Thursday August 4, 2011
Summer in Hungary means visiting the iconic Lake Balaton. The shores around this 78-kilometer-long lake hold several different distinct terroirs, and on this trip we will focus on the hilly northern shore. We’ll visit three wineries in Balatonfüred and lovely Badacsony, which has volcanic vineyards that make it one the country’s most scenic wine regions (and also among the first to be mentioned in Hungarian historical records for winemaking). For lunch, we will dine on a terrace overlooking the lake, at a winery-owned restaurant specializing in preparing Hungarian specialties. And we will visit a farm where we can meet live Mangalica pigs and Hungarian Grey Cattle. Of course, there will be time to admire the lake and to see just what it is that makes Hungarians flock here every summer.
{8am} Depart from Budapest. We will meet at Batthyány tér and depart promptly.
{10am} Arrive in Balatonfüred for a tour and tasting at the Figula Winery. The winery, which opened in 1993, was one of the pioneers of the new generation of wineries that began to produce top-quality wine after the end of Communism. The winery produces mostly whites such as olaszrizling, chardonnay, and sauvignon blanc, as well as a few reds.
{1pm} Lunch at the Szent Orbán Borház Restaurant, located in Badacsony and owned by winemaker Huba Szeremley. If the weather cooperates we can dine outdoors on the lovely vine-covered terrace overlooking the lake. Lunch will be paired with wines from the Szeremley Winery. Menu TBA.
—Walk to the lake
{4:30pm} Tour and tasting at the small Nyári Winery, which has a lovely location on St. George Hill. The winery works on just a few hectares of vineyards, and produces olaszrizling, chardonnay, and sauvignon blanc, and cserszegi fűszeres. We will sit on the terrace of the family house, which is hundreds of years old, for the tasting.
{6:30pm} Visit the farm in the Balaton Uplands National Park which raises Hungarian heritage animals like Racka sheep, Mangalica pigs, and Hungarian Grey cattle.
{7:30pm} Depart for Budapest.
Price: 30,000 HUF per person, all-inclusive of transportation and the above wine tastings and food. Call or email to reserve your place (a 25 percent deposit will be required). Itinerary is subject to change.