25 March 2022 / Sue Tolson
What’s more, you don’t need a car to explore the Balaton and its vineyards. Both shores of the lake are well served by regular direct trains departing from Budapest Déli, the capital’s southern railway station. Once at the ‘Hungarian Sea’, you can continue your journey on foot or by bike, bus and ferry. It’s also a wonderful way to enjoy some breath-taking views of the lake, as the railway line hugs the shoreline on both sides, ending up in Tapolca on the northern shore, where you can go boating on the town’s underground lake, and terminating in Keszthely on the southern, where you can also visit the 18th century Baroque Festetics Place and its sculpted gardens. You could even jump on a bus from here and head to Hévíz and swim among the water lilies in its unique natural thermal lake. A truly memorable experience.
But let’s not get side-tracked by where the trains are heading. Our real focus is on the wine districts lying directly along the shores of the lake. The historic wine districts of the northern shore boasts plenty of treasure for Hungarian wine lovers to discover and has developed a thriving food and wine scene over the last few years. So, let’s hop on a train – there’s a direct one every two hours – and explore.
Your first port of call should be the Balatonfüred-Csopak Wine District, best-known for its crisp Olaszrizling. One half of the wine district is centred around Csopak, which has its own PDO and quality classification for Olaszrizling – the Csopak Codex. This is the place to explore how Olaszrizling can express terroir, by tasting the various village and single vineyard wines produced in the PDO. There are plenty of picturesque wine terraces in the five villages making up the appellation where you can sip some local Olaszrizling, from the laid-back Homola Wine Terrace amid the vineyards to the Petrányi Winery and the St Donát Wine Mansion, which boast acclaimed bistros where you can savour dishes prepared with locally sourced produce.
You could hike or bike across to Balatonfüred or even hop back on the train to stroll around the beautifully restored historic centre of this lakeside spa town. Be sure to relax with a glass of wine or a tasting package at the stylish Zelna Winery and bar, where they serve wines from their own small organic family winery as well as wines from other local producers. Alternatively, head up the hill to the outskirts of town and pay a visit to the Figula Winery. If you come in August, stalls are lined up along the lakeside promenade for the Balatonfüred Wine Weeks, so you don’t even have to move from the lakeside to sample the wares of numerous exhibitors.
From here, you could also make a short excursion by boat or bus to the scenic Tihany peninsula to visit the Benedictine Abbey, discover its lakes and geyser cones and, if you come in season, marvel at the beautiful lavender fields. Tihany now also boasts its own PDO for red wines, so make sure you try a glass of Kékfrankos produced from its volcanic soils.
Continuing down the shore, you could alight at Révfülöp and head inland by bus (or bike) to foodie village Köveskál, home to the Pálffy Winery and Káli Kövek Winery, in the Kál PDO. You could even spend the night in this atmospheric village at the boutique Kővirág Guest House and Restaurant if you’d prefer to overnight away from the hustle and bustle of the lake shore in summer.
Alternatively, stay on the train until you reach Badacsony, one of Hungary’s volcanic wine hotspots. Make sure you get off at the right station though, as the train slowly grinds its way through five stops containing the name Badacsony - Badacsonyörs, Badacsonytomaj, Badacsony, Badacsonylábdihegy and Badacsonytördemic-Szigliget.
The Badacsony Wine District is perhaps one of Hungary’s most unique landscapes – a collection of extinct volcanoes forming otherworldy cones and truncated volcanic buttes, with verdant vineyards climbing the sides of many of the hills. A historically important wine region, it is known for its distinctive mineral whites and for a noble local acidity-driven variety called Kéknyelű. Nearly extinct – it's pretty fussy in the vineyard and even requires another variety to pollinate it – it has been rescued by local winemakers and is well on the way to becoming the region’s flagship variety. Badacsony makes a good base, as there are plenty of wineries within walking distance of the village’s centre, and a wine-themed hotel, Bonvino, where you can spend the night. You could stay close to the centre and sip some Kéknyelű or Szürkebarát on the Istvándy Winery or have a snack at the Hableány restaurant run by Laposa Estate. Although, it’s really worth hiking up the hill to enjoy the spectacular view from the Laposa terrace or heading to Folly Arboretum and Winery to enjoy some of the winery’s wines among their collection of trees. You can also explore some of the area’s other hills, such as Szent György Hill or Szigliget, topped by castle ruins.
shore Although the northern shore was more historically famous for its wines, the southern shore, i.e. the Balatonboglár wine district, also produces excellent still and sparkling wines from a wide range of varieties. Black grapes are more at home here than in the north, so it’s definitely worth a visit for red wine lovers, perhaps combined with some swimming and sunbathing on one of its numerous beaches or some nightlife in southern shore capital Siófok. You can either head here directly by train from Budapest or, if you are already on the northern shore, you can take a ferry across. Ferries depart from Badacsony for Fonyód or from Balatonfüred or Tihany for Siófok, for example. You can also enjoy some of the best panoramas of the Badacsony Wine District from Fonyód.
Jump off the train at either Balatonlelle or Balatonboglár, and you will be in the heart of the wine district. The Légli Winery is within easy walking distance of the Balatonboglár station, or you could hire a bike in Balatonlelle and cycle to the Bujdosó Winery, known for their sailing themed wines, or to the Garamvári Estate, one of the country’s big sparkling wine producers. The biodynamic Kristinus Wine Estate at Kéthely is also worth a visit. They boast a wine cinema and accommodation if you’d like to spend the night in the midst of nature. You can reach Kéthely by bus from the Balatonmáriafürdő station or even by bike if you’re feeling sporty.
So now that you can see how much there is to explore around the shores of the Balaton and how easy it is to get around, even without your own four wheels, pack a bag, jump on the train and head down to the Balaton for a few days of wine, food, sun and water.
