Home > Trips > Wine & Food In Focus: Exploring the Food and Wines of Hungary, Through the Lens
Wine & Food In Focus: Exploring the Food and Wines of Hungary, Through the Lens
Photography Workshop with photographer Tim Clinch & Tour Designed by Taste Hungary
September 24 – October 2, 2027
Explore the food and wines of Hungary while upgrading your photography skills. We are partnering up with professional photographer Tim Clinch for an exciting eight days of photography workshops paired with food and wine experiences. Taste Hungary will be organizing the trip in our usual way (with a focus on food, wine, and memorable personal experiences), while throughout the trip, Tim will be teaching you how to get the best shots of it all. Carolyn first met Tim in 2012 when he was on assignment shooting for an article in Condé Nast Traveller on Budapest and Tokaj. And the idea for this joint workshop/tour came about last year when Carolyn travelled to Bulgaria to join one of Tim’s workshops.
Starting in Budapest (an endlessly photogenic city), we’ll explore neighborhoods, food markets, and monuments, where alongside learning about the history, we’ll learn how to best capture it all on your camera. From Budapest, we’ll head out into Hungary’s northeastern volcanic wine regions—Mátra, Eger, and Tokaj—known for their high-quality, complex, acid-driven wines. The regions are defined by the family-run wineries (we will visit several of them), whose hospitality is legendary. We’ll wander in stunningly beautiful vineyards, sip wine drawn from the barrels lining cellar caves that have been hand-carved into the volcanic rock, enjoy meals prepared by winemakers, and explore countryside life in small towns and villages. We’ll also do some of our own Hungarian-style outdoor cooking at our base in Tokaj.
During this trip you’ll get an understanding of the country’s complex history, starting with our walks around Budapest. In Eger we’ll visit the castle, where the residents defended the city against the Ottomans, as well as other buildings which date to the Ottoman occupation of the town in the 16th century. The Tokaj region has historically been at the crossroads of east and west, and it has a rich history of Jewish wine merchants and winemakers.
While the focus of this tour will be on food and wine—a subject close to all of our hearts—Tim’s ‘philosophy’ of photography is that “you’ll never be a better food or wine photographer until you’re a better overall photographer. So there will be opportunities for various types of photography. Over the week, Tim will be shooting alongside the group and demonstrating techniques and tricks of the trade to improve your photography and storytelling. In the morning we’ll gather over breakfast to discuss the plans and goals for the day, and each evening we’ll share and show our pictures, so we can learn from each other. This tour is for all skill levels, from complete beginners to those with more advanced experience. Whether you just want to improve your Instagram feed, tend to your creativity, bring your Substack to the next level, or shoot for publication, Tim will help you where you are. This will be an intimate group of like-minded creative individuals, with the shared goal of producing stunning images, while exploring and enjoying the wonderful foods and wines of Hungary.
NOTE: If you prefer to shoot on an iPhone, it is perfectly fine to come with just your phone! Tim is a passionate believer in iPhone photography (most of the images on his Instagram account were shot on his iPhone).
Trip Highlights
What’s included?
What’s not included?
Why Travel with Us?
TIM CLINCH — Tim has been a professional photographer for all of his working life. These days he specializes in travel, food, wine, and lifestyle. He has been running workshops (in Bulgaria, Spain, and France), teaching, and mentoring for ten years. Tim has won many awards over the years, including ‘Wine Photographer of the Year’ at the World Food Photography Awards with the picture of Tokaj wine bottles that appears at the top of this page. He has had several books of his interior, food, and wine work published. He contributes regularly to magazines such as House & Garden, Condé Nast Traveller, National Geographic Travel, Wine Spectator, and Gourmet. Tim is mostly based in a small village in Bulgaria these days, but travels frequently for photography assignments and workshops.
“My approach to photography can be summed up by the acronym KISS…which stands for ‘Keep it simple Stupid’ and in my book is the answer to pretty much any photographic query,” says Tim. “We can all complicate our photography as much as we want but the basics of composition, use of colour and learning how to use light are the building blocks.”
