Mád is a little village in the
heart of the Tokaj wine region. I’m going to share with you my four favorite
vineyards in the region. Spring is around the corner. I hope you will get some
motivation now and you will climb up to visit these places.
Quince vineyard
As soon as we leave the Mád village sign to the direction of Rátka, we turn right and drive up to the top of the small hill. You will notice an old swing at the place, that’s the sign that you’ve arrived. This place mostly belongs to Sauska winery. The slopes are facing southeast and the soil is covered by clay and loess. The wines from this vineyard are tipically coming with mint notes. It’s worth visiting the place every season. The swing and the row of horse chestnut trees are making the vineyard so romantic.
Lord’s Bed vineyard
Following the road for about a few hundred metres you will find yourself at the Lord’s Bed. The iconic vineyard is a home of such well-known wineries like Szepsy, Árvay and Demetervin. According to the legend, the name of the vineyard is coming from the fact that the sun went down between the volcanic hills, people started to call it Lord’s Bed. While walking here, you will find really old 100 year-old vines and lots of stones, which are very tipical in this area. The soil is mainly ryholite, the stones are as sharp as scythe. This character is reflecting in the wines too, these are mineral and salty at the same time. I personally love these volcanic, characteristic wines, these are some of my favorites. You will be able to find them in my new webshop soon.
Saint Thomas vineyard
On the other side of the hill the silhouette of Saint Thomas hill is immedately recogniseable. The name is coming from the catholic patron saint. You can get here by car easily. On the top of the hill a huge pile of stone give a spiritual vibe to the whole area. The soil is very diverse, rhyolitte, quartz and tufa, at some places it reaches three metres of depth. Such legendary winemakers are present here like Károly Áts, the Royal Tokaji and Szepsy wineries. Sincet he vines are reaching out deep in the soil and get some minerality from there, the wines are complex and mineral. Catch the most beautilful sunset from the top!
King vineyard
It’s tiring tour up tot he top of the hill, but the view is stunning. The Old King Hill is raising 284 metres above sea level, two wineries are growing grapes here: Demetervin and Barta wineries. Nobles and royalties used to own this territory, but after the WW II the grapes got neglected and only in the beginning of 2000 the two wineries started to cultivate the area again. They exclusively do it by hands due to the difficult circumstances. This is the most stunning vineyard in the region, just have a look at the view! The King wines are really elegant and balanced.
In April I will take my camera and do a tour in the area again. Hope to show some more interesting historical vineyards from the Tokaj wine region. Enjoy your trip!
