With its four wine regions where viticulture goes back to a thousand-year-old history, Southern Transdanubia is the home mainly of red wines.

The Villány and Siklós wine region on both slopes of Nagyharsány Hill form an organic whole. This is the area where the sub-Mediterranean climate is most effective. The early spring, the long summer and the soils - sandy loess on the limestone slopes - all exert their effect to produce the finest red wines of the country. Characteristic wines of the region, Kékoportó, Meriot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir, are on the stronger, full-bodied side with an intense bouquet and high alcohol content.

The Wine Museum acquaints visitors with the wine culture along the Villány-Siklósi wine route, the first of its kind in Hungary, connecting 11 settlements in a protected wine-growing area. The October festival of red wines, held every two years, is geared towards publicising popular Villány wines, including blue Oporto, Merlot, Blue Franc and Cabernet. In the former lime pit on Templom (Church) Hill the fossils of 240-year-old primordial animals, called ammonites, can be seen. Szársomlyó in Nagyharsány, 6 km away and featuring cliffs in striking shapes, is the protected habitat of indigenous flora and fauna unique to Hungary. Among them are the 'angry' water-snake (colubridae) and the secretary hawk as well as crocuses which bloom in January. There is an open-air collection comprising the statues of the past 30 years on the hillside, which doubles as an 'artists studio'.

The Mecsek-alja wine region, stretching from the border of Somogy County to Tolna, is perhaps the only exception, since fine white wines are also made from the grapes grown on the southern slopes of the Mecsek mountain. The number of sunshine hours is high, rain is moderate, and the vineyard and cells which have a Mediterranean touch, the loess and clayey soil on the hard rock bed, all combine to produce the fine Olaszrizling, Furmint, Chardonnay and the unique Pécs Cirfandli.

The Szekszárd wine region is one of the oldest in Hungary. "Passionate love calls for the wines of Szekszárd", a Hungarian writer said.

Seven hills with vineyards producing historic, fiery wines encircle the atmospheric town of Szekszárd, where Ferenc Liszt composed some of his famous pieces of music.

The bunch of grapes in the town's coat of arms symbolises the importance of the Szekszárd wine-growing region, famous for its red wines. A version of the coat of arms in an unusual and shape can be seen on top of Kálvária (Calvary) Hill, from where you get a picturesque panoramic view of the region.

If compared to the historical Szekszárd wine region, the Tolna wine region is the youngest one. Yet the viticultural traditions here are as old as around Szekszárd and Villűny, and in favourable years the vintage rivals theirs. Wine-growners here like experiment and come up with new and new specialities. On the loess ridges along the Danuve, on southern Mezőföld at Dunaföldvár, Bölcske, Dunaszentgyörgy and Paks fine Olaszriszling are made.