Would you fancy a Bikavér from the “double” Winemaker of the Year?

Thummerer Winery is the only estate in Hungary receiving the prestigious Winemaker of the Year award twice. In 1995 the award went to the founder, the late Vilmos Thummerer, while last year the winner was József Lamport, chief winemaker of the winery. Thummerer is one of the most trustworthy Hungarian wineries with constant high quality, elegant wines and reasonable prices. Bikavér is a true Hungarian wine, a red blend with strict regulations. A Superior Bikavér has to be made of at least 5 grape varieties, the majority must be Kékfrankos. The minimum ageing is one year in oak barrel and 6 months in bottle.
Thummerer Superior Bikavér 2022, Eger, airport price: 16.99 EUR
Webshop price of the winery: 15.46 EUR

The “Tokaj trick”

Tokaji Aszú is undoubtedly the “king of the wines” and the “wine of the kings”. The hand-picked botrytised berries turn the Furmint and Hárslevelű wines into liquid gold with unparallel rich and complex flavours and aromas. And yes, the hard work and the fruit of the unique terroir has its price. If you cannot afford a Tokaji Aszú at the moment, you can still enjoy Tokaj buying a more affordable Tokaji Szamorodni. This wine style is also traditional and strictly regulated, and the lower price is due to the less labour consuming harvest method: for Szamorodni wines the intact and the botrytised berries are harvested together. (Read more about the different Tokaj styles here.) And you can also try Katinka, it is also a noble sweet wine, and it is “just” a late harvest wine, so there are no botrytised berries at all, yet the brilliant acidity and the typical Tokaj grapes make it a stunning wine. No wonder Katinka has been the most sold wine of the airport shop several times!
Patricius Tokaji Aszú 5 puttonyos 2018, Tokaj, airport price: 34.99 EUR, winery webshop price: 32.84 EUR (12 000 HUF)
Patricius Stilla Aurea Tokaiensis Tokaji Szamorodni 2021, Tokaj, airport price: 17.99 EUR, winery webshop price: 19.16 EUR (7000 HUF).
Patricius Katinka, Tokaj, airport price: 14.99 EUR, winery webshop price: 16.42 EUR (6000 HUF)

Look for the coolest offers!

I found this wine at champion price in June, of course I grabbed the last bottle. Zenit is a crossing between Bouvier and Ezerjó grapes created in Pécs Research centre in Hungary by Ferenc Király in 1951, but it was officially recognized only in 1976. Thanks to its good abilities („usefully early ripening”, as it is written in Wine Grapes) Zenit is getting more and more popular. It gives slightly aromatic wines with pleasant, refreshing but not too high acidity. With low yield it can give elegant, subtle wines, and MSP Zenit is a beautiful proof of that made by Sándor Mérész chief winemaker of Etyeki Kúria (hence the name MSP, now MSV, “p” stood for project and now “v” stands for vision).
Etyeki Kúria MSP Zenit 2023, Etyek, airport price: 9.99 EUR
Webshop price of the winery: 12.45 EUR (4550 HUF)

Kékfrankos, Villányi Franc and Duennium for the eternity

Kékfrankos is the most important black grape variety of Hungary with a potential to become sexy and trendy. It is fruit driven, juicy, enjoyable and truly Hungarian – though it is also famous in our neighbouring countries in other names like Blaufränkisch and Frankovka Modra. Vylyan Kékfrankos is a “cool” wine and not just because the label features Dr House.
(Read the story of the label here.) Villányi Franc is an appellation in Villány, our southernmost wine region, with strict regulation, made of 100% Cabernet Franc wines. Super Premium Villányi Franc wines have to be aged for at least one year in oak barrel and one year in bottle, and the maximum yield is 35 hl/hectare. Vylyan Super Premium Villányi Franc has this label only for the airport, the “normal” name is Mandulás, referring to one of their most important vineyards. And Duennium, the flagship wine of the estate is a great choice if you want to give a very special wine for a very special person. The little plant on the label is Ginkgo biloba, the symbol of eternity. The blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Cabernet Franc (30%) and Syrah (10%) wines are aged separately in Hungarian oak (80% new) barrels for 18 months, and after the blending of the best barrels, the wine rests in stainless steel tank for 6 more months.
Vylyan Kékfrankos 2023, Villány, airport price: 11.49 EUR, winery webhop price: 8.18 EUR (2990 HUF)
Vylyan Super Premium Villányi Franc 2021, Villány, airport price: 31.99 EUR, webshop price: 25.68 EUR (9390 HUF)
Vylyan Duennium 2017, Villány, airport price: 38.99 EUR, winery webshop price: 35.28 EUR (12 900 HUF)

