Pezsgö, sparkling wine at Garamvári.

On the 10th day we traveled about two hours to reach Lake Balaton,the largest lake in Central Europe. The area around the lake to home to tourist spots, traditional homes and not far away are wineries. A ferry provides easy transportation across the lake.

The first visit of the day was at Garamvári where we met one of the owners and the winemaker. Garamvári was established 25 years ago. Today the winery, an 85 hectare estate, produces sparkling and still wines. The temperatures of the vineyards are moderated by Lake Balaton. 

We then enjoyed lunch at Kistücsök, a restaurant owned by a brother and sister. The restaurant menu offers a variety of Hungarian foods. The atmosphere is friendly with touches of low-key elegance including fabric tablecloths. After lunch we reached the far side of Lake Balaton by a short ferry ride.

Weeping vines at Jásdi Wine Estate

Our next winery stop was Jásdi wine estate which included tasting wines. We learned that the vineyards were once owned by the Bishop Ranolder of Veszprém. István Jásdi bought the property in 1998. Today Jásdi is producing more than 100,000  bottles. As we closely observed the vineyards, we noticed the vines beginning to weep.

We enjoyed dinner at the Bock Restaurant. We stayed the night at Hotel Zenit and looked forward to our visit the next day at Pálffy winery.

Cheers!
Kathy and Terry