Heritage, Wine and Gastronomy

Join us in our extraordinary tour to Eger and Tokaj, two of the most known wine regions of Hungary! Meet the winemakers, taste wines in hundreds of years old cellars, enjoy fine food, experience the life of the locals, join us on hidden paths!

Spend an unforgettable day in Palóc-Land, a Unesco World Heritage site, home of the tradition. Visit the small Hungarian village of Hollókő, to have an insider experience of country life. Learn the local culture, meat the locals, enjoy tasty food. A real slow-travel experience!

Feel the atmosphere of the charming baroque city of Eger, admire the beautiful architecture of the old town. Taste Egri “Bikavér” (Bull’s Blood), Kékfrankos and other typical wines of Eger!

The historic landscape of Tokaj, Hungary’s world-famous wine region was also declared a World Heritage Site in 2002! Tokaji is the prestige brand of Hungary, unique and excellent. The world's first vineyard classification system was established here in 1730 by royal decree, followed by the 1757 designation of Tokaj as the world's first appellation. Tokaji Aszú, “the wine of the kings and the king of the wines” is the world’s greatest natural sweet wine, a medicine, a gift of the nature. Taste the finest dry single vineyards Furmints in Tokaj, search for apricot, lime or quince flavors in the late harvest, dry fruits, and honey in the nectar-like aszú wine!

PROGRAM

1^st day B, L, D

 Departure from Budapest at 8:30. After one and half hour journey we will arrive in the beautiful small village, Hollókő. Hollókő, besides being a liveable village is the symbol of the Hungarian traditions, part of the UNESCO Heritage. It is the one of the last islands, where the traditions are preserved and shared with the visitors. Local woman dressed in traditional colorful costume will welcome us in the Branyard (Pajtakert) at the entrance of the village with home-made “Pálinka” (brandy) and traditional scones. Guests are introduced to traditional hemp and canvas processing, and the richly decorated textiles of a Palóc girls’ dowry. During the presentation of the folk costume, a pair of guests will be dressed in the colorful festive costume of the young couple. Accompanied by a local guide, the guests are invited for a walk in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hollókő’s Old Village. The tour includes visiting the small church with a wooden steeple, the symbol of the village. Lunch will be served in an old, traditional restaurant.  

Alternative program:

Instead of visit of Hollókő: visit the beautiful baroque town of Eger! Eger: winery visit, tasting and lunch in of the most prestigeous wineries in Eger, or a traditional oven backed winery lunch.

Short walking tour in Eger.

 Transfer to the Tokaj Wine Region.  Check in at the 5-starAndrássy Kúria & Spa hotel, where elegance of the old days and the comfort of the modern age create perfect harmony. The oldest part of the mansion was built at the beginning of the the XVIII. century. The Bobajka restaurant presents the curiosities of the Tokaj Wine Region by placing the focus on local traditions and specialties. Wine dinner. or check in at the 4-star superior winery owned Degenfeld Castle Hotel in the middle of the vineyards.Winery visits, wine dinner. or 4 star hotel in Tokaj or Mád. (3 star hotel also possible)    

2^nd day B, L, D

We start the they with the visit of the Synagoge of Mád, built in 1795 and learning about the Jewish heritage of the region.

Some treasures are waiting for us to be explored in a six hundred years’ old, almost 2 kilometers long cellar labyrinth. During our cellar tour we will taste the wines of one of the most iconic wineries of the Tokaj wine region.

A half an hour drive leads us to one of the most amazing cellar row of Hungary. Almost 300 old huts in two cellar villages in Hercegkút are waiting to be explored. Short walk on the cellar hill, followed by a cellar visit and wine tasting with cold cuts by a small family producer in a very traditional old cellar.

The afternoon is for visiting the city of Tokaj.

Winery visit and wine dinner in the Degenfeld Hotel or wine dinner in the Bobajka Restaurant (depending on the hotel choice of the group)

3^rd day – B, L

Departure to Bodrogkeresztúr. Visit of the vinegar manufacture with tasting. The Tokaji Wine Vinegar House makes wine vinegar from top quality Tokaj grapes and fruits without the use of any additives, applying natural methods, thus making the product indispensable in haute cuisine in Hungary.

Besides winemaking, there is also a considerable tradition of cooperage in Tokaj. The sessile oak growing in the Zemplén Hills is an excellent material for making barrels and “Zemplén oak” has long been appreciated in the international wine world. Erdőbénye, the “Valley of the Coopers”, excels at nurturing and preserving the craft. We will visit a family-owned cooper manufacture and learn a lot about barrel making.

3-course lunch in a winery owned restaurant in Tokaj wine region or a vineyard toour with picnic.

Alternative program:

Instead of cooper maunfacture visit: Visit of the Hélia-D “cosmetic” castle, a stunning 16^th century building. The castle not only provides information and knowledge about herbs, cosmetics and the healing effects of the Tokaj wines, but gives the visitors hands-on experience about preparing cosmetics. We will prepare our own cream with Tokaji Aszú wine while tasting some herbal teas.  

Or:

Cooper manufacture visit

Transfer to Eger: winery visit, tasting and lunch in of the most prestigeous wineries in Eger, or a traditional oven backed winery lunch.

Short walking tour in Eger.

