Szekszard Wine Region

Szekszard sits on loess hills above the Danube plain where the climate is warmer than most of Hungary, and it has made red wine since Roman times. The historic grape is kadarka, a light-coloured, spicy, difficult variety that nearly disappeared under twentieth-century replanting and has been brought back by growers who consider it the region's signature, alongside kekfrankos, merlot and cabernet. Szekszard is one of only two regions permitted to use the name Bikaver, bull's blood, for its blends, the other being Eger, and the local version is generally softer and rounder. The town has a wine museum, a festival calendar and a belt of small cellars in the hills within a few kilometres.

What you actually see

• Kadarka - the light, spicy grape the region brought back.
• Szekszardi Bikaver - one of two regions allowed the bull's blood name.
• Loess hill cellars - small producers in the slopes above the town.
• The harvest festival - the September dates the town fills for.

When to go

May to October, with September and the harvest weeks the busiest and best. A day. Book tastings ahead at small cellars. Zero tolerance for drivers means arranging transport.

Honest expectations

Cellars are scattered in the hills and hard to reach without a car and a driver who is not drinking. Many are open by appointment only. The town itself is modest and short on sights.

Nearby

Gemenc forest is east; Pecs lies south-west.