Szekszárd – the wine region and its capital city – is pronounced ‘Sexard’, but there is no evidence that the citizens would make love more often than others… Lajver Wine House is a bit farther away from the city, it is located in the valley of Lajvér stream, surrounded by neat terraces of vineyards. For a romantic getaway one of the deluxe rooms or the suite of the estate is just perfect! And the restaurant – Gastro Workshop – offers mouth-watering plates like rosé duck breast with walnut noodles, baked apple purée and plums cooked in red wine.
The estate awaits you from the 1st February 2025 – there are only a few rooms, so it is better to book ahead!

Tranquility is taken seriously at Lajver Wine Estate, this is why children under 14 are not accepted. The estate building of Lajver Wine House fits into the surrounding hills and grape terraces, seamlessly, the valley is spectacular, the tasting hall is an astonishing, spacious place and even the cellar visit offers modern beauty. The chef of the wine bistro is creative and passionate, the staff is friendly, the wines are impressive.
The rooms are furnished with the use of the most natural materials: glass, stone, wood, concrete, subtle textiles. There are only a few rooms, so it is ideal for couples or small groups. The deluxe rooms have 39 square meters, while the suit has 67 square meters.

– How to get there: It is situated near the village of Szálka and it is 170 kilometres from Budapest, by car it takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes to get there.
– The best place for lovers of modern architecture.
– Where? Near Szekszárd (accessible only by car), surrounded by beautiful terraces of vines.
– Extras: amazing view of the rooms and great food (see menu below).
– Wines: a wide range of wines from the easy-drinking whites or rosés to the serious red wines, like Signum, the premium Bikavér of the estate.
– Don’t miss the “blanc de noir” wine of the estate, Incognito!
– Prices:
Deluxe room: 49 000 HUF (approx. 120 EUR) / per night / 2 people, including breakfast
Deluxe room: 29 000 HUF (approx. 70 EUR) / per night / 1 person, including breakfast
Suite: 66 000 HUF (approx. 160 EUR) / per night / 2 people, including breakfast
Lajver frequently holds vivid parties, check it before booking: you might find yourself in a buzzy festival.
The estate is closed from 20 December to 31 January, 

More about Lajver Wine House and Wine Hotel

“It’s a great value for something different…”

Sound is a white blend from Szekszárd, imported to the United States by Credo Imports and has been sold successfully for some years in three states (Pennsylvania, New York and Utah). Now the wine was added to the portfolio of Vin7000 and it is available in seven stores across the state of Utah. What is more, Vin7000 has selected Sound Wine of the Month in its recent newsletter. Cheers to that, enjoy the wine, fellow winelovers of Utah!

Lajver Sound described by Vin7000

“This is an intriguing white blend of primarily native varietals: 29% Olaszrizling, 25% Zöldveltelini, 25% Chardonnay, and 21% Cserszegi Fűszeres. It’s a great value for something different when you’re looking for a bright, crisp, refreshing white wine. I thought it was fun to enjoy grapes I’ve never heard of, and certainly can’t even try to pronounce.  What won me over was the mouthfeel and texture that rounded out the wine. Pick up a bottle and see what you think! I think it would be great with grilled fish or chicken, or a nice Thai curry. A refreshing white wine with crunchy green apple aromas. Vibrant acidity and lively juiciness make this an inviting and easy-drinking wine.”

Our interview from last year with Credo Imports owners

Credo Imports launches Vylyan, Lajver and Feind wines in the USA

More about Lajver Wine House

You can find more information about the grape varieties of Sound Cuvée here

A must for would-be married couples

The modern, yet perfectly landscape integrated building of Lajver with its surrounding terraces of vineyards is an ideal wedding scene. No wonder, many couples have started their joint journey on the premises of the winery. On 20 October they await young couples with all the necessary professionals of the wedding trade from confectioners to wedding photographers.

