30-06-2025
The unsung European wine regions where holidays are half the price of Burgundy
A road trip through French wine country was once a leisurely, care-free affair, featuring spontaneous stops at some of the best chateaux in the country.
Nowadays it's a budgetary and logistical exercise, with days of pre-planning about where you can actually afford to buy something, and which caves will deign to even open their doors to you (in Burgundy, the answer to both is: fewer than you think).
Luckily, if you look farther east, Europe still has plenty of lesser-heralded wine regions where vignerons will welcome you with open arms (and tiny bills). Na zdraví to that!
Here are three of the best for super vintages, charming accommodation and low prices.
South Moravia, Czech Republic
Czechs used to joke that they consume so much beer because it's cheaper than water. But in South Moravia – the premier cru of Czech vine-growing regions – the wine is just as affordable.
Reasonable local bottles start from around £2, and you don't need to spend much more than £8 for a great one. You could spend weeks driving from vineyard to vineyard meeting passionate winemakers and tasting superb rieslings, sauvignon blancs and grüner veltliners that would make vignerons in Alsace, Mosel and the Loire green with envy – although there are plenty of lesser-known local varieties to explore too.
The region has oodles of charm. In villages such as Vrbice and Petrov, you can see Moravia's traditional stone cellars, which bury their bottoms into verdant mounds in a Hobbit-ish style that could be straight out of Tolkien. Petrov's Plže cellars are also painted in folk patterns.
More recently, trendy young architects have been descending on the region to zhuzh-up historic family farms into Pritzker Prize-worthy wineries.
One of these, Lahofer, is the ideal place to start your Moravian adventure. Designed by local architects Chybik + Kristof, its wave structure crests above a stylish concrete-and-glass tasting room before crashing down towards the vines. The curl of the wave creates an outdoor amphitheatre where the winery hosts dozens of concerts throughout summer. Tastings are available on request, or you can simply enjoy a glass at the bar (from 80 CZK/£2.76).
The winery is a 10-minute drive from Znojmo, a charming cobbled town stuffed with historic buildings – from a 900-year-old Romanesque rotunda to Baroque palaces and Gothic churches. Here you can find Enotéka, a former brewery heating room. Owned by the family behind Lahofer, it has been converted by the same architects into a swish, airy bar where you can try 120 different wines from the surrounding region by the glass from self-dispensing machines. The windows perfectly frame the 700-year-old church.
From just £53 per night (including breakfast), you can stay in a gorgeous converted bakery, Stará Pekárna, which dates back to the 13th century. It sits in the centre of Znojmo and owners Valerie and David Kozelští have completely white-washed the ancient walls and vaults to give a fresh, modern feel.
Ryanair flies from Stansted to Brno.
Berat, Albania
Imagine the city of Bath but built by the Ottomans and surrounded by rolling vine-clad hills. That's Berat in Albania. This Unesco-listed city has that perfect jewel-like quality of Bath with its cascade of white mansions – their wooden balconies and thousands of windows clinging to the hillside.
But just visiting the historic centre and not venturing out into the surrounding vineyards means you miss out on the region's best-kept secrets.
These vineyards are home to some of Albania's best wines, many made with indigenous grapes you can't find anywhere else, such as Pulës (which makes dry white wines that sing with flowers and orchard fruits) and Debinë e Zezë (think: rich earthy blackberries). While Berat's cobbled streets are usually packed with tourists, you can enjoy the neat rows of vines at top wineries like Çobo all to yourself.
Many vineyards also offer accommodation. At Pupa Winery, a 20-minute drive from Berat, you can stay in an Ottoman-style mansion, with its terracotta-tiled roof and giant slabs of poplar wood that seem to grow organically out of the white walls. Many of the rooms have balconies so you can wake up to views over the vines.
Thankfully prices aren't growing as well as the grapes. Double rooms cost from £67 per night, including breakfast, and in the restaurant you can fill yourself up on home-made dishes from the Pupa family farm, such as cheesy pumpkin bake, stuffed peppers and flaky burek pastry, for less than £10.
Ryanair (from Stansted) and British Airways (from Heathrow) fly to Tirana.
Balaton, Hungary
Just a few centuries ago, Hungarian wines were being drunk by all the royal courts of Europe. Today, internationally at least, it's known only for the syrupy ambrosia that is Tokaji dessert wine.
But a trip to the wine regions around Balaton, Hungary's largest lake, will reveal the incredible diversity that this stereotype belies.
Start your trip in Badacsony, which sits on the lake's shore and can be reached by direct train from Budapest in less than three hours. Hableány is a dreamy lunch spot just by the lake's edge. Part winery, part restaurant, you can come for a tour, buy a bottle or just enjoy a glass with lunch. The restaurant does elegant takes on local classics, such as crispy pike perch and smoked pork knuckle with sauerkraut. It's one of the more upmarket restaurants around, yet even here you can get a main for about £10.
Lake Balaton is where countless Hungarians escape during the sweltering summer months, so you can enjoy views over hundreds of yachts and kayaks bobbing on its waters.
In Badascony, vines grow on extinct volcanoes, resulting in stony, minerally whites that could rival any Chablis. Try them at Villa Tolnay, one of the best wineries in the region.
For a longer trip, venture out into Somló, about 50 minutes' drive away, which has a quieter, more agricultural feel. It's also home to arguably Hungary's best sparkling wine house – Kreinbacher Estate, which makes bubbles to compete with Champagne. The winery has a suite of luxury hotel rooms, currently undergoing renovation and set to reopen with a new wellness area soon.
For something a bit more rustic, you can stay at Somló Kolonics Kúria, a winery and guesthouse with double rooms from £81. The simple folksy décor makes you feel like you're staying in the family's own cottage, and there are free bicycles on offer to explore the area.
