Hungary has a growing reputation for producing excellent wines and the annual Budapest International Wine Festival in September gives wine lovers the perfect opportunity for tasting some of them, whilst enjoying the stunning backdrop of the Buda Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Wine Festival takes place from 9-13 September on the terraces of Buda Castle, overlooking the Pest side of city and it’s wonderfully lively time to visit one of the world’s most picturesque capital cities. The five day festival opens at 2pm on the 9th & 10th, 12pm on 11th and from 10am on 12th and 13th and is open until 11pm everyday – so there is plenty of time to sample as many wines as possible over a weekend stay.

Around 170 Hungarian wineries will exhibit as well as a few other wine producing countries and it’s a great opportunity to learn about the wines, as well as enjoy traditional food and festivities. Gastronomy is a huge part of the festival and there are plenty of Hungarian delicacies that can be tried including scones baked on site, many varieties of cheese and grilled meats.

There will be around 1,000 wines to sample, as well as a grape wine auction, grape harvest procession, plus cultural programmes including many musical concerts. On the Saturday there is a Harvest Parade starting at 1pm, with around 800 representatives from the various wine regions dressed in folk costumes and ending with a lovely show on the festival stage.

www.winefestival.hu.

7/1/2009 6:45:21 PM UTC    Comments