A one hour cruise with Taste Hungary
It was another beautiful and hot afternoon as we waited for our boat to arrive just below the Chain Bridge on the Pest side of the Danube.
On The Danube
Gábor and Carolyn Bánfalvi had kindly invited us along on another of Taste Hungary’s tours. This time we took a quick cruise on the Danube and checked out some of the city’s main attractions from the water while sampling an array of Budapest’s wine offerings.
View of Buda from the Danube
Escape the hustle and bustle
Little cruises like this are a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of a busy city and the cool river breeze was a welcomed relief from the sweltering heat we had been experiencing.
The shoreline is extremely busy here so it is not uncommon to cross through one boat to board another. Comfortably settled in on deck, Gábor graciously welcomed everyone aboard and wasted no time pouring our first taste as we cast off.
Gábor Bánfalvi of Taste Hungary
Légli winery
A light and crisp white wine from the Légli winery called Lugas was a perfect start to the tasting. Refreshing and cracking with gooseberry and grapefruit we all settled in as the boat slowly chugged up the river, under the Chain Bridge.
Next was a wonderful wine
As the wine was being poured, we passed by the Hungarian Parliament. One of the most beautiful parliament buildings you could ever see and one of the largest made even more special by our waterfront vantage point.
Hungarian Parliament
Tipped back
Wasting no time, we all tipped back the end of our glasses and Gábor generously poured our next wine.
Kislaki Cellars Pirosbor is a light red that has a lovely acidity with buttery strawberry flavours. Rosés and lighter reds (served cold) are very popular wines in Hungary and many fine examples are to be had at very reasonable prices, this was indeed one of them.
Gábor, seeing the effects of our fast-paced tasting, passed a large tray of delicious pogácsa, Hungarian scones. Available at most bakeries, you can buy pogácsa in a multitude of flavours and they are not only delicious with a cup of coffee but their savoury butteriness is fantastic with wine. These particular pogácsa were studded with sunflower seeds and helped keep the wine from going straight to our heads.
Wine Tasting with Taste Hungary
Kékfrankos
Wine number four was my personal favourite Hungarian wine, Kékfrankos. This one was from a winery called Weninger and was terrific, with a deep oxblood colour, lots of red fruit and sour cherry notes. It’s a wine that I found incredibly easy to drink, especially because it is served chilled (yes a chilled red), think about a hot summertime BBQ with a perfectly grilled piece of meat.
Turning back at Margaret Island, where many Budapesters go to relax in its tranquil park setting, we were all thoroughly enjoying the sites and the commentary of our knowledgeable host. Heading downstream we had a magnificent view of Buda castle and its surrounding architecture. Except for the out of place and ugly Hilton hotel, where Gábor said was the best place to stay in Budapest because you don’t have to see it when you look out your window.
Learning About Hungarian Wine
Furmint
Bott Cellars Furmint was the next wine up for tasting. Furmint is the other grape used in the blend, along with the previously mentioned Hárslevelü, to make up the world famous Tokaji. This time the Furmint variety is left alone to produce a semi-sweet wine that is full of baked apple and raisin flavours, Nat was even getting some candle wax notes. I loved this wine and when second pours were offered I jumped at the chance.
Downriver, passed our starting point, we could see the Great Market Hall and the new opera house that was nicknamed the whale because of its design. On the other side of the river was the Gellert hotel with its magnificent baths and stunning old Hungarian architecture.
The Whale
Budapest skyline
Our group, relaxed by the five wines we tasted thus far, struck up delightful conversations and helped each other take group shots with the gorgeous Budapest skyline for their backdrop, everyone was truly enjoying their time on the Danube.
Heading back to the docks we had just enough time to sample our last wine from Royal Tokaji, their late harvest barrel aged Tokaji. Intensely sweet with a straw yellow colour, this wine is not for everyone. Although its flavour was smooth and round, the sweetness is extreme and it begs for a large piece of seared duck liver to counter its cloying intensity. A small taste at the end of a meal with some fresh peaches or apricots would also make a perfect dessert.
Tipping back the end of our Tokaji, the boat docked and our little cruise was over. Nat and I had a wonderful time, as did the other guests.
Hungarian Wines and Scones
Visit Budapest
If you visit Budapest and would like to cruise the Danube and learn about their wonderful wines, Taste Hungary is the way to go. Give Carolyn or Gábor a call and they will be happy to organize your trip.
Here is a recipe for those delicious Hungarian scones called pogácsa. Add what you like to change them up, we had them with sunflower seeds and tiny pieces of pork crackling and they were delicious!
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 2 tsp Dried yeast
- 3/4 cup Toasted sunflower seeds (or crackling or a mix of both!)
- 500g All purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 cup Grated Gruyere cheese
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup sour cream (full fat)
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- Gently heat the milk until warm and then combine it with the yeast and let sit until it starts to foam.
- In another pot melt the butter and, when cool, add the Gruyere, sour cream, and beaten egg.
- Then add the yeast mixture and toasted sunflower seeds and stir just to combine, pour it all into a large bowl.
- In another bowl combine the flour, salt and baking powder.
- Add the dry mix slowly to the wet and work the dough until all the flour is used up.
- Turn the dough out and kneed it for a few minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.
- Put the dough back in the large bowl and let it rise in a warm place, until roughly doubled in size.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured board and gently push it down and then roll it out until it is about 1 1/2” thick.
- Cut small 1-inch rounds with a pastry cutter and arrange them on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper.
- Let them rise for about 30 minutes and then give them a quick brushing with egg wash (beaten egg and a tiny bit of water).
- Pop them into a 400F oven and bake until golden and puffed about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Warm from the oven they are very hard to resist.
Disclosure: Even though we were guests of Taste Hungary, the opinions in this post are our own. They did not ask for a good review, we genuinely like these guys.
You continue to tempt me to go to Hungary!
You would not regret it.