Hungary awaits: Friendly wines and easy hikes in sunny Villány

The landscape of our southernmost wine region has been shaped by viticulture and winemaking: wherever you go, you will find carefully cultivated vineyards, neat press-houses, and cellars. Even today, this is where perhaps the best red wines in the country come from. You can sign up for guided vineyard tours at some wineries, or you can even rent an e-bike to get to know all the beauties of the Mediterranean-style landscape better.

Just a stone's throw from the capital of the wine region, Villány, is Villánykövesd, located at the foot of the Fekete Hill, whose three-storey cellar row with colourful gates is a spectacular monument complex. The press houses and Batthyány's huge, underground "wine cathedral" can be visited by prior arrangement.

Let's also visit the neighbouring Palkonya, where we can taste the mountain's produce at family wineries in the cellar rows consisting of 53 press-houses, protected as folk architectural monuments. Palkonya is now known by many as a gastronomic village: in the better and better restaurants, we can choose from exciting dishes made from local ingredients.

Cabernet Franc is a prominent variety in Villány: wines made from 100% Cabernet Franc have been granted protected designation of origin status under the name Villányi Franc. A traditional red grape variety is the light Portugieser, from which Villány's community wine, the fruity and friendly party wine, RedY, is made. The Siklós region is better known for its white wines: this is the homeland of rich, full-bodied, deeper-tasting whites.

The area is not only ideal for wine tasting, but also for cycling. One of the most beautiful cycling tours in the mountains can be started from Villány. Cycle along the Villány cellar row, then leave the town and take a detour to the Nagyharsány Sculpture Park, where you can relax on the panoramic terrace.

A wonderful ride awaits you along the Ördögszántotta mountain to Nagyharsány, then you reach Kisharsány on a beautiful bicycle path by the cemetery.

Continue on the bike path from Nagytótfalu to Siklós through the rolling vineyards of the Göntér Hill. The main attraction is the Siklós castle, but there is also an aquapark and the Europa Nostra-awarded mosque is also worth visiting. From here, a slight climb awaits you via Vokány to Újpetre.

On the way back, stop at the rows of cellars in Palkonya and Villánykövesd. The 40-kilometre journey, with a difference in altitude of 265 metres, can be completed in four to five hours.

From the cellar row in Palkonya, we head to the St. Bartholomew's Chapel, from where we can see a beautiful view of the Black Mountain, Palkonya, and all the way to the Mecsek mountain range. From here, first among the vineyards, then through a beautiful, loess gorge valley, we arrive at the terrace of the Vylyan Winery, where it is worth resting. We continue hiking between vineyards, on the Blue Tour route, on the "horrifying" road to Villány. We walk along the cellar row, and then we can return to Palkonya by train from the railway station. The 13-kilometre hike can be completed in three to four hours with a not very significant elevation gain of 314 metres.

More detailed tour descriptions and downloadable maps are available on the aktivkalandor.hu website.

The article was originally published in the Hungarian Tourism Association Foundation's magazine "Hungary awaits".

Source: turizmus.com