Every inch a modern winery: Etyeki Kúria

According to Funzine, there’s a lovely village only 30 kilometres away from the capital city, where innovative winemaking is taken to a whole new level. It’s none other than Etyek, the so-called vineyard of Budapest.

Our destination is located in the Etyek-Buda wine region known for its flourishing grape cultivation since the 13^th century. Interestingly enough, the Pannonia Sea (a shallow ancient sea) used to cover the land during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs, making the terroir rich in limestone.

Once we arrived, we couldn’t help but notice the idyllic surroundings, the irresistible view, the fresh air and the lovely wine cellars lining up by the brick road.

We parked close to a reimagined chateau, the Etyeki Kúria Winery that was established 22 years ago at Etyek Old-Hill. Today it’s every inch a modern winery, with Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir being the three of the important varietals grown by the winery. Etyeki Kúria also has 22 hectares of wine grapes in the Sopron wine region, a historical wine district of Hungary, with Merlot, Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch being the most dominant varieties.

The building itself is state-of-the-art, characterized by grey concrete and glass surfaces, while the wooden beams above the wine bar add a traditional touch to the concept. Our hosts kindly showed us around the building; first we walked outside to look around at the cosy terrace, then they guided us into a glass-walled, bright room with pieces of contemporary art hanging on the walls.

Functioning both as a meeting room and a place to have lunch or dinner at, this establishment encompasses a classic wine bar, a winery, and the event hall, capable of hosting up to 80 people.

(Thanks to planned developments, this number is going to be doubled in the near future). Finally, we also visited the vinification passage where, thanks to the glass surfaces, one can see the stainless steel tanks and wooden barrels underground without entering the production facilities.

We soon returned to our nicely set table accompanied by Vince Nagy, Etyeki Kúria’s commercial director who joined us for the sensory examination and evaluation of the wines. There were porcelain plates in the middle of the table filled with two types of delicious scone (with seeds and cracklings), three types of cheese (washed-rind Rouge, classic Trappist, and Hegedűs cheese made of raw cow’s milk) from the local producer Etyek Tej, and dried fruits to complement the characteristic features of wine.