Tokaj – wine region in Hungary
HOTELS IN TOKAJ. Where to stay
Since we were going to a certain winery located in Bodrogkeresztúr, we found a guest-house right nearby. Many wineries have guest houses for their visitors who intentionally come for the tasting tours. Our winery has no places for staying overnight, though we found shelter at the neighboring one – Tokaj Nobilis Udvarház.
This is where we started our first tasting of Tokaj wine immediately upon arrival; the owner treated us to a glass of white wine of his own production.
In the morning we started exploring CHATEAU DERESZLA winery located in Bodrogkeresztúr.
Tokaji wine is well-known in the world. These are dessert sweet wines with rich gold colour which were much appreciated by kings in ancient times. This is due to the fact Tokaji wine is made almost of raisins. The grape is harvested in autumn when it ripened in the sun, soaked in the rains and fogs, covered with a unique mold, and then almost turned into raisins under the sun. At this stage sunny-honey-moldy grapes are harvested and made delicious wine of.
Tokaji wine region has a very favorable climate, two great rivers and hills with grapes planted on. It was named after the city of Tokaj with other small villages-towns near it having their wineries. In total there are about 28 villages and 40 km of underground tunnels with wine cellars.
The underground cellars are inhabited by black fungus that covers the barrels where wine is maturing and saturates it with original flavor.
In CHATEAU DERESZLA winery there is a special place to store a few bottles of each year. They stand on shelves covered with black moss, which looks very interesting and unusual.
We came to one of the largest wineries whose wines are exported to Ukraine.
After underground tour we went to have a look at the vineyards located in 2 km, as well as at a new plant so well fit in the nature.
Tokaj Wine Region is the part of UNESCO. There are certain laws on the outlook and number of storeys of new buildings and right to purchase land in these parts only for the locals who really live here.
Our advertising photos about Somelie you can check here – images.rossandhelen.com
And then we went to other vineyards of the same winery in more beautiful place on the hill out of which the views of the river, vineyards, and Tokaj open.
And finally we went on tasting Tokaji wine.
Additionally, we were treated to a traditional Hungarian meal – goulash. Though, this goulash was made not as the first course (soup) but as the second one. The main ingredients are meat, paprika, and potatoes. It’s served with pickled cucumbers.
We tasted several kinds of wine: dry (Kabar, Furmint), Aszú, and Szamorodni)
A large group came to the winery for the tasting that day but not everyone was present so we got their desserts )) It was a very, very sweet mix of chocolate, biscuits, cream, and alcohol. None of us managed to eat it till the end)
In the afternoon we went to the city of Tokaj. A small and cozy city with lots of wine bars. By the way, wine is bór in Hungarian.
After the good tasting we found a coffee shop – almost the only one in the city. You can buy here coffee beans for they are roasted here. Tokaj Coffee Roastery&Co. Price for the Flat white is 450 forints.
The next day we went to the Lillafüred castle. It’s not really a castle but a hotel as for now – Hunguest Hotel Palota – with a large park and the lake nearby. And there are caves you may come into for excursions and a forest train. Lillafüred is 12 km from the big city of Miskolc.
Another interesting place for the whole day is Miskolc cave baths. A spa bath with thermal water both inside and outside the caves. Miskolc Tapolca Barlangfurdo.
The ticket for an adult costs from 10$.
Not far away from Tokaj you can visit a beautiful city Kosice in Slovakia
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