It's always nice to discover great new local products, but unfortunately it doesn't happen as often as I'd like it to. But recently I was delighted to discover that the Pannonhalma Archabbey (Pannonhalmi főapátság) - which also has a nice winery and wine tasting terrace - has been busy adding some fantastic products to its repertoire. The last time I was at the abbey/winery, it was selling its traditional lavender products, as the monks have been growing and gathering lavender there for centuries. It has also been making a few liqueurs - Benedictine cherry, bitter and herb, produced by the Agárdi distillery - for awhile. Now, the gift shop at the abbey (about 25 kilometers south of Győr), is filling up with a variety of goodies. While the abbey itself does not actually make these products, they are said to be based on old recipes found in the abbey's archives and are produced by other manufacturers in Hungary.

Here's what my husband brought back after a recent wine tasting weekend:

• Balsamic vinegar (balzsamecet)
• Red wine vinegar with 7 spices (vörösbor ecet 7 fűszeres)
• Wine vinegar with walnut leaves and sage (borecet diólevéllel és zsályával)
• Wine vinegar with lavender (borecet levendula-virággal)
• "Atque" chocolate, a dark chocolate bar with a creamy chocolate filling flavored with Benedictine cherry liqueur and dried cherries (made by the Kis Kézműves chocolate factory in Gyula)
• Rose-jasmine soap, honey-lemon balm soap and lavender sage soap
• Two types of tea - called Laudes and Vesperas - but there are several more available

The chocolate was excellent, but the vinegars (which come in cute little quarter-liter jugs) were really the most interesting products. I’ve long wondered why there aren't more artisanal-type vinegars available in Hungary. In a place full of so many winemakers, it seems like it wouldn't be a hard product to make. Find a few of the abbey's recipes utilizing their vinegars here.

While the teas seem to be pretty widely available at the Herbária shops which are scattered around town (the tea is also manufactured by Herbária), the other products don’t seem to be easily found outside of the Abbey. Anyway, it makes for a good reason to head out to Pannonhalma for a wine tasting (and shopping spree).