Until the phylloxera epidemic at the end of the 19th century, which devastated vineyards throughout the region, Zala County was one of Hungary’s important wine-producing areas. Its high-quality wines were well known across the country. Most farmers in Göcsej owned a small vineyard on a nearby hillside, where they cultivated grapes and stored their wine in traditional hillside wine cellars.
For the people of Göcsej, tending the vineyards and working on the hillsides was more than just agricultural labour – it was also a cherished social activity. Neighbouring vineyard owners met in front of their wine cellars, sampled one another’s wines and, after the day’s work, often spent long evenings together.
Hillside Wine Cellars from Nemeshetés and Zalatárnok
Although phylloxera destroyed most of the vineyards, it could not diminish the local people’s attachment to grape growing. After the epidemic, new phylloxera-resistant direct-producing grape varieties were introduced, although the wines they produced could not match the quality of the traditional varieties.
The hillside wine cellars relocated from Nemeshetés and Zalatárnok consist of a press house and an underground cellar used for storing barrels. Their interiors are modestly furnished with simple household furniture and everyday objects that had been removed from the farmhouse but were still serviceable. Besides a table and matching chairs, visitors can see tools used for viticulture as well as a few basic kitchen utensils.
