The French châteaux are majestic, the Spanish bodegas are romantic, while the Hungarian underground cellar labyrinths tell tales about history. What’s more, they are really nice places to hang around during heatwaves. Let us invite you to 7 stunning Hungarian cellars, where – besides high quality, gorgeous wines – you can see wonders underground.

 

Chic in the cellar – Kovács Nimród Winery, Eger

“Carved in stone and elegantly furnished, our facility will meet the highest expectations of our most discerning visitors.”And it is true, proved among others by 5.0 evaluation on Tripadvisor. The winery is located in the historic Verőszala street, which is actually a line of cellars in the outskirts of Eger, the most visited city after Budapest in Hungary. The estate offers 5 different tastings from 5600 HUF to 19 500 HUF / person, and can accept up to 80 people. And even a stylish wine dinner is available, as it is featured in the second photo.

More about the winery visit
Contact

Concours Mondial de Bruxelles

After three days of blind tasting, the results of the Red and White Wines Session of the 33rd edition of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles are now officially known. Nearly 6700 wines from 50 countries were assessed by the international jury in Yerevan, Armenia. Hungary has collected 10 silver and 8 gold medals, plus Hungary received the trophy for the best red wine of the whole competition. 27 Hungarian wines received the latest title introduced this year by CMB, the so-called Merit certificate (minimum 86 points out of 100).

International Red Wine Revelation:
Jammertal Koh-I-Noor Merlot 2018, Villány
The winery has received this prestigious title for the second time.

Stars of our cover photo

Bock BV Syrah Extreme 2023, Villány

BV stands for Valér Bock, the founder, József Bock’s son. The winery has received 4 gold medals altogether, and one Bock wine got the Merit certificate. This collection of gold medals is an outstanding success at the famously rigorous CMB!
CMB jury review
“Blackcurrant and cooked plum aromas on the nose, with an integrated touch of wood. Silky-smooth tannins on the palate, with well-balanced wood. A long finish.”
More about Bock Winery
Bock wines are available in several countries. If you are interested in importing, contact Valér Bock.

Tűzkő Chardonnay Barrique 2023, Tolna

The winery has received gold medals at several international contests for the different vintages of this wine, clearly proving the potential of the variety in the hilly Tolna wine region. Besides the gold medal, Tűzkő was awarded 2 silver medals and 2 Merit certificates.
CMB jury review
“Apricot on the nose, with a touch of wood. On the palate, the wine is straightforward and very elegant, buoyed by fine acidity. The finish continues the fruit on a persistent freshness.”
More about Tűzkő Estate
Tűzkő wines are available in several countries. If you are interested in importing, contact the export manager, Bulcsú Ősi.

See all the Hungarian medals here

 

Tűzkő Estate from Tolna will also participate

Winelovers X is a walk-around tasting for professionals on 9 June, with approximately 50 exhibitors. The venue is the hotel of the wine competition, Ensana Thermal Hotel in the charming Margaret Island. Are you a wine professional? This tasting is worth an escape in the green heart of Budapest! Entrance is free of charge for the members of the wine trade.  The first 15 exhibitors are revealed, Tűzkő Estate, a “daughter estate” of the Tuscan Antinori will also be present.

Date and time: 9 June 2026, 15.00–19.00
Venue: Ensana Thermal Hotel, Margaret Island, Budapest, Hungary
How to register? In case you are a member of the wine trade (wine merchant, importer, buyer, sommelier, restaurant manager etc.), write an email to info@winelovers.hu. Besides your name and profession, please, provide your workplace and your position. Our colleagues will reply shortly.
Exhibitors: 15 names are announced and some more is coming soon, we plan to have 50 exhibitors. See the list here.

Did you know that Antinori estate is Europe’s most admired winery?

Just check out this list! And did you know that Antinori has an estate in Hungary? Tűzkő Estate is located in the hilly Tolna wine region, and they have a wide range of wines from the crispy Grüner Veltliner to the complex red flagship blend, Tűzkő Domb. The winery has won The Best Chardonnay trophy at the first edition of Winelovers Wine Awards international wine competition, while Tűzkő Domb 2023 has just won gold medal at VinAgora, the other international wine contest organised in Hungary..

More about Tűzkő Estate

Wine Paris is over, we can start preparing for ProWein, the Düsseldorf wine expo, which awaits trade visitors with completely new visuals and several novelties to make business easier. The Hungarian Wine Marketing Agency will present 11 exhibitors.

Location: Hall 3 / C41
Exhibitors: Bock Winery (Villány), Heritage Wines – Cabolo, representing several wineries, among others Vesztergombi Cellar (Szekszárd), Csányi Winery – Teleki Wines (Villány), Kancellár Estate (Somló), Pannonhalma Archabbey (Pannonhalma), Sauska (Tokaj / Villány), Eurobor – Tűzkő Estate (Tolna), Grand Tokaj (Tokaj), Maison aux Pois (Tokaj), St Andrea (Eger), Törley Pezsgőpincészet (Sparkling Winery) (Etyek–Buda).