Half bottle, full pleasure

Did you know that Hungary has a long tradition of sparkling wine production? Hungarians made sparkling wine earlier than the Spanish. (The first Spanish bubbly was made in 1872, whereas the first Hungarian sparkling company was founded in 1834, and the second in 1859.) Nowadays many wineries have one sparkling wine in the portfolio, while Sauska produces a whole range in their own state-of-the-art sparkling cellar, under the guidance of the world-famous Régis Camus from Champagne. Sauska Brut is made of Furmint, Hárslevelű and Chardonnay, the dosage is only 8 g/L, and it is aged on the lees for at least 18 months. This little gem is a lovely gift to your friends, to each of them. I wonder if it were available chilled as well! Though then it would never reach those friends…
Sauska Brut NV, Tokaj (half bottle), airport price: 9.99 EUR
Winery webshop price: 10.92 EUR (3950 HUF)

Why are the prices so good?

(Information received from the representative of Heinemann)
Heinemann has fundamentally redefined the concept of Travel Value and Duty Free shops. Anyone with a valid boarding pass can shop at Heinemann Duty Free. Heinemann applies a uniform pricing policy regardless of the passenger’s destination, meaning travellers pay the same price whether flying within the EU or to an international destination.

• Duty Free: Available for passengers traveling to non-EU destinations, offering products exempt from local taxes and duties.
• Travel Value: Available for intra-EU travellers where taxes apply, though Heinemann still offers competitive airport pricing through the uniform pricing.

Beyond the advantages of the consistent pricing, the retail developed further permanent and seasonal offers and services such as:
– Year-round best prices in Spirits, Wines, Chocolate, Beauty in Special Offer and PriceHighlight concepts.
– Member Pricing: Special discounts and reduced Member Prices are available exclusively through the Heinemann x ME loyalty program.
– Click & Collect: Items reserved online prior to departure are non-binding until paid at pickup, and the final price is determined by the register price at the physical airport shop.
– Collect on Arrivals.

Bock, Villány – the most successful winery of the 5th Winelovers Wine Award

Bock Winery in Villány won the title of the Most Successful Winery, since they have gathered not less, but 10 medals! 5 gold, and 5 silver. We are not surprised by the high scores of Bock Cuvée 2021 and Bock Essencia 2021, but this time the iconic estate collected two silver medals for white wines well, for Bock Batonnage 2024 and Bock Sauvignon Blanc 2025. A must-visit booth for sure!
More about Bock Winery

Dereszla, Tokaj – heavy rain of medals

At the 5th edition Winelovers Wine Awards Dereszla has collected not less, but 15 medals! This is an outstanding achievement with 1 grand gold, 3 gold medals, 9 silver medals and 2 bronze medals. To win gold with a Tokaji Aszú is quite natural, the grand gold winner is a 6 puttonyos Tokaji Aszú from 2019. However, Dereszla got gold medal for the bottle fermented sparkling Dereszla Vintage 2022 as well! The retail price is only 5900 HUF (about 16 EUR), a really good price for this stunning bubbly. Also, do not miss Dereszla Kabar 2023, a silver winner, barrel aged white wine made of 100% Kabar, the lesser-known grape of Tokaj.
More about the winery

Fehérvári, Somló – gold winner sparkling wines

Fehérvári is a relatively young winery on the volcanic Somló mountain, but it arrived in the Hungarian wine scene like a comet, a sparkling comet. Their stunning traditional method sparkling wines have collected countless acknowledgements in the past years, and now there are two more gold medals: Fehérvári Reserve Brut NW and Fehérvári Reserve Brut Rose Magnum both received 90 points! Plus, their Blanc de Blanc 2020 has just been released, a stunning, beautifully aged sparkling wine.
More about Fehérvári Wine Estate

Feind, Balatonfüred–Csopak – 10 medals out of 10 entries

Feind Winery has entered 10 wines and received 10 medals! They are most proud of the gold-medal 2021 Merlot, a truly special wine that is not produced in every vintage, but only in the best years. The same wine received a gold medal at the National Wine Competition (2025), the VinAgora (2024) and the Berliner Wine Trophy (2026), while an earlier vintage, 2019 won gold medal at the Asian Wine Trophy. The new Bollicine product line also brought such excellent results. These light, aerated sparkling wines replaced the Play product line, the word bollicine means little bubble. Who could resist a little bubble?
More about Feind Winery