TASTE HUNGARY — Since 2008, when we founded Taste Hungary, we’ve been falling ever more hopelessly in love with the delicious and varied wines, old kitchen traditions, and more modern culinary innovations. Through our immersive trips, we bring small groups of curious travelers along with us on deep and personal explorations of our favorite and most meaningful places. These trips are the result of everything we’ve learned and experienced over the past few decades of our life in Hungary, and we are proud to share them with our guests. These are trips for food and wine-loving travelers who would like to travel more slowly, quietly, and with deeper intention. We’ll take you behind the scenes to meet the food producers, farmers, and winemakers who we have gotten to know over the past few decades. Our favorite part? The time we spend sitting around a table, eating well, sharing delicious wines, and making lasting memories. We do all of the planning and organizing, all you need to do is shop up with curiosity (and an appetite).
We especially love bringing travelers to the Tokaj region, which is our second home away from Budapest. We’ll show you our favorite parts of this unspoiled and historic region, host you for some cooking adventures at our country home, and welcome you into our own wine cellar, where you’ll make yourself at home amongst our barrels and tanks full of Furmint and Hárslevelű! Our favorite part? The time we will spend sitting around a table, eating well, sharing delicious wines, and making lasting memories. We hope you’ll join us for an adventure!
Day by Day Itinerary
Day One: Budapest – Arrival, Danube Cruise & Welcome Dinner
SEPTEMBER 24
After settling into your hotel—located in the heart of town, on one of Budapest’s most stunning avenues—we’ll gather in the afternoon for a welcome drink at a nearby café. After introductions and discussing the plan (and our individual goals) for the coming week, we’ll take a leisurely stroll (with some sightseeing along the way) over to the Danube. Here we’ll meet our captain for a private river cruise (accompanied by some fine local sparkling wine) to get a feel for the city.
From there, we’ll head to the Palace District for a private welcome dinner at the Tasting Table, our own wine cellar. Over the course of dinner we’ll open a bunch of wines from regions that we will not be visiting on the tour, so you can begin your crash course in the wines of Hungary. The menu will be centered around the lovely and tasty Mangalica, Hungary’s very special indigenous pig.
Overnight in Budapest.
Day Two: Spotlight on Budapest
SEPTEMBER 25
The first part of today will be a casual walking tour of the city, with opportunities for street and architectural photography. We’ll cover a few different neighborhoods, including the Jewish District and the downtown area. We’ll start by visiting two of Budapest’s bustling food markets, which are at their peak on Saturday mornings. And we’ll also stop at a few cafés and shops, for snacks as well as photo ops. Lunch will be some classic Hungarian market foods.
In the afternoon we’ll wander around the Buda Castle neighborhood, and then head up one of the Buda hills to visit the Citadella and the Statue of Liberty monument, and take in the spectacular view of the city below us. Dinner will be at a traditional restaurant on the Buda side.
Overnight in Budapest.
“Every aspect of the trip was thoughtfully planned and executed with warmth and generosity. I recommend Taste Hungary wholeheartedly. We had experiences that you could never arrange on your own.
STEphanie (USA)
While some of the wineries had tasting rooms, others were so small that tastings with the winemakers were at a nearby picnic table, or in a living room. We had a hands-on barrel-making experience at a small, family-run workshop. A historian gave us a tour of the country’s oldest library, leafing through books hundreds of years old. We enjoyed lunch at the home of an eccentric local permaculture practitioner. We roasted bacon over an open fire as part of a feast at our guide’s home.
We visited wineries large and small, new and old. We met young winemakers taking over from the older generation, and another facing an uncertain future. Every winemaker had a longstanding relationship with Taste Hungary and appreciated their efforts to promote Hungarian wine, so we were welcomed warmly as old friends. And the cellars – oh, the cellars!
We drank, ate, laughed, and then we drank and laughed some more. It was an unforgettable week. I am already itching to book another week with Taste Hungary!”
