Visiting a Vineyard 1
🍇 Visiting a Vineyard — A szőlőskertben
Six short conversations for a day at a Hungarian vineyard — from the welcome at the gate to a toast in the cellar. Hungary has been making wine for over a thousand years, so this is everyday language with deep roots.
Pronunciation quick-guide:
sz = "s" (sun)
s = "sh" (shop)
cs = "ch" (church)
zs = "zh" (measure)
gy = soft "dj"
ny = "ny" (canyon)
ő = long "eu" (rounded)
ű = long "ew" (rounded)
① The Welcome — Üdvözlés
A:
Jó napot! Üdvözöljük a szőlőskertben!
Good day! Welcome to the vineyard!
B:
Köszönjük szépen! Gyönyörű ez a hely.
gyönyörű = "dyö-nyö-rű" = beautiful
Thank you very much! This place is beautiful.
A:
A családom több generáció óta borász.
My family has been winemakers for several generations.
② The Grapes — A szőlő
A:
Milyen szőlő ez?
What kind of grape is this?
B:
Ez furmint. Tokajból származik.
This is Furmint. It comes from Tokaj.
A:
Érdekes! Mikor van a szüret?
Interesting! When is the harvest?
B:
Szeptemberben és októberben.
In September and October.
③ The Cellar — A pince
A:
Lemehetünk a pincébe?
Can we go down to the cellar?
B:
Persze! Itt érlelődik a bor a hordókban.
érlelődik = "AYR-leh-leu-dik" = matures / ages
Of course! The wine ages here in the barrels.
A:
Milyen hűvös van itt!
How cool it is down here!
④ The Tasting — A kóstolás
A:
Megkóstolhatjuk a bort?
May we taste the wine?
B:
Természetesen. Ez egy száraz fehérbor.
természetesen = "TER-meh-seh-teh-shen" = of course
Of course. This is a dry white wine.
A:
Nagyon finom! Az illata csodálatos.
Very delicious! Its aroma is wonderful.
⑤ Buying Wine — Borvásárlás
A:
Szeretnék venni két üveggel.
I'd like to buy two bottles.
B:
Vörösbort vagy fehérbort?
Red wine or white wine?
A:
Egy vöröset és egy fehéret, kérem.
One red and one white, please.
⑥ A Family Connection — Családi kötődés
A:
A nagyapám is borász volt Magyarországon.
My grandfather was also a winemaker in Hungary.
B:
Tényleg? Akkor a vérében van!
a vérében van = "ah VAY-ray-ben von" = it's in your blood
Really? Then it's in your blood!
A:
Igen, büszke vagyok a családomra.
Yes, I'm proud of my family.
📖 Vocabulary — Szókincs
20 key words for a vineyard visit. Verbs are given in their infinitive (-ni / -ani / -eni) form. Nouns include their definite article (a / az).
| # | Hungarian | English | Type | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | a szőlő | grape / vine | noun | the plant and the fruit |
| 2 | a szőlőskert | vineyard | noun | szőlő (grape) + kert (garden) |
| 3 | a bor | wine | noun | accusative: a bort |
| 4 | a borász | winemaker / vintner | noun | bor (wine) + -ász (trade suffix) — your family's word! |
| 5 | a pince / a borpince | cellar / wine cellar | noun | accusative: a pincét |
| 6 | a hordó | barrel | noun | a hordóban = in the barrel |
| 7 | a szüret | grape harvest / vintage | noun | a big autumn event in wine country |
| 8 | a pohár | glass | noun | accusative: a poharat (vowel shifts) |
| 9 | a vörösbor | red wine | noun | vörös (red) + bor |
| 10 | a fehérbor | white wine | noun | fehér (white) + bor |
| 11 | a szőlőfürt | bunch of grapes | noun | fürt = cluster / bunch |
| 12 | az évjárat | vintage (year) | noun | az — starts with a vowel; év = year |
| 13 | a kóstoló | wine tasting | noun | from kóstolni (to taste) |
| 14 | az illat | aroma / scent | noun | az — starts with a vowel |
| 15 | a termés | crop / yield | noun | terem = to grow/bear (of plants) |
| 16 | száraz | dry | adjective | száraz bor = dry wine |
| 17 | édes | sweet | adjective | édes bor = sweet wine (e.g. Tokaji) |
| 18 | kóstolni | to taste | verb | megkóstolom = I'll taste it |
| 19 | szüretelni | to harvest (grapes) | verb | from szüret |
| 20 | tölteni | to pour / to fill | verb | Tölts egy pohárral! = Pour a glass! |
Cultural & Grammar Tip — Egészségedre! 🍷 Before you drink with Hungarians, you raise your glass and say Egészségedre! ("eh-GAYS-shay-ged-reh" — "to your health!"), or Egészségünkre! for "to our health." (A famous bit of folklore: Hungarians traditionally avoided clinking beer glasses for ~150 years after 1849 — but for wine, clink away!) On the grammar side, notice how colour words take the accusative when they become the object: vörös → vöröset, fehér → fehéret ("Egy vöröset kérek" = "I'll have a red one"). Hungary's great wine regions are worth knowing for any family visit: Tokaj (the legendary sweet aszú), Eger (home of Egri Bikavér — "Bull's Blood"), and Villány (bold reds in the south). Mentioning that your family were borászok will absolutely delight any vintner you meet!