Tokaj Wine: Villages And Vineyards of Hungary's Sweet-Grape Region

As with Champagne, the name Tokaj refers to both a product and a place. The Tokaj-Hegyalja wine region is a UNESCO-protected cultural landscape in northeast Hungary (and across the border into southeast Slovakia), where some 5,500 hectares of vineyards scroll across lush countryside scattered with medieval castles and rustic villages. Following the rivers Tisza and Bodrog, you can range out from the main town of Tokaj to aristocratic wineries with atmospheric cellars, and farm communities renowned for folk dances and harvest festivals.

Ideal for a slow and leisurely travel experience, it's a historic terroir where kings and commoners alike have cherished the native sweet white grapes as vital to their lives and legacies. En route, of course, you'll develop a taste for fabled dessert wine Tokaji Aszú, which is still made to near-ancient recipes, as well as some fresh modern variations, and lately making a serious comeback in the world of viniculture.

To be properly called Tokaj, a wine must be made in this region from some combination of six specific native grapes: Furmint, Hárslevelü, Kabar, Kövérszölö, Zéta, and Sárgamuskotály. Different blends and methods produce different styles, including Eszencia – a syrupy elixir so thick you can eat it off a teaspoon, and so full of sugar that it will keep on ageing for 200 years! But the core product is Tokaj Aszú, which takes its name from the Aszú berries created by a mould that grows over grapes in these moist, foggy river valleys. As they dry, shrivel and sweeten, those grapes help give Tokaj wine its distinctive, delicious flavour, which often has hints of honey, ginger and apricot.

Tokaj has been known for wine-growing since at least the 11th century, though the origin story of Tokaj Aszú begins about 500 years later. Transylvanian princess Zsuzsanna Lórántffy and her vineyard keeper Szepsi are said to have delayed their harvest when Ottoman armies invaded, and the grapes over-ripened in the meantime. Determined not to waste the crop, Szepsi used the dried-out berries and discovered a new sweet wine almost by accident. Now often related as a local legend, wine historians say it's at least partly true, and you can get the full story at Castle Sárospatak, a Renaissance fortress and museum rising over the princess consort's former estate.

• Szent Erzsébet u. 19, 3950 Hungary
• Open daily 10am to 6pm (closed Monday)

Tokaj-producing vineyards and wineries surround 27 different towns and villages, each with their own quaint charms and attractions. The biggest of these is Tokaj itself, which is the main historical hub for local winemaking, and the perfect place to get your bearings – beneath the landmark Tokaj Hill, and right at the confluence of the Tiza and Bodrog rivers.

World Heritage Wine Museum

This essential cultural stop occupies a former alehouse and synagogue in a cluster of Old Town buildings recently converted into a cultural quarter. Inside, the modern interactive displays balance nicely with the old documents, artefacts and vintage winemaking machinery to give you a good overview of Tokaj-related facts and anecdotes. For example: Beethoven was a big fan of this wine, but so was his fellow composer Joseph Haydn, who loved it so much that he would even accept Tokaj as a form of payment for his work.

• Tokaj, József Attila u. 11., Serház u. 55, 3910 Hungary
• Open Tue-Sat 9am-5pm

For a deeper immersion in winemaking culture and history, venture into the Rákóczi Cellar. Home of the prestigious Tokaj-Hétszőlő label, the operation leads from a wine shop on the medieval main square to the manor house of an aristocratic family who ruled this domain in the 17th century. Tours proceed down to the vaults, and tastings are hosted in a subterranean knight's hall.

• Tokaj, Kossuth tér 15, 3910 Hungary
• Open Saturday 11am-8pm and Sunday 11am-5pm, with tasting packages by appointment

The town of Tokaj is also an ideal base for further forays into wine country. Minaro Hotel Tokaj – MGallery Collection has plenty of local dessert wines to follow an excellent Hungarian meal by chef Istvan Csorba, while the Winestone house restaurant at Hotel Mercure Tokaj Centre draws from its own cellar of 120 references. Either one makes a perfect place to rest between day trips to outlying vineyards and villages. Here are the region's key highlights.

A small, quaint riverside community with its own big wine festival in August, and a truly monumental winery at Oremus (Arany János u hrsz. 31/3), where the centuries-old cellars are carved down through three levels of volcanic rock. There's a truly mysterious feel to a tasting in those musty chambers.

Site of yet another glorious summer festival known as Wine Shine Bénye, with tastings in winery gardens, this village is also renowned for its barrel-makers – a museum and even a native folk dance celebrate the woodworkers. Try young, experimental and organic local variations on Tokaj at landmark bar-bistros like Fekete Kuria (Vörösmarty u 4), or take a hike into the surrounding hills, oak forests and grasslands, where you might encounter wild deer and boar.

Another cluster of artisan wineries (and vinegar makers) orbit this beautiful, ancient village that runs gently uphill from the Bodrog river. It's not all about Tokaj, as this has also become a niche production area for the sparkling Hungarian wine, Pezsgő. The village has other, non-alcoholic charms: an abundance of resident storks nesting in trees and chimneys, and a restored medieval church. Lebuj Fogado (Lebuj-kanyar 3838) is the traditional spot to eat and drink by the river.

North and south of this small village founded by the once-mighty Rákóczi family, you'll find curious triangular grotto-like structures moulded into the hills, where so-called "cellar rows" define the landscape. Take your pick of doors to enter for a tasting in one of these welcoming little wine bunkers, or enjoy a glass outside on a bench with mountain views at Espák Pincészet (Petőfi Sándor u. 53), a family-run favourite for fans of classic Tokaj Aszú as well as the fresher, drier alternative Furmint.

The Tokaj region is a relatively short drive of less than three hours from Budapest, but even closer is Hungary's second city Debrecen. Barely an hour away by car, it's the former capital and past seat of empire with rib-sticking cuisine, lovely restored architecture, rich folk history and restful thermal baths. Mercure Debrecen is a stylish modern hotel near the central landmarks, and close to Debrecen Airport too.

Once you reach Tokaj itself, you might want to leave the car behind – especially if you plan on wine-tasting your way across the region. There are other, slower ways to see the vineyards:

• By boat: Rent a canoe, motorboat or even a barge to make your way along the Tisza and Bodrog rivers from Tokaj. Both are easily navigable, with bankside bars and wineries at regular intervals.
• By bike: Tokaj town is increasingly well connected to surrounding villages by cycle paths, which are mostly flat and follow the scenic waterways. Popular full-day rides include the 25-km Tokaj-Bodrog loop.
• On foot: Tokaj-Hegyalja wine country is also prime hiking territory, with routes laced across the vineyards, orchards, volcanic hills and lush pastures of the Tarcal-Mester Valley.

Whether you're a newcomer to Tokaj wine or a well-versed connoisseur, this pristine UNESCO-protected region is ripe and ready for discovery. Keen to find out more about beautiful Hungary? Discover our guide to the best times to visit Budapest, or take a deep dive into the capital's food culture.