Day Three: The Mountains of Mátra
SEPTEMBER 26
Today we’ll depart from Budapest and head straight to the Mátra wine region. Just a short drive from Budapest, this is Hungary’s second largest wine region, and a relatively hidden treasure. It’s a diverse area with volcanic soil that produces both whites and reds. It’s one of the country’s hotspots for natural and organic wines. In a country full of “emerging” wine regions, Mátra is one of the most exciting for us locals.
It’s a region full of small wineries, spirited wines, and innovative newcomers working in old cellars. A wide variety of grapes are grown here, but Kékfrankos, Cabernet Franc, Irsai Olivér, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris are the most common. Today we’ll visit two small wine producers to tour their wineries, check out their vineyards, and taste their wines. Lunch will be home-cooked at one of the wineries. We’ll have a chance to walk through some old wine cellar rows (which are highly photogenic).
In the evening we’ll head to Eger, in time for a sunset stroll around the historic town center. Dinner will be at a restaurant awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand rating. Of course, we’ll taste some Eger wines with dinner!
Overnight in Eger.
Day Four: The Legends and Wines of Eger
SEPTEMBER 27
Eger is one of Hungary’s most renowned historical wine regions, and produces both excellent reds and whites. In fact, it was better known for its white wines in the past, even though it is now increasingly dominated by reds. The region is sometimes compared to Burgundy, since its wines possess great poise, elegance, and acidity. And like Burgundy, Eger’s wines reflect individual vineyard terroirs. We’ll start the morning with a walk in the beautiful old city center. Overlooked by a castle, this is the site of many legends, and it plays a major role in the story of how Egri Bikavér (Bull’s Blood) got its name.
For lunch we’ll head to a mid-sized family-run wine estate in a neighboring village, where we’ll tour the winery cellars and then enjoy a feast prepared in a traditional brick oven (a kemence) by the proprietor, served with their wines. After lunch, we’ll visit the nearby old hand-carved system of cave dwellings, which were once occupied by families.
Next, we’ll head to the Szépasszonyvölgye, an area of picturesque traditional wine cellars. We can taste a few wines here as we wander the area to take some photographs. From there, we’ll visit a cheesemaker who produces some of the country’s finest cheese (which is served at many of Budapest’s top restaurants). He’ll show us his facilities, and introduce us to a spread of his delicious cheese.
Overnight in Eger.
Day Five: Matyo Folk Traditions … and Introducing Tokaj
SEPTEMBER 28
Enroute to the Tokaj wine region, we’ll visit a village in the Matyóföld region, where we’ll meet some local women who are reviving the region’s traditional folk traditions and designs for modern day. We’ll walk around the village, where we’ll have a chance to photograph the beautiful handmade outfits and design. Lunch will be a home-cooked meal of regional dishes (with some homemade pálinka, fruit brandy!).
Tokaj is the birthplace of one of the world’s finest sweet wines, Tokaji Aszú. Plenty of spectacular dry whites—made from the local grapes Furmint, Hárslevelű, Kabar, Zéta, and Muscat Lunel—are also made here. It is one of the world’s oldest wine regions—first demarcated in a 1737 Royal Charter. Like Aszú, the region is very complex, and is full of fascinating history, unique wine styles, indigenous grapes, terroirs which vary from vineyard to vineyard, and a climate uniquely conducive to botrytis (which is a necessary ingredient for the sweet wines). This region is still in the process of re-introducing itself to the world since its rebirth in the early 1990s after Communism ended.
We’ll start at the top with a visit to Oremus Winery, one of the gold standards and pioneers of the region. Its ancient cellar is one of the most stunning (which is saying a lot, in a region full of extraordinary cellars). After our tour and tasting, we’ll go for a little stroll in some of Oremus’ vineyards.
