Southern Hungarian Reds

Big Reds and Rich Culture in Villány and Szekszárd

Suggested Trip Length
Although we recommend a longer stay, a Szekszárd trip can be as short as a day trip. To extend the tour southwards to include Villány, we suggest two days as a minimum. A tour encompassing Villány, Szekszárd, and Pécs could be extended to as long as a week.

When To Go
Year-round. We especially like Villány during the autumn and winter, when the chilly weather brings on a craving for reds. Villány holds its annual “Red Wine Festival” during the first weekend in October, which can make traveling there difficult without booking a room well in advance. Pécs (which can visited as a day trip from Villány) is one of Europe’s Capitals of Culture for 2010, which means that there will be abundant special events.

Wining and Dining
From Budapest, we will head south towards the so-called “Mediterranean of Hungary” and begin in Szekszárd. One of Hungary’s most exciting wine regions, Szekszárd produces many of Hungary’s biggest and best reds. Along with Eger, Szekszárd is the other homeland of the bikavér (“Bull’s Blood”) cuvee, although here the indigenous grape kadarka is more heavily accented. After kadarka, kékfrankos (blaufränkisch) is Szekszárd’s other signature grape. Merlot, cabernet sauvignon, portugieser, and pinot noir are grown here, as well as chardonnay and olaszrizling (welschriesling).

We will arrive in Szekszárd in the late-morning, take a walk around the historic center, and eat lunch at a cellar-restaurant. After lunch we will head to one of the region’s top wineries, where we will meet the winemaker (who lives on the premises), tour his vineyard and cellar, and taste his creations straight from the tanks and barrels, as well as from bottles. After this introduction to southern Hungarian reds, we will either stay the night at a friendly bed and breakfast in a nearby village, or we will continue on to Villány where you will have your choice of accommodation in several winery-owned B&Bs and hotels, including one brand-new one with a wonderful spa offering vinotherapy treatments.

The charming village of Villány has a strong Swabian influence, evident in its row of traditional whitewashed wine cellars. We will explore this cellar row—ducking in for tastings as we go—as well as that in nearby Villánykövesd. In Villány we will aim to visit a variety of wineries, from large ultra-modern ones to tiny family-owned ones. We will meet winemakers, tour their cellars and winemaking facilities, and dine on regional specialties. Villány’s signature grape is portugieser, and kékfrankos is also widely planted. The region has been praised for its fine cabernet francs. Quality is important to winemakers in Villány, who recently implemented their own regional appellation system which is tougher than what’s required by Hungarian law. If time allows, we will head west to Siklós, which is the part of the region specializing in whites like olaszrizling, hárslevelű, and chardonnay.

In southern Hungary we will dine in winery-owned restaurants, at small inns, and at the cellars on cellar row, which specialize in traditional meals cooked in wood-burning ovens. A highlight of every trip is the multi-course dinner in the atmospheric cellar of one of Villány’s top winemakers, accompanied by wine pairings, house-made sparkling wine, and dessert wine (a rarity in these parts). On our route back to Budapest, it will be possible to stop off at an artisan pálinka distillery for a tasting and distillery tour.

Other Options
Biking or hiking in the Villány hills. Soaking in the public thermal bath in Hárkány. Visiting the Medieval Castle and 16th-century mosque in Siklós. Hiking to the top of Szársomlyó Hill, an important conservation area, with guide. Visiting the Open-air Statue Park in Nagyharsány (on the site of an abandoned stone quarry). Visiting Máriagyűd, where the 18th-century Baroque Roman Catholic church is as a pilgrimage site.

We urge guests to allow time for exploring nearby Pécs. Full of UNESCO World Heritage sites, art museums, and galleries, it holds some of Hungary’s most significant Turkish-era architecture. It has lovely squares, an intact center, and a relaxed vibe. Highlights include: the Mosque of Pasha Gazi kassim, an early-Christian mausoleum, a late-Roman Tomb and Chapel, an early-Christian cemetery, and the Peter and Paul Burial Chamber, the Cathedral, and the synagogue. Dozens of museums are situated within the old center, including the Jakawali Hassan Museum (located inside of a 16th-century mosque, the only one in Hungary with a minaret still intact), the Ethnographic Museum, and the Zsolnay Museum. The Modern Hungarian Gallery has the largest collection of 20th century Hungarian art (outside of Budapest’s Hungarian National Gallery) and the Vasarely Museum and the Csontváry Museum are devoted to individual artists.

Our trips include Round-trip transportation to/from your hotel in Budapest; English-speaking food and wine-specialized guide/translator; meals at Hungary’s most authentic restaurants; wine tastings and cellar tours; meeting winemakers wherever possible.

This itinerary is a sample of what is available. We customize each itinerary individually, and venues and activities may change due to availability of third-party vendors.

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