Copain Winery
Where have I been lately? All over the place. With a countdown to the end of my time here in Hungary (sadface) and a return to family and friends in the States (happyface), I have been moving and shaking all over the country and in my own town, frolicking in the lovely spring weather. Yesterday was a real treat. Some friends took me on an ‘excursion’ to the mountains. We drove to the highest point in the country, took in the spring stream of a breeze at the top of Kekés, nested in Northern Hungary’s Bükk and Mátra mountains (if you call 1014 meters a mountain- this Floridian will let it slide, it was refreshing all the same to see topography after sticking around the Great Hungarian Plains for so long).
After the mountain trip, we weaved back down through the lush woods in a blur of green, where we reached one of Hungary’s energy fields. No, I am not talking about a power plant, I am referring to a location in which healing energy flows from the ground. The field was peppered in pvc pipes sticking up with chicken scratch numbers scribbled in sharpie. The different pipes flagged the different spots in the field that gave off healing energy for different purposes. Some stations had old tiers to rest on, some had stumps. I found an old door resting on two cinder blocks under an umbrella and soaked in the sun’s energy- and who knows what else.
Not far from the field of energy was Eger, the country’s famous wine region I visited earlier in October. This time I came prepared and was on a mission to try my favorite Hungarian wine at the winery. Bolyki is owned by a father and son. When my parents came to visit, we frequented a wine bar which carried Bolyki reds and whites. My parents took a couple bottles back to the states and sent me back to Szoboszló with a bottle I shared with a friend. Whenever I go out to a restaurant, a rarity here in this town of meat and potatoes, I look for Bolyki on the wine list.
I was blown away by the winery that has been cut into a stand stone mountain. Taking in the rustic white atmosphere, I completely forgot I was in Hungary. We were taken on a tour around the grounds, taken through the cellars, and finally brought to the tasting room- a cool, low lit room with domed ceilings excavated by miners. At the moment, Bolyki has ten different wines; one rosé, three white and six red. Our group spent a few hours in this cellar, drinking different glasses of wine, eating from a Tupperware of pógacsa and laughing to the stories of owner’s mother (or wife, depending on which owner you are talking about).
This was a special trip and something I will never forget. Great people, beautiful scenery, and fabulous wines. Well done, Hungary.
