Autumn open cellars to taste great new wines

Sitting with a glass of wine in our hands in the pleasant autumn heat in Palkonya, the fairy-tale, one-street gastro village of the Villány wine region – this is exactly the kind of fabulous moments we love autumn, the harvest and Palkonya for! During the Palkonya Harvest Open Cellars, visitors can not only enjoy a glass of wine, but also a wine tour, a gastronomic tour, a guided village tour, children’s programmes and craft activities. You can fill your tasting glass with wines from a range of wineries, where you can also visit exhibitions and concerts.

The Triflafater, PalKonyha and Vaj (Butter) Bistro will also be offering their specialities as part of the free programme. If you are looking for culture as well as gastronomic adventures, you have come to the right place! The village still preserves the architectural masterpieces of the German vineyard workers who settled here in the 18th century. During the 2.5-hour village tour, you can learn about the history of Palkonya and admire the sights of the village – of course, wine tasting is also part of the programme. Wherever our feet take us in this wonderful village, we will be banging open cellar doors on 15-16 September.

Speaking of Baranya, we can’t (and don’t want to) pass by the Villány Red Wine Festival, which is written in bright red letters in the autumn gastronomic calendar every year. From 6-8 October, there will be cellar-to-cellar events focusing mainly on red wines. The musical line-up is also very impressive, with Magdi Rúzsa and Robi Szikora taking the microphone, but it is also worth highlighting the traditional shows and the famous vintage parade.

Whatever time you arrive in this wonderful city, it’s worth lingering on the famous cellar row and sipping the full-bodied red wines from the open wineries. The carnival atmosphere of the parade is quite captivating. 

Moving away from the Villány wine region, we adventure to another wonderful region of our country: Tokaj-Hegyalja is also an unmissable destination during the harvest season. And between 6-8 October, it’s well worth making the trip to the Tokaj-Hegyalja Harvest Days. After Villány’s full-bodied red wines, one of the country’s most historic harvest festivals offers a taste of sublime whites. The event celebrated its 90th anniversary last year, but this year’s festival is also a jubilee, as Tokaj will celebrate its 950th birthday in 2023! During the three days you can sip the excellent wines of Tokaj-Hegyalja, taste delicious dishes at the gastronomic promenade, and choose from the best souvenirs in the street of crafts and handicrafts. Special musical programmes and concerts are also part of the harvest festival.

Pleasantly sweet and alcoholic, with a happy dance of aromas and just a hint of carbonation. Yes, with the onset of autumn comes the murci, a sublime drink that is a cross between fresh must and fermented new wine. Sturm has been a popular drink in Germany and Vienna for decades, and in recent years it has fortunately also become a tradition in Hungary to taste this exciting drink at festivals.

Photo: Gyukligyula

Thanks in part to the new wine law and in part to the work of young winemakers, we can also take part in the Murci Festival in Balatonfüred, Ábrahámhegy and Kishegy in Balatonlelle, where we can pour a glass of murci during cellar tours and wine visits.