Holdvölgy, Tokaj – the producer of the best Sárgamuskotály

Earlier this year Holdvölgy has been awarded the Winery of the Year, a prestigious award well deserved. At the 5th WWA Holdvölgy collected 3 gold medals, the highest (92) score went to their Tokaji Aszú called Culture, vintage 2021. The estate has a whole library of Tokaji Aszú wines, if you are looking for a special vintage, contact them, you can choose from 20 vintages back to 2006! And the best Sárgamuskotály is Holdvölgy Intuition No2 2024, a wonderful proof that the aromatic variety can give elegant, outstanding wines.
More about Holdvölgy

Koch, Hajós–Baja / Villány – 10 medals from 2 wine regions

Koch Winery is located in Hajós–Baja wine region, however, they have a vineyard in Villány wine region giving stunning red wines. At the 5th WWA Koch Winery collected 10 medals: 2 gold, 5 silver and 3 bronze medals. The two gold winners are Koch Merlot 899, vintage 2019 and Koch Premium Csanád Cuvée 2017 – both of them are made in their Villány estate. The number 899 in the name of the Merlot refers to the limited number of the product: this barrel selection was enough for only 899 bottles.
More about Koch Winery

Steigler, Sopron – the producer of the best Kékfrankos

Steigler Cellar is located in Sopron, in the “capital of Kékfrankos”, and they take their destiny seriously. The range consists of a Classic Kékfrankos, three single vineyard wines (Spern Steiner, Steiger and Steinhaufen), a Premium Kékfrankos (the “super blend” of the three single vineyard wines), a rosé, a rosé pet-nat, a white Kékfrankos called Paradox and a traditional method sparkling wine, still ageing on the lees. The Best Kékfrankos of Winelovers Wine Awards 2026 is Steigler Spern Steiner 2022. The cellar of the organic estate is in located in the centre of the charming city of Sopron, well worth a visit!
More about Steigler Cellar

Taste the long gone grandma’s meat soup

A permanent Swabian menu is available, featuring exceptionally tasty dishes such as “Oma’s chicken soup, lamb liver dumplings” (‘oma’ means ‘grandma’ in Swabian language). If you choose two of the courses, it will quite likely be a hearty meal – especially if the “breaded meat, Swabian potato salad (Mangalica tonkatsu, veal topside)” is included –, and it costs only 11 000 HUF / 30 EUR.

A.Gere team about the autumn dishes

“Autumn in Villány has a flavour all its own. On the new menu at A.GERE Restaurant, consulting chef Richárd Farkas and our chefs draw inspiration from the ingredients of the autumn terroir, the flavours of the region and our Swabian culinary traditions. Quince, sea buckthorn, Hokkaido pumpkin, chestnut, apple and game – everything Villány gives us at this time of year, now reimagined on our restaurant’s plate.”
More about the restaurant
See the menu here

If you feel like taking a nap, a night-long nap, stay at A.Gere Hotel!

A.Gere wines are available in several countries, for example in Belgium by Global Wineries and in the USA by Boutique Wines.

Our article from last year, upon the opening of the renewed restaurant

Vine on the plate, wine by the plate – the new A. Gere Restaurant

A. Gere was awarded the Winery of the Year in 2024.
Read more

Caviar & Bull, sea & steak

The name of the restaurant may be familiar for world travellers, because there is a sister restaurant in Malta with the same name. The founder chef is Marvin Gauci, a multi-award winner chef, and he brought his concept to Budapest as well: the highest quality treasures from the seas of the world along with premium meats for meat lovers. Guests can enjoy a sea food menu (called Caviar tasting menu) and a meat menu (called Bull tasting menu), both for less than 30 000 HUF / 82 EUR. It may still sound high enough, but remember, you are in the heart of a capital, and all the ingredients are of high quality.
More about Caviar & Bull Budapest

Travel through five countries with sounds and visuals

Uncensored is a restaurant within the restaurant, a special room where guests can enjoy a unique experience. The courses are:
– Hungary: duck liver, apricot, mangalica ham, roasted onion, sourdough bread
– Russia: oyster, caviar, vodka granita, dill, fermented cucumber, pickled shallot
– China: tea-smoked seabass, spring onion, ginger, soy sauce, fermented pear, rice bread, crispy prawn
– USA: rib eye, spiced popcorn, BBQ sauce, corn, potato-bacon-cheddar croquette
– Brasil: banana mousse, banana jam, passion fruit, coconut cream, hazelnut
This concept is also imported by Marvin Gauci, but now it is Hungarian hands, chef Dávid Borbély is in charge. The seating is at 7.30 pm, available on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The price of the menu is 25 900 HUF / approximately 70 EUR, so it costs even less than the Caviar or the Bull menus. (Though 15% service charge is added to the final bill.)
More about the Uncensored room and the “The Journey Degustation” menu