See them on ProWein website here

During the next weeks we will tell our readers more about the exhibiting wineries, come back soon!

9–11 February, Paris, France

35 exhibitors, but it means at least 50 wineries, since there are several associations among the exhibitors. Wines of Hungary, the official wine marketing body itself organises the pavilion of most of the exhibitors, and they will be present personally as well.

Date and time: 9–11 February 2026), open from 9 am to 7 pm on Monday and Tuesday, and closes at 5 pm on Wednesday, on the last day.
Venue: Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, 1 Place de la Porte de Versailles 75015. Easy to access by tram or metro (fast and cheap).
About the expo: “Now a flagship event for producers and buyers from across the globe, Wine Paris will welcome over 6,000 exhibitors representing 60 countries and over 60,000 visitors from 155 markets in 2026.”
Tickets: Media representatives can apply for free media pass. Buyers or other professionals can get invitations with free pass from exhibitors. In other cases, visitors can simply buy tickets, now 80 EUR / person / 3 days.
More about Wine Paris

Some of the Hungarian exhibitors:

Bock (Villány), Dereszla (Tokaj), Etyeki Kúria (Etyek, with Fine Wine Association of Hungary), Garamvári (Balatonlelle), Holdvölgy (Tokaj), Homola (Balatonfüred, with Fine Wine Association of Hungary), Patricius (Tokaj), Sauska (Villány and Tokaj), Tornai (Somló), Tóth Ferenc (Eger, with Fine Wine Association of Hungary), Tűzkő (Tolna)

To see all Hungarian exhibitors click here
More information about the wineries who exhibit with Wines of Hungary

In the upcoming days we will publish several specific recommendations tailored to different needs. Follow us!

Cork Croatia tasting of 68 wines from 6 countries

Last month Croatian online wine publication, Cork Croatia held one of the broadest tastings of Kékfrankos / Blaufränkisch / / Frankovka (etc) grape variety. 4 of the 5 Grand Gold winners are Hungarian wines!

The Zagreb tasting is one of the most comprehensive panel tastings of the variety, the 68 wines cover the territory of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, the region where Kékfrankos (as we call it) became significant and acknowledged. The event took place at LuMa Wine & Friends wine bar. Zoltán Győrffy Hungarian wine writer, editor-in-chief of Pécsi Borozó helped recruit samples and participated in the jury.
Tasters:
Dr. Ivan Pejić, mgr. Franjo Francem, Ina Bednar, Jana Koščec, Željko Suhadolnik, Ivan Dropuljić, Siniša Medenica, Ivo Kozarčanin, Tomo Jakopović, Darko Lugarić, Zoltán Győrffy.

The Grand Gold Winners

– Jackfall Kékfrankos (Villány) 2020 (HUN)
– Stier Kékfrankos (Villány) 2021 (HUN)
– Heumann Kékfrankos Reserve (Villány) 2018 (HUN)
– Fyrmonia Kékfrankos – Frankovka Modra 2022 (SVK)
– Thummerer Kékfrankos Superior Válogatás (Eger) 2021 (HUN)
Best of country and gold winner wines are below the photos

16th edition with estates from ALL the 22 wine regions of Hungary

More than 150 wineries will exhibit at Borjour Magnum, the annual tasting of not only the well-established, famous wineries, but also of the ones yet to be discovered. Literally all the 22 wine regions will be represented including the rarely mentioned Csongrád and Bükk, along with some Hungarian wineries from beyond the borders. Early bird tickets are on sale!

Date and time: 14 February 2026, 15.00–21.00
Venue: Budapest Congress Centre, 1123 Budapest, Jagelló út 1–3.
Tickets: an early bird ticket is 16 900 HUF (instead of 30 000 HUF), it is approximately 44 EUR. The best value ticket is the limited-edition dual ticket (Valentine Ticket) for only 39 900 HUF / 2 people (approximately 103 EUR).
Website of the event

Truffle-seeking demonstration and other extras

Borjour Magnum offers some side programmes, for example a little show with Samok, a dog will demonstrate in every hour how he finds truffles in the forest. Glass test, Coravin show, olive tasting, cheese premier and tasting of delicacies made of plants grown in the wild by Dzsindzsa.

Some of the exhibitors:

Borbély Family Winery (Badacsony), Dominium Winery (Mátra), Feind Winery (Balatonfüred–Csopak), Frittmann Winery (Kunság), Gál Tibor Winery (Eger), Garamvári Vineyard (Balatonlelle), Homola Winery (Balatonfüred), Koch Winery (Hajós–Baja), Kovács Nimród Winery (Eger), Pannonhalma Archabbey Winery (Pannonhalma), Sabar Wine House (Badacsony), Szeleshát (Szekszárd), Taschner Winery (Sopron), Teleki Wines (Villány), Tűzkő Estate (Tolna).

See all the exhibitors here
(Click on ‘KÖVETKEZŐ’ meaning ‘NEXT’ at the bottom of the page to see more)

A place to find new favs

Borjour Magnum is huge indeed and features several relatively or actually unknown and / or new wineries, thus it is the best place to discover new favourites. For example, we have not heard of Rózsa Winery (Tokaj), Katalin Rábai (Neszmély), Neiner Cellar (Szekszárd), just to mention a few.

