A sluggish, boozy bus tour of Hungary’s secret vineyards | Journey

The 90-minute practice journey south-west from Budapest to the spa city of Balatonfüred unveils a panorama that segues from gritty industrial compounds to lengthy sweeps of golden sunflowers and fields of pale grain. The carriage is pleasingly retro, with thick velour upholstery; home windows that open, awkwardly, with a stiff steel lever; and a bushy eyebrowed conductor replete with ticket machine slung over his shoulder.

But the actual retromania is but to come back. Arriving at Balatonfüred station, I board a 1984 DAF bus, painted an nearly audacious shade of inexperienced. From the open-air rear, I take within the view over Lake Balaton, central Europe’s largest freshwater lake, sometimes called the “Hungarian Sea”.

A spa resort city because the late 18th century, Balatonfüred is a well-liked place for crusing and swimming, whereas the hilly countryside to the north is nice for mountain bikers and hikers. It’s additionally house to a whole lot of wineries, a lot of which have historically been troublesome to entry – particularly and not using a automobile. The bus I’m on – the hop-on, hop-off 46° Balaton Borbusz that launched this summer season – has modified all this, by taking guests on day journeys to native vineyards.

It’s the brainchild of Virág Szabó, who has spent summers within the area since childhood. “The idea first came to me when I was travelling in South Africa, on the vintage wine tram that runs between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek,” she says. “I couldn’t believe that nobody had thought to do something similar here.” The 46° moniker is a reference to the truth that this space occupies the identical latitude as Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhône.

She discovered the bus within the Netherlands and, by May this yr, had signed up 22 wineries alongside two distinct routes – one targeted on better-known growers and the opposite on extra distant ones. Since then, seven extra have joined and plenty of extra are wanting to become involved. “I have three criteria. Is the wine good? Are there nice views? And is the winery able to offer some form of hospitality?” she says. Many of the wineries are family-owned and run, with no earlier considered opening as much as guests. Very little of Hungary’s wine is marketed, and solely round one-third is exported. Less nonetheless has it ever been the stuff of tourism.

The bus departs Balatonfüred about each two hours from 11am, with the ultimate drop-off at 9pm and the choice to go to 4 wineries. Guests can both select these upfront or decide en route – and, if the bus returns for you and two hours have flashed by earlier than you’re prepared, you may merely ask to be collected two hours later. While tourism in Hungary is booming, with Budapest the nation’s main draw, the Borbusz hopes to lure guests additional afield, providing an alternate perception into the nation – and the possibility to fulfill native folks. Originally, it was deliberate to run solely till September – however will now function till mid-October, because of its early reputation.

Our first cease is Mórocz Pince (“pince” is the Hungarian for “cellar”), reached by way of a reasonably steep, rocky path from the primary highway. Founded by former musician Tamás Mórocz, it produces between 4,000 and 5,000 bottles annually, with traminer and merlot rosé amongst its specialities. “During Soviet times, the emphasis was on quantity, for exporting to eastern bloc countries, rather than quality,” he says. “Fortunately, that’s no longer the case.”

Although simply 38, Mórocz has been making wine for 15 years. “I wanted to approach it differently,” he says. “In a way that was lighthearted, irreverent and down to earth.” One approach he’s achieved that is by means of his labels, with every classic given a special theme. The 2025 bottles present pictures, taken from household albums, of his grandfather, who launched him to wine. “He died in 2012, so he doesn’t know he’s famous,” says Mórocz, with a smile. Over charcuterie platters on the terrace, with rows of vines and the expanse of the lake as a backdrop, it feels much less like a tasting, and extra like we’re consuming and chatting with mates – and the wine is scrumptious.

We proceed on, and a few of the group leap off at one other vineyard, Balogh, simply down the hill from Mórocz. But Szabó has instructed me in regards to the charismatic proprietor of Gazdag Pince, and I’m eager to fulfill him, so I stay on the bus for an additional quarter-hour as we cross neatly combed vineyards and fairly villages. “We only make wines that we want to drink,” says Gábor Gazdag, welcoming us to his vineyard. “I used to play badminton, but then I got too fat, and I started worrying about being bored in retirement. I wasn’t interested in hunting, fishing or collecting stamps – but I like wine, so I bought this land. It’s a hobby for me.”

For Gazdag, this can be a strategy to stave off lethargy in older age; for János Fogl, at subsequent door’s Madaras Pince, “it’s my life”. Szabó tells me that Fogl – who has been making wine since 1994 – is a genius, cross-breeding grapes to create distinctive varieties that shouldn’t work on this area. Shaded below a vine-tangled trellis, we begin with a cherry liqueur earlier than transferring on to a dizzying choice of wines. Each time I believe we’re completed, Fogl shuffles off to his cellar and produces one other bottle.

Music spills from the Borbusz audio system as we journey again, choosing up passengers – {couples} and teams of mates – from different wineries alongside the way in which. Everyone is in an unmistakably ebullient temper; this may nearly definitely flip to somnolence later.