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Curious About Hungarian Wine? Join The Club!
We’ve shared some pretty exciting bottles with our club members over the nearly two years that we’ve been running our Hungarian Wine Clubs. We’ve sent our members many of the quintessential wines that Hungary is known for—like Bikavér (from Eger and Szekszárd), Kékfrankos (from Szekszárd, Balatonfüred-Csopak, and Villány), and Furmint (from Tokaj and Balatonfüred-Csopak). And we’ve also shared some really unknown wines, which we are all lucky to even be able to taste. Our club shipments have recently included wines made from the rare Csókaszőlő and Fekete Járdovány varieties—two ancient grapes which were only brought back in recent years after being re-discovered by dedicated winemakers, and replanted from cuttings which were preserved at a local research institute. It’s this conviction of looking back to Hungary’s winemaking history for guidance which we appreciate so much, and that we hope to share with our club members.
We have lots of exciting plans in the works for the future—in both our US and EU clubs—and we’d like to share a bit about what our wine clubs are all about, why we started them (and why we think you should join)!
WHAT OUR CLUB IS ALL ABOUT
There are plenty of wine clubs out there—especially in the United States—catering to different wine passions and types of wine drinkers. Some try to cover the whole world of wine or offer cut-rate prices. Others have more defined themes, catering to natural wines aficionados, Champagne lover’s, or fans of particular regions. Though we’ve also been part of a few great wine clubs ourselves, there are also plenty of duds (even some of the big name ones) which send out mass-produced wines or low quality private-label bottles.
As if it wasn’t obvious, the Taste Hungary Wine Club is singularly focused on Hungarian wine. More specifically, on the smaller and family-owned producers who make small quantities of really amazing wine. We send our members the Hungarian wines that they won’t find elsewhere (unless, of course, they travel to Hungary). When we choose our club selections, we think of the wines we serve at our tastings at The Tasting Table—the ones that people were thrilled to discover, and then disappointed when they then realized they could not buy them again when they returned home. These are the wines we want to share with our club members.
Our wines are high-quality and unique. Members get different wines in each shipment, sometimes from the best-known regions, like Tokaj and Eger. But also from under-the-radar regions—like the southwestern region of Zala—included in our most recent club shipment. We’re pretty sure that Zala wines have not been imported to the US before now.
Stay tuned for more unique wines from smaller Hungarian regions next quarter (and beyond)!
HOW THE CLUB WORKS, AND MEMBERSHIP PERKS
Wine Club for US Residents
We directly import the wines included in this club. Club shipments go out quarterly (in March, June, September, and December), and include unique, high quality wines, which we’ve specially chosen for club members. Each shipment includes our educational packet—a custom-made Hungarian recipe card, extensive tasting notes for each wine, and information on the regions, varietals, and winemakers.
Club Options:
- Standard Taste Hungary Wine Club (6 Bottles): $139 (plus shipping) / Quarter
- Magnum Taste Hungary Wine Club (12 bottles): $278 (free shipping!) / Quarter
Other Perks:
- Complimentary wine tasting at The Tasting Table.
- Opportunity to join an annual week-long group tour to Hungary to visit the winemakers.
- Great wines at great prices. Club members get these wines first for the best price. After the club shipments are sent out, the wines are added to our online shop (where prices are higher than the club cost).
Note: Though we can ship to many states, a few states do not allow wine shipping. Read more about shipping and costs.
Wine Club for EU Residents
Wines included in our EU wine clubs come from The Tasting Table Budapest Wine Shop, and are curated by our sommeliers. Club shipments go out monthly (3 bottles per month), and include unique, high quality wines, which we’ve specially chosen for club members. Each shipment includes our educational packet—extensive tasting notes for each wine, and information on the regions, varietals, and winemakers.
Club Options:
- White Wine Club (all whites, and an occasional sweet wine): 17,000 Ft (plus shipping) / Month
- Red Wine Club (all reds): 19,000 Ft (plus shipping) / Month
- Tokaj Wine Club (a mix of dry and sweet wines): 22,000 Ft (plus shipping) / Month
- Mixed Wine Club (whites, reds, and an occasional sweet wine): 17,000 Ft (plus shipping) / Month
Other Perks:
- A special surprise gift from each month (usually an artisan food item from our shop)
- A complimentary wine tasting at The Tasting Table.
- Opportunity to join an annual week-long group tour to Hungary to visit the winemakers.
- Really unique wines at great prices.
Note: These clubs are available in almost all EU countries, with just a few exceptions. Read more about our shipping costs.
WHAT’S BEHIND OUR CLUB
We spent years laying down the groundwork for our wine club before we actually sent any bottles out. Since 2008 when we founded Taste Hungary, our goal has always been to bring people closer to Hungarian wine and food. As our company evolved, we found different ways to do this.
We initially published books, articles, and blog posts—sharing the stories of Hungary’s rapidly developing food and wine scene with readers to inspire them to come check it out for themselves, or for armchair travelers to learn the fascinating stories behind Hungary’s food and wine. Our next step was taking travelers to the source through our food and wine tours. In non-Covid times we organize tours daily to the Hungarian wine country, and multiple food and history walking tours in Budapest.
When it became clear that we needed our own wine headquarters, we opened The Tasting Table Budapest and began offering daily wine tastings and getting into wine retail. We were able to expand the ways that we introduced our guests to Hungarian wine—like winemaker dinners, educational events, private wine classes and events, and shipping wine to our European guests. At The Tasting Table we talked with thousands of guests over the years over glasses of Furmint, Kékfrankos, Aszú and even Eszencia (which we serve by the glass). We met people with Hungarian heritage who were keen to discover more about Hungarian wine, wine geeks who were into all of the minute details, and people who made pilgrimages to Hungary after experiencing the magic of Tokaji Aszú. But many guests were just there to see what Hungarian wine was all about, and they came with no expectations because they had never tried it before their trip.
As we talked with our guests during these tours and tastings, there was a recurring question, which became increasingly awkward: “where can I buy these wines when I go home?” The only answer we could give—“so sorry, you’ll have to come back to Hungary for more … these wines are not exported”—started to feel really lacking. We could see a demand for these wines, which were made in small quantities by small producers. And we wanted to solve the problem of finding a way for our European and American customers—the biggest portion of our customer base—to keep discovering these small-batch Hungarian wines after their trips were over, and they were at home (and ready to purchase wine).
JOIN OUR CLUB, STAY SUPPLIED WITH GREAT HUNGARIAN WINE
We are so grateful for all of our current club members who trust our taste, and keep coming back for more Hungarian wine!
Have you considered joining our Hungarian wine club? The club is for anyone who either already loves Hungarian wine and wants to further explore it, or anyone who loves good wine and is curious about trying new things. We are committed to sharing our love for Hungarian wine culture by bringing our members these unique and exciting small-batch wines … we hope you’ll join us! Feel free to drop us a line if you have any questions.LEARN MORE (US)LEARN MORE (EU)