Taste Hungary’s scheduled group day-long wine tasting trips are a great way to get a crash course in Hungarian wine, and to spend a day with a small group of like-minded wine lover’s curious about the emerging Hungarian wine regions. Tours are scheduled throughout the year, focusing on particular regions each time. Hungary holds many diverse wine regions. By the day’s end, you will have gained a good understanding of the state of Hungarian winemaking, and you should feel like a specialist in the region you have visited. Join us for a fun day, full of wine, food, Hungarian culture, and great company!
2012 Day Trips
Check back as tour dates approach for finalized itineraries and details about specific wineries we will be visiting. New dates will be added throughout the year! If none of our group tours are convenient for you, we are also available for private wine trips.
Saturday May 19
Somló — Hungary’s smallest region is just one hill, which produces unique white wines from indigenous grapes on its volcanic soil. One taste of them, and you’ll be seeking them out for a lifetime. (Click here for more details.)
Saturday June 9
Tokaj — Hungary’s most famous, beautiful, and mystical region, Tokaj is famous for its botrytized dessert wines. But it produces equally fine dry white wines. We’ll taste plenty of both, including Hungary’s most iconic grape, furmint, in many styles. This day will focus on Tokaj’s “boutique” wineries. (Click here for more details.)
Saturday June 30
Sparkling Wine in Buda and Etyek — Hungary has a long history of producing sparkling wine, and these days pezsgő is more popular than ever. We’ll taste many of them (with a few non-sparklers) in this pretty village which is just outside of Budapest. (Click here for more details.)
Saturday July 14
Danube Bend and Pannonhalma — Pannonhalma has lush, rolling green hills checkered with patches of lavender and grape vines, topped off by a Benedictine abbey perched on a hill. Lunch will be at the abbey, and then we’ll head down the Danube to another wine region located along the river. (Click here for more details.)
Saturday July 28
Tokaj— Hungary’s most famous, beautiful, and mystical region, Tokaj is famous for its botrytized dessert wines. But it produces equally fine dry white wines. We’ll taste plenty of both, including Hungary’s most iconic grape, furmint, in many styles. (Click here for more details.)
Saturday August 18
Tokaj and the Food and Wine Festival in Erdőbénye—On this day the village of Erdőbénye will hold its “Wine, Shine…Bénye” festival which will include plenty of live music; chefs from local restaurants will be preparing the regional foods of the Zemplén hills; craftsmen will be doing demonstrations; and of course, the Tokaj wine will be flowing. (Click here for more details.)
Saturday August 25
Eger and the Plum Festival in Noszvaj—The program today is all about home-cooked food and wine. We’ll have the chance to visit the homes of some of the villagers to taste home-cooked regional specialties (particularly dishes featuring plums) in the charming, and very traditional, village of Noszvaj. (Click here for more details.)
Saturday September 8
Eger and the Kemence (brick oven-baking) Festival in Noszvaj— The village of Noszvaj has strong cooking traditions. On this day we’ll head to several homes to taste their homemade dishes baked in the traditional Hungarian brick oven. Of course, there will also be wine tastings and plenty of food. (Click here for more details.)
Saturday September 22
Szekszárd— This up-and-coming southern region is known for its spicy, fruity, and full-bodied reds. Though Szekszárd often gets lost in the shadow of Villány, it is one of the most exciting regions, producing some of Hungary’s biggest and best reds. (Click here for more details.)
Saturday October 13
Tokaj— Hungary’s most famous, beautiful, and mystical region, Tokaj is famous for its botrytized dessert wines. But it produces equally fine dry white wines. We’ll taste plenty of both, including Hungary’s most iconic grape, furmint, in many styles. (Click here for more details.)
Saturday October 27
Villány— Known as the “Mediterranean of Hungary,” Villány produces Bordeaux-style reds, and its villages feature picturesque cellar row is lined with whitewashed Swabian cellars. (Click here for more details.)
Saturday November 10
Sopron and Burgenland (Austria)— Hungary’s westernmost wine region has been heavily influenced by the traditions of Germany and Austria. Here are dramatic Lake Fertő, the foothills of the Alps, and the charming center of Sopron which holds Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque buildings. Across the Austrian border, we will visit Burgenland. (Click here for more details.)
Saturday November 24
Southern Slovakia—Just across the Hungarian border, this region lies at the meeting point of the rivers Garam, Ipoly and Danube. Here we will visit the small wineries which are leading the push for quality wine in the region. We will taste both whites and reds (including some little-known local varietals). (Click here for more details.)
