaj region, stopping for a breakfast pastry and coffee on your way out (or if you’re like us, a McDonalds breakfast sandwich and Diet Coke. Don’t judge.).
Meet your guide (we recommend Greg to anyone going to the region) in Tarcal where they’ll swap to driving your car (to keep everyone safe and allow you to drink as much as you like) to the first winery. Allow your local guide to select – they’ll find the best spots. We started at Disznókő for a tour of the vineyards followed by lunch and a tasting. We then went over to Patricius for our their production facilities and tasting in their gorgeous private room overlooking the estate, before finishing our tour at Ábrahám Pince.
Head to your hotel in Tarcal, a small village near many of the local vineyards. We opted for the Andrassy Rezidencia Wine and Spa, however the Grof Degenfeld Castle Hotel was also high on our list (note: Grof Degenfeld is not open during certain months of the year).
If you’re staying at Andrassy, head to the spa before dinner where you can relax in the thermal pools, grotto, and steam showers. Have dinner at the hotel.
Take in a leisurely breakfast at your hotel in the morning before making the drive back to Budapest.
Have questions about traveling to Tokaj? Email me. We’ve got a ton of research that we’d love to share!