The Estate
The story of the Béres Vineyards and Winery began in 2002. This was the year our family decided to take up wine growing and wine making in the Tokaj region. The estate has come a long way since then: the land might have been home to nicely cultivated plantations in the past, but by the 2000’s this was hardly apparent. Part of the estate, the historical Lőcse vineyard, was only planted on the bottom slopes, back in the 1980’s. The 'Lőcse mansion', which had been surrounded by the orchards of a successful business a hundred years ago, was now gone, only ruins remaining and the remnants of an old cellar.
We had our job cut out for us – but we were undaunted and resolved to establish on these noble slopes a winery that is modern both in the technology and professional approach, and produce great wines, worthy of the Tokaj Wine Region. First the plot had to be “cleaned up” and refurbished, then the technological basis of wine‑making had to be established.
Between 2002 and 2005 we created a continuous 45‑hectare wine plantation outside Erdőbénye. The soil of the plot is purely volcanic in origin, clayey residual soil and at places erubase soil, on a rhyolitic tuff parent rock. The plantation included exclusively cultivars approved for making Tokaji wines: Furmint, Hárslevelű, to a lesser extent Sárgamuskotály (Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains), Kövérszőlő and Zéta. Wine cultivation could commence.
The venue for our offices, wine making and visitor/guest reception, the Estate Centre opened in 2006. The building complex won architect Anthony Gall and his studio the Pro Architectura Award in 2007, while the complex itself received the Construction Industry Award of Excellence in the industrial and commercial building category. The building complex is unique both in the aesthetics of the design and the details: it combines a sense of belonging to the region and its traditions with high‑quality, cutting‑edge architecture.
In an effort to preserve and maintain the values of the region’s history, we saved the remnants of buildings and cellars on the estate. These included a bifurcated earth cellar explored during the plantation works at Lőcse vineyard, the soil catchment ditch at the foot of the slopes and the ruins of a building in Omlás vineyard. This building was renovated and made into a sacral space, consecrated as the Chapel of the Woman Clothed with the Sun in 2008. To better introduce the natural and built treasures of Lőcse vineyard to the visiting public, an educational trail was established in 2018, offering a unique experience to visitors of all ages.
Our efforts were recognised in 2015, when the Hungarian wine magazine Bor és Piac (Wine and Market) named the Béres Vineyards and Winery the „Most Beautiful Vineyard of Hungary”.
In 2021 we decided to “refresh” the old plantations of Lőcse vineyard, replacing the old vines with young Hárslevelű and Sárgamuskotály vines. The lower sections of the estate proved to be ideal for plum and quince cultivation – the fruits today are used to produce our exquisite Béres pálinkas.
Looking back on over 20 years of our Estate’s history it seems no exaggeration to say that it is a heart‑warming thought to consider what we have created in Erdőbénye. This, needless to say, does not mean our work here is done – not by a long chalk. The goal is still the same, and clear as day: to produce wines of exceptional quality worthy of the Tokaji designation to the delight of all wine‑lovers.
