A detour through Tokaj

Most wine trips begin with the wine; this one began with a wedding in Brașov, Romania.

Brașov was not an especially straightforward destination to reach from England. At the time, its limited direct flights were from only three airports: Luton, Budapest and Dortmund. Sanja and I didn't particularly fancy the idea of Luton, so Budapest won - and provided a very good excuse to turn the journey into a longer trip through Hungary.

I asked Ferenc Zelenec, one of our sales reps and a friend originally from Tokaj, for a few travel tips. What I hadn't realised was that he had recently moved back there from London. Rather than simply sending over a list of recommendations, he offered to collect us from Budapest airport and take us around the region himself for several days. This was an excellent and extremely welcome surprise.

Ferenc drove the several hours east to Tokaj, arranged our winery visits and activities, suggested a hotel and very graciously accepted the role of designated driver throughout. What had begun as a private detour quickly acquired the access and organisation of a rather good trade trip. Having someone local also made an enormous difference, particularly since relatively little English was spoken.

The drive itself included one of Hungary’s musical roads. Grooves cut into a section of Route 37 play a Hungarian folk tune when driven over at approximately the correct speed. Ferenc duly slowed down, positioned the tyres carefully and allowed the road to provide the soundtrack for our arrival into Tokaj. In case you're wondering, it was 80 km/h to play 'Érik a szőlő', which roughly translates to 'the grapes are getting ripe'.

Our introduction to the region began at Szarkaláb Bisztró, where dinner came with an informal tasting of wines from Szarka Pince. One dish was a large piece of fried dough covered with toppings - somewhere between an excellent doughnut and a pizza - which set the right tone for the days ahead.

The first proper visit the following morning was Disznókő. The estate sits among rolling vineyards with far-reaching views across the countryside, and we began by walking through the vines before exploring a farmers’ market that happened to be taking place. Disznókő was noticeably grander and more polished than many of the smaller estates we'd visit later. Its ownership by AXA Millésimes was very evident: the vineyards were immaculate, the facilities striking and the entire experience extremely well organised.

The winery and cellar tour were very informative, but the highlight was their Eszencia library filled with glowing globes of old Eszencia. Eszencia is made from the tiny amount of intensely concentrated juice that drains naturally from individually selected aszú berries. It's produced in extremely small quantities and we were very fortunate to be able to try some of the 2012. It was served from an elaborate glass spoon shaped like a dragonfly, and receiving only a spoonful initially felt slightly strange, until I tasted it. It was extraordinarily concentrated, syrupy and intense, while containing surprisingly little alcohol. I was very glad to experience it, although its price means it is probably not something I would pay to repeat regularly.

From Disznókő, Ferenc drove us to the Bridge of National Unity. This pedestrian suspension bridge stretches for more than 700 metres between two hills, around 80 metres above the ground. Both ends are in Hungary, although Ferenc pointed out Slovakia beyond the surrounding hills. The views were spectacular. However, the height and length of the bridge also meant that it was swaying considerably. Nevertheless, all three of us made it to the middle (that was more than far enough!) and managed to take a photograph looking directly down through the glass-bottomed section.

Our next appointment was at Demeter Zoltán, a much smaller operation than Disznókő. We tasted almost ten wines, including my first Hungarian sparkling wine: a sparkling Hárslevelű. I have always loved Hárslevelű, and discovering it in sparkling form was one of the most enjoyable surprises of the trip. Alongside the whites and sweet wines was a 2014 Cabernet Franc that was particularly delicious, and we left with a bottle of an older vintage. It wasn't necessarily what I had expected to buy during a visit to Tokaj, which was precisely why the tasting was so interesting.

The following morning began with a boat trip along the Tisza River. It was extremely hot, so being on the water offered some welcome relief and a different view of the surrounding countryside. I can't claim that it transformed my understanding of Tokaj, but it provided a suitably gentle and relaxing start to the day.

Our next visit was Erzsébet Pince, where the cellar walls were covered in an extraordinary amount of mould. Mouldy cellars are hardly unusual in Tokaj, but the extent of it was still striking - thick, dark and apparently flourishing in the humid underground conditions. The wines were pleasant and approachable, while the labels provided something a little different. A painting created by a member of the family had been divided into smaller sections, with different details used across the range. It was a simple idea but gave the bottles a clear connection to the family behind the estate.

We then made an impromptu stop at Hímesudvar after hearing American accents and realising they were the only other English-speaking tourists we had encountered during the trip. Curious as to how they had found their way there - and assuming it must be worth a look if they had - we followed them in for a brief cellar visit and tasting. Dinner that evening was fried catfish, essentially the local take on fish and chips. It was exactly as straightforward and satisfying as it sounds.

Our final winery visit was Szepsy, where István (who I had already met in Oxford) took us into the vineyards and began by talking about rocks. This was not a brief diversion. The volcanic soils and differences between individual sites are fundamental to his approach, and he appeared entirely capable of discussing them for the remainder of the day. We travelled up into the vineyards in his car before returning for a tasting. I had tried many Szepsy wines previously, but tasting them where they were made gave them far more context. The dry Furmints were excellent: structured, precise and clearly expressive of their individual sites. The Aszú was equally impressive, although the dry wines remain the bottles I am most likely to open regularly.

That afternoon, we took the train back to Budapest before continuing to Romania. In only a few days, Ferenc had taken us through grand historic estates, tiny family cellars, volcanic vineyards, a farmers’ market, a musical road, the Tisza River and one deeply unsettling suspension bridge.

There was no single favourite wine. Instead, I left thinking about a spoonful of Eszencia, my first sparkling Hárslevelű, the extraordinary mould-covered cellars and just how far into the Hungarian countryside we had travelled.