Etyek, Vineyard of Budapest
We offer a memorable wine tour in the Etyek Wine Region, the nearest wine region to Budapest famous for its old white wine producing traditions. Though this territory got the rank of a wine region only in 1990, vine growing here has had a tradition of several centuries. Elegant, dry, fine fragrant wines with well-balanced acidity are made here. Since the end of the 19th century the celebrated Törley sparkling wines have been made here from the wine grown in Etyek. Enjoy an unforgettable day in the Etyek Wine Region, experience history, culture, traditions and taste some of its best wines!
Leaving Budapest we will pass by the Buda hills. During a half an hour journey you can hear about the history of viticulture in Buda. As early as during the reign of the first Hungarian kings, grapes were grown in the area of today's Buda and it represented a main source of income for the local people. The Danube offered excellent means of transport. Thanks to Serbian people who settled here, mainly red wines were produced after the 1600s. The Buda-Sas Hill Kadarka, made from the dark Kadarka grape, became well-known throughout Europe. On those braes, where we find today elegant residential areas on the Rose Hill, Gellért Hill, Sváb Hill and Sas Hill, still in the middle of the 19th century there were vineyards. In the Royal Castle of Buda a grandiose cellar system can be found, while in the neighbouring little towns nice, traditional cellars with the atmosphere of Swabian houses form lines.
1. Stop: Páty
The village of Páty is located close to the Budapest-Zsámbék line. Its hilly location in the Zsámbéki basin lays less than 20 kilometres from Budapest. The hills and valleys of this territory paint a very nice environment. After the Mohács catastrophe of Hungary (1526) Páty was also controlled by the Turkish Empire, but the local people stayed here differently from other villages in this part. The competence and industry of the local agriculture people had a very important role in the survivorship of the village. Merchants of far countries came here regularly for steely wheat and smooth wine.
The wine culture and production of the village has been lost by a great European-wide filoxera endemic, but the wine cellars of the old masters still have a fantastic feeling. We will have a short break here to see the romantic Cellar Hill with its atmospheric centuries-old cellars. We will also have a look on the Várady castle's building from outside, which was built in the 19th century in classicist style. Its famous fence was made of 350 barrels. These guns were used in the Hungarian war of independence between 1848-49.
2. Stop: Zsámbék
Continuing our trip we will travel toward a neighbouring town, Zsámbék, which is located only 10 kms from Páty. Zsámbék has been inhabited since the Paleolithic times. It has had Celts, Roman and Avarian populations throughout its history, according to archaeological finds. A Celtic mail coach's remains were found here as well as a bronze trumpet.
We will pass by the town's Baroque castle, which served as a border fortification in the 14th and 15th centuries. Then we will visit the fabulous, amazing ruins of Zsámbék Basilica. The basilica and monastery was built in the 13th century in Romanesque style, it is still an imposing sight. The remains that can be seen today are the walls of a nave 38 metres in length and 24 metres in width. The Romanesque western front with its two towers has remained nearly complete, the interior is Gothic. Between the massive twin towers fragments of a giant, rosette window can be seen.
The Turkish Fountain and the only Lamp Museum in the country are also worth a visit. The Turkish Fountain is the Ottoman occupancy's most western architectural heritage, its water never freeze over, even in the coldest weather. The lovely Lamp Museum displays a spectacular 1 200 lamps and lanterns, some over 250 years old. Artefacts range from simple oil lamps to the paraffin lamps of world-famous porcelain manufacturers. Amongst the oil lamps, candlesticks, industrial and domestic lamps, there is a lamp made from an antique Chinese vase alongside lamp bases made from Zsolnay and Meissen porcelain and an oil pump lantern constructed around the year 1800.
3. Stop: Etyek
Within a half an hour journey we will reach our final stop, our place for resting, wine tasting and having a fine 3-course lunch, the town of Etyek. On the lands surrounding Etyek, viticulture grew considerably in the 1900's. The climate here is characterised by sparce precipitation and plenty of sunshine which, together with the soil, provide the perfect conditions for the production of excellent wines. Grape varieties, wines in the region are the Chardonnay, Italian Riesling, Rhine Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc - elegant, dry, definitely acidic, light wines with fine fragrance.
Of the approximately 1000 wine cellars standing here before World War II, nowadays about 500 are in use. Two rows created in the mid 1800's are protected heritage sites. Interesting sights are the Circle Cellars consisting of a driveway and cellars located round the edge of a hollow, and the L-shaped Goat Pit, which also consists of old cellars. Both sites are located practically in the centre of the settlement.
In one of the town's pleasant, traditional cellars you can have a traditional 3-course lunch, taste the region's excellent wines, hear about its viticulture and traditions and enjoy the beautiful view of the Buda Hills.
After the program we return to Budapest.