Transfer back to Budapest. On our way back to Budapest we will stop by one of the most beautiful hotels of the Hungarian countryside, the winner of the Best Castle Hotel in Europe 2021 Award, the Botaniq Turai Hotel. Unforgattable experience is waiting for us during our Herendi High Tea experience, which enriches the guests with unique taste experiences. BOTANIQ Turai Castle, like Herend porcelain, is constantly changing and renewing, Herend porcelain, like the castle, is innovative and has a thousand faces. Together, these two masterpieces dating back several centuries pamper their guests with an unparalleled gastronomic experience.

Arrive in Budapest around 19:00-19:30 pm.

• 2 nights’ accommodation in the Tokaj wine region, 4 star superior castle hotel or 5* luxury Andrássy hotel
• 3 lunches (two warm lunches, one winery cold lunch)
• 1 winepaired dinner in a winery or winerestaurant, 1 exclusive wine paired dinner in the restaurant of the Andrássy Hotel
• Herend High Tea Experince in the Botaniq Turai Castle*****
• entrance fees, tastings as in the program
• transfer during the stay
• English speaking tour guide

NOT INCLUDED | personal expenses | drinks and food other than detailed in the program

Price:

Staring from: 950 Euro p. P, by min. 12 persons, 1099 Euro p.P. by min. 8 persons in DBL room 

We will tailor made for you the tour upon request. For winelovers and wine professionals more wineries (even tasting by the Szepsy Family, one of the best winery of the world!), for leisure guests more leisure programs and sightseeings.

ABOUT THE WINE REGIONS | Tokaj & Eger

TOKAJ – The World’s first demarcated wine region was established in Tokaj-Hegyalja.  The area is a World heritage site of UNESCO from 2002 with 5700 hectares of land. Its’ characteristic grape varieties are the Furmint, Hárslevelű, and Sárgamuskotály (Muscat Blanc a À Petits grains)

The wine region consists of Tokaj town and the surrounding 26 settlements. It is classified as a separate wine region, thanks to its great uniqueness. The local climate is favourable for botrytisation, due to the protection of the Zemplén Hills and the wet, swampy areas formed by the rivers of Tisza and Bodrog. The vineyards are located on extremely colourful bedrock of volcanic origin at an altitude of 100-300 metres above sea level. Wines made here with hundred years of history appreciated by the European Royal Courts and enjoyed by the aristocracy from Moscow to France. It is a “King of Wines and the Wine of Kings”, as Louis the XIV.th of France referred to it. Therefore, you should not end your journey until you have tasted a glass of Furmint or an Aszú, the world’s most unique sweet wines, a medicine, a miracle of nature in the unique atmosphere of hundreds-of-years-old cellars as you listen to the stories of a winemaker. Aszú wine with its unique palate of flavours is born after several years of ageing. Although extremely powerful dry wines are also increasingly gaining ground. Tokaj’s two main varieties are Furmint and Hárslevelű but wines are also made from Sárgamuskotály, Kabar, Zéta and Kövérszőlő. Besides winemaking, there is also a considerable tradition of cooperage in Tokaj. The sessile oak growing in the Zemplén Hills is an excellent material for making barrels and “Zemplén oak” has long been appreciated in the international wine world. Erdőbénye, the “Valley of the Coopers”, excels at nurturing and preserving the craft.

The region’s iconic winemaker, Mr. István Szepsy the second person in the world who received the Les Seigneurs du Vin (lit. The Lords of Wine) award in 2013, which is considered as the Academy Award of winemaking due to its special rank.

EGER – The mountainous regions of Mátra, Eger and Bükk, the highest wine-producing areas in Hungary form a common wine region with 13,000 hectares. The vineyards are usually found on a 200-300-metre-high plateau or on hillside slopes, whereas vines are cultivated at 500 metres on the side of the Nagy-Eged hill. Some of Europe’s highest vineyards can be found here. The climate of the wine region is therefore influenced by the Northern Mountain Range, which protects against invasive winds. It is characterised by mountainous soils like volcanic rhyolite tuff, andesite, loess and brown forest soils. The uniqueness of the Eger wine region has always been its ability to grow vines capable of producing quality red and white wines. The most famous one is undoubtedly the Egri Bikavér (Bull's Blood) which is a Kékfrankos (Blaufrankisch) based red cuvée, a blend of three or more grapes. Even to mention Egri Bikavér as a connoisseur’s choice is a sensitive topic, due to its disputed image. Besides Kékfrankos, Pinot Noir, Cabernets and Kadarka are the most commonly planted red grape varieties. Among whites Hárslevelű, Olaszrizling and Leányka are the most popular ones, each autochthon types. There is a new white grape brand, Egri Csillag.

It’s impossible to get bored in the region, as not only do they have wonderful wines and culinary options, Eger city’s cultural tradition, built heritage and natural beauty offer numerous experiences. There are also 400-year-old cellars in the wine region, the most interesting of which is the bishop’s cellar system, it’s almost a city beneath the city. According to legend, the defenders of Eger castle had their courage bolstered by the local red wine – the Egri Bikavér – at the time of the Turkish expansion. However, if you only have one day to discover the local wines, you should visit the Szépasszony-völgy (Valley of the Beautiful Lady) which is undergoing constant renewal. This is a real meeting point for wine, with many premium producers present here.