Hegymagas sits in the Tapolca Basin at the foot of St. George Hill (Szent György-hegy), just 3.1 miles from Lake Balaton, and it’s gearing up for a packed 2026. This tiny village swells to many times its size from spring to autumn thanks to its heady mix of wine tourism, food, and tradition-focused programs. The new year kicks off with weekly markets and a calendar that leans toward vineyards, tasting rooms, and all things volcanic terroir.
Dates, Stays, Food and Drink
Mark your Saturdays. The Hegymagas Market returns multiple times through winter, inviting visitors to taste and shop directly from local producers across the Badacsony region. The first run starts January 17, 2026, with more dates on January 24, January 31, February 7, and February 14. It’s simple and irresistible: discover regional flavors and take them home, straight from the source. All events take place in Hegymagas, with several venues across the village hosting stalls and tastings.
If you’re planning a stay, accommodation listings are active year-round. The Kovács Guesthouse in Hegymagas is open every season, offering a base for market mornings, cellar afternoons, and Balaton sunsets. With the lake so close, you can dip in and out of the region’s restaurants and wineries without a long drive, then retreat back to the hill.
Night on St. George Hill (Szent György-hegy)
Circle June 6–7, 2026: Szent György-hegy hajnalig — literally “St. George Hill until dawn” — promises a long, festive night on the slopes. Expect open cellars, music, tasting flights, and panoramic views that stretch across basalt ridges to Balaton’s glittering edge. It’s one of the signature gatherings on the hill, drawing hikers, oenophiles, and locals into a shared celebration of the volcano-born landscape and its wines.
Cellars, Tastings, and Volcanic Character
The hill buzzes with wineries of all sizes, many of them family-run and deeply rooted in the basalt-laced soils that define Badacsony’s flavor profile. One boutique estate cultivates a compact 2 by 2 hectares on St. George Hill (Szent György-hegy), a consciously small footprint that keeps every vine in focus and every barrel crafted with care. Unusually for the region, their spotlight is on reds. Visits are by appointment, with a two-hour, six-wine tasting lineup featuring the estate’s top bottles.
Agritourism thrives on the southern slopes, where a family enterprise farms 49.4 acres and offers guesthouses alongside their wines. It’s a direct line from vineyard to glass to sunrise walk, and a gentle way to immerse yourself in the hill’s rhythms. Another cellar — possibly the hill’s smallest — produces handcrafted, delicate wines from distinctive local varieties, aiming for a tasting atmosphere you’ll remember long after. Book ahead for a spot and plan to linger.
Gilvesy’s volcanic wines are now a fixture here. Founded in 2012 by Robert Gilvesy, the winery runs a vinotheque that’s open daily during posted hours, with advance appointments welcome and delivery available. Tasting programs are arranged on request, giving you a tailored window into St. George Hill’s (Szent György-hegy) minerality. For a classic Hegymagas family winery, look to lineups of olaszrizling (Welschriesling), rizlingszilváni (Müller-Thurgau), zengő, tramini (Traminer), rajnai rizling (Riesling), chardonnay, and rózsakő — a snapshot of local white grapes that shine on basalt.
Modern Cellars, Old Barrels
Horváth Cellar (Horváth Pince) has welcomed wine lovers on the southern face of St. George Hill (Szent György-hegy) since 1996 and now cultivates 44.5 acres. In the cellar, modern processing technology works alongside patience: some wines rest longer in wooden barrels to build texture and depth. A few steps away, Nyári Cellar (Nyári Pince) pours both wine on tap and bottled selections, just 218.7 yards from the Tarányi Cellar and the Lengyel Chapel. The view is spectacular, the pours generous, and tastings are by reservation — ideal for a sundown session above the lake.
Open Doors Year-Round
The St. George Hill (Szent György-hegy) estate vinotheque keeps its doors open every day, all year. In the renewed estate center, the Viridárium kitchen welcomes food and wine travelers from spring through autumn, pairing local flavors with the hill’s crisp whites and fragrant reds. It’s the sort of place where lunch slides into a tasting flight, and a tasting slides into golden hour under chestnut trees.
Why Hegymagas Now
Because winter markets keep the energy humming, and by the time spring breaks, the village is a live-wire hub for Balaton-bound travelers. Because volcanic soils give the wines a saline edge and a persistent, stony backbone. Because the hill feels personal — small estates, family labels, and cellars that open by appointment so you actually get time with the people who grow the grapes. And because in Hegymagas, the distance between vineyard and table is more like a footpath than a highway.
A quick practical note: organizers reserve the right to change dates and programs. Before you set out for a tasting or market, check ahead or book in advance. Then let the hill do the rest.