Then we’ll check in to our accommodation in Erdőbénye and spend the rest of the evening here. Tucked between the Zemplén hills and the forests, this is our home base in the region, where we started our own small winery in the old cellar behind our house. For dinner we’ll cook together at our house, in true-Hungarian village style: over an open fire.
Overnight in Tokaj.
Day Six: Tokaj Highlights
SEPTEMBER 29
This morning we’ll visit the region’s namesake village, where we will be hosted by one of our longtime partners (and friends), a winery beloved by every guest who tastes their wine or visits them! This winery produces the full range of Tokaj wines, and we’ll have a thorough (and educational) tasting in their historic cellar (once opened by a Russian czar). Afterwards we’ll take a walk around the center of the village, and perhaps have a coffee at the café which houses the region’s only coffee roaster.
Lunch will be a taste of some of the local freshwater fish specialties at an outdoor fish place next to the Tisa River. Next, we’ll head to Tállya, where we’ll visit with a winemaker who has somehow made time stand still. He specializes in aging his wines slowly, until they are in perfect condition, even after decades spent in his dark, cool cellar, carved into the ancient volcanic stone underneath the winery. These will be among the oldest wines that we taste on the trip.
From there we’ll visit the village of Mád, one of the most prestigious winemaking villages in the region. We’ll explore the center of the village, lined with grand buildings, which were once homes to prominent wine merchants, and we’ll tour the restored Baroque synagogue and the old Jewish cemetery.
Dinner will be a home-cooked (and mostly home-grown) vegetarian feast prepared by a friend who is passionate about her permaculture garden and cooking with foraged foods. She’ll introduce us to some of the many edible greens that are hiding in plain sight.
Overnight in Tokaj.
Day Seven: Hungarian Oak Barrels, an Ancient Library, and a Wine-Fuelled Feast
SEPTEMBER 30
This morning we’ll start with a stroll in Hercegkút, one of the most unique and picturesque neighborhoods of cellar rows in Tokaj. And then we’ll visit Sárospatak, an important historic university town on the banks of the Bodrog River. Here we’ll see the Rákoczi Castle, and visit the beautiful Library of the Sárospatak Reformed College, which holds some of Hungary’s oldest and most valuable books and manuscripts.
Lunch will be at another very special family-run cellar in a neighboring village. We’ll start with a tour of the family’s cellar. In addition to being talented winemakers, this mother-daughter team are also fantastic cooks, and they’ll prepare us an epic meal of regional dishes. Of course, we’ll taste their range of wines (from sparkling, to dry, and sweet) over the course of the meal. After lunch we can take a stroll in a neighboring village, which is a pilgrimage site for the followers of a 19th century wonder rabbi.
We’ll head back to Erdőbénye to visit a cooper in the village, and make a wine barrel together from scratch! Erdőbénye has a long history of cooperage, with barrels made from the oak in the surrounding Zemplén hills. Spend the rest of the afternoon working on your photographs with Tim, or exploring the wonderful hiking trails in the village. We’ll prepare dinner ourselves tonight, and enjoy it with our own wines made in the village (whoever wants to can assist with the prep)!
Overnight in Tokaj.
Day Eight: Back to Budapest – Farewell Dinner
OCTOBER 1
We’ll have to wrest ourselves away from Tokaj and head back to Budapest after breakfast. You’ll have the rest of the day to re-charge and explore Budapest on your own until dinner. We’ll meet for a farewell dinner at a Michelin-recommended bistro, where the menu is modern Hungarian takes inspired by some of the classics. If you’re up for a final evening stroll through Budapest, we can walk home through the City Park and down Andrássy Avenue, past the Opera House and the elegant 19th century villas until we arrive back at the hotel.
Overnight in Budapest.
Day Nine: Departure
OCTOBER 2
Today we say goodbye! Check out after breakfast. If you want to stay and explore Budapest, we can help with travel arrangements and additional hotel nights.
We will do our best to keep to this itinerary, but it is subject to change based on weather conditions, availability, or unforeseen circumstances. If any activities must be changed, we will do our best to substitute them with a similar one.
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