The best wines from Villány-Siklos in Hungary

Villány-Siklos is one of the better Hungarian wine regions. Lively, spicy red wines are made from the blue grapes Portugieser, Kadarka, Cabernet Franc and Kékfrankos. The Hungarian Winemaker has already come from Villány-Siklos several times. This wine region is well regarded within (and outside) Hungary.

In the center of the town of the same name you will find a street with small wine shops. You can taste the local pride. For centuries, wine from the region has been sold from this street far into Europe. In the Middle Ages, the Hungarian court was an important customer.

In the 5th century, the Hungarians from the Urals came to the region. The Romans had already planted vineyards there several centuries earlier. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Turks advanced into Central Europe. They drove away fleeing Serbs, who introduced their own grape, the Kadarka, to Villany. In the 18th century, the Turks disappeared and German 'Swabians' settled in the area. They took their Portugieser and Kékfrankos grapes with them. A lot of red wine is still made from these grape varieties in the region.

The Swabians gave the vineyards evocative names such as the Jammertal, where a battle was lost in 1687. If you walk through the valley on an autumn evening - preferably alone - you can still hear the wailing of the fallen soldiers. Further on is a large vineyard called the Teufelsgraben because it is said to have been plowed by the devil himself.