St. Martin’s Day is celebrated all over Hungary with new vintage wines and goose dishes (see the reason for goose dishes below). Babarczi Winery celebrates at Izsóp restaurant in the picturesque town of Pannonhalma. The main course – the star of our cover photo – is rosé goose breast with Benedictine sour cherry liquor flavoured sauce and French potato, paired with the stunning Babarczi Merlot 2021. The new vintage wine is certainly a crispy, juicy Irsai Olivér.

Date and time: 18.00–22.00, 8 November 2024
Venue: Izsóp Restaurant and Bistro,Szabadság square, Pannonhalma, Hungary
How to get to Pannonhalma: By car it takes 1.5 hours via M1 motorway. By public transport take a train to the city of Győr, then change to local train or bus to Pannonhalma.
Price of the course paired with wines: 14 500 HUF / 36 EUR
Tickets are available at the restaurant, contact them here.
The menu:
– Starter: Smoked goose breast tartare, porcini, aioli + Irsai Olivér 2024 (new vintage wine)
– Soup: Goose ramen soup with refreshing vegetables + Chardonnay 2023
– Main course: Rosé goose breast with Benedictine sour cherry liquor flavoured sauce and French potato + Merlot 2021
– Dessert: ‘Lúdláb’ cake + Marianum 2021

More about Babarczi Merlot 2021

New release: Babarczi Merlot 2021 from Pannonhalma

Why do we eat goose on St. Martin’s Day?

Saint Martin has a special importance for Hungarians, since the famous bishop was born in the province of Savaria in 316 in the Roman Empire, in the territory of Hungary. Savaria is now called Szombathely, a city of about 90 000 inhabitants, and the church stands at his presumable birth place to commemorate him.

As a teenager, he became Christian to his father’s dislike. His father was a soldier of the Roman Empire and made his son join the army as well. According to the legend once Martin cut his coat with his sword and gave half of it to a beggar in the street, who had been robbed of his clothes. At the age of 22, Martin baptized, and devoted all his life to God. He founded the first monastery in Europe. He was so modest, that – as the legend says – he hid among the geese to a avoid being made a bishop. As a memory to his modest character, people eat dishes made of goose on his name day on 11 November.

St. Martin’s Day is the time to celebrate the new vintage as well, since most of the wines have already been fermented by this time. As a consequence, several wineries prepare with special goose dinners paired with wines from the new vintage.

More about Babarczi Winery