Hidden in Hungary’s deep south lies a tiny village of just 2,000 souls that’s quietly rewriting the rules of world-class wine: V I L L Á N Y.
This is where Cabernet Franc reaches utter perfection (many say it’s one of the planet’s greatest terroirs for the grape). Where Bordeaux-style blends are exploding onto the global stage. Where ancient cellars meet concrete eggs, photocatalytic oxygenation, and 30-year-old vintages that taste like liquid history. Few wine regions in Europe deliver the combination of heritage, innovation, and sheer personality that Villány does. During the exclusive VIP tour curated by Villány Borvidék, we were granted rare access to four benchmark producers, each offering a distinct lens on why this small southern Hungarian appellation is producing some of the world’s most compelling Cabernet Francs—and far more.
We woke up to a once-in-a-decade winter fairytale — snow blanketing the vineyards — and spent the day spellbound on our tour. Tradition and cutting-edge innovation aren’t clashing here… they’re dancing.
My heart was stolen by:
✨ Vylyan – Bold, fruit-driven beauties in a jaw-dropping contemporary winery. Second-gen winemaker Sándor is pure fire and curiosity
✨ Bock – The legendary godfather whose storytelling leaves you utterly charmed. Classic, powerful, soulful reds that demand respect
✨ Csányi – Big but polished to perfection. Elegance in every glass
✨ Gere Attila – The grand patriarch whose stories wrap around you like velvet and won’t let go. Refined, sophisticated, endlessly innovative
✨ Günzer Tamás – Family passion on overdrive & impossible not to love
Vylyan Terasz
Perched atop the Fekete-hegy with panoramic views across the vineyard quilt, Vylyan is a story of generational evolution. Founded in the early 1990s by a visionary father, the estate is now led by second-generation economist Flóra and her mother, guided since 2017 by winemaker Sándor Montecucco. Creative friction between tradition and modernity is palpable—and highly productive. Vylyan has always treated wine as a form of art and the label as its canvas. From the very beginning, the winery collaborated with prominent contemporary Hungarian artists (especially István ef Zámbó, Oszkár Papp, and others from the neo-avant-garde circle), turning every bottle into a small, collectible piece of art. They are a manifesto of the winery’s values—biodiversity, feminine energy, lunar rhythm, playful duality of devil and angel, and the fusion of fine wine with contemporary Hungarian art.
Signature tasting notes:
- Feker Variáció 2023 (concrete egg) – tense, pithy, saline grip with stone-fruit freshness
- Böjö 2025 (carbonic Cabernet Franc) – vibrant plum, wild strawberry, barbecue smoke, exhilarating acidity. In Hungary, the term “Bogyólé” is a playful, affectionate pun on Beaujolais Nouveau – literally meaning “berry juice.” Vylyan had already been making a popular, light-hearted, early-release primeur red (their Bogyólé) for years, but for the 20th anniversary they went far beyond the usual label with physical texture. This extremely popular wine sells out in its 20,000 bottles entirety before the month is over!
- Csoka Variáció 2020: Explosive morello cherry, raspberry dust, and a sneaky chili-pepper kick, all wrapped in silky, electric freshness. Aged in clay egg, only a few hundred bottles exist, and every sip feels like the wine is winking at you. Villány’s punk-rock Schioppettino moment. Small batch production of 2000 bottles.
- Mandulas 2021 – red-fruit purity, finely knit Hungarian oak (80/20 new/used), dried Mediterranean herbs
- Duennium 2017 (Cabernet Franc/Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon) – powerful yet refined; layered black fruit, graphite, and remarkable freshness for its weight
The marriage of contemporary art (textured, braille-like labels) and cutting-edge winemaking makes Vylyan a must-visit for anyone seeking the new face of Villány.
Bock Winery
There are cellars, and then there is Bock’s underground cathedral. József Bock senior carved these tunnels out of the limestone with his own hands in the 1970s, and the oldest sections have remained untouched since the early 1990s. Black mold carpets every surface like velvet; the air is thick, cool, and sacred. Bottles from the very first private vintages lie quietly under decades of noble rot—no temperature control, no interference, just time. Standing there in candlelight among those silent rows is the closest most of us will ever come to a wine pilgrimage.
We were privileged to taste two museum treasures pulled straight from that living archive:
- Villányi Cuvée 1992 (Kékfrankos-led with Cabernet Franc) – still brilliantly alive: dried sour cherry, old leather, sweet tobacco, silky tannins, and acidity that danced. It tasted twenty years younger than its 33 years.
- Bock Cuvée 2000 – inky core, blackcurrant, graphite, roasted pepper, dark chocolate, and fig. Firm, polished structure with mouthwatering freshness that left the table speechless.
Then came the magic above ground. We gathered around a long wooden communal table that felt like it had hosted a thousand family feasts. On a crisp, chilly winter day, József junior welcomed us like long-lost cousins. Sparkling wines flowed: the creamy Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs 2020, the razor-sharp Bock Marcell Cuvée Brut Nature 2021, and a brand-new Sauvignon Blanc fizz that cut beautifully through velvety roasted-pumpkin soup. The soul-warming main course—slow-roasted pork paired with the majestic Capella 2012 (deep, harmonious, still climbing)—had everyone groaning with happiness.
Between courses, József told stories: tales of playing in the vineyards as a child, of digging those cellars alongside his father and the wines that his wife loves. His eyes sparkled with pride, yet his voice stayed gentle and humble. You couldn’t help but fall a little in love with the man and the place.
