Culture: Contrasting Wine Cellars

When I think of a wine cellar in the U.S., I think of a space under or in the house/business of a wine connoisseur, that is temperature controlled, where bottles of wine are stored. Now that I've been to Hungary, I have several other kinds of cellars to add to my experience.

As described in an earlier blog, the Rector and Vice Rector of Eszterházy Károly have cellars in the area of Eger known as the Valley of Beautiful Women. This area is commercial, with lots of foot (car, bus, and little train) traffic as people go there for wine tastings, tours, or just to buy their weekly supplies of good, inexpensive (or fine!) wine. Their cellars (actually three) look like doorways into the side of the hill. Since Hauser and Kis-Tóth make and sell Magister wines, their cellars serve the functions of 1) wine shop, 2) entertainment area, and 3) working wine-making and storage areas.

The limestone caves are carved out of the hillsides (and under the Basilica) all around the Eger area, and provide perfect conditions for both wine-making and storage. But they are also great places for entertaining (provided you wear a sweater!). Hungarians use these cellars for dinners, parties, weddings, and other special occasions--like the great party we got to attend!

Dr. Lehel Vadon, head of the Department of American Studies, hosted a party at his cellar, in another part of the "wine valley". The cellars are carved into the earth, but the front almost looks like a veranda, with stone facing on the hillside.

Lehel's cellar is meant for entertaining, rather than wine-making, and it is a beautiful place. It's a u-shaped cave that has a kitchen, a rough storage area, a lovely tasting room with the table carved from the limestone floor, and a long formal dining area with a vaulted ceiling, electric candelabrum, and recessed and lighted niches to display Dr. Vadon's wonderful ceramics collection.

If you'd like to read a blog posting about another person's visit to Eger's wine cellars, click here. Her opening description of the bus trip to Eger is a little over the top (we didn't find the buses THAT bad at all!), but her story of the hospitality at her wine cellar destination definitely seemed accurate to me.