Villány-Siklós Wine Region
The beautiful, rolling hills of the Villány-Siklós region produce Hungary’s most prestigious red wines – some of which are more than a match for the biggest French names. Like many of the country’s wine-growing regions, Villány has a history that goes back well over 1,000 years – in fact, references to local wine production have been found here amongst Roman artefacts. The production of red wine, however, was largely started by immigrants from Serbia in the 1700s, who brought with them the Kékfrankos grape variety and new methods of production. Today’s winemakers use indigenous grapes, but have also introduced international red varieties like Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The sub-Mediterranean microclimate and an annual average of over 2,000 hours of sunshine give the local wines a uniquely earthy flavour. The exceptional quality on offer is complemented by the region’s small size and down-to-earth ambiance. To make it even easier to explore, the Villány-Siklós Wine Route was created in 1994 to help visitors sample a wide variety of wines and experience the region’s food, nature and Hungarian culture.
The Tamás Günzer winery is open to visitors all year round, and the Gere estate, as well as producing some the Villány’s best-loved wines, also has a guesthouse that makes crawling into bed easy after one of their rigorous tasting sessions. József Bock is another famous name from Villány, and you can sample his award-winning wines while enjoying a lavish meal at the winery’s restaurant and guesthouse. The Malatinszky-Kúria is also highly recommended and can be visited without an appointment on weekends.Siklós is worth a visit for its medieval castle and fine views of the surrounding vineyards. It also plays host to the International Wine Contest and Festival on the last Friday of August, followed on Saturday by a hangover-busting paprika chicken stew cooking contest.
More recommended wineries:
Tiffán family