When a “diet woman” can’t resist the temptation of a dessert

I have had the chance to try one of the degustation menus of Caviar & Bull. It was a Wednesday, therefore The Journey Degustation was not available, so I went for the Kaviar menu, since I adore sea food. It was a magnificent series of dishes, for me the two highlights were the fresh bluefin tuna (with avocado, lemon gel, mint and pickled chili) served in crispy cones, and the basil poached meagre with champagne velouté (and gnocchi, black olive crumble and caponata). I try to skip desserts, but I could not resist the temptation this time: the “Citrus Harmony” was so refreshing, featherlight, layered and sophisticated, I loved it! According to menu it had puff pastry, orange & star anise white chocolate namelaka, vanilla orange gel, citrus ragout, white chocolate & citrus espuma, lime crumble and Moroccan citrus ice cream. (Telling the truth, I had no idea what namelaka is, but here is what I have found: “The term Namelaka comes from Japan and it’s literal meaning is ultra creamy / extremely creamy. The namelaka is very delicate, and surprises those who have the pleasure of tasting it. It is similar to a white chocolate ganache, but also a white chocolate mousse, and is a very special cream that contains no eggs or flour!”

A dedicated sommelier

When talking about Caviar & Bull, I must mention the smooth and casual service. We met several waiters during our dinner, and all of them were doing their job perfectly, plus they were really friendly. The sommelier is a seasoned professional, and I was happy to spot him serving Holdvölgy Expression, one of the most beautiful Tokaji Hárslevelű wines I have ever tasted. He served the wine to a table of foreigners and he commented to us proudly: “I have recommended this wine to them, and they accepted my recommendation!”. The wine list features many stunning Hungarian wines, like the above mentioned Holdvölgy wine, and several full bodied, Hungarian icon red wines, that can rival the international stars. NJK is the flagship wine of Kovács Nimród Winery from Eger, a Kékfrankos and Syrahblend from the high altitude, prestigious Nagy-Eged vineyard.

More about Holdvölgy
More about Kovács Nimród Winery

Grand gold and gold for Sauska

Statistics: As we wrote above, all the 10 Hungarian grand gold winners are noble sweet wines from Tokaj.
One of them is Sauska Tokaji Aszú 6 puttonyos 2017, what is more, Sauska won two more gold medals, one for Sauska Brut traditional method sparkling wine, and one for Sauska Cuvée 7 from the Villány estate. The grand gold winner 6 puttonyos Tokaji Aszú is made of 100% Furmint, and it has 208 g/L residual sugar, balanced by 7.9 g/L acidity.
More about Sauska

“Quadriplets” by Vesztergombi

Statistics: Altogether 7 Hungarian rose wines won gold medals at this session of the Trophy.
If Csaba Vesztergombi wins gold medals, he usually wins 4 gold medals, as if it was the minimum. It was the case at the 2025 winter tasting of Berliner Wine Trophy, when Vesztergombi Cellar from Szekszárd was the Most Successful Hungarian Winery of the Trophy. This year the gold winner team is: Turul 2021 (Merlot and Cabernet Franc red blend), Csaba 2022 (Merlot), Rose 2025 (Kadarka and Kékfrankos rose blend) and Kerékhegy Shiraz 2022. The novelty is probably the gold medal for the rose, made of indigenous grapes, and it costs only 1890 HUF (approximately 5 EUR).
More about Vesztergombi

The name Teleki shines again

Statistics: 36 of the 78 Hungarian gold winner wines are red.
The name Teleki can be familiar for anyone in the wine trade, since Zsigmond Teleki was a renowned viticulturist all over Europe, one of the most efficient fighters against phylloxera. The winery following his path in Villány collects several medals when they enter, this time the inventory is 4 gold medals, 3 red wines and 1 sparkling: Kővilla Cuvée 2020 (Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc red blend), Teleki Tradíció Super Premium Villányi Franc 2020 (Cabernet Franc), Teleki Tradíció Vesper 2024 (Syrah, Merlot, Kékfrankos red blend), Teleki Tradíció Chardonnay Brut 2022 (bottle fermented sparkling wine).
More about Teleki wines