Saturday December 8
Tokaj— Hungary’s most famous, beautiful, and mystical region, Tokaj is famous for its botrytized dessert wines. But it produces equally fine dry white wines. We’ll taste plenty of both, including Hungary’s most iconic grape, furmint, in many styles. (Click here for more details.)
The Details
What Can You Expect on a Taste Hungary Group Tour?
Taste Hungary’s group trips are full-day experiences. All tours are held in English and led by a wine-specialized tour guide. Trips begin in Budapest between 8am-9:30am and return to Budapest between 7:30pm-9pm (times depend on the region).
Our wine tours include visits and tastings at three wineries per day, during which we tour the winemaking areas and discuss the winemaking process, the history, and the wines. Whenever possible, winery tours are led by the winemaker or a member of the family. We like to show a mixture of the traditional, the experimental, and the modern, in order to give you a complete picture of the state of Hungarian wine. Tastings include generous pours of 5-8 wines.
The first, late-morning/early afternoon tasting of the day will provide you with an overview of the region, and a first taste of its wines. Afterwards you’ll be ready for lunch, which our guests always one of the most memorable parts of the day (and among the food highlights of their trips). The meal is always a multi-course, home-cooked Hungarian meal served at the second winery of the day which we visit. We dine either in an old mold-covered cellar, a bright tasting room, or outdoors if weather allows. Lunch will be preceded by a tour of the facilities and accompanied by wine pairings.
After lunch there will be time to sightsee in the nearby villages/towns, as well take a walk in the vineyards to see firsthand where and how the grapes are grown. By this time you should be ready for another wine tasting. We believe that tasting the local foods is essential to the experience of tasting the wine at its source, so the final tasting of the day will be accompanied by a selection of cold local products such as artisanal cheese or cured meats. Now, back to Budapest, and feel free to take a nap during the ride back (you might need it).
Read more about our past tours
What Is Included In Our Group Day Tours?
Group day trips are 35,000 HUF per person, all-inclusive. If you would like your children to attend, please contact us to discuss it.
- Tours and generous tastings (5-8 wines per tasting) of good wines at three wineries
- Generous multi-course lunch prepared and served at a winery.
- Bottles of mineral water and pogácsa/light snacks during the ride
- Transportation in a comfortable mini-bus (Mercedes Sprinter) which has air-conditioning and seat belts and is driven by a professional driver.
- Pick-up and drop-off at a central location, easily accessible by metro.
- Tasting sheets for you to take wine notes to keep for your memories/records
- English-speaking, knowledgeable, wine-specialized tour guide
- A cold plate of local products (cheese, meat, etc.) to accompany the final tasting of the day, and to fortify you for the ride back to Budapest!
Booking a Tour:
Advance reservations are required for our group day tours. Please contact us with any questions or to reserve your place. In order to reserve, we require a 25 percent non-refundable booking deposit paid through paypal or bank transfer. The remainder of the tour fee must be paid for in cash on the day of the tour, or in advance of the tour through paypal or bank transfer. We accept euros or the equivalent amount in Hungarian forints. If you have to cancel your reservation we request that you let us know as soon as possible.
Space on each tour will be limited to a maximum of 16 guests. In order for a tour to run there must be a minimum of four guests signed up. If Taste Hungary has to cancel a tour due to low-interest, we will fully refund your deposit.
Please let us know in advance of the tour if you have any allergies or dietary restrictions. Though we will probably not need to contact you, please also let us know where you will be staying in Budapest or give us a local contact phone number if you will have one.
What to Bring:
Since tours include walking in a vineyard and sometimes require walking down steep stairs into a cellar, we recommend wearing comfortable shoes. During the warmer months cellars can be much colder that it is outside, so bring an extra sweater or jacket. Many wineries do not accept credit cards so be prepared with cash if you would like to purchase wine.
Disclaimer:
By purchasing ticket(s) and participating in a tour the attendee(s) waive(s) all claims of liability against Taste Hungary and its owners for any illness/injury to anyone on this tour and/or loss/damage/theft to any attendee’s property while they areparticipating in the tour. All participants walk and eat at their own risk and waive any liability claims against Taste Hungary or its owners and/or any supplier and/or business associated with them. All itineraries are subject to change.
Read our Terms and Conditions.