Date and time: 20 October 2024, 13.00–17.00
Venue: Lajver Wine Estate, Kossuth Lajos utca 86, Szálka 7121, Hungary
Who you can meet, talk to, ask for advice: Top experts of the wedding business including event organizer, wedding photographer, decoration expert, ceremony guide, confectioners, make up specialist, hairdresser, wedding dress designer – whatever would-be married couples might need.
Entrance ticket: 4900 HUF / couple (12–13 EUR)
The ticket includes coffee, soft drink, welcome bites. The winery reimburses the price of the ticket for the couples who hold their wedding at Lajver Wine Estate.
Registration: borbirtok@lajverwine.com

Lajver as a wedding venue

Capacity: 100 people in the event hall.
Wines: A wide range of wines with incredibly good value. Entry level white, rose and red wines and also top wines in each category – and the new sparkling wine.
Catering: The estate has its own kitchen with refined plates made of local ingredients.
Accommodation: 5 rooms in the estate building overlooking the vineyards, plus more places in the village of Szálka (2 km) and in Szekszárd (11 km).
Disance from the nearest airport: Budapest (181 km)

A short video to make you feel the vibes of the estate

127 wine exhibitors in the World Heritage Castle of Buda

A generation gained its first wine tasting experiences at “The Wine Festival”, as it was called at the beginning. It used to be a “must-go” event for winemakers and for all members of the trade. Times change, nowadays the competition of events is high, yet the magnificent scenery and the professional organizers attract thousands of visitors every year. This year the novelty is a luxurious Sunday Branch in the castle terrace, while the guest country is Georgia with is 8000 years’ winemaking legacy.

Date: 12–15 September, 2024
Opening hours: Thursday (12 Sept): 14.00–24.00, Friday: 14.00–1.00, Saturday: 14.00–1.00, Sunday: 14.00–22.00 (Sunday Brunch 11.00–14.00)
Where: on the terraces of the Castle of Buda
How to get there: the easiest way is to walk up the stairs or take bus No16 from Deák square. The Castle Hill Funicular is another, spectacular way to get there!
Tickets: Thursday: 8200 HUF, Friday: 8900 HUF, Saturday: 8900 HUF, Sunday: 6500 HUF
4-day pass: 15 000 HUF / 38 EUR
Sunday branch: 44 000 HUF / 112 EUR
Some of the exhibitors: Bock Winery (Villány), Borbély Family Winery (Badacsony), Dubicz Vineyard and Winery, Fehérvári Wine Estate (Somló), Garamvári Vineyards (Balatonboglár), Gere Attila Winery, Homola – Paloznak (Balatonfüred–Csopak), Lajver Wine House (Szekszárd), Sauska (Tokaj / Villány), Teleki (Villány), Tornai Winery (Somló), Tűzkő Estate (Tolna)
See the full list of exhibitors here
More information

Earlier we reported the amazing success of Gizella Winery (Best in Show) and Sauska (Platinum award) at Decanter World Wine Award. Hungary also collected 13 gold medals, mainly for Tokaj sweet wines. However, there are 56 silver winners with 90 or more points. At another contest these wines would be acknowledged by gold medals, therefore we should keep in mind, that these achievements astonishing! Let us congratulate to Csányi, Dereszla, Etyeki Kúria, Holdvölgy, Lajver, Patricius, Tornai, Vesztergombi, Weninger & Gere and 36 more Hungarian wineries!

Below you can see the wine reviews written by Decanter judges. If you click on “Fact sheet”, you may find European stockists of the given wine.

Taste Feind Coupe Brut and hundreds of wines more

160 winery exhibitors, craft beers, artisan products, free jazz, rock and pop concerts, fireworks and parades. The stunning city of Szeged on the far east of Hungary boasts the probably the most significant open air wine event in Hungary. It is longer than the Budapest Wine Festival and it has more exhibitors than the 3-week-long Balatonfüred wine festival. The entrance is free, guests pay at the exhibitors for what they taste. It is the 28th edition, and since it is a really long wine fair of 11 days, even though it has already started, you can still participate! Take an Intercity train or drive (only 2 hours), enjoy the wine fair, and stay in one of the lovely hotels or guests houses of the historic and romantic city.

