Wild About Wine

Napa, it was nice knowing you. The real wine tasting is happening in Budapest.

The Hungarian House of Wines, located in Buda's trendy Castle Hill area, boasts over 700 bottles of the country's finest. Fortunately for vino lovers, the cellar keeps 50 to 60 bottles open at any given time, and for the price of admission, you get two hours to sample as much as you want. And what's the cost for such a winopalooza? A whopping 4,000 forint! Don't worry, that equates to about an Andrew Jackson in USD terms, and it comes with a commemorative glass and crackers. (There's even a discount if you have a Budapest Card.)

Now we don't want to give Americans a bad name over there, but imagine how much wine you can drink in two hours. I mean, even if you just had on taste from each bottle, you'll be lit brighter than an Amy Winehouse Christmas tree. Of course, for all you "open bar bandits" out there (my hand is raised), a visit to the House is also a lesson in one of the budding wine regions. In recent years, winemakers from France, Spain and Argentina have invested in Hungarian vineyards stretching 22 regions, and the fruits of their labor, so to speak, are finally starting to bloom. While you certainly can freelance in the sampling room, the cellar has English-speaking staff that will direct you to the best bottles.

Sure, cserszegi fuszeres wine doesn't have the same romantic ring as merlot or cabernet, but you can be the first wine enthusiast on your block that actually knows how to pronounce it.

Photo courtesy of Vinemanroy via Flickr.