Countryside Half-day Wine Tour near Budapest with Meal and Pickup

Start your experience with a pickup at your centrally located Budapest hotel, and drive to the Etyek-Buda wine region, about 30 minutes away. Admire the vine-coated hills as you approach the town of Etyek, the hub of this relatively young wine industry that started when German settlers planted vines here around 200 years ago. Hear about Etyek’s famous fresh and crisp white wines, typically grown from pinot gris and sauvignon blanc grapes, and its celebrated sparkling Törley wine. Then, visit Old Wine Hill where nearly 1,000 mostly disused wine cellars sprinkle the slopes. Enjoy the views over the vineyards, public grape presses and villages below as your guide explains more about the local soils and acidities. Visit small, family-run wineries and sample four wines in each, along with tasty Hungarian snacks. In the morning tour you will get to see two wineries and in the longer afternoon tour you will visit 3 wineries. As you sip, learn local winemaking secrets from your friendly host — usually the winery owner and winemaker rolled into one. Discuss each wine with the host and get a truly personal take on each variety you’re tasting. You’ll leave with a really intimate understanding of the traditions, peoples and countryside that make the wines here so special. Afterward, enjoy a delicious 2-course dinner at a wine estate. If it’s summer, dine outside, or if it's winter, sit down at a table inside a cellar. Savor the classic Hungarian dishes and discuss your wine discoveries as you eat, perhaps enjoying some wine (own expense) with your food. See the Itinerary for a sample menu. Lastly, drive back to Budapest where a hotel drop-off marks the end of your tour.