Date and time: 16–26 May 2024, the opening hours are quite flexible, just go there any time of the day…
Venue: Szeged, Dóm square and its neighbourhood, Hungary
How to get there: Take an Intercity train from Nyugati railway station in Budapest, it takes only 2.5 hours. By car it takes a bit less via M5 motorway.
Exhibitors: Large selection of craft beers, street food, artisan products and 160 wineries!
Some of the exhibitors: Bock Winery (Villány), Dúzsi Family Winery (Szekszárd), Eszterbauer Winery (Szekszárd), Etyeki Kúria (Etyek), Feind Winery (Balatonfüred–Csopak), Frittmann Winery (Kunság), Gál Tibor Winery (Eger), Heimann Family Winery (Szekszárd), Holdvölgy (Tokaj), Koch Winery (Hajós–Baja / Villány), Lajver Wine Estate (Szekszárd), Pannonhalma Archabbey (Pannonhalma), Sauska (Tokaj / Villány), Szeleshát (Szekszárd), Tornai Winery (Somló), Tűzkő Wine Estate (Tolna), Vesztergombi Cellar (Szekszárd), Vylyan Vineyard and Winery (Villány)

See all the exhibitors here

Borfesztivál kiállítói

More about Feind Coupe Brut, the sparkling wine in our cover photo

More about the city of Szeged, where to stay, what to eat, what to see

Altogether 208 wines were evaluated from 40 wineries this year, most entered wines are red, rosé wines represented 11%, while only 8% were white wines. Several so called “special prizes” were given, let us introduce some of them.

The Most Successful Winery: Prantner Cellar
The Best Kékfrankos: Eszterbauer Tanyamacska Kékfrankos 2021 (in our cover photo)
The Best White Wine: Lajver Sauvignon Blanc 2023
The Best Merlot: Szeleshát Gubac 2019
The Best Kadarka: Tüske Harmados Kadarka 2022

See all special prize winners here (‘legjobb’ means ‘best’)

See all medal winners here (‘nagyarany’ means ‘grand gold’, ‘arany’ means ‘gold’)

Our earlier article about Eszterbauer wines

Eszterbauer – a good example of rebranding

Our latest article about Lajver success in the USA

Lajver wines – now in 4 states of the USA!

Our earlier article about Szeleshát Gubac Merlot

Gubac, a top Merlot at Michelin star Babel Budapest

Success of Szekszárd wines by Credo Imports

Sound Cuvée is about to conquer the State of Utah, while Incognito, a “blanc de noir” white wine made of Kékfrankos is the best seller of Credo Imports in Pennsylvania and in New York State. As Kathleen Willcox wine expert and influencer commented on her Instagram page: “Red apples, white cherries, spice, beautifully lush and aromatic.… I’ve been exploring Credo Wine Imports, and I’m thrilled to add another small shop with a great stable of goodies to my list.“

A wine to shake up the Rocky Mountains

“We are proud to announce another listing of one of our award-winning Hungarian wines in the great State of Utah. 2023 Sound Cuvee will be vibrating through the great Rocky Mountain range to all the 7 chakras of the State. It will be dropping in a few weeks and we can think of nothing more than grand appreciation to be partnered with DABS of Utah.” – commented Credo Imports.

“2023 Lajver, Sound Cuvée is a refreshing white wine with crunchy green apple aromas, it’s like walking through a market alongside crates piled high with fresh fruit. A dynamic sip with vibrant acidity and lively juiciness make this an inviting and easy drinking wine, perfect for a comfortable conversation with friends on a warm summer day basking in the sunshine.”
Grape varieties: Olaszrizling, Zöldveltelini, Chardonnay, Cserszegi Fűszeres.

More about Sound Cuvée and other Lajver wine”

Our earlier article about Credo Imports

Credo Imports launches Vylyan, Lajver and Feind wines in the USA

Our earlier article about Lajver Incognito

“Had I been blind-folded I would have sworn I had a rosé in my glass”

The rabbit wine

Since Easter is coming closer, ‘A Nyúl’ (‘The Rabbit’) is the ideal wine to taste. This wine is a premium rosé made of Merlot and Kékfrankos (the most important indigenous black grape of Hungary). It was made in a very limited quantity, only 1500 bottles. The wines were aged separately on the fine lees in stainless steel tank for 4 months. A vibrant, exciting rosé with red fruits mixed with citrus fruit and a touch of caramelized sugar and peach. A refreshing wine, yet complex and has a long finish. The best is to enjoy in the estate.