Csányi Winery (Teleki Cellars)
One of Hungary’s largest and most forward-thinking private producers, Csányi has quietly transformed the historic Teleki estate into a powerhouse of precision and varietal expression. While most estates lean on tradition, Csányi straps satellites to the sky to spy on every vine, plants with computer-guided precision, and throws daring curveballs like Malbec, Grüner Veltliner, and a wickedly fresh Syrah rosé into the heart of red-wine country to deep inside the wine cellar, photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) works like invisible magic: powerful UV light strikes a titanium-dioxide catalyst, instantly transforming mold spores, bacteria, unwanted odor to clean air, zero chemicals, perfect peace for sleeping barrels. Fresh from a multimillion-forint glow-up, their gleaming new winery hums with cutting-edge gear, yet the soul still traces back to 19th-century legend Zsigmond Teleki. László Romsics, CEO, along with head winemaker guided us through the tasting and philosophy of the winery.
The tasting was electric:
- Premium Cabernet Franc 2023 – radiant red flowers, wild strawberry, raw cocoa, and that unmistakable Villány “salted-ham” edge; exceptional quality-to-price ratio
- Syrah 2024 (tank sample) – explosive violet perfume, blueberry conserve, cracked black pepper, dried sage—northern Rhône soul with Villány sunshine
- Malbec 2023 – dark cherry, bittersweet chocolate, menthol, violet, and a spicy, earthy finish that lingers for days
- Brut Nature Traditional Method 2020 (24 months sur lie, 7 g/L dosage) – mango, banana, green apple, lemon curd, delicate acacia toast; strikingly fresh, complex, and joyful
Csányi proves that scale and soul can coexist beautifully.
Gere Attila
If Villány has a spiritual home of elegance, it is here, in the low-lit barrel hall of Gere Attila, where time seems to slow the moment you step inside.
Attila Gere doesn’t just pour wine; he tells its life story. With a voice like aged velvet and eyes that spark every time a barrel is tapped, he pulls samples of 2023 and 2024 Cabernet Franc that are still raw, electric, and singing with red-berry precision. Then comes the 2025 Merlot–Franc blend still fermenting, wild and silk-promised. He speaks of each one as if introducing his children: “This one will be bold, this one quiet, but all of them must speak with their own fruit first.” Oak, he insists with a gentle smile, is only the frame; the picture has to be the vineyard.
Between barrels he drifts into tales: the first vines he planted with his father, the 1991 harvest that almost broke them, the night in 2008 he set aside a single barrel of Merlot and whispered to it, “You’ll be my meditation wine.” That barrel became the legendary Solus. You don’t just listen; you lean in, because Attila is Villány’s living memory and its greatest storyteller.
At his side, daughter Andrea and son-in-law Kristof (Krisztián) move with the effortless warmth of people who share his passion. Andrea is an extension of his enthusiasm, Kris pours with a grin that says “welcome to the family table,” and suddenly you’re not a guest anymore; you’re the cousin who finally came home. Their laughter bounces off the staves, their easy camaraderie wraps around you like a cashmere scarf on a winter night, and by the time you taste the 2012 Attila (only two barrels chosen that vintage, the absolute crème de la crème), the room feels sacred.
This isn’t a tasting. It’s an audience with Villány royalty who insist on treating you like blood. And when you finally step back into the cold night air, glass still humming with that last sip of twenty-year-old nectar, you understand why people speak of Gere with quiet reverence. Elegance isn’t a style here; it’s a birthright.
Farewell Dinner – Günzer Tamás Pincészete
We closed the day exactly where Villány’s soul feels most alive: the warm, wood-beamed tasting room of Günzer Tamás. Tamás Günzer—son of Villány pioneer Zoltán Günzer—runs this intimate, family-driven estate with fierce pride in the region’s Swabian-German roots and its greatest terroirs (Bocor, Ördögárok, Jammertal, Fekete-hegy). With only 22 hectares and a philosophy of “make wines you never forget,” every bottle carries unmistakable personality.
Paired with a spectacular six-course dinner, the lineup was pure fireworks:
- Jackfall Traditional Method Sparkling 2020 – fine mousse, brioche, green apple, citrus peel; crisp yet creamy, the perfect curtain-raiser
- Bocor Kékfrankos 2022 – electric sour cherry, pomegranate, white pepper, crunchy acidity; the most vibrant Kékfrankos I’ve ever had
- Grandior Merlot 2021 – plush black plum, dark chocolate, velvet tannins, a whisper of sweet spice; opulent yet perfectly balanced
- Mátyás 2022 (Cabernet Franc flagship) – dense blackberry, graphite, roasted bell pepper, firm but noble tannins; a wine that demands another decade yet already sings
- Jackfall Magnum 2005 (Bordeaux blend, disgorged from library) – a 20-year-old magnum that tasted 10: sweet blackcurrant, truffle, cedar, silky texture, endless finish. The table went silent, then erupted in applause.
With roughly 95 % of production consumed domestically, these wines remain one of Europe’s best-kept secrets. Villány is not merely on the map—it is rewriting it. For those who appreciate soulful, terroir-driven reds and genuine hospitality, Villány belongs at the very top of the 2026 travel list.
Villány isn’t just making wine. They’re crafting the future — one passionate, biodynamic, boundary-breaking bottle at a time. I left with frost on my boots, snowflakes in my hair, and the absolute conviction that this tiny region is on the verge of becoming the next global wine legend.
Book the flight. Clear your calendar. Villány is calling… and trust me, you do NOT want to miss this rise. Who’s coming with me next time?