Tóth Ferenc Egri Csillag – a wine worth waiting

Statistics: 35 of the Hungarian gold winners are white wines.
Tóth Ferenc Winery from Eger has collected 2 gold medals at this Trophy, one of them is Tóth Ferenc Egri Csillag Superior 2025 white blend, while the other is a a red blend, Tóth Ferenc Egri Kékfrankos Grand Superior Nagy-Eged-dűlő 2024. As the team of the winery shared, the Egri Csillag Superior 2025 white blend has just been bottled, but not released yet, they prefer to let it age in the bottle for a year more. But they revealed that in vintage, 2025 the Hárslevelű was well ripened, even shrivelled, thus the wine is thicker, full bodied, complex, layered and elegant. Maybe it is worth buying “en primeur”!
More about Tóth Ferenc Winery

A Lidl sparkling by Garamvári – great value gold

Statistics: 7 of the gold winner Hungarian wines are sparkling wines.
Pannon Imperial Sekt Extra Dry is a bottle fermented sparkling wine made by Garamvári Vineyard, exclusively for Lidl supermarkets. The wine is available in Hungary and through Lidl in many other countries, quite likely in Germany as well. Therefore, it is good to know that this 100% Chardonnay sparkling from the south shore of Balaton is a good value sparkling wine for only 2599 HUF (approximately 7 EUR) in the Hungarian Lidl stores.

More about Garamvári Vineyard

Fine-tuned by architecture – Bock, Villány

The iconic cellar has two wings, a 30–metre and a 100-metre long, and the main attraction is the circular cellar at the end of the longer branch. It is made of 70 000 used bricks, lies at 10 metres under the ground, 200 square metres with 6 arches, and it has stunning acoustics – thus suitable for concerts, weddings. It is quite astonishing to hear a person from the other end of the circle as if he was whispering to our ear right next to us. And the best is that this architectural wonder (by Ferenc Heimann architect) is available to see without prior register every day, on Saturday twice a day, for only 2000 HUF / person, including two glasses of wine.

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Fun and adventure – Holdvölgy, Tokaj

The estate has just been awarded the prestigious title Winery of the Year, well deserved. The 1.7 km labyrinth, the most extensive cellar system of the estate is well worth a visit in itself, but Holdvölgy created an award winning, funny way of visiting the cellar, the Treasure Hunt. Participants can follow a map visiting 500-year-old cellar parts, altars built when locals hid in there during World War II and of course, they can find the treasures: the wines to taste. Prices are between 6900 and 13 800 HUF.

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Home-made delicacies – Heimann, Szekszárd

Above, at Bock Winery, we have already mentioned a Heimann, Ferenc Heimann, the architect. His brother, Zoltán Heimann has a winery, and – not surprisingly – it was built by Ferenc Heimann. The estate has a vibrant life with tastings, vineyard hikes, art exhibitions, and on top of all, Ági, Zoltán’s wife has a stunning garden, thus wine platters include vegetables from her garden, and meat products made by the family as well. Wine tastings cost 5500 or 7500 HUF / person, and the wine platter is available for 4500 HUF / person. Since the estate is the home of the family, prior booking is advised, but they are usually open for visitors on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons, evenings. The wine shop is open all day. Needless to say: the cellar is stunning.

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Paradise during heatwaves – Tűzkő, Tolna

“Tűzkő Estate winery owns a peculiar underground cellar behind the hill, carved of leoss and strengthened with bricks at the beginning of the 1700s. These cave cellars have kept the same temperature for the past 300 years…” The estate is owned by the iconic Antinori family, though Tűzkő functions independently in many aspects. The historic and cool cellar is just one of the attractions, the youngish and active team invites visitors for vineyard hikes, off-road tours, visit to the cooperage and certainly tastings from 5300 HUF to 9900 HUF depending on the number of people and wines.

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Double labyrinth – Gál Tibor, Eger

Gál Tibor wines have a circle shape label and they feature a labyrinth. “Beneath Eger lies thousands of kilometers of cellars, as intricate as life itself, winemaking, or the human search for direction. This symbol also guides us: through difficult turns, discoveries, and found centers – always toward wine and people.” The founder, Tibor Gál, known about his work not only in Hungary, but in Tuscany as well, had the cellar in Verőszala street, mentioned above at KNW. Tibor Gál Junior moved the whole winery to a new-old place in the centre of Eger city: new, more spacious and old, with a labyrinth mentioned above. The new location allows them to serve food as well, FUZIO bar offers small platters and functions as a vibrant meeting place for locals and tourists. Complete meals are also available on prior booking. Gál Tibor Winery offers several tastings from 5900 HUF to 14 900 HUF depending on the wines and number of participants.

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