When you think of wine and Europe, your first thought is probably Tuscany: sunlit Italian hillsides, beautiful estates and tasting menus that require a dress code and advance bookings. However, if you head two hours northeast of Budapest, you’ll find an entirely different wine lover’s dream.
Welcome to Eger, Hungary, home to a subterranean wine paradise which offers a unique wine experience. Here you’ll find a horseshoe-shaped canyon known as the Valley of the Beautiful Women (Szépasszony-völgy). In the valley, the tasting rooms aren’t grand villas, they’re a row of nearly fifty rustic, hand-carved volcanic caves cut directly into the hillside. It’s an incredible environment and social atmosphere where wine is poured directly from the barrel by those who made them.
So, if you’re a wine lover or maybe just curious about this unique wine experience in a quiet city then Eger should absolutely be on your radar.
Eger’s wine is praised for its unique taste which is due to its geographical advantages of volcanic soil and cooler mountain nights. It’s also one of the few regions in Europe that excels at producing both world-class white wines and elegant red wines, a rarity which has earned it the local nickname of “Burgundy of Hungary”.
Millions of years ago, volcanic eruptions covered the ground in a soft ash rock called rhyolite tuff. Today, this offers a mineral-rich base for the vines to grow from, giving the wines a crisp, refreshing, and slightly flinty taste.
Eger is advantageously located right next to the Bükk Mountains. The hills are able to protect the vineyards from harsh northern winds during the day while funnelling cool air down into the valley at night. The contrast between the warm, sunny days and cooler nights causes a slow, cool ripening process for the grapes to develop into more intense, aromatic flavours without losing their freshness.
Eger’s wine history dates back as early as the 11th century when monks from France and Italy brought indigenous grape varieties from their homelands. After the Mongol invasion in the 13th century, immigrants settled and taught locals about viticulture and the use of wooden barrels.
Because the local volcanic rock was so soft, these early winemakers quickly realised that they could build tunnels into the hillsides to create perfectly insulated, naturally climate-controlled spaces for fermentation and aging of the wines. Over time, these became a collection of hundreds of hand-carved subterranean caves.
Eger was originally a white wine region until Serbian settlers in the 17th century introduced locals to the Kadarka grape which became a staple for the famous Egri Bikavér – also known as Bull’s Blood. According to local lore, the dramatic name dates back to 1552 during the Siege of Eger when a group of Hungarian soldiers were desperately trying to defend the castle against the Ottoman army. For extra courage, the soldiers fiercely drank dark, local red wine which stained their beards and armour dark red. As Ottoman soldiers saw them charge, a rumour spread that the Hungarians had drank the literal blood of bulls to gain superhuman strength which caused the invaders to retreat.
As the wine trade subsequently boomed, the horseshoe-shaped collection of caves on the edge of the city became known as: the Valley of the Beautiful Women (Szépasszony-völgy). The origin of the name is disputed with some claiming it comes from the sacrifices made here to the goddess of love whilst others suggest it was named after a beautiful, mysterious women who sold wine out of one of the cellars which drew in men from across the country.
The Valley of the Beautiful Women (Szépasszony-völgy) is a gorgeous horseshoe-shaped green valley located just a 20-minute walk (or 5-minute taxi ride) southwest of Eger’s centre. The valley is home to around 50 active, family-owned wine cellars which are clearly numbered for easy navigation.
There is no “right” way to explore and there’s no need for any sort of tour guide or schedule as you can just show up and wander around. If there’s space available, most places don’t require a reservation meaning you can just pick the most appealing cellar and head on in.
As for costs, wine tasting here in this way is incredibly budget-friendly and a single glass will cost between 500 to 1000 HUF (£1.20 / €1.40 – £2.40 / €2.80). So, a few tastes of different specialties will be very well-priced.
As you’ll likely be trying a few different wines, the cellars also offer food if you’re interested. Typically it’ll be a Paraszttál which is a communal platter loaded with local sausages, bacon, onion, and local cheeses. It’s a great addition to an already wonderful experience.
Whilst you’re there, you may see locals carrying large, plastic jugs. Many cellars will fill these directly from the barrel for just a few euros. The perfect way to buy house wine at a great cost.
Whilst the freedom of wandering from cellar to cellar is a great, classic valley experience, I wanted to do something a little more special as it was my birthday trip. So, I went for a more formal approach by booking a tasting session at one of the cellars.
I reserved a formal six-wine tasting session (don’t worry, there are options for more than six!) which was hosted inside a calm cave environment. Over a few hours, the host talked us through the evolution of Eger wine and curated a perfect tasting session based on our personal preferences.
A tasting session like this is perfect for a special occasion or to truly understand each wine. Now, I’m no wine concierge but I found the experience extremely interesting and would highly recommend it.
Cellar 37: Bolyki Wine Cellar (Bolyki Pincészet a Szépasszonyvölgyben) – This was the cellar we chose to do our wine tasting at. For the six-wine tasting session, it cost 5200 HUF (£12.60 / €14.70) and our host was incredible, he was extremely knowledgeable, welcoming and spoke perfect English.
As incredibly unique and wonderful as the Valley of the Beautiful Women is, it isn’t your only option. Eger has two other great wine tasting options:
1 – In the Old Town: If you’re looking for a quick stop in between sight seeing, there are wine bars with ancient cellars inside the city centre – like Gál Tibor’s Fusion Bar.
2 – Outside of the City: Located in an old stone quarry, just outside of town is Bolyki Pincészet and Vineyards – the same winemakers as my own tasting session in the Valley of the Beautiful Women. They have an incredible industrial-chic space where tasting rooms are hidden inside giant rock tunnels cut into tall cliff faces.
Eger is absolutely incredible and its wine scene is truly unique. Beyond the wine, the city is a beautiful destination which makes a wine trip and and a sightseeing trip perfectly blended into a special time. The bonus is, it’s affordable and remains untouristed.
If I’ve done enough to convince you to add this to your travel bucket list then check out the Eger Travel Guide to discover what else you can do here, and how to have the most amazing trip.
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