10 great wines to remember, #3

Towards the end of the year, we look back to some of the great wine moments we have enjoyed. All the 10 wines we will list until New Year’s Eve are special for some reason and they are all worth buying, multiple bottles, if you can afford. (The order is NOT a ranking.)
(Cover picture background was painted by Emma Katalin Dobos)

 

Tűzkő Domb is the gem, the flagship wine of the estate. The carefully selected grape comes from Mórágy vineyards. A blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc aged in Hungarian oak barrel for 18 months. “Deep ruby red color that suggests elegance at first glance. The nose reveals complex fruitiness and delicate spiciness: sour cherry, red berries, tobacco leaf and a hint of earthy, peppery character give it a rich aroma. A balanced, sophisticated red wine with substance and style.”
It pairs perfectly with venison, game, red meat, long seasoned cheeses, chocolate and sour cherry desserts. Serving temperature: 16-18 °C.
The retail price is now only around 17 EUR!

 

Tűzkő Estate website and webshop

Read more about Tűzkő Estate

Wine of the Week: Tűzkő Kékfrankos Selection

Tűzkő Kékfrankos 2022 – a price-value champion

With 1063 entries at the 4th edition, Winelovers Wine Awards have become the largest wine competition organized in Hungary. Samples came from 13 countries, 8 wines received grand gold medal, six from Hungary, one from Romania and one from Italy. Taste the top 100 Hungarian wines (and many more) of the contest in a grandiose event on 27 September in the 5-star Corinthia Hotel Budapest.

New category this year: “Retail”

This year the contest has added a new category, the “retail wines”, sponsored by Auchan. Tűzkő Kékfrankos 2022 from Tolna wine region received gold medal (90 points) and costs only 1850 HUF / 4.75 EUR in retail, which makes it a real champion in the price race. Destemmed grape from Mőcsény vineyard fermented in stainless steel tanks at 28 °C, under controlled temperature, and it was pressed after malolactic fermentation. The wine aged in 2nd and 3rd use barrels for 8 months. The wine has ruby colour, the intensive, attractive nose is abundant in cherry, rose pepper and red pepper notes. Vibrant palate, subtle tannins and long, fruity aftertaste.

More about Tűzkő Estate

Are you interested? Contact Bulcsú Ősi commercial manager.

About the event

Date and time: 27 September 2025, 14.00–21.00
Venue: Corinthia Hotel Budapest, 43–47 Erzsébet krt, Budapest, Hungary
Message from the organizers: “Do you agree with the professional jury’s decision?
See for yourself on September 27 at the Winelovers 100 Grand Tasting, where we will bring you all of the wines that made it into the top 100!”
More information and exhibitors’ list
Tickets: 15 900 HUF / 40 EUR in advance (not too much time left) or 18 900 HUF / 48.5 EUR on the spot
Buy your ticket here (in Hungarian) or contact the organisers here.

An article about the premium Kékfrankos of the estate

Did you know, that Marchese Piero Antinori is one of the owners of Tűzkő?

Wine of the Week: Tűzkő Kékfrankos Selection

A World Heritage site, 4 days, nearly 90 wine exhibitors

Buda Castle is undoubtedly one of the most majestic venues of the world, no wonder the pop star Katy Perry’s video for the song Firework was shot here. “THE” Wine Festival, as it is often referred to was the first significant wine event more than three decades ago. The organizers put a lot of effort into the renewal from time to time, as a consequence the 4-day open air wine cavalcade has still been the meeting point of wine enthusiasts.

Date and time: 11–14 September 2025, from 2 pm (check closing hours here)
Venue: Buda Castle, in the centre of Budapest, easy access. Find more details here.
Tickets: Daily tickets between 6900 HUF and 8900 HUF, more details here.
Food will be available to purchase at more than 20 vendors, including an oyster shop and some well-known Budapest restaurants, like Pomo d’Oro.
Some of the exhibitors: Bock (Villány), Borbély Family Winery (Badacsony), Fehérvári Wine Estate (Somló), Garamvári Vineyards (South Balaton), Teleki (Villány), Thummerer Winery (Eger), Tornai Winery (Somló), Tűzkő Estate (Tolna), Vylyan Vineyard and Winery (Villány).
Novelty this year: several wineries and companies exhibit for the first time or for the first time after many years, like the importing Heinemann Brothers and the kosher and vegan wine producing Gluck Estates.
Message from the organizers: “This autumn, you are invited to one of Hungary’s most iconic events, the Budapest Wine Festival, a true celebration of wine culture, elegance, and gastronomy for over three decades. Set within the historic walls of the Buda Castle, the festival offers a unique atmosphere, a powerful sense of community, and an unforgettable meeting of past and present, must-attend for every wine enthusiast. Say farewell to summer in style between September 11 and 14 with fine wines, breathtaking Danube sunsets, great company, and a rich blend of flavours. Expect a masterfully curated gastronomic selection and sophisticated wines from Hungary and beyond.”