Budapest Wine Tour - Etyek

Etyek is a small, wine-producing area just outside of Budapest, on the Buda side of the Danube. A tour of Etyek wineries, recommended by my hotel, turned out to be a very pleasant experience. The tour stopped at three wineries, and we had dinner at the third winery. The cost of the tour was 24,000 Hungarian forints ($86).

The Etyek area only produces enough wine to sell to visitors and local restaurants. The wine grapes grown there include three Hungarian types - Kiralyeanka, Irsai Oliver, and Zenit, plus Blaufränkisch, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and Syrah.

Peter, our tour guide, picked me up at my hotel at 3:10 - 10 minutes late. Transportation for the two or was a minibus which held 15 people. There were thirteen people on our bus.  We spent the next 25 minutes driving to several different hotels, looking for two additional people who were supposed to be on the tour. It turned out they had the wrong time. So they were invited to come on another tour of the next day. We finally left for Etyek at 3:35.

Our tour group was a delightful mix of people it included two ladies from Scotland, an American couple teaching at an international school in Jakarta, Indonesia, a South African woman, and several other Americans, including a woman who was born in an area of Michigan where I had lived for a few years. 

Along the way, Peter talked about national and local history, architecture, and Etyek wine making. The minibus ride was not particularly comfortable.

Once we reached Anonym, the first winery, the rest of the experience became very pleasant. Our guide originally worked there full time, but at the time of the tour, he was dividing his time between working at the winery and conducting wine tours.

We tasted four wines at Anonym. Réka, the young woman who presented the wines, was knowledgeable and very nice. I enjoy the first two wines, but not the next two. The wines were:
1. 2018 Egyböl kettö - 60% Zenit grapes, and 40% Pinot Gris. (Zenit is a Hungarian white grape.)
2. 2018 Frazir Sauvignon Blanc
3. 2017 Szinkopa Chardonnay. (I am not fond of oaky Chardonnays.)
4. 2016 Életjel Pinot Noir

The next winery - Nádas Szilárd (the owner - winemaker) - was a delightful surprise. I liked/loved five of the six wives we tasted, even a Chardonnay.

Szilárd has a great, engaging personality. He clearly loves wine making, and seems to be an out-of-the-box thinker. He and his wife, who is his partner, each have two Masters degrees related to wine making. He has worked at wineries in Bordeaux, Australia, and Canada.

We were only supposed to taste three wines here, but we ended up tasting eight. The wines we tasted were:
1. 2018 Kiralyeanyka. This was the first year he had made this wine – excellent.
2. 2017 Sauvignon Blanc – superb.
3. 2017 Zöld Grüner Veltliner - great!!!
4. 2016 Pinot Gris. It was orange in colour, and my least favorite.
5. 2017 Cimbi Pinot Gris - very nice.
6. 2017 Chardonnay - superb.  It was interesting that the grapes for this particular Chardonnay came from the same vineyard and the same harvest as the grapes used in the Chardonnay I had had at the previous winery, and had not cared for. There was a dramatic difference between the two Chardonnays.
7. 2015 Öston (Instinct) Pinot Noir - very nice
8. 2015 Mühely titok (Secret of the Winery) - 50% Syrah, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Pinot Noir - very nice.

The third winery we went to was Buzál-Mórocza. It was both a winery and a restaurant. We had a delicious chicken dinner at a long outdoor wooden table. They served the following nice wines with dinner:
1. 2016 Grüner Veltliner
2.2016 Szurkebarat Pinot Gris

3. 2017 Blaufränkisch rosé

Hotel Residence Agnes, Prague - A New Favorite

Of the four very nice hotels where I stayed during my recent trip to Central Europe, my favorite was the Hotel Residence Agnes (https://residenceagnes.com/en/) in Prague. I chose all four on the basis of their great reviews. All were nicely situated, and had nice rooms and professional staff. What made the Hotel Residence Agnes special was its incredible staff. They were not only very professional, but they were friendly and helpful in a sincere, down-to-earth way. They welcomed guests with beer, wine, soft drinks and snacks. Guests were welcome to free drinks at any time.

The hotel also had a driver who would, at no charge, take guests to the train station, restaurants, etc. I If a guest makes a reservation directly with the hotel, rather than through an intermediary company, the hotel's driver will pick the guest up at the airport. (I wish I had known that.)

I first stayed at the hotel for five nights when I arrived in Prague at the start of my trip. At the end of the trip, I returned to Prague from Budapest for one evening before catching my flight home. The hotel driver met me at the train station. I was worried about getting to a jewelry store before it closed so I could buy a gift before returning home. The jewelry store was set to close in a few minutes. I phoned the hotel front desk and asked that they contact the store and request that it stay open. The front desk staffer went one step further and instructed the driver to take me directly to the jewelry store. She also phoned the jewelry store to tell them I would be arriving shortly.

The front desk also recommended two terrific restaurants - U Modré Kachničky (The Blue Duckling), which has incredible duck, and Hergetova Cihelna, which is situated on the river on the castle side of the city, and has not only delicious food, but great views.

The breakfasts were very nice, and the woman in charge of the breakfast was extremely helpful.

The owner, Frank, was very, very pleasant and laid back. When he asked me where I was from, I answered that I was from a place in Florida that he probably didn't know. When I mentioned it was Sarasota, he said that he had owned a house there - in Palmer Ranch. (He hadn't told me he was the hotel's owner. I guessed, and he confirmed it.)

The hotel is nicely situated in a quiet area that's only a short walk from the Old Town Square and the Jewish Quarter. There is also a large shopping center, the Palladium, nearby.

The nightly cost for my room, during the height of the tourist season, averaged $266, including breakfast. The room was comfortable, spacious, and clean. If I ever have the pleasure of returning to Prague, it is the only place I would consider staying.

The hotel is located at Haštalska 19.