Officially there will be 47 Hungarian exhibitors on 10–12 March in Düsseldorf, but in fact it means many morewineries. Koch Winery (wines in our cover photo) exhibits under “Tenkes” booth at Hall 13 / B10 – it presents wines from all the wineries of Villány wine region.

Who can you meet this year

Just like Tenkes, Cabolo is another booth representing several producers, among others Vesztergombi Cellar, the multi-award winner estate in Szekszárd. Fine Wine Association is also a booth presenting several wineries.

Are you looking for some magnificent sweet wines from Tokaj? Look for Dereszla, Gizella, Patricius – just to mention a few. Are you interested in fabulous, great red wines with ageing potential? Bock(Villány), A Gere Winery (Villány), Pannonhalma Archabbey (Pannonhalma) will offer you astonishing wines. Making trustworthy, good quality entry level wines is an art, and we can honestly recommend Csányi / Teleki Winery (Villány), Lajver (Szekszárd), Szeleshát (Szekszárd), Tornai (Somló), Tűzkő / Eurobor (Tolna) – and don’t forget to taste their flagship wines as well, because these wineries make remarkable high-end wines as well. Are you in the “sparkling business”? Garamvári Vineyards (Balaton) is a family company with a wide portfolio of bottle fermented sparkling wines, and do not miss Sauska and their CSWWC gold winner sparkling wines from Tokaj. In case you are searching for organic and / or natural wines, taste the single vineyard, low intervention, unfined and unfiltered wines of Heimann & Sons at Heimann Family Estate booth and visit Koch Winery (Villány community booth), where Csaba Koch will tell you more about the “happy grape” concept and his organic wines, as well as his wines from Villány wine region.

See the full list of Hungarian exhibitors here

Our recent article with Koch Villányi Cabernet Franc 2020 – one of the Top 12 selection, and the Best Buy of them

Top 12 Cabernet Franc from Villány revealed

Koch Winery

Koch Winery website

A recent article about an organic wine from Koch

Have you heard of Castellum grape variety?

Homola wines at Wine Paris + Vinexpo

The largest lake of Central Europe, Balaton is not only gorgeous and attracts millions of visitors every year. However, for us, wine nerds, the influence of the large water surface on wines is probably even more intriguing. Taste Homola winesat the first large, international wine expo of the year!

Homola wines await you at Hungarianwines.eu booth!

Location: 5.2 A 217
In case you are a professional and you are interested to visit us, let us know, so that we can send you your ticket to the expo. Contact us here.

On the way to a greener world

Homola Winery works only with its own vineyards on the northern shore of Lake Balaton, and is currently in conversion to organic viticulture. The wines are made with minimal intervention and long ageing, most of the wines are unfiltered and unrefined. Homola works mainly with local varieties, especially Olaszrizling (white) and Kékfrankos (red), and has an increasing focus on traditional method sparkling wine based on Furmint. Homola Winery owns one of the most beautiful wine terraces in the region, perfect for anyone who wants to enjoy a glass of wine while admiring the panoramic view of the lake. In summertime, Homola hosts several popular music events including DJ in the vineyards, and Jazz Picnic, an unmissable 3-day-long Jazz Festival.

More about Homola Winery

Homola wines available for tasting at Wine Paris

– Rizling 2022 (Grape: Olaszrizling)
– Kékfrankos 2019 (Grape: Kékfrankos)
– Furmint Brut 2020 (Method traditional sparkling wine, grape: Furmint)
– 100% Rizling 2022 (Grape varieties: Olaszrizling, Rhine Riesling)

Homola Winery at Furmint February on 27 February in London

In case you miss Wine Paris, join us in London! A whole day (11.00–17.00) trade and press tasting awaits Furmint lovers in the centre of the European wine world.

Register here

Taste Lajver wines from Szekszárd at Wine Paris as well!

Fall in love with Lajver in Paris, then enjoy in Szekszárd