Saturday October 29, 2011
Hungary has a long history of producing sparkling wine, and these days pezsgő is more popular than ever. Many wineries have begun producing their own sparkling wine, either doing it themselves or sending their must to larger producers with proper aging cellars. Hungary has ideal conditions for growing the grapes to make sparkling wine, and many of them are grown right outside of Budapest in the Etyek/Buda region. On this tour we will visit Budafok and the Törléy Winery (which produces many ranges of sparkling wine), Etyek (a pretty village with several historic cellar rows and gorgeous vineyard views), and Budaörs (an old winemaking village just outside of Budapest). Come join us to taste the best of Hungary’s sparklers!
{10:15am} Depart from Budapest. We will meet at Batthyány tér and depart promptly.
{11am} Tour and tasting at the Törléy Winery in Budafok. Here we will taste four sparkling wines made by the traditional method. We will tour the cavernous cellar system, look at the old aging cellar, learn about the history of making sparkling wine in Hungary, and discuss how it was made in the past and today.
{1pm} Cellar tour, lunch, and tasting of five wines at the Hernyák Estate, including their first sparkling wine and their brand-new brandy. The winery is owned and run by the Hernyák family, an extremely hospitable family which is one of the pioneers in the region. Lunch will be prepared by the family and served in their open kitchen overlooking the vineyards. We can also take a look at their small brandy distillery. Lunch menu TBA.
—Take a walk in the vineyards behind the Hernyák Estate.
—Look around the cellar rows of Etyek.
{4pm} Tour and tasting at József Szentesi’s wine cellar in Budaörs. In addition to this small cellar where Szentesi produces wines from nearly forgotten native grape varietals, he also has a larger cellar in Budafok where he began producing sparkling wine last year. Here we will taste six of Szentesi’s sparkling wines, which he produces from the grapes grown by more than a dozen small wineries around the country. The sparkling wine will be accompanied by a selection of local ham which has been smoked, cured, and aged.
{6pm} Arrive back in Budapest, drop-off at Batthyány tér.
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 payable via paypal or bank transfer will be required). Itinerary is subject to change.
Photo credit: flickr user jemasmith.