The King’s vineyard. The highest elevation vineyard in the region with clay soil mixed with volcanic rhyolite.

Erzsébet Cellars

If you want to relive the old history of Tokaj, and walk in the footsteps of emperors, be sure to visit to Erzsébet Pince (Elizabeth Cellars) in the centre of Tokaj.

Tokaj Coffee Roasting in Erzsebet Cellars. – © Gálik Levente / Tokaj Coffee Roasting Co.

Erzsébet Pince was founded by Erzsébet and Miklós Pracser. In this picture you can see their kids, the second generation taking over management and wine making in 2008. – © Gálik Levente / Betsekdűlő

Erzsébet Pince is a family winery founded by one of the first female winemakers in Tokaj, Erzsébet (Elizabeth) Prácser. In the year of the political change in Hungary, 1989, to start their own family business, Erzsébet and her husband bought a cellar in the old wine merchants’ street in the historic centre of the town of Tokaj. But not just any cellar, it was one of the region’s great historical cellars, dug in the 1600s, and rented by Tsarina Elisabeth of Russia in the 1700s to store Aszú wines purchased for the Russian court.

The cellar features exclusive, small lots. This winery produces around 1000 cases of wine annually, all from historical grand cru and premier cru sites that were classified by Bél Mátyás in the 17th century. The Pracser family—father, mother, daughter, and son—run the estate, and take pride in the production of exceptional single-vineyard dry wines and Aszu, Tokaj’s classic natural botrytis wine.

Another part of the Erzsébet Pince old cellar. You can see a traditional "wine thief" in the foreground that was used for taking wine from the barrel in the past. – © FurmintFotó

All of the wines are made in small lots, from low-yielding vineyards that use sustainable and organic viticultural practices. The family team also includes a Master of Wine and Master Sommelier who assists in quality control and blending. The winery’s first bottled vintage was 1993, a 5 puttonyos aszú from a 5-star vintage.

How to get there

Our address is: Tokaj, Bem utca 16. H-3910

By train from the airport: You can take a train from Ferihegy 1 to Tokaj. You might need to change in Nyíregyháza. For detailed train schedule click here.

By train from Keleti Station in Budapest: There are direct trains from Keleti Pu. to Tokaj almost every two hours. For schedule click here.

By car: It is a 2,5-hour drive from Budapest. Take M3 and then M30 to Miskolc then road 37 to Szerencs. and take a turn off for Tokaj.

Where to park: We are walking distance from the main square. You can park anywhere near the main square. Street parking is free in Tokaj.

When to visit

The best time to visit Tokaj is from March to November. Harvest begins in September—a very popular time to come. Also there are several great festivals in Tokaj throughout the year when you can find extra activities: first or second weekend of June is the big annual wine festival with concerts and cultural events. There's a wonderful classical music festival (Zempléni Festival) in the first 2 weeks of August, and the Harvest Festival is the first weekend in October with a beautiful, traditional harvest march.

Visit

Erzsébet Cellars

Hours

We are open all year round by appointment. To get a cellar visit and a tasting please make an appointment in advance by e